Luxury Home Building with Two Arizona Legends – The Mentor and the Protege – Rod Cullum and Brad Leavitt E5
Robert and JJ’s guests Rod Cullum, a Founder and Principal at Cullum Homes, and Brad Leavitt, Founder and Principal at A Finer Touch Construction are both Luxury Home Builders in Scottsdale Arizona. These two bring new meaning to the term “Luxury” by designing and building some of the finest homes in the Valley of the Sun.
From 5,000 to 50,000 square foot residences and residential compounds, massive water features to .50 caliber underground shooting ranges, not only have they seen it but they’ve built it.
Discussions included the initial vetting process, the emotional roller coaster form, lighting technology and much much more.
Learn what it takes to bring a custom home project to a successful completion.
AFT Construction is a residential and commercial builder located in Scottsdale, AZ. AFT’s motto is “saving marriages one house at a time.”
AFT seeks to establish long lasting relationships with their customers by exceeding expectations and gaining trust through delivering high levels of professionalism, timeliness, attention to detail, and service-minded customer satisfaction.
Their commitment to this mission enables AFT Construction to be one of the premier construction firms in the Arizona region.
They’ve assembled a talented team of designers, architects, project managers, construction staff, and support personnel who share a common goal: to build high quality retail projects that exceed the expectations of their clients.
AFT Construction is built around extraordinary people that offer over 110 years of combined custom home building experience.
Established in a challenging economy, AFT Construction is financially strong with an ever growing custom home, commercial and remodel portfolio.AFT Construction is an award winning custom homebuilder in Scottsdale AZ with projects throughout Phoenix
Brad Leavitt is President and Founder of “A Finer Touch Construction” – a Scottsdale based luxury residential and commercial builder.
AFT Construction, as known throughout the industry, is an award-winning construction firm and has been nationally published in magazines such as: Fine Home Building, Luxe Interiors and Design, and Professional Builder.
Brad Leavitt is an energetic public speaker and ambassador for many national brands including Kohler, Pella, Subzero-Wolf, Cambria, Elkay and Post-it Notes. Brad completed a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management from BYU in 2005 and worked on notable projects around Phoenix, including the Omni Montelucia in Paradise Valley.
His Podcast, “The AFT Construction Podcast”, is focused on bringing value to its listeners, no matter their industry. The topics are focused on marketing, social media, entrepreneurship, organization, building science and construction. AFT has continued to exceed industry standards and create strong client relationships based on integrity, reliability and quality.
Brad is married to Ashley Leavitt. Together, they have 6 children, 5 girls and 1 boy. Brad is active with all 6 of his children, serves in his local community, and loves all sports.
Connect with Brad on LinkedIn and follow AFT Construction on Facebook and Instagram.
Founded by Rod and Kim Cullum in 1985, Cullum Homes was named National Custom Home Builder of the Year by the 140,000-member strong National Association of Home Builders. 
Starting as a 2-person firm, Cullum Homes has grown to several divisions, all focused on delivering a complete and comprehensive experience for our clients, including site selection, architecture, design, construction management, renovations and home concierge services. Their projects can be found throughout the northeast greater Phoenix area, including Scottsdale and Paradise Valley.
At Cullum Homes, we provide “The Finest Home Building Experience” through a carefully coordinated process that allows for continuous engagement and collaboration from start to finish. We believe building a home should be enjoyable for our homeowners, so our approach integrates architecture, interior design, construction, project management, and home care into a streamlined process executed by a single team of talented professionals all under one roof.
Rod Cullum is a Founder and President of Cullum Homes, a Scottsdale, Arizona based integrated design and construction firm specializing in luxury custom homes, architecture, interior design and renovations.
Cullum Homes was founded in 1985 and has built a reputation for innovative and industry-leading design and construction that has resulted in several prestigious local and national awards, including the National Association of Homebuilders Custom Home Builder of the Year award, Top Custom Home Builder in Arizona, Top Family-Owned Business, the Arizona Corporate Excellence Award, INC Magazine’s Fastest Growing Businesses in America, and Custom Home Magazine Pacesetter Award.
Prior to founding Cullum Homes, Rod held several executive positions in banking and real estate. He is a graduate of Arizona State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration. Married to Cullum Homes Co-Founder Kim Cullum, they have two children. Their daughter, Lindsay, is a licensed architect and is the Managing Principal/Creative Director at Cullum Homes. Lindsay’s husband, Paul, also works for the business and is the Managing Director.
Follow Cullum Homes on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.
About Your Hosts
Meet JJ Levenske
JJ Levenske is a seasoned construction executive with over 30 years of experience in the commercial and industrial sectors. From pre-construction services to complex quality controls and close-outs, he brings a commitment to delivering the highest levels of professionalism and customer service.
JJ’s dedication to construction has allowed him to become an industry expert which he aims to share with customers and investors alike. JJ does not believe in mediocrity and strives to see the “end at the beginning” for each project, effectuating a higher return on investment for the entire team.
Early on in his career, JJ worked as a cost engineer conducting feasibility estimates, strategic capital estimates, cost planning, and analysis of value engineering for the technology, petrochemical, and food industries. He went on to develop and implement a variety of systems for estimating, scheduling, resource management, and cost tracking while holding Project Manager and Senior Management Positions.
During his tenure, JJ has been involved in $1 billion worth of construction services. A strong entrepreneurial acumen allows him to be the perfect advocate for your facility based business solutions.
Meet Robert Johnson
Robert Johnson is a knowledgeable construction professional with over 40 years of experience. His experience ranges from residential to the commercial and industrial sectors.
Robert began working in the trades immediately out of high school and quickly advanced to Journeyman status. Robert went on to estimating, operations, senior level management and then business development.
Robert is consistently building relationships and networking with those associated with all aspects of development and construction. Robert has become a respected source for prefabricated construction solutions.
Robert enjoys spending time with Pam, his wife of 42 years, their 3 children, and 10 grandchildren.
About Our Sponsors
Bleuwave is a Phoenix-based general contractor with a specialty in land development & site improvement, pre-construction, design build, remodel and renovations, construction management, and post construction.
Bleuwave is passionate about what they do and takes pride in their partner’s success.
When you need it done right the first time, call Bleuwave.
Follow Bleuwave on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Mac Prefab is an industry leader in cutting-edge structural roof systems in residential, commercial, and industrial construction.
Mac Prefab offers expertise in Ultra-Span, Floor Trusses, Roof Trusses, Engineering, Design/Engineering, and Project Management.
For all of your cold-formed steel prefabrication needs, trust Mac Prefab.
