David Auld, the CEO of D.R. Horton, will be stepping down from his leadership post on Oct. 1. The longtime executive will now assume the executive vice chair position for the company’s board of directors. Co-COO Paul Romanowski will step into Auld’s shoes.
D.R. Horton is expected to close 2023 with up to $35.1 billion in revenue and up to 83,300 homes closed. In Auld’s full 2023 Dallas 500 Q&A, he talks about D.R. Horton’s latest milestone, affordable housing, and streaking in high school.
Education: Texas Tech University (BBA)
Birthplace: Fort Worth
Proud Moment: “We celebrated the closing of the 1 millionth home built by D.R. Horton. Today, over 1 million families live in a home built, sold, and closed by our company.”
Prized Possession: “A photograph of my wife of 43 years and me on our first date.”
Destinations of Choice: “I have traveled extensively for business the past 18 years, so today my favorite destination is anywhere my children or especially my grandchildren can be found.”
Key Leadership Strategy: “Ability to drive simple, consistent, direct communication throughout the organization.”
Fun Fact: “I was caught streaking by my high school golf coach well past curfew at the hotel where the team stayed during district finals. I did win the bet, though.”
Industry Change: “I’d like to see the land entitlement and approval process get simplified. It is too time consuming and too expensive. The country needs quality affordable housing as homeownership has become out of reach for way too many Americans.”
Go-to Advisor: “Too many to count, but my top three are Don Horton, Don Tomnitz, and Scott Stone. Everything I know about leading a homebuilding company, I learned from these three men.”
Future Forecast: “The industry is consolidating and maturing. We are building better homes more efficiently, opening the opportunity to own a home to more people in more places.”
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