RIVERVIEW – PulteGroup’s West Florida Division is gifting two mortgage-free homes at once through its Built to Honor program in partnership with Building Homes for Heroes.
Army Specialist Ryan Heard and Army Sergeant Carson Shaw were selected because their stories were equally compelling, according to the company.
“Every year, selecting a Built to Honor recipient is incredibly meaningful, but this year we found ourselves unable to choose just one,” said Sean Strickler, president of PulteGroup’s West Florida Division. “Ryan and Carson both represent extraordinary courage, resilience and sacrifice. Their stories impacted our entire team, and we knew the right decision was to honor both heroes.”
Shaw joined the U.S. Army in 2019, fulfilling a lifelong dream of becoming an Army Ranger. During his six years with the 1st Ranger Battalion, he earned his Airborne and Ranger tabs and completed deployments to Iraq, Syria and Africa.
On Oct. 7, 2024, Shaw was involved in a line-of-duty motor vehicle accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down.
Shaw has received numerous military honors, including two Army Commendation Medals.
Heard enlisted in 2007, inspired by his family’s military legacy and a determination to serve his country.
Heard served more than six years in the Cavalry, completing two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan while earning his golden spurs along the way.
On July 7, 2013, Heard was injured in an IED blast during a counter-IED mission in Afghanistan’s Logar Province. He is a recipient of the Purple Heart.
The families will receive adjacent homes at Pulte Homes’ Spencer Glen community in Riverview, becoming neighbors. The homes are expected to be move-in ready by Thanksgiving.
Across the country, PulteGroup has donated over 100 Built to Honor mortgage-free homes to wounded veterans since founding the program in 2013. The dual gift marks the seventh and eighth mortgage-free homes PulteGroup’s West Florida Division has built for veterans in the Tampa Bay area through its Built to Honor program and is the first time the division has honored two recipients at once.
