As a homebuilder, Sam Bradley knows a thing or two about solid foundations, and his work to serve the local construction industry and the broader community has established his reputation as a leader in both circles.
Bradley, the owner of Sam Bradley Homes, began building in the Springfield area in 1975 and is a former president of the Home Builders Association of Greater Springfield.
In 1998, he was voted Builder Member of the Year by the HBA and was recently inducted into the organization’s Hall of Fame for his contributions to the construction industry.
During his term as president, Bradley says he led a charge to transform the internally focused association to a group with a communitywide perspective.
“The process was difficult, but the result has propelled growth within (the local HBA) and allowed the association to become involved in various levels of community and statewide leadership for housing and consumer advocacy,” Bradley says.
For example, as president, he established quarterly information-and-education meetings with Greene County, Springfield and City Utilities officials to keep all parties better informed on current and emerging topics of interest. Those meetings have been noticed and adopted by neighboring counties and municipalities.
Bradley also served the HBA as president of its political action committee, The Coalition for Building a Better Tomorrow, which raised more than $120,000 in its inaugural year.
In 2003, Bradley’s efforts led to him becoming the first Missouri representative to serve on the National Association of Home Builders Executive Board of Directors, and he continues to serve the HBA at the local, state and national levels.
Among his community endeavors, Bradley worked with Pella Windows & Doors to help construct the Camp Barnabas project for ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” He also donated his services to build the 2009 St. Jude Dream Home, the General Baptist Church in Nixa and multiple playhouses for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Bradley says he’s been blessed in his life to learn from other great leaders, including Greta, his wife of 26 years. A cancer survivor diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia in the 1960s, she survived with the help of experimental treatments that were later adopted by doctors to help others, Bradley says.
“I have been very fortunate in my life to have known and worked with many great leaders, both men and women, who saw something in me that I had yet to recognize in myself,” Bradley says. “I try to honor these people by following their examples.”
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