2020 Certified Graduate Builder Designee of the Month Mike Mishler, CGB, GMB, CGR, CAPS
Experienced builders can be even better with the Certified Graduate Builder (CGB) educational certification. They learn to sharpen their business management skills and better understand today’s home building industry. CGB courses focus on effective management in the office and the job site, examining all stages of new home construction while covering advanced topics such as scheduling, estimating, job cost procedures, accounting principles and basic contract law.
When NAHB surveyed CGB certification holders, the Association found that their revenues were significantly higher than companies of the same size but without CGB leadership at the helm. That’s because the home builders who seek the CGB are dedicated to their craft and to growing their business, and that is even more evident by their commitment to continuing education.
This month’s CGB Designee is Mike Mishler, owner of Mishler Builders, Inc. Mike is a transplant to the housing industry and the Great State of Texas. He is originally from Indiana, where he studied to be a Certified Radiological Technician directly out of high school.
Six years into his medical career he asked a fellow church member, who was a contractor, if he was hiring. The answer was a resounding, “No.” Even though the contractor wasn’t hiring, Mike took the initiative to take a week’s vacation from his current job and work with the construction crew for free. At the end of the week Mike was hired.
Fast forward after working for several construction and development companies in Indiana, Mike moved to Texas in 1983 to manage a large condominium project in Rockwall. By the mid-1980s, he started his own company building a mix of single-family residential, multifamily and commercial projects. Today, the company’s main focus is building new custom homes with award-winning results.
A proud testament to a reputation for outstanding work combined with exceptional customer service, many of Mishler Builders’ clients are referrals from satisfied repeat customers. Mishler Builders is an exceptional team of dedicated professionals who will assist in the planning, designing, engineering and construction of new custom homes, remodeling projects or even commercial endeavors.
Mike is a widely respected industry leader, having served as president of the Dallas Builders Association as well as holding many leadership positions within the Dallas BA, Texas Association of Builders and National Association of Home Builders. He was also on the Board of Directors of HomeAid/HomeBuilders Care, the official charity of the association which builds transitional housing for the homeless.
Mike’s volunteer and industry effort doesn’t stop when the workday is done. He has been on the Rockwall Chamber of Commerce Board for over 16 years, serving as president twice. He has served on the Rockwall Historic Preservation Advisory Board and is currently on the Board for Rockwall Meals on Wheels.
Mishler Builders recently served as Builder Captain for a mortgage-free home for a disabled U.S. veteran through Operation FINALLY HOME and served as co-captain on a home for Patriot PAWS, a service dog training facility in Rockwall.
Mike’s long legacy of philanthropic devotion earned him the Dallas Builders Association’s highest honor in 2013, the Hugh Prather Award. The award was named for the Association’s first president, Hugh Prather, in hopes that his principles would serve as a guide for future generations of builders. It is not meant to be simply a “Builder of the Year,” but something more that reflects credit to the building industry.
Mishler Builders help clients “step out of the box” and create homes and businesses with impeccable design and quality. Mike is a builder with the values of heartland America — a 30-year track record of unsurpassed quality, a constant eye on improvement and a proven reputation of excellence with clients. The company’s stamp of architectural excellence is found throughout the finest communities of Rockwall and cities throughout the East Texas area.
What do you like most about the industry? Creating dreams for folks. Their homes. I enjoy giving ideas from 35 years in the business that they suddenly see and love. Mostly to make their home be very functional for them. I don’t like hallways. We try to use every square foot for something useful. We are good friends with almost all our clients when we finish, which makes me feel good.
What is some advice you may give to someone new starting out? If you are new to the industry, I think the best thing you can do is start out framing homes, so you understand how they are built from the ground up. I can’t imagine starting out in this industry not knowing how to frame a home yourself. Then after getting started, get all the education you can and keep up with the changes.
What does your certification add to your business? Credibility. It may not come up in conversation a lot, but it makes others keenly aware that I have taken additional classes to further my knowledge of the industry as a whole and to specialize in areas I am strong in.
Written by: Tag Gilkeson, CGB, GMB, CGR, CGP, CAPS, CGA, CSP, CMP, MASTER CSP, MASTER CGP, MIRM
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