BUILDING A
COMMUNITY
Southern Indiana’s largest residential developer JEFF CORBETT of Premier
Homes talks success, humble beginnings and the importance of home
Q&A BY ANGIE FENTON
PHOTO BY TONY BENNETT OF TONY BENNETT PHOTOGRAPHY
FOUR DECADES AGO, Jeff Corbett graduated
from Prosser Career Education Center, a much-
heralded technical school in Floyd County.
Today, Corbett is the biggest residential developer
in Southern Indiana, as well as chairman of
the Building & Development Association of
Southern Indiana Board of Directors.
Born and raised in New Albany, Corbett attended
Green Valley Elementary School, Scribner Middle
School and then, New Albany High School (NAHS),
where he also was enrolled in Prosser and built a
strong foundation that’s helped pave the way to
his success. “I’m doing today the same thing now
that I was doing went I went to Prosser,” he said.
Corbett was such a gifted student, he received
an academic scholarship to Purdue University but
turned it down, he was so drawn to the building
trades industry. “I excelled at math, (and) I’m
very mechanical. I really enjoyed being able to
figure out problems – looking at something and
being able to figure out how to do it.”
36 EXTOL : DECEMBER 2018/JANUARY 2019
Corbett graduated from Prosser in 1978 – and
nailed the carpenters union apprenticeship test,
ranking third out of 600 – and found employment.
At the age of 20, “when the economy was terrible,”
he went to work for Town & Country Homes
in Louisville, eventually becoming a framing
subcontractor. In 1995, Corbett opened Classic
Truss, which now serves Louisville, Cincinnati,
Lexington, Indianapolis and Southern Indiana.
He opened Premier Homes in 1999.
“One thing led to another, and I just kept
building the houses,” Corbett said, smiling.
“The first year, we built 10 to 12 houses from
foundation to completion. I bought a lot and
then I bought another lot and then I bought the
whole subdivision.”
Corbett – who is president and co-owner of
Classic Truss and founder and owner of Premier
Homes – took time out from his busy schedule
to answer a few questions about the secrets to
his success.