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Stanley Martin Homes Case Study | Attract the Next Generation of Talent

Stanley Martin Home’s talent function partnered with Stories Inc. to create a team member storytelling content library to support their evolving recruitment efforts. In this case study, you’ll learn how Stories Inc. highlighted Stanley Martin’s culture of growth and internal mobility to attract the next generation of talent. 

Stanley Martin Homes has been building and selling homes for over 50 years. By 2010, they became one of the 50 largest builders in the U.S. Starting first in Maryland and Northern Virginia, the company expanded into Charlottesville, Richmond and Raleigh in 2013-2014. In 2017, Stanley Martin joined the Daiwa House Group and expanded into two new cities including Charleston, SC and Atlanta, GA. In 2020-2021, Stanley Martin Homes expanded operations into additional metro areas in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida.

As Stanley Martin Homes expanded, the company took this same thoughtful approach to their evolving culture and people strategy, too. From day one, Stanley Martin has prioritized investing in team member growth and promoting from within. As a result, Stanley Martin’s workforce is made up of many long-tenured, passionate, and loyal team members. 

The Challenge: Attract the Next Generation of Talent

As Stanley Martin continued to grow and expand, talent leaders CN Green and Debra Fletcher – Head of Talent & People Analytics and SVP of Team and Culture, respectively – realized their recruitment strategy needed to also evolve to attract external talent audiences. 

Where to begin? Green and Fletcher knew that to attract the next generation of talent to Stanley Martin, they needed to show candidates why team members have chosen to stay at Stanley Martin and grow their careers. They needed team member storytelling content to bring their unique culture to life.

Enter Stories Inc.

The Solution: Using Team Member Stories to Communicate Stanley Martin’s Culture

Stories Inc. interviewed eight Stanley Martin team members over the course of a day and a half. Four storyteller interviews were conducted in-person at Stanley Martin’s Virginia headquarters, and four storyteller interviews were conducted virtually using Stories’ Virtual Story Sessions (VSS). Stories Inc. also spent a half day collecting broll footage at a construction site to best match the stories uncovered. 

“I appreciated all the helpful templates, regular check-in calls, and a creative team willing to go the extra mile. With Stories Inc., I felt like I had a whole team at my disposal.”

– CN Green, Head of Talent at Stanley Martin Homes

Heading into the interviews, Green and Fletcher knew that internal mobility and career progression would be a key theme. But because of Stories’ conversational interview style, an unexpected culture element emerged: authenticity. Nearly all the storytellers expressed their ability to bring their whole selves to work and how being authentic enabled them to perform at a high level.

In fact, authenticity became such an important cultural thread that Green and Fletcher pivoted their expectations for the content to better highlight this theme. 

With all the footage captured and stories discovered, Stories Inc. got to work creating the content: two culture theme videos and three employee spotlight videos. 

A Digital Content Library to Communicate Culture

Stories’ interviews with Stanley Martin team members revealed the culture of career growth and so much more. Storytellers shared how they benefited from cross-team collaboration; that they felt heard and recognized for the work they did; and that they always felt respected inside and outside of work. These themes were woven throughout the five videos Stories Inc. created for Stanley Martin’s team member storytelling library. 

Culture Overview at Stanley Martin

In this two-minute compilation video, team members share how they have experienced career growth, collaboration, and a value-driven culture during their tenure at Stanley Martin Homes. All three of these themes will be critical to attract the next generation of talent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbJpujUORAc

Career Growth Through Authenticity

At Stanley Martin, team members are empowered to grow their careers based on their own goals and interests. In this compilation video, team members share how they have climbed the ladder, moved across several departments, and become experts in their field. 

https://vimeo.com/755226171/dee644fe99

Moneh Kinteh Employee Spotlight: Purposeful Work at Stanley Martin

For the first time in her sales career, Neighborhood Sales Manager Moneh Kinteh feels empowered to own her sales skills and relationships at Stanley Martin. In this video, she shares how much it means to her to help aspiring homeowners’ dreams become a reality.

https://vimeo.com/755000056/0a956ef736

Dawnielle Carter Employee Spotlight: Experiencing Recognition at Stanley Martin

Dawnielle literally grew up at Stanley Martin – she joined fresh out of school and has grown her career through 11 different roles over the past 26 years. As she tells her story, Dawnielle reflects on the different awards she’s won over the years and what this recognition means to her personally and professionally.

https://youtu.be/WMp3CVjNn7I

Michele Smith Employee Spotlight: Being Heard at Stanley Martin

In this employee spotlight, Michele reflects on her journey from the military into construction management and joining Stanley Martin within the last six months. As a newer member to the team, she shares how much it means to her to join a team that listens and really hears you, even though you are new. 

https://vimeo.com/755007205/72709bfb6a

Distributing the Employee Storytelling Content

Once the content was complete, Green and Fletcher planned to release the videos internally during a town hall and through other forms of internal communications. The content was  very well received and celebrated throughout the organization, receiving a lot of engagement and positive feedback from leadership and team members alike. 

Externally, Stanley Martin has been releasing the videos individually over the course of four months. 

“The entire project was turn-key. Stories is an extremely smart team that brings a lot of value. Employer brand content is an investment and after working with Stories Inc., we can say it was a good one.”

– CN Creen, Head of Talent at Stanley Martin Homes

Conclusion

From just one and a half interview days, Stories Inc. delivered a library of five employee story videos bringing the different areas of Stanley Martin’s culture to life for the next generation of team members.