Mount Pleasant Magazine Jan/Feb 2015

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Until last year, he lived in the Northeast, where his
work on the national custom home building level earned
him awards such as Best Custom Home under 6,000
square feet by the Main Line Builder’s Association, as well
as industry-wide respect – he was appointed chairman of
the Historical Architectural Review Board in Lower Mer-
ion Township in Pennsylvania.
He fostered his lifelong passion for custom home
building by kicking off his career working for three of
the largest home building companies in the country
– NVR, Weyerhaeuser and Pulte – before starting his
own company.
This side of 10 years ago, he even had the privilege of
building the Delaware home of Vice President Joe Biden.
But after learning of the opportunity to become a
part of the Arthur Rutenberg family – and after being
wooed by the Charleston area during subsequent visits
– Lattif knew his future in custom home building lay in
the Lowcountry.
Listening to Lattif speak, it’s clear his respect for the
Arthur Rutenberg name extends beyond a professional
perspective.
“Art’s been in the business for over 60 years and still
works five days a week, and he’s still an inspiration to how
we look at housing and trends,” Lattif said of the com-
pany’s namesake and founder, whom he calls a “terrific
individual.”
For Lattif, then, investing in a franchise was a no-
brainer because it was this franchise.
“What you gain from associating yourself with some-
one as respected as Art Rutenberg is you know that a great
deal of thought has gone into the evolution of the fran-
chise,” he explained. “The history makes a big difference.”
It’s a history that stretches back to 1953, when a
26-year-old appliance dealer in Chicago decided to pur-
chase 10 Florida lots. He immediately set to work design-
ing and building three spec homes.
Thus, Arthur Rutenberg Homes was born, at a time the
Part of Arthur
Rutenberg’s new
Coastal Home
Collection, the Port
Royale, features
decidedly Lowcountry
curb appeal.
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