Daniel Kennerly grew up working cattle on 10,000 acres in rural Florida, learning from his grandfather that a handshake meant something. Today, he's building million-dollar custom homes and leading The New American Home® 2026 project.
"Everybody knew that if Victor Cowart said, I'm going to do it, it would get done. A handshake. He didn't need a contract. That integrity and those values of trust and honesty come through and people work with you because they can trust you."
This conversation covers Daniel's journey from ranch life to finance, then flipping foreclosures for BlackRock during the 2009 collapse. He talks openly about missing a budget by $3.5 million on an $8 million house and how handling that mistake with transparency preserved the client relationship.
The centerpiece is The New American Home® 2026 for the International Builder Show in Orlando. Picture an underground garage in Florida with 12-foot ceilings, a car elevator, and a turntable. The home displays over $3 million in donated products for a mission that matters.
The owner, Jason, built his wealth in self-driving car technology. He has a son with autism and is creating Jonathan's Landing, a 500-room community where adults with autism can live, work, and support themselves. Jason partnered with Samsung to rebuild their device certification program specifically for adults with autism, training them to repair phones and tablets.
"One in every 30 children born in the United States has autism. When you ask people if they know somebody with special needs, almost every hand goes up."
We dig into how Daniel scaled through the Alair Homes franchise network, growing from two guys with one project manager to five project managers and office staff in eight years. The franchise brought backend systems and economies of scale that let him focus on building instead of managing disconnected software.
"Normal contractors operate on a three or four percent profit margin. They should be operating on 10 to 12 percent. Most of that happens because of bad financial management. They build phenomenally, they just don't know how to manage the finances."
Daniel shares practical insights on cash flow management, keeping reserves, and building a business with an exit strategy. The conversation ends on what matters most: writing letters to his four sons, building something that outlasts any construction project.
Daniel Kennerly is a Partner at Alair Orlando. He brings a unique perspective to luxury custom homebuilding with his background in both finance and construction. Daniel grew up on a sixth-generation Florida ranch, which instilled values of hard work, patience, and integrity that shape his business today. He is a husband to Susan and father to four boys—Zeke, Thatcher, Prescott, and Adler.
Alair Orlando: