A Family Affair: Ritchie Homes

Started by Louise and Ed Ritchie in the late '70s, this California company, now run by the couple's sons, carries on the late founder's commitment to excellence and quality through dedication to family, community and customers.

Ritchie Homes is the epitome of a family business. Ed and Louise Ritchie raised their children on the very principles required in construction: to work hard and to take pride in all that they do. It's clear that these principles have translated well, as two of the four boys took over the family business after their father's passing in 1994.
When Ed and Louise started the company in 1977, and began expanding into new communities and markets, he looked to his family for support. In time, each son developed a forte in a trade that became valuable to the family team.
"My sons, they have helped me," Louise Ritchie, vice president, said. "I'm just a little old lady and my sons have kept the business going, all four of my sons. We taught them how to work and to have a good work ethic and they've been working since they were 13. They're dependable."
Located in Chico, Calif., the cultural, economic and educational center of the northern Sacramento Valley, specializes in speculative building single-family homes, as well as light commercial buildings.
Considered a home-town company, Ritchie Homes and their customers tend to remain in close proximity to the area of Chico, Calif., working in a 70-mile radius.
For an arguably small company, Ritchie Homes makes big buildings and even bigger subdivisions, and has completed over 90. They've recently tackled the remodeling market, and aren't afraid to try new things. "If we don't know how to do it, we have to learn how to do it," Ritchie said.
With a Better Business Bureau rating of A+, Ritchie Construction is considered top notch in their field. The grade represents BBB's degree of confidence that the business is operating in a trustworthy manner and will make a good faith effort to resolve any customer concerns.
Despite the economic downturn, Ritchie Homes is successfully moving forward and building on the tradition that began many years ago, using the same standards of excellence that Ed instilled in the company. Their commitment to excellence is to assure the buyer a home of which to be proud, building on a tradition is truly the foundation of Ritchie Homes. CLT