Distinguished Achievement Award Larry W. Seay
Meritage Executive Larry Seay Honored at Graduation
Larry W. Seay, chief financial officer and vice president-finance of Meritage Corporation, will receive the Spring 2003 Distinguished Achievement Award at the W. P. Carey School of Business graduation May 15 at 7 p.m. in Wells Fargo Arena.
Seay received a bachelor of science in finance in 1977 and in accounting in 1978 and a master of business administration in 1979 from the W. P. Carey School. Since 1996 he has been in executive leadership at Meritage Corporation, a homebuilder with over $1 billion in annual revenue that has experienced 15 consecutive years of record revenue and net earnings. At the same time, Seay has been active at the W. P. Carey School through membership on the Accounting Circle, speaking in W. P. Carey MBA classes, judging at case competitions, and most recently, joining the department of finance advisory board.
"Executives like Larry Seay make a real difference in the education of our students," said Larry E. Penley, dean of the W. P. Carey School. "They challenge faculty and students to live up to our responsibility as a professional school."
A certified public accountant, Seay began his career as an audit manager for Deloitte & Touche. His first position in the homebuilding industry was at Emerald Homes, where he was treasurer and chief financial officer. Beginning in 1990 he was vice president and treasurer of UDC Homes. In 1996 he assumed his present position at Meritage.
Through the years Seay remained involved with Arizona State University. "If you are a successful individual should contribute not only monetarily, but with your most valuable asset, your time," he said.
He was an active member of the Accounting Circle, a support and advisory group in the School of Accountancy and Information Management. For the past decade he has also participated in the W. P. Carey MBA case competitions, and has been a guest speaker in classes at the Del Webb School of Construction as well as the W. P. Carey School.
Most recently he joined the department of finance advisory board. In addition he has been active in the Better Business Bureau and the Men's Art Council at the Phoenix Museum of Art.
The W. P. Carey School of Business Distinguished Achievement Award is presented at the December and May graduations to an individual who has achieved success in business and who has contributed to the improvement of the W. P. Carey School and the community. Previous recipients include construction executive Robert Hardison of hardison/downey construction, inc., James E. Stowers III of American Century Investments and custom homebuilder Geffrey Edmunds.
About the W. P. Carey School of Business
The W. P. Carey School of Business provides quality undergraduate, masters and doctoral programs that draw upon a dynamic learning environment to prepare students at all levels for the future. Internationally recognized faculty enrich the curriculum with their latest research findings, and deliver this knowledge in a technology-rich environment. Ranked 25th in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, the undergraduate degree offers Business Honors to some of the best students at the university. The W. P. Carey MBA, ranked 17th in the nation among public programs, combines business fundamentals with marketplace issues and trends, giving graduates the knowledge and experience to excel in a global economy. W. P. Carey School of Business alumni are lifelong learners connected to the school and each other through an active alumni community and executive education opportunities.
About Meritage Corporation
Meritage Corporation designs, builds and sells distinctive single-family homes ranging from entry-level to semi-custom luxury and has built approximately 22,000 homes in its 18 year history. The Company was recently ranked as the 14th largest builder in the U.S. for 2002 by Builder Magazine and was recently included in THE BLOOMBERG 100 "HOT STOCK", compiled by Bloomberg Personal Finance Magazine in their February 2003 issue. In addition, the Company has been ranked by Forbes magazine as #4 of its "200 Best Small Companies in America", and has appeared twice on Fortune's list of the "Fastest Growing Companies in America." Meritage operates in the Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona markets under the Monterey Homes, Hancock Communities and Meritage Homes brand names, in the Dallas/Ft. Worth, Austin, Houston and San Antonio, Texas markets as Legacy Homes, Hammonds Homes and Monterey Homes, and in the East San Francisco Bay and Sacramento, California markets as Meritage Homes. In addition, effective with the October 2002 acquisition of Perma-Bilt Homes, Meritage is now active in the Las Vegas, Nevada market. The Meritage web site is located at: www.meritagehomes.com.
