Although I didn’t get the chance to know him well personally, I know by reputation that he was highly regarded by colleagues and customers alike. Many clients of his financial consulting business, SMA Consulting, became good friends—likely because he helped so many of them save their businesses. A CPA and MBA by training, Maltzman was drawn by passion to the residential construction industry, serving the National Association of Home Builders for years as a guiding light and valued speaker. He was the accountant for the NAHB’s 20 Clubs for many years, gaining invaluable insight into the best-run building and remodeling companies in the country.
It’s not everyone who can make financial analyses understandable and, ultimately, manageable, but that was Steve’s special touch. And for custom builders, who are typically drawn more to the craft side of the business than to the good sense of dollars and cents, Steve’s bottom-line focus often meant the difference between failure and success. Given the challenges builders face in this economy, this is an especially difficult time to lose such a knowledgeable and trusted voice.
Although he was tireless in his professional life, Steve made it a point to emphasize to equally striving builders that they must maintain their personal equilibrium. Don’t forget your family and your own health as you build your business, he’d say. It’s so easy to lose sight of this message when you’re a business owner and feel you have only your own efforts to rely upon. But ultimately, it’s the one account you can’t overdraw without dire consequences.
We will sorely miss Steve’s wise counsel at CUSTOM HOME magazine and at our parent company, Hanley Wood, LLC. He was the gold standard in generosity, energy, and vision.
