Homes Built for America Appoints Greg Balen as Chief Operating Officer
SAN RAMON, Calif. (September 16, 2025) – Homes Built For America (HBFA), the homebuilding division of The True Life Companies, has announced that Greg Balen, a highly regarded real estate executive with extensive experience in multiple senior leadership roles, has been named Chief Operating Officer for the growing company. The hire adds to HBFA’s bench strength during a period of continued expansion, with the firm recently being named as a Top 200 builder by Professional Builder magazine, the official magazine of the National Association of Home Builders.
Mr. Balen has over three decades of experience as a builder, land developer, architect, contractor, engineer and asset manager. Prior to joining HBFA, he served as COO for the U.S. operations of Empire Communities, where he led a company-wide operational overhaul across five states. Mr. Balen also served as a Regional President for Landsea Homes and Executive Vice President for New Urban West.
He is a licensed architect, engineer and contractor, and earned both a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Business. In addition, Mr. Balen’s extensive career includes overseeing operations at Starwood Land Ventures, JEN Asset Management, New Urban West, Taylor Woodrow Homes and Ryland Homes (now part of Lennar).
“Greg has vast experience leading teams in all facets of land development and home building, and is a tremendous asset to our growing organization,” stated Scott Menard, President of HBFA. “With his background building everything from traditional single-family and multifamily homes to high-rise towers within small to large organizations, Greg is joining us at the perfect time in our growth trajectory. We are excited to welcome his executive leadership, field expertise and strategic insight to HBFA.”
What attracted Mr. Balen most to HBFA was a combination of a growth mindset, being an operationally stand-up builder and focusing on a customer’s best interests. “LandSea going from a start-up to going public was a really formative thing for me,” he says. Moving around to various corporate roles where he was needed most also gave him the type of depth and breadth of experience that will serve him well in his new role. As for future new home communities, he plans to focus mostly on attainably priced housing targeted towards buyers earning from 80% to 120% of the local Area Median Income that doesn’t require a long commute. “You’re a manufacturer with such a big product, and how is the customer going to live?” he asks, adding that it’s almost noble when you get it right.
About Homes Built for America
Headquartered in San Ramon, California, Homes Built For America (HBFA) is the homebuilding division of The True Life Companies. HBFA’s mission is to build attainable homes in well-planned communities based on thoughtful design, providing homebuyers an easy experience before, during, and after the home purchase. HBFA chooses cities eager for long-lasting new housing solutions that serve new generations, and who recognize the opportunity HBFA offers to answer their housing needs. For more information on HBFA’s current and past portfolio of properties, visit www.homesbuiltforamerica.com.