Bison Homes
by Danielle D'Adamo
Family owned and operated with roots tracing back to North Dakota, Bison Homes has developed a solid reputation as a leader in resort lifestyle homes. Owner Gary Martinson began building homes in 1970 in his home state, but saw growing opportunities in a much warmer climate. "I moved to Arizona in the early '80s from North Dakota and it so happens that the name 'Bison Homes' came out of there," says Martinson. "I attended North Dakota State University and we were known as 'the home of the bison.' The name just stuck."
Using an iconic symbol of the West to offer a desirable product in great locations, Martinson had many years of success in the Fountain Hills residential market. After improving the resort lifestyle concept, he was able to expand into north Scottsdale and Tucson's Oro Valley to make resort communities a reality.
"We've always tried to focus on being very value oriented," says Martinson. "In today's world, people want to buy something that becomes, in their mind, an investment, because they want it to appreciate. And even though it's a second home, and whether or not they choose to pass it on to other generations, they want to get some value out of it."
Determined to bring value and a maintenance-free lifestyle to every customer, Bison Homes offers affordable housing in a variety of locations. With prices ranging from $200,000 to $400,000 the company created two distinct lifestyle communities to appease multiple buyers: luxury Valley casitas and White Mountain retreat cabins. Catering to second home buyers, Bison Homes' success still continues to grow with over 1,500 resort lifestyle homes built in Arizona today.
"My philosophy is to always invite people to come in and look but not necessarily push them to buy," says Martinson. "Have them come in to understand what their options are and decide what kind of product they want and ultimately, what's in their budget. It'll save a lot of time and we do it in a very relaxing, inviting and neighborly way."
Resort to a Better Lifestyle
While Bison Homes offers luxury living in the Valley with communities in the prestigious Troon area of North Scottsdale and in the relaxed setting of Fountain Hills, Martinson stresses that no matter how much home buyers may love the Valley, they also love a change of pace.
"We are all about lifestyle and the thing that I hear from everybody who comes up to the White Mountains is that as soon as they get here, it's as if the weight of the world is lifted," he says. "The more years spent here in the Valley, the more people discover that they need to escape and have a retreat."
With a number of Bison Homes communities located in Show Low, Heber/Overgaard and Payson, the White Mountains provide the perfect getaway destination for many home buyers. Not only are homesites close to skiing, hiking, horseback riding, fishing and swimming spots, the Bison Golf & Country Club in Show Low features a pristine 18-hole course designed by PGA star Billy Mayfair. Combining spectacular rolling hills and winding trails of ponderosa pines, Bison Golf & Country Club is the ideal place to enjoy mountain golf outings and experience the unmatched splendor and beauty of Arizona's White Mountains.
"I spent a fair amount of time in areas like Preston and Flagstaff without really understanding that there are mountain communities and the White Mountains were undiscovered," says Martinson. "As you leave the Valley to go to one of the Bison communities, your experience begins when you get in the car because the drive is incredible. From the high mountains to the pine trees, it's a phenomenal two-to three-hour drive that is ever changing."
Adding to the benefit of escaping to a private cabin in the cool pines, Bison Homes offers home buyers the opportunity to dabble in fractional ownership vacation homes with the White Mountain Vacation Club. Potential members will have the security of a deeded ownership of a 1/8 fractional share of a resort home, which they can reserve for up to six weeks per year. Fully furnished cabins, condos, suites and even ranch estates are available with full access to all the amenities of a high-end vacation club.
"We focus on the amenity side of the club and don't cut corners," says Martinson. "So even though someone may own six weeks in a condominium in Payson, they can visit the Bison Country Club and activity center for free because they're a member of the entire club. We really make it all about them."
Bison Museum
As if being the premier builder of retreat cabins in the White Mountains isn't enough of a competitive edge, Bison Homes also offers an experience unlike any other local builder. The Bison Museum is one of the largest bison and western artifacts collections in the country, including a "Dances with Wolves" display with an authentic buffalo prop and various memorabilia from the famous movie.
"It's funny how everything comes together," says Martinson of the historic Bison Museum. "Since I was from North Dakota and we were the state and home of the bison, I started using the animal because I've always collected bison memorabilia. And it just so happens that I hit on one of the greatest icons to have ever existed on earth!"
The grand opening of the Bison Museum in 2007 signified its return to Scottsdale after spending the past several years at Bison Ranch in Heber/Overgaard, Arizona. Before its stay at the ranch, the museum was owned and operated by the Gemmie Baker family and known as the Buffalo Museum of America. In 1999, Baker sold the museum to Martinson who was happy to add his own lifelong bison and western collections to the mix.
The museum also has an array of Native American artifacts and a vast assortment of bronzes, paintings and prints by legendary western artists such as Remington, Russell, Catlin, Damrow, Clymer and commissioned works by Ron Schwartz and others. Also on display is the Flagg Family Art Collection, a tribute to Scottsdale's "first family" of western artists. The Flagg works include hundreds of items from paintings to sketches, such as the original Parada del Sol program cover artwork and even life-sized wood carved figures of Buffalo Bill, Wyatt Earp and Wild Bill Hickok.
The Bison Museum also houses a western library, gift shop, large conference room, refreshment lounge and of course, the Bison Homes Information Center.
"And really, we're all about hospitality, camaraderie and having fun," says Martinson. "As we set up the opportunity for people to come here and experience who we are, what we do and where we do it through the information center, it's a matter of seeing that we didn't do this for a profit center. You walk in here and that is who we are. Yes, we are the most western builder and we've walked the talk."
Danielle D'Adamo is Assistant Editor of HB Magazine.
Builder Facts:
Corporate office location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Founded: 1980
Community types: We have two types of communities available through Bison Homes. Our desert lifestyle communities include Eagle's Landing and Eagle's Pass, and our mountain lifestyle communities include Bison Cove, Bison Ranch, Bison Ridge, Golf Villas at Torreon and Golf Casitas at Torreon.
Price range: $200,000 to $400,000
What home buyers should know: We truly enjoy working with buyers in search of the resort lifestyle and who appreciate the quality, value and affordability in our homes. We want each of our Bison Homes buyers to enjoy living in their new home as much as we have enjoyed building it for them.
