Developing Ideal Neighborhoods

When Zack Roach stepped into his job at Ideal Homes & Neighborhoods, he didn’t know the difference between a backhoe and a track hoe. But with patient teachers and co-workers, he’s amassed a tremendous volume of knowledge about construction and development, and the company’s culture of learning encourages him and all employees to try new things to research what works and what doesn’t.

Now, as Vice President of Development for Ideal Homes & Neighborhoods, Zack oversees every aspect of developing Ideal’s neighborhoods, from initial concept planning to final lot completion, always tracking company resources to strike a balance between market demand and prudent planning. He ensures the home production side of Ideal has an adequate supply of lots to build your new home. 

Zack has watched Ideal embrace sustainable development and earn recognition nationally as a premier green developer. “We’ve tried to wrap our heads around how we can make our developments more ecologically sustainable,” he said. “We’ve created projects to understand and define everything from rain gardens to redirecting sinuosity of streams in an attempt to make neighborhoods that create value for homeowners decades into the future.”

Zack’s tenure as Ideal’s VP of Development started in 2012, but he’s been with the company for a little more than 16 years, first as a Land Development Specialist and then as Director of Development. Before Ideal, he worked in the University of Oklahoma Athletics Department. 

He earned a BBA in marketing from the University of Oklahoma in 2004 and an MBA in hospital administration from Oklahoma Christian University in 2005.

Zack and his wife Emily have been married more than 10 years after meeting on a blind date set up by an Ideal Homes & Neighborhoods co-worker. He proposed 49 days after that first date, and they were married four months later. Today, they have three children and family is a top priority for Zack. He feels extremely lucky that Ideal supports his philosophy of God first, family second and then work. He really appreciates the flexibility Ideal offers for family time -- like the opportunity to work from home when needed, getting to go home for lunch most days to see his family, or even bringing one or more of his kids to the office when the occasional babysitter falls through.

Ideal Homes & Neighborhoods has continued to challenge Zack, forcing him to grow and define his leadership skills from time and conflict management to project planning. Moving into management 12 years ago has made him more compassionate on both sides of the leadership equation. Standing shoulder to shoulder with co-workers and getting to know them gives him the opportunity to rejoice in their successes and share the heartaches. 

He appreciates even more the hard work that leadership and the owners have put into making Ideal Homes & Neighborhoods a great place to work. The transparency from management to all employees is pretty amazing. Topics discussed in closed-doors sessions are pretty much the same as in department and companywide meetings. There really aren’t any secrets.

Zack is passionately committed to learning and imparting knowledge to others to help them grow. His favorite aspect of his job is teaching and training others to help them better themselves. 

“In the end, it really is all about the people you work with that makes the job worthwhile,” says Zack.