Dream Builders: Hovnanians reflect upon 45 years of success
Douglas M. Bovitt/Courier-Post
As boys, Stephen and Peter Hovnanian got their first whiff of sawdust.
Forty-five years later, the brothers are building on the foundation laid by their father, Jirair Hovnanian, an Iraqi-born immigrant of Armenian descent who launched J.S. Hovnanian & Sons in 1964.
Back then, the company was known as 4H Builders -- "That's Mom, Dad, Stephen and I," said Peter Hovnanian -- and capitalized on South Jersey's burgeoning population and ready supply of land available for development.
Nearly half a century and four recessions later, the company is still building homes, as well as offices, retail space and assisted living facilities. Jirair Hovnanian died at 80 in 2007.
"A lot of times the second generation isn't interested in carrying on but Stephen and Peter certainly have maintained that family vision," said Richard Van Osten, executive vice president of the Cherry Hill-based Builders League of South Jersey.
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