Executive Snapshot
Who: Bill Pulte, Founder and Chairman, Pulte Homes
Built his first house in 1950 straight out of high school in Michigan, after two summers of working as a carpenter. Incorporated his business in 1956. In the 50 years since then, Pulte Homes has grown to become the second-biggest homebuilder in the US. The company ranked 147th on the Fortune 500 list in 2005.
First paying job: Selling greeting cards, fresh cherries and “The Saturday Evening Post” door-to-door.
Education: Graduated from De La Salle High School near Detroit.
What you may not know: The second house Pulte built was for his mom and dad. Before that, they’d never owned a home.
Related Links
Bill Pulte’s bio
Corporate history
Interview transcript
On the Web
Pulte Homes
Corporate site
Conversations From the Corner Office
More Marketplace interviews with corporate leaders.
