Kaufman & Broad Official Said to Take Spot at Centex

Roland F. Osgood has resigned as head of home building giant Kaufman & Broad Home Corp. divisions in Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties, effective next month.

Sources said Osgood, who started Kaufman & Broad’s Orange County division in 1991, will be taking over Centex Homes’ Southern California division, which has struggled to build a presence since entering the local market in the mid-1980s.

Larry Ludwig, who heads the Centex division, will transfer to the company’s Inland Empire home building operations, sources said. Although Osgood confirmed his departure from Kaufman & Broad, he would not confirm or deny a move to Centex. Centex officials also declined to comment.

Osgood said he decided to leave Kaufman & Broad because more of the division’s strategy was being determined at corporate headquarters in Los Angeles, rather than at its division office in Newport Beach. “When I started here there was complete autonomy,” Osgood said. “As things went on, decisions became more centralized. It was like running a factory instead of a home builder.”

With Osgood departing, Kaufman & Broad will restructure its Southern California divisions. The Orange County operations will be consolidated with the San Diego division and be based in San Diego. The company’s Los Angeles and Ventura divisions will merge with its Inland Empire operations.

Industry insiders say Osgood will have a challenge trying to raise Centex’s profile and improve its bottom line. Land prices have gone up significantly in the past year and competition has become fierce. Dallas-based Centex has projects planned or actively selling in the Inland Empire, Foothill Ranch and in Mission Viejo.