ST. GEORGE – Henry Walker Homes is now Jack Fisher Homes following the sale of the Henry Walker’s Northern Utah assets to Colorado-based Oakwood Homes along with the use of the name.

Henry Walker founders are looking to continue the tradition of homebuilding in Southern Utah as well as Northern Utah and Colorado now under the name of Jack Fisher Homes, said Colin Wright, managing partner of Jack Fisher Homes.

“We created Henry Walker Homes in the midst of the housing recession when others were fleeing the industry,” Wright said. “We succeeded then by sticking to our values of quality and customer service, and today we are even better positioned to succeed with Jack Fisher Homes.”

Wright, along with Owen Fisher, Chad Bessinger and Steve Sandholtz, founded Jack Fisher Homes to continue focusing on residential land development and homebuilding, commercial assets in multifamily development and seniors’ housing, according to a news release.

“Jack Fisher brings together four well-seasoned professionals into a dynamic partnership,” Fisher said. “We are poised to further capitalize on the evolving opportunities created in today’s fast-changing real estate market.”

Mari Smith, Southern Utah Home Builder’s Association executive officer, said while building permits in Washington County are down 25 percent compared with this time last year, master developments like Jack Fisher Homes’ projects are a boon to the community.

“Building permits are actually down … but we are still doing a lot better than when we were in the recession,” she said. “Builders are building these large developments, and our communities are continuing to grow.”

Jack Fisher Homes has developments throughout Washington County, including Coral Canyon, The Escapes at Coral Ridge, Red Mountain Estates, The Vistas at Entrada, Twin Creeks at Stonebridge and The Villas at Sienna Hills, according to the news release.

Washington City Economic Development Director Drew Ellerman said large developments like those Jack Fisher brings to Washington City and surrounding areas is good for the city.

“This is our third biggest (building) year ever,” he said. “Any building is a positive thing for us. There are a lot of people who live here that work in the housing industry.”

According to information from the National Association of Home Builders, building 100 single-family homes generates 297 jobs, $28 million in wage and business income and $11.1 million in taxes and revenue for the state, local and federal governments.

Wright said he and his partners “love Southern Utah” and enjoy having a presence in development in Southern Utah.

“Most of the homes we sell are second homes, and we think those buyers from out of state (and) Northern Utah really like the Southern Utah area,” he said.

Even though building overall is down in the Southern Utah region, the scaled-back building is positive long term, Wright said.

“This year is down in volume because last year there were a lot of pent up sales,” he said. “This has been a really healthy pull back, so this just makes for a much healthier market. We’re glad it pulled back.”

Smith said there are several factors that play a role in bringing new people to Southern Utah, including the overall quality of life and low cost of living.

“We do need to keep building homes to meet the needs of our growing population,” she said.