Amorini AdvisoryCarlos Puente
Homebuilding & Development Advisory · Fractional Executive Services

Plans look good on paper.
Making them work for real families, real crews, and real margins is a different job.

I'm Carlos Puente. I spent the last eight years of my career in senior leadership at Neal Communities, one of Southwest Florida's most respected homebuilders—first as Vice President of Sales & Marketing, then as Division President of its luxury division, with full P&L responsibility and oversight of operations and strategic growth. Those roles gave me a unique perspective across every stage of the business, from driving revenue and sales performance to operational execution and profitable growth. Today I partner with homebuilders to apply that same operating discipline through fractional executive leadership and advisory work—bringing hands-on judgment, strategic insight, and accountability without the overhead and commitment of a full-time hire.

I've led sales. I've led operations. I've owned the P&L. That's why my advice is practical, not theoretical.

Start a conversation See where plans go wrong
Helping Homebuilders Build Better Businesses
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 N LOT 4 · IRR. 58'-64' x 116' CUL-DE-SAC · PHASE 2 · PRELIM.
House placement issue — 100 yr. grand oak.
Carlos Puente on-site at a completed community amenity center
I don't advise from the sidelines. I've been accountable for the outcome.
Former Executive Leadership · Division President · VP, Sales & Marketing · Full P&L Responsibility · 17 Years in Homebuilding
About

Seventeen years inside the operation, not around it.

Carlos Puente in a kitchen from a home his team built
Division President
Neal Signature Homes — 2023–2025
VP, Sales & Marketing
Neal Communities — 2017–2025
General Sales Manager
Pulte Group / Centex / Del Webb — 2011–2017
Education
MBA & MS, IT Management — Indiana University, Kelley School of Business
MA, International Business — University of Florida
BA, Business Administration — University of Florida
Markets
Deep operating experience across Florida, with a track record adapting quickly to new markets — domestic or international — given a defined research & analysis phase
Languages
Fluent in Spanish
International Background
Studied in Japan, Spain, and Germany; traveled to 60+ countries — firsthand fluency in global business culture

My homebuilding career spans 17 years — starting in sales with Pulte Group across Tampa and Ocala, then rising to General Sales Manager, ranking 3rd among 28 GMs nationally. In 2017 I joined Neal Communities, a privately held, family-owned builder, as VP of Sales. In 2021 I took on marketing too, directing it across 25+ communities spanning Neal Communities, Neal Signature Homes, SimplyDwell, and our South Florida region. In 2023, when my mentor and Division President retired, I was entrusted to succeed him — full P&L responsibility for a $70MM+ luxury division, leading a cross-functional team of 30+ across sales, marketing, land, construction, and purchasing.

Public & Private Homebuilding

I've led inside both — a large public homebuilder and a privately held, family-owned one. Public builders bring institutional process and capital discipline; private builders move faster but carry different land and succession dynamics. I know how to operate in either.

I Know the Whole Machine

Not just one function — the entire operation:

SalesProductMarketingPurchasingWarrantyConstructionFinanceCustomer ExperiencePeopleLand

I also led the go-to-market launch of SimplyDwell, Neal's entry-level brand, and directed the rollout of Salesforce, Pardot, and DocuSign — cutting contract workflows significantly and improving business intelligence company-wide.

Now I partner with a small number of builders as a fractional executive — bringing that same judgment and accountability, without the overhead of a full-time hire. I also work with international homebuilders and companies establishing a U.S. presence — often through acquiring a builder or a land position — helping bridge the cultural and market-specific gap as they get established here.

Directed$500M+annual sales
Led$70M+division P&L
 800+Homes closed annually (peak, division oversight)
 17Years in homebuilding
Where Plans Meet Reality

The plan penciled. Here's what usually gets missed.

Sales Performance "the numbers dipped last quarter — nobody can say exactly why"

A drop in performance rarely has one clean cause, and without real process behind the team, it's hard to tell whether it's the market, the product, or the people. I diagnose what's actually happening on the floor and rebuild the structure and training underneath it.

Plan Design "gorgeous kitchen, fully exposed — laundry room built for two, not five"

Architects design plans that photograph well — open kitchens, dramatic islands. Fewer are built around daily life: a laundry room sized for two in a five-bedroom family community, or a walk-in closet with no dedicated lighting or A/C run to it. I review plan sets and options lists for daily livability, not just curb appeal.

Community & Lot Layout "density calcs check out — desirability doesn't"

Engineers optimize for lot yield and setback compliance. Product mix, floor plan fit, sightlines, and how a community actually feels to walk through often lose. I sit in on layout, product mix, and amenity programming before it's poured in concrete.

Marketing & Agency Fit "big spend, bigger funnel, small idea what's converting"

Most builders can tell you their marketing budget. Fewer can tell you what their agency is actually delivering against it, or where a great agency's account team is simply new to homebuilding. I review the assets and the partnership itself, and work alongside your agency to close the gap — not around it.

Production & Cycle Times "'we're improving cycle times' — improving from what, exactly?"

Cycle times, trade turns, and variable spend are where margin quietly leaks. I've run production accountability at the division level — I know which bottlenecks are real and which are just the trade everyone likes to blame.

Land Acquisition "the pro forma penciled — nobody stress-tested sales velocity"

A deal can pencil on paper and still be the wrong product for the site, the buyer, or the market cycle. I evaluate acquisitions the way a division president has to — because I'll own the outcome, not just the spreadsheet.

How I Work

Senior leadership, sized to what you actually need.

01

Sales Performance & Playbook

When sales results have slipped, plateaued, or never had real structure behind them — no defined process, no SOPs, unclear flow from lead to close — I diagnose what's actually happening on the floor and rebuild the playbook underneath it: process, SOPs, training, coaching, and the accountability to sustain it.

02

Product & Community Planning

When a new community or product line is on the drawing board, I evaluate product mix, floor plans, and options against buyer profile and market position before it's locked in — so the plan pencils on paper and performs once it's built.

03

Marketing & Agency Oversight

When you want confidence that marketing spend and your agency partnership are producing results, I review current assets — digital and physical — along with design, tone, and messaging. Having managed agency relationships from the client side, I know how much smoother that partnership runs with a homebuilding-specific eye in the mix — someone who can guide the account team and make the work better for everyone, agency included.

04

Fractional & Interim Executive

When a leadership seat is open, or needs full ownership while it's being filled, I step in as a fractional or interim Division President or VP of Sales & Marketing — complete P&L or functional accountability across sales, marketing, land, construction, and purchasing.

05

Executive Leadership Coaching

When your leadership team is already strong but could use an experienced outside perspective, I work alongside your existing leaders — coaching, mentoring, and stress-testing decisions — without stepping into the seat itself.

06

Operational Advisory

When you need a second set of eyes on a specific problem, not a retainer — CRM and digital tool review, sales center flow, or production cycle-time audits.

07

Land & Development Advisory

When a land deal or build partnership is on the table, I bring division-level operating experience to the decision before it's made — not after. That includes how the community itself should take shape once land is under contract: entrance sequence and first impression, view corridors and lake or water placement, and where the amenity center goes and what it offers — decisions driven by what's actually around the parcel, not just what fits on the plat.

08

International & Cross-Border Advisory

When an international homebuilder or company is establishing a U.S. footprint — often through acquiring a builder or a land position — I help bridge the cultural and market-specific gap between how business gets done at home and how it works here. Grounded in a graduate degree in international business, study abroad in Japan, Spain, and Germany, and travel across 60+ countries.

Engagement structure varies by scope — some work is billed flat-fee, others hourly or day-rate. Structure and terms are agreed before any engagement begins.

Contact

If the plan isn't quite penciling the way it should, let's talk about what's keeping your business from performing at its best.

Most engagements start with a short conversation about what's actually going on — not a sales pitch. If it's a fit, we'll scope something specific from there.

Email — carlos@amoriniadvisory.com
LinkedIn — linkedin.com/in/carlospuente
Based in Tampa, FL — engagements on-site, remote, or travel as needed

Let's Build Your Better Business

Contact Carlos today.

Outside of Work

Between roles, my family and I fulfilled a long-held dream: a literal around-the-world trip, visiting 26 countries across 4 continents. I'm back home in Tampa, and back to doing the work I know best.