In this episode of Smith Lane, we’re joined by David Smith, President of the Active Adult Division, at Dream Finders Homes. Dream Finders, recently named Builder of the Year, is a national homebuilder head-quartered in Jacksonville, Florida, operating across various states and markets, including the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwest. David shares his unique journey from law enforcement to leading one of the nation’s top homebuilding teams, and how that transition shaped his approach to building experiences.

We explore Reverie, the Dream Finders active adult brand, designed around the pillars of Connect, Explore, and Thrive and discuss how Reverie is building communities that exceed buyer expectations. From thoughtful kitchen and laundry room layouts to broader community planning, David walks us through the mindset of today’s active adult buyers — and the importance of delivering great homes at attainable prices.

Our conversation dives into how to create memorable, energetic spaces through intentional design and David’s fascination with emerging technologies in the homebuilding industry. We close the episode with book recommendations, including Unreasonable Hospitality and Extreme Ownership.

About David

Born and raised in Oxford, Ohio, David graduated Miami University in 1991. Following graduation, he moved to Atlanta, GA to work for the Secretary of State’s office. In his three years, he served as a Senior Special Assistant to the Secretary of State and as an Investigator for the Secretary of State’s office on white collar crimes and Internal Affairs matters. In 1993 David attended the Georgia Police Academy and became a certified police officer in the State.

In 1995, he resigned from his position with the state and moved to Florida where he worked with Lennar Homes as an Assistant Superintendent in Broward County. David worked his way through the ranks to Land Manager for the County, and after 5 years, moved over to Pulte Homes in 2001 in Jacksonville, FL  as the VP of Land. By 2002 he was promoted to Jacksonville Division President. David was propelled into leadership roles and has held several positions for other builders since, such as AV Homes as a FL Regional President prior to their sale to Taylor and most recently with Dream Finders Homes for the last 7 + years.

Connect with David

LinkedIn

Dream Finders Homes