Hitch Your Wagon To A Shooting Star

I first met Bill Pulte in 11th grade at De La Salle High School in Warren, MI, and we quickly became friends. Even then, it was clear that Bill had no interest in following the traditional college path. While our teachers warned that skipping a degree would leave him digging ditches, Bill had a vision—and nothing was going to stop him from building homes.

By the time he was 21, Bill had already built several houses, proving he was on to something. So when he asked me to join his new business, I hesitated. But then someone gave me a simple but powerful piece of advice: “Hitch your wagon to a shooting star.” So I did. I took the leap—and soon found myself riding shotgun as employee #2 of PulteGroup, part of one of the most unconventional and successful homebuilding enterprises in the country.

Bill had a way of solving problems that was as fast as it was brilliant. When we struggled to get people to visit our subdivision, Concord Green, traditional signage wasn’t an option. I suggested putting a car with signs on a main road. Bill didn’t just run with the idea—he supercharged it. He bought a fleet of old cars, painted them green, and strategically parked them all over town, including in front of competitors’ developments.

That one move changed everything. We had sold only a few homes in the previous six months. But after Bill’s bold marketing play, we sold nearly 50 homes in the next six months. Sales skyrocketed, and even our competitors had to admire the genius of it.

Despite his growing success, Bill never lost his humility. He attended Mass every morning, no matter where he was, and believed in hiring people smarter than him in key areas—then giving them the freedom to do what they did best.

He also had a funny quirk: he never carried cash. More than once, we had to bail him out—like the time his car got stuck in an airport parking lot because he had no money to pay. At a class reunion golf outing, three of his credit cards got declined, and we had to cover for him so he could play. He just laughed it off, never worried about appearances or impressing anyone.

From a rebellious teenager to one of America’s most successful homebuilders, Bill Pulte proved that determination, faith, and simple yet brilliant thinking could reshape the landscape—literally. The boy once told he’d never amount to more than a ditch digger became one of the most influential builders in the country.

Through it all, Bill remained the same humble, faith-driven man—always finding a way to solve problems, lift others up, and, most importantly, have fun doing it.

2023 Platinum Seal of Transparency

The Pulte Family Charitable Foundation is proud to have been awarded the 2023 Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid, the world’s largest source of information on nonprofit organizations.

This Seal places the Foundation in the top 0.1% of charities in the U.S. and indicates that the Foundation shares clear and important information with the public about our goals, strategies, capabilities, achievements, and progress indicators.

World Peace Prayer: Translation in 19 languages

The Center for Interreligious Understanding brings people of all faiths together to explore our shared values, our common goals, and the theological foundations of the world’s religions to foster genuine understanding. In addition, by fighting religious stereotypes and intolerance, we work together toward a society of justice and peace, making religions the voice of humanity and the conscience of society.

The World Peace Prayer is now available in 19 languages:  https://www.ciunow.org/programs/universal-peace-prayer/

World Peace Plaza Inauguration Dinner Speeches

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Watch the Pulte Family Charitable Foundation and Pulte Institute for Global Development’s Speeches from the Inauguration Dinner at the University of Notre Dame.

Speeches: 

President of Pulte Family Charitable Foundation:

Nancy Pulte Rickard 

University of Notre Dame:

Dr. Scott Applebee Part 1    
Dr. Scott Applebee Part 2 
Father Jenkins

Prayer for World Peace

A Prayer for World Peace

Learn the history of the Prayer for World Peace and join us in this peaceful prayer.

Dear God, thank you for all creation. In the spirit of Jesus of Nazareth and all teachers of peace who inspire the many faith traditions, help me, and all the people of the world, learn how to replace hate, war, oppression, and division with love, peace, freedom, and reconciliation. Help me to embody Your love in my relationships with my family and friends, strangers – even my enemies. I commit myself to this sacred task throughout my life.

So Let it be.

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