When Mark Bradley Zaring started his own company, he inherited a niche that sets him apart from competitors: a Tristate home-building tradition that spans 137 years.

        The launch of Mark Bradley Homes in January made Mr. Zaring the fourth-generation owner of a company run by the Zaring family, a Cincinnati building legacy that first blossomed in 1864.

        The new company not only gives Mr. Zaring a rare distinction locally, but also nationally.

Mark Bradley Zaring, president of Mark Bradley Homes, at the Triple Crown Country Club model home site in Richwood, Ky. (Tony Jones photo) | ZOOM |

        Mr. Zaring's company opened a new era in his family's home-building tradition after a vital chapter was closed.

        Mr. Zaring, 30, was motivated after his father, Allen G. Zaring III, the major shareholder of Zaring National Corp., sold his company to the Drees Co., Greater Cincinnati's largest home builder. That deal was completed in February, and Zaring Homes is now a unit of Drees.

        With the sale, Mark Bradley Zaring stepped down as a senior builder at Zaring Homes, where he had worked since 1994 helping oversee construction of 500 upscale homes. Many of those homes, starting at $250,000, were built locally.

        Now, Mr. Zaring hopes to continue what helped his father become one of the nation's most prominent builders.

        Mr. Zaring hopes to accomplish what his father did for years: build luxury homes with distinct architectural styles.

        The homes will be designed by Cincinnati architect Larry Tokarsky, who for years also designed for Zaring Homes.

        The company will build homes ranging from $400,000 to $550,000. Mr. Zaring hopes to sell to upscale buyers, including corporate transferees, athletes and move-up buyers.

        Mark Bradley Homes is building four homes — priced at $400,000 to $600,000 — at the plush Triple Crown Country Club subdivision in Richwood, Ky. It also has bought lots in the Whispering Springs subdivision in Mason. Model homes at both sites are expected to be completed by July.

        He hopes his company eventually will build 36 homes a year. He said the homes will range in size from 3,400 square feet to 4,200 square feet, including amenities such as gourmet kitchens and two-story great rooms.

        Mr. Zaring will be competing in a luxury market with some of the nation's top home builders while the economy is soft.

        “I want to go back to the tradition my dad started,” he said. “Our goal is to give buyers luxury homes with distinction and quality craftsmanship.”

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