RHC Top Builder Ambassador Blog: Lombardo Homes

We love spotlighting businesses to share their story as part of our Top Builder campaign. This year, we are highlighting ECI Homebuilders ambassadors who were featured on the Builder 100 and Next 100 lists by Professional Builder and Builder Magazine.

One of those leaders is Melissa Cervin, vice president of marketing at Lombardo Homes, based in Shelby Township, Mich. With 64 years in business, Lombardo Homes has built a reputation for quality, growth, and community commitment.

Lombardo Homes uses ECI’s Lasso to strengthen marketing and sales operations as part of its success story. It’s helped their team connect with buyers more effectively and manage relationships at scale.

This feature is part of a mini blog series we will promote across our channels to celebrate your achievements and inspire other builders to invest in the right people, systems, and processes to grow.

ECI: Congratulations on being named a Top 100 Builder! What does this recognition mean to you and your team?

Melissa Cervin (MC): Being recognized as a Top 100 Builder is an incredible honor for our team. What started as a husband-and-wife dream has become a nationally recognized company through hard work, grit, and a relentless drive to succeed. For us, it’s proof that a family-owned builder with passion and perseverance can stand shoulder to shoulder with the nationals in our industry.

ECI: What do you think helped your company earn a spot (or move up) on this year’s list?

MC: Earning a spot on this year’s Top 100 list comes down to our people. We’re fortunate to have a team of thoughtful, committed, and passionate professionals who bring their best daily. But just as important as building great homes is keeping the customer experience at the heart of everything we do. By working together and focusing on clear communication, thoughtful processes, and delivering not just homes but enjoyable experiences, we ensure that our customers remain our greatest measure of success. That combination is what sets us apart.

ECI: How has your ECI tech stack helped support your growth, quality, or customer experience?

MC: Our ECI tech stack, particularly Lasso, has been a key driver in supporting our growth and customer experience. It gives our sales managers a single platform to manage all their leads, balancing automated touches with personalized outreach to keep communication consistent and meaningful. Because so many of our lead partner sites feed directly into Lasso, we can capture customer information instantly and follow up while they’re actively shopping, not after the opportunity has passed. That efficiency and responsiveness support our sales team and create a better buyer experience.

In fact, for builders managing complex sales cycles, features like automated workflows and reporting are critical — see how Maintaining CRM Health in Lasso CRM ensures your database works for you and not against you. Also, to dig deeper into how Lasso’s analytics can boost performance, check out Lasso CRM Reporting & Analytics.

ECI: What would you tell another builder who wants to make the Top Builder lists next year?

MC: My advice to another builder is not to focus on making the Top 100 Builder list. Focus on the customer. Without the customer, there is no builder and certainly no list to make. From there, make sure your systems and processes deliver both a positive customer experience and a high-quality product. When you put the customer first and back it up with great homes and great processes, growth will follow, which naturally leads to recognition like the Top 100.

ECI: What’s one measurable result your team has achieved thanks to your tech?

MC: One of the most measurable results we’ve seen is the improvement in customer satisfaction since implementing post-sale experience tools like Novi Homes and Builder Signal. In the past, one of the top complaints on our surveys was that customers didn’t feel we communicated often enough. Today, those concerns have virtually disappeared. With weekly calls supported by milestone updates, progress photos, centralized communication, and all documents in one place, our customers feel consistently informed and connected. As a result, our scores have improved, and we haven’t had a single customer say we don’t communicate enough.

ECI: What technology decision has impacted your business this year, and what advice would you give another builder considering the same move?

MC: Over the years, our interactive design tool has had the biggest impact on our business, and it continues to be a game-changer. It allows buyers to design their homes online, exploring floor plans, structural options, and finishes, while giving us invaluable real‑time behavioral data. We can see which homesites and floor plans are most popular, which trends are emerging or fading, and even when customers are actively shopping, so our team can engage at the right time.

This year, we added Audience Town, which has taken that a step further by giving us demographic insights before customers even begin using the design tool. It allows us to confirm whether our traffic matches our expected buyer profile and course‑correct if or when it doesn’t, as well as to tailor our marketing, visuals, and messaging. Hence, the customer’s experience feels personalized and meaningful.

My advice to another builder is this: don’t just adopt technology for the sake of it. Invest in tools that enhance the customer journey while also giving you data you can act on. The real impact happens when combining customer experience and actionable insights. And if you're exploring implementation strategies, our post on Lasso Consulting: Automating Sales Processes has good operational guidance for builders just getting started.

Summary

As part of our Top Builder campaign, ECI proudly spotlights Lombardo Homes, led by Vice President of Marketing Melissa Cervin. Based in Shelby Township, Michigan, Lombardo Homes has been building quality homes for over 64 years, earning a place on Professional Builder’s Builder 100 list for its growth, reputation, and customer‑first approach.

A key part of their success has been leveraging ECI’s Lasso CRM and other tools in their tech stack to streamline marketing, improve customer communication, and strengthen the buyer experience. From interactive design tools to audience insights, Lombardo Homes demonstrates how investing in the right homebuilder software solutions can help independent builders compete with national brands. For more on how builders use Lasso CRM to modernize operations, you might read Modernize Your Manufactured Homes Business With Lasso CRM.

This feature is part of a blog series celebrating Top Builders leading with innovation, customer focus, and the right technology to scale.