John Wieland
Chairman & CCO
John Wieland Homes

John Wieland built his success in the business world one brick at a time.
And plank, and nail, and bolt, and….

To date, the company founded by Wieland in 1970, John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods, has built more than 21,000 semi-custom residential homes throughout the southeast, and, along the way, became the city's second largest homebuilder. With more than 1,000 fulltime company members and thousands of Trade Partners, John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods builds and closes traditional single family detached homes, town homes, and cluster homes ranging from $190,000 to $1,000,000.

Wieland began building in Atlanta with a Volkswagen Bug for his office and part-time delivery vehicle for materials. He started off his career by building 10 homes in south Atlanta. In 1977, the company pioneered the concept of a retail design center, when Wieland opened the area's first ever such store, making it easier for homebuyers to make their interior and exterior selections.

While he was building homes, Wieland also introduced new architectural features and options. In 1981, he introduced open floor plans, spa baths, and sun porches into the Atlanta marketplace. Ten years later, Wieland expanded into the southeast by building in Charleston, SC.  Soon to follow were Charlotte and Raleigh, NC, and Nashville, TN.

His peers recognized Wieland in 1996 by voting him the National Builder of the Year, which is industry-wide competition of more than 110,000 builders across the nation. Over the years, John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods has earned more than 500 awards for excellence. Professional Builder magazine and the National Association of Home Builders chose the company to receive the National Housing Quality Award.

Wieland also served the home building industry at the local, state, and national level, receiving top awards for his contributions. In 2002, he was presented the Hearthstone Builder Lifetime Public Service Award. He is a member of the Home Builders Association of Georgia's Hall of Fame and received the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association's Lewis Cenker award for lifetime achievement.

Wieland has been involved in a number of volunteer activities. He served as chair of the advisory council for the Emory University Center for Ethics and is a past chairman of the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. He has served on the board of directors of the High Museum of Art since 1988 and was its chair for three years. Wieland also played a role in the museum's development of a larger campus, chairing the organization's building committee. He has served on the Board of Trustees and is treasurer of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, a division of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. He also serves on the board of Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership and the Executive Committee of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. He was formerly a member of the International Board of Habitat for Humanity.

Along with his wife, Sue, Wieland donated $12 million to expand its facilities at the Woodruff Arts Center, the largest gift from individuals the museum has ever received. In turn, the museum's largest new building was named after the Wielands.

Wieland graduated from Amherst College and the Harvard Business School. He also has received and honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Amherst College.