"Best in American Living Award"
Awarded to ZOM, Inc.
For Best Rental Development

ORLANDO, FL - March 10, 1998 - In recognition of the nation's best new housing designs, the fourteenth annual "Best in American Living Award" (BALA) awards were presented on January 16, 1998, in conjunction with the National Association of Home Builders' annual convention and exposition in Dallas, Texas. A Gold Award in the BALA competition was awarded to ZOM, Inc. for Best Rental Development for The Hamptons at Tampa Palms.

Sponsored by Professional Builder magazine and the National Association of Home Builders, the BALA program showcases homes that illustrate design quality, success in the marketplace and exemplify the "Best in American Living."

The future of the apartment industry has become a popularly debated issue with the key threat being the aging baby boomers. The average baby boomer is now over 30 years of age. The significance being that at age 31, one is more inclined to own a home than rent. In response to this trend, ZOM began developing a product that appeared and lived more like a single-family home. They labeled it their "attached single-family" product.

Steve Patterson, president and C.E.O. of ZOM, Inc., explains that The Hamptons, the first generation of this attached single-family product, was developed to draw renters who were inclined to own. The 335-unit community has six-unit buildings that feature a front elevation with one entry and one garage that reads like an upscale single-family home. Instead of the more typical one-car garage, two-thirds of apartments have two-car attached garages. Six expansive floor plans feature gourmet kitchens with center islands and breakfast nooks, separate full-size dining rooms and master baths with separate shower and Roman tub. Custom upgrades are offered so that each resident can individualize their unit with Pergo wood flooring, closet organizers, upgraded fixtures and water softeners/purifiers, just to mention a few. Some residents have spent in excess of $5,000 upgrading their apartment homes. It is hoped that the property will realize reduced turnover as a result of this up-front investment by the resident.

The 1997 BALA competition's panel of seventeen judges was comprised of builders, marketing experts, architects, land planners, developers, design professionals and a building publication editor. A total of 74 award winners in 19 categories were chosen from over 500 entries.

Winners were published in the January 1998 issue of Professional Builder magazine and recognized at Professional Builder's exhibit and at the National Association of Home Builder's pavilion during the Builder's show in Dallas.