Ira Fulton made a fortune building homes. Now he and his wife are spending it on scholarships and school buildings — and hitting up their friends, too .

One of Arizona’s largest homebuilders, Ira Fulton, and his wife, Mary Lou, have given generously to Arizona State University and Brigham Young University. “I’m a pushover for kids,” says Ira, our No. 46 top giver, “because if we don’t educate them, we’re in trouble.”

An active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (which owns BYU), the ASU alumnus expanded a California clothing store chain, which he sold in 1995, before making Fulton Homes one of the largest homebuilders in the booming Phoenix market. The 74-year-old philanthropist, who has no plans to retire soon, told BusinessWeek reporter Bremen Leak why he’s so eager to give away his fortune. Here are edited excerpts.

It’s been said that if you had stopped writing big checks, you’d be a billionaire by now, so why the constant smile?
You know something, I’ve been giving away half of my profit since ’91 to education, and my company averages over 45% gain in equity every year. It’s just crazy. I give it away, but it comes right back to me. I think it’s because it motivates me to get out and work harder.

Something else — you can’t take it with you. Before my mother passed away, I said: “Mom, I’ve figured out how to take it with me.” She said: “How?” I said: “Traveler’s checks,” and she hit me. I love giving it away. Every time I go out and make a new land transaction, I look at the profit I’ve made, and I say: “That would get me so many scholarships or build me another building!” I convert everything to buildings or scholarships.

Aside from donating money to ASU and BYU, what else have you been up to lately?
I’m glad you ask. In the past couple years I’ve been involved with the [Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawaii] because it helps pay scholarships for boys and girls to go to college. [The PCC is affiliated with BYU Hawaii through an international work-study program.] We have 700 boys and girls that could not go to college if we didn’t give them a job at the PCC. We have 11 villages there, and they literally dress up and perform their native customs for all the tourists. Last year we celebrated our 30 millionth tourist since it opened. We have quite a program there.

How do your wealthy neighbors respond to your giving?
All my friends, they have it. They just… I asked them the other day: “Have you ever seen a Brinks truck at a funeral procession? I haven’t.” You can’t take it with you. I’m on them all the time about that.

How do you know what these universities do with it?

They have to report back to me. I meet with the deans personally. I meet with the faculty. I’m not just going to give them a free lunch, because I don’t believe in free lunches. I believe if you teach somebody how to work, they’ll feed themselves forever, and that’s what I want to do.

When did you first learn the importance of generosity?
My mother was very generous. We had a little hamburger stand in Tempe [Ariz.], and she raised seven of us out of it. We just didn’t have any money, but we were able to eat, have clean clothes, and get an education. But my mother never, never turned anybody away.

I remember when I was a little boy, I used to scold Mama. I’d say: “Mama, you give away our food, and we work so hard for it.” And she’d say: “But they’re hungry.” Because of my mother, I became a very charitable person. I can hardly say no to anybody — if they’re in need. I can say no to people who want to twist my arm for an investment. But to help people that are down and out — you’re blessed for that, and I believe that.

Recently, you and Mary Lou celebrated your 51st wedding anniversary — something not all successful businesspeople achieve. Have your mutual giving efforts brought you two closer together?
Oh, yes. We’re 100% in everything. We’re just one.

What do you hope to accomplish with your giving?
I’m educating a lot of great men and women who will go out and be our future CEOs and CFOs, and within the church, our bishops, our general authorities, our mission presidents. Like I told the prophet [Gordon B. Hinckley] the other day: “I’m going to let you spiritually save their soul, and I’m going to educate the soul.” And he said: “Ira, you’ve got a deal.”

My goal is to get other people to have the same feeling I have about giving, to make things better in this world. We’ve been blessed so much. Everybody has. They just forget where it comes from.

Christmas is the most inspiring time of year to decorate. Almost everyone looks forward to it! This year stamp your unique seal on your home for Christmas! Your seasonal decorations represent you and your family. Read along for ideas.

Customize stockings by writing family member’s names with iron on letters. Mix fun items from around the house in garland (picture frames, pottery, crystal items) above the hearth. If you have power available, weave in white lights.  Use your entertainment center as your mantel if you don’t have one.

Don’t have space for a real Christmas tree? Mini trees covered in lights give the same effect as a big tree. White lights accent any style and color with grace and brilliance. Use several of theses minis if you have the room. A tree on both sides of the front door; immediately puts you in the spirit, each time you come home. Counter appropriate mini trees and extra small decorations are available. There could be one in each room of the house!

Greenery such as garland dresses up the everyday banister, doorframe and windowsill. Interlace curly vine like materials. These can be found in any craft section. Adding glitter to colorful faux leaves fit right in with garland and vines. Stick to one color of glitter like gold or silver. Add glitter to other foliage, such as vines and berries.

Basically you can decorate anything you want. All you need is garland, white lights, cheerful ribbons, colored ornaments and candles. Don’t forget candles, especially ones that smell like gingerbread, evergreen, peppermint and any other seasonal smell. Only light one type of fragrance at a time. Light other unscented; the soft glow and seasonal smell will really set the tone for Christmas spirit!

Last week we posted an article on our Quick Home Search tool on our website.  This week we’d like to share our Interactive Floor Plan tool with you.

Have you been dreaming of your dream home?  This tool allows you to customize each room in your new home to fit your wants and needs.  You can add and remove bedrooms, bathrooms, patio doors, a garage service door, a kitchen island, a study and/or den, etc.  You can also drag and drop outlets of different wattage, choose your flooring in each room, select what pre-wired items you’d like to be in the house (e.g., surround system in the entire house) and so much more.

If you accidentally add something that you’d like to remove, you can simply click it again and the check mark will be removed.  If you’d like to start over, you can click the “clear” button in the bottom right corner and it will return your house back to it’s original version.

Below are a few examples of what our interactive floor plan tool allows you to customize.  Once you have customized your home to you liking, you can print everything out by clicking “Print Preview”, this will take you to a page where you can view each category separately.  Once you are there, simply click print and your new home floorplan will be printed!  We hope you enjoy this tool as much as we do!

The Valley’s Most recognized Homebuilder Leads the Way for a Good Cause this Holiday Season

Fulton Homes and radio station KEZ 99.9 are teaming up for the 8th annual “Books and Toys for Girls and Boys” campaign, November 19 through December 14. The program gives children, who are recovering at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Holiday gifts – in an effort to brighten their spirits. Valley residents are encouraged to drop off toys and books at the radio station or any one of the events held throughout town.
“Fulton Homes finds this program especially meaningful since so many of these kids have to endure the stress of a chronic illness along with the Holiday season” said Douglas Fulton, CEO of Fulton Homes. Fulton adds, “It takes more than medicine for a child to heal.”
The Fulton Homes “Books and Toys for Girls and Boys kicks off  November 19th and ends  December 14th at the Phoenix Children’s Hospital at 9:00am, where Marty Manning from KEZ will be reading Christmas stories to the kids. Milk and cookies will be provided, and children will have the opportunity to pick out their favorite book and toy from the hospital’s Emily Center.
Teresa Boeger, Director of the Emily Center at Phoenix Children’s hospital said “the Fulton Homes’ Books and Toys program allows families to break away during the holidays and select something meaningful that will help their child through the healing process, and will surely add excitement and joy during the holiday season.”
For more information on “Books and Toys for Girls and Boys”, and drop off locations, please visit www.kez999.com or visit www.fultonhomes.com and click on the Fulton Foundation link.

Is Thanksgiving fun for you or a source of stress and frustration? Planning ahead makes a difference when facing a major holiday. These ideas will help you have a nice time without wearing yourself out.

Most people are good about planning the Thanksgiving food, but there’s more to a holiday meal than that. How many people are coming? Do you have chairs, table settings and linens for everyone? How about serving dishes and bowls? What about making the table and/or buffet look inviting? To make your life easier, plan and set the table and buffet up this weekend. That way if something needs to be washed or polished or ironed, you have plenty of time.

With that much eating going on, Thanksgiving invariably involves one or more spills. Do you have flooring in your dining room such as a rug or carpet, or even wood floors, that should be immediately cleaned? Plan ahead for this with the cleaners of your choice and a selection of white work towels at hand. Spills can then be handled quickly and gracefully, minimizing any embarassment for the guest.

Your final step is creating a plan for the Thanksgiving meal. Gather your recipes and create a shopping list. Don’t wait for the mad dash on Wednesday – get it done early next week. Make a plan for cooking everything – taking into consideration any oven or stovetop limits. Work your timing backwards from the planned dinner schedule, adding an extra half-hour or so for unforseen events. Cook anything you can ahead of time, leaving you only the last minute foods to prepare.

With these upfront steps, you can have a lovely holiday without the stress that last-minute problems bring. This will give you time to enjoy the day with your family and friends.

One of our favorite website tools is on our website home page, this is our Quick Home Search.  Here you can select your Location, Community and Price and it will direct you to all homes available in your search criteria.  This is a very quick, easy way to find homes that may interest you.

The search will show you what homes are available, if they are quick move-in homes, what floorplan they are, how many beds and baths, etc.  From here you can click on the one of your choice and see how you can modify it to suit your wants and needs.

This website tool is very simple, yet very useful.  We hope you enjoy it.

Light fixtures give you an opportunity to add some architectural interest to your home. A simple dining table is strongly enhanced with the right chandelier above it. Your entryway can be much more dramatic with the perfect fixture sparkling in the space.

The rules for lighting are changing. Once chandeliers were only for dining rooms. Now, as you can see in this photo, bedrooms can get an extra touch of luxury with a delicate crystal fixture.

You may want to consider mixing your lighting options in other rooms. How about a small hanging fixture over your bathtub to add a spa feel? Pendant lights common in a kitchen might add an unusual contemporary look in your foyer or a hallway. A ceiling fan can extend the life of your covered patio (there are fans designed for outdoor use).

Whatever fixture you select, make sure the size is in proportion to the room. For a dining room, the chandelier should be about half the width of the table. Also, positioning lights at the right height makes a difference. For example, in a dining room, the recommendation is to set the bottom of the fixture about 30 inches above the surface of the table.

Lighting adds to the ambiance of your home. Take your time and make the right choice for every room.

To see our previous post called Choosing Your Lighting: Part 1 click here!

Would you like to decorate your home for Thanksgiving without expending a lot of money or effort? Follow these suggestions to put your home in an autumn mood.

To begin, take a look around your home for fall-looking elements you may already have. A dark-toned basket such as the one in the photo, antique elements, pottery bowls or plates, candlesticks, and even a pile of old books can help provide good background elements for your display.

The grocery store is the source for your next display elements. Pumpkins are generally half-off or less after Halloween. Gourds or squash provide variety in shape and color. Even a pound of unshelled nuts say fall when placed in a bowl or scattered in small groups on the table.

For the final touches, take a walk. Fall leaves, acorns, pinecones and branches with berries wrap up your decorating supplies. When fixing your displays, start with the largest pieces, and end by tucking in smaller elements to balance shapes and colors into an inviting look.

Now your home says Thanksgiving, and taking the time to add this touch of beauty to your home can help put you in a holiday mood!  We are posting our favorite Thanksgiving recipes next week, that will add to your mood too!