2022 Top Entrepreneur: Willy Nunn, Homes By Westbay president and CEO, Riverview

With Willy Nunn at the helm, Riverview-based Homes By Westbay has become one of the fastest-growing homebuilders in Tampa Bay over the past decade.

By Brian Hartz
| 9:00 a.m. May 12, 2022
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Mark Wemple. Willy Nunn is the president and CEO of Homes By Westbay.

Entrepreneurs

Bottom Line

Key Takeaway: With Willy Nunn at the helm, Riverview-based Homes By Westbay has become one of the fastest-growing homebuilders in the Tampa Bay region over the past decade. Nunn attributes the sustained success to sticking to “move-up homes” that occupy a sweet spot between starter houses and high-end, custom builds.

Core Challenge: With inflation woes dogging the economy, material costs have skyrocketed, along with the cost of living, leading Nunn to worry about the resilience of the housing market.

What’s Next: Nunn plans to pour more resources into Homes By Westbay’s new subsidiary, Casa Fresca, a $50 million joint partnership with GTIS Partners that focuses on entry-level homes. In a major strategic coup, he poached former Lennar Homes executive Mark Metheny to head up Casa Fresca.

Company: Founded in 2009, Homes By Westbay is a rapidly growing residential real estate development company headquartered in Riverview. The firm has been on a tear lately, with gross revenue rising from $347.7 million in 2020 to $391 million in 2021, up 12.45%. Nunn expects sales to top $400 million in 2022.

Best advice: Nunn doesn’t hesitate to credit Homes By Westbay founder Roger Gatewood, who sold the company to Nunn, for some of the best advice he’s ever received: “Good people work with good people.” Nunn adds, “If you have a choice between working with good people on a questionable deal, or working with questionable people on a good deal, take the questionable deal.”