Atlantic Builders focuses on teamwork to create delighted homeowner experiences.


When you’re part of a team, you’re invested in its success. You show up. You do the work. You support your teammates. And you care about the outcomes. That’s the case with Atlantic Builders, a regional home builder in the Fredericksburg and Charlottesville regions. They operate as one big team with a mission to build communities, while helping people build out their futures.
 
“We view it as a long-term investment in our community,” says Carter Garrison, director of land development for Atlantic Builders. “We live in these houses; we go to the same schools, the same churches as people here. We all have various jobs, various responsibilities, and there are challenging times, but we all care about each other. We care about the end product, and we're teammates.”
 
Focused on care
That level of focused care weaves its way throughout the company, from employee culture and land purchase and development, to home design and construction. It extends to the company’s partners, as well, including their bank partner, C&F Bank, who has deep roots in the same region Atlantic Builders calls home.
 
When you’re doing business together, trust and communication are imperative, says Tom Schoedel, CEO of Atlantic Builders. After all, there are many challenges in the home construction business, from the unpredictability of weather to supply chain issues. Timelines can change on a dime. Financing can make or break a project—it can make or break a business.
 
The right partners
“Having the right bank 100% makes the difference for our business,” he says. “We need a bank we can trust, someone we are comfortable working with. It’s important they are available, that they're there to work with me, that we're on the same team trying to get a project done and work through it together.”
 
Tom joined Atlantic Builders back in 1989 as a laborer and worked his way up. Today the company builds about 250 to 300 residential homes a year, ranging from $300,000 townhouses to $1.7 million single family detached homes. His goal is to build 1,000 homes a year. To Tom, that means creating 1,000 delighted homeowner experiences.
 
Delighted experiences
Buying a home is often one of the single biggest financial decisions people make. He wants the whole experience to be exciting and memorable. For instance, project managers allow children to write their names on the floor of their bedroom before the drywall goes up.
 
“I love that we get to play a role in someone's life, in their story,” Carter explains. “Homeownership is a huge deal, and the fact that we get to play a part of that and help them build that is a great honor and responsibility.”
 
Serving communities by providing the dream of homeownership, Atlantic Builders continues to rely on the support of their bank.
 
Just as no one home fits the needs of every customer, no one solution fits the needs of Atlantic Builders. They appreciate C&F Bank’s problem-solving abilities and highly responsive service. Because C&F is woven into the same community, the same streets, the same neighborhoods, they understand what's at stake.
 
"I can be walking in downtown Fredericksburg and run into our banker,” says Carter. “When you’re working on land development, there’s risk involved. You want your bank to know what you’re working on, to know this area, and to help you solve challenges together.”
 
A relationship built to last
“C&F Bank helps us solve problems creatively,” Carter says. “They are a member of our team, they work with us to achieve our goals, and they care about what we do. It's not a blanket approach to solving the problem. It's a customized solution that they're able to provide.
 
Tom echoes that sentiment: “We are expanding our relationship with C&F as we continue to grow,” he says. “C&F is definitely going to be part of that growth.”