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Phoenix-based Del Webb Corp was a leader in the development of retirement communites for active adults for people 55 and older, operated several planned communities in Las Vegas, and ranked as the No. 2 homebuilder in Las Vegas.
In 2001, Del Webb Corp agreed to a merger with Pulte Homes Corp. The deal combined Las Vegas's second- and third-largest homebuilders and created the nation's largest builder of homes.
Every successful business is based on a vision. An incredible visionary, Del E. Webb, founder of Del Webb Corp, helped shape not only Nevada but its gaming industry, the American Southwest and major league baseball. Del E. Webb was born into a wealthy family in 1899 in California. His father's construction company ran into financial problems, and Webb saw his father go broke in 1914. Webb took up carpentry and dropped out of high school to make it his vocation.
Webb often claimed that much of his success came from applying the rules of baseball to business. In January 1945, Webb, along with a partner, acquired the New York Yankees. The following year, he entered the Las Vegas market with the construction of the Flamingo Hotel for Bugsy Siegel. Webb went on to construct other important buildings in Las Vegas, including its City Hall and Clark and Valley high schools.
In 1961, Del Webb Corporation became a casino owner eventually establishing an empire in the gaming industry with eight hotel-casinos scattered throughout the Nevada.
Also in the 1960's, Del Webb started another business that he would be known for -- the development of Sun City in Arizona, an innovative community that was designed exclusively for retired people. Webb's planned communities, designed specifically for the retirement market, are considered significant sociological and business innovations. Webb's vision required the Chamber of Commerce, along with key amenities like streets, a post office, shopping center, hotel, recreation center and model homes to be in place prior to promoting the project to prospective residents.
In 1988, Del Webb Corporation sold its last gaming property. It then brought the Sun City concept to Las Vegas with the construction of Sun City Summerlin, which now has about 7,750 homes. In 1995, Del Webb opened Sun City MacDonald Ranch, a 2,500-home community in Henderson. In October 1998, Sun City Anthem opened, marking the third Sun City community in Las Vegas.
On August 3, 1962, Webb was honored on the cover of Time Magazine. He died on July 4, 1974. Much of his fortune went to the Del E. Webb Foundation, which funds medical projects in Arizona, California and Nevada. In 1992, a $4 million endowment from the Del E. Webb Foundation created the Del E. Webb School of Construction as a separate school in the College of Engineering at Arizona State University.
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