Our Team

John Johnston is a South Carolina-based CPA and executive leader with over 15 years of experience specialized in the homebuilding and construction finance sectors. As the founder of HomebuildingCFO, John provides owners and leadership teams with the high-level financial strategy and technical infrastructure typically utilized by large regional builders.

John's career is rooted in long-term operational leadership and successful scaling. He served as the Chief Financial Officer for Sabal Homes for over six years, where he was a key architect of the company's growth and financial strategy. During his tenure, he successfully prepared the organization for its acquisition by Toll Brothers, personally leading all financial and HR due diligence to ensure a seamless transition into one of the nation's largest homebuilders.

Following the sale of Sabal Homes, John continued his executive track as CFO of Hunter Quinn Homes, where he oversaw financial functions for a high-volume operation and managed extensive credit relationships to fund aggressive land growth. Most recently, as CFO of Artis Construction, he focused on streamlining financial operations for high-end custom builds and historical renovations, specifically modernizing the billing process to eliminate revenue leaks and ensure accurate project-level tracking.

What Sets John Apart: The "Regional-Scale" Tech Stack

John differentiates himself by moving beyond traditional accounting to build the "data engine" that drives modern homebuilding operations. He specializes in:

• Custom Data Infrastructure: Designing SQL data warehouses that consolidate disparate sources—like QuickBooks Online and Buildertrend—into unified, automated reporting systems.
• Real-Time Visibility: Developing interactive Power BI dashboards and web tools (such as live sales pricing engines) that give owners immediate visibility into job costs, cash flow, and bank covenants.
• Strategic Growth & Capital: Managing complex credit relationships and providing the multi-year cash flow modeling and pro-forma analysis required to secure bank approval for major land acquisitions.
• System Modernization: Expertly transitioning companies from legacy platforms to modern, cloud-based ecosystems to reduce administrative overhead and improve reporting speed.

John holds both a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master of Accounting from the University of South Carolina. He began his career in the audit practice of FORVIS (formerly Dixon Hughes Goodman).

Steve, the Beagle with an unwavering nose and a passion for happy homebuilders. Don't let the floppy ears fool you; Steve is a dedicated professional with an exceptional ability to sniff out and identify potential problems before they impact your business.