THE RYALND STORY: 40 YEARS of QUALITY, CARE and INNOVATION
Ryland's story begins in 1967, when founder James P. Ryan left his family's company, Ryan Homes, to build homes in the nation's first master-planned community of Columbia, Md. He and his partner, Bob Gaw, created The James P. Ryan Company and built 48 homes that first year.

Nearly three years and 700 homes later, Ryland got its official name when Jim Ryan spotted a banner that read "Maryland," with the "M" and "A" covered. The combination of Ryan and Maryland seemed like a perfect choice for the name of his company.

By 1971, Ryland had expanded from Columbia into new suburban communities around Baltimore and Reston, Va., and had enjoyed considerable success in Houston. Sales approached $30 million and the company wanted to raise cash to enter new markets.

The first public stock offering was made later that year, raising $4.6 million in equity, and enabling Ryland to enter the Atlanta, Dallas/Fort Worth and Philadelphia markets.

During its first decade, Ryland built more than 10,000 homes and increased its earnings from $46,000 to $4.7 million.

New Leader, New Vision

The answer came in the form of R. Chad Dreier, who became Ryland's fifth president and CEO in November of 1993.

Dreier revitalized the company, immediately implementing a decentralized strategy based on improving efficiencies, and having the best product, people and land in each market.

Ryland Homes refocused on what homebuyers in individual markets wanted most.

In recognition of the company's success and Dreier's strong leadership, Ryland's board of directors elected him chairman of the board in December of 1994.

The company relocated its headquarters to Calabasas, Calif., in 2000, and continued to expand its geographic presence.

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS

In 2007, Ryland celebrated 40 years of success as one of the nation's leading homebuilders. We're proud of a 40-year history that includes building homes for more than 275,000 families in 28 cities across the country. And we look forward to helping many more achieve their dreams of new home ownership for many years to come.