Philanthropy awardee builds on reputation of giving

Andrew Edwards

He doesn’t need the money, so he’s going to give it away.

Newport Beach’s Larry Webb won $150,000 last week when he received

the Hearthstone Builder Lifetime Public Service Award, given annually

to honor philanthropically inclined members of the homebuilding

industry.

“I’ve never won an award that came with a cash prize that I could

pass on to someone more needy,” Webb said.

Webb, 56, is the chief executive of John Laing Homes, a Newport

Beach-based company that builds houses in California and Colorado.

Webb received the award Jan. 14 in Orlando, Fla., at what he called a

“humbling” banquet during the International Builders’ Show.

He said on Thursday that he would divide the prize money equally

between three groups -- Costa Mesa-based HomeAid America; the Sage

Hill School in Newport Coast; and Interval House, a Seal Beach

organization that shelters victims of domestic violence.

Webb said he and other builders believe giving should be part of

their industry’s culture, and companies have many opportunities to

improve they communities where they have projects.

“Some might be as small as sponsoring a Little League team; some

might be as big as building a shelter for groups,” Webb said.

HomeAid America builds temporary homeless shelters across the

United States, and through his positions in the homebuilding

industry, Webb has helped to build five Orange County shelters for

the organization, HomeAid chief executive Genette Eaton said.

In addition to cash, Webb has sent contractors and suppliers to

help build HomeAid shelters.

“It’s not just money; it’s heart and labor,” Eaton said.

The shelters are located in Santa Ana, Placentia, Midway City and

Orange, Webb said.

HomeAid was one of multiple groups that nominated Webb for the

award, Eaton said.

He has worked with the group since its founding in 1989, when he

was a member of the group’s Orange County board of directors.

He now serves on the charity’s national board.

Webb’s daughter Laura is a Sage Hill graduate, and his daughter

Emily is a student there now.

John Garvan, the school’s director of development, said people at

Sage Hill were thrilled to hear that Webb had received the award and

that school officials would wait to hear how Webb wanted the money

spent before they decided how to use it.

Webb said he wanted to meet Sage Hill headmaster Clint Wilkins to

discuss ways to use the money, with scholarships being one of Webb’s

priorities.

Webb said HomeAid America and Interval House decide on their own

how to use the money.

The Hearthstone Builder Lifetime Public Service Awards are

sponsored by Hearthstone Advisors, a San Francisco-based firm that

invests in residential development, and Builder Magazine, a trade

publication for the homebuilding industry.