Associate Appreciation Month, from Barry Rutenberg

Thanks to our Mike Kurpiel for posting this on his blog site.  Mostly however, thanks to all of you associates who are making our industry finally move forward.

August 31, 2012

"A Celebration of Home Building Labor"

Summer isn't officially over until September 22nd but this weekend, Labor Day Weekend, traditionally marks the end of the summer activities. Labor Day Weekend is also a three day event, with Monday being the actual American federal holiday that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers. For The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), and most of the local and state home builder associations within our Federation, Labor Day Weekend is the perfect holiday weekend to usher in the annual celebration of our Associate Members, all needed to build or remodel homes.

Today we have very special guest blogger delivering a very important message...

Barry Rutenberg

"Associate Appreciation Month"

September, 2012 

 by Barry Rutenberg

I would like to take a moment and recognize the associate membership within our Federation. Home builder associations across the country annually declare the month of September Associate Appreciation Month. My experiences in my home state of Florida, as well as my time spent at the national level with NAHB, has allowed me to meet many associate members and deepen my relationship with our associates. As our industry emerges from the darkest days most of us have ever experienced, the associate members have helped to keep their locals and state associations as vibrant as possible and have tirelessly volunteered time and invested financially. Dedicated and passionate, associates are true partners with our builder members and help us develop and improve our communities.

As Chairman of the Board of The National Association of Home Builders I would like to officially, and personally, kick off September’s “Associate Appreciation Month” by asking all builder members to work with our associates and provide as many opportunities as you can. Our entire membership, both builder and associate, can only grow stronger by the inner bonds we build.

Associate members involved with building a home (click picture to enlarge) 

Thank you, and I hope to see you in Austin, Texas for NAHB’s 2012 Fall Board Meeting.

Barry Rutenberg, a home builder and remodeler based in Gainesville, Fla., and has more than 35 years of experience in the building industry. He is the owner of Barry Rutenberg and Associates, Inc.and has developed more than a dozen communities and more than 1,000 homes in the Gainesville area. Barry was elected as chairman of the board at NAHB’s International Builders’ Show in February 2012.
A member of NAHB’s board of directors since 1980, Rutenberg has served on more than 25 NAHB committees, councils and task forces. He also has served three two-year terms as an NAHB national vice president representing Florida and Puerto Rico.

Note: The above picture of a home being built utilizing associate members is courtesy of The New Jersey Builders Association demonstrating the economic impact of the housing industry.

"Association Maximization"

After taking the summer off Association Maximization is back, refreshed and reaffirming the commitment of helping to maximize your association involvement. If you have any suggestions for articles in the future, or you would like to be a guest blogger, click on my my name below and contact me. Posts must somehow be relevant to our NAHB membership and not a commercial for your product or service. 

Regards,

Mike

Michael Kurpiel, CGA, CGP 

Past NAHB Associate Members Committee Chairman
Past NAHB National Associate Chairman

Mike Kurpiel's "List of Links".

June 17, 2012

"Left Click to Maximize Your HBA Membership"

"Time is money." ~ Benjamin Franklin.   
The same could be said of not maximizing all your HBA has to offer. The local HBA offers tremendous career building opportunities, particularly with the educational programs offered and local networking availability.  Your local executive officer can bring you up to date on the many benefits of your particular local and you, as a member, should understand what and where you have invested your dollars. If Mr. Franklin were alive today and he looked at your HBA investment, I'm positive his 2012 version of his quote would be "It's your money. Take the time to learn how you can maximize your investment." Or something like that ;-)

"Links That Could Help Strengthen Your Knowledge"

 One of the best ways to maximize your NAHB membership is to take advantage of certain areas on NAHB.org.  Some of the items below are for members of NAHB. If you are a member you will need to login to NAHB.org to access Login Now (click here)

Need an NAHB Staff Contact?

NAHB Staff Organizational Chart (click here)

 NAHB Contact Directories (click here)

What's Next for NAHB Members and Staff?

The NAHB Association Leadership Institute... In New Orleans! (click here)

Special NAHB Reports:

NAHB Economic and Housing Outlook June 2012 (click here)

NAHB Quick Issues Index (click here)

80 Metros Listed As Improving Housing Markets in June (click here) 

NAHB: Education is Power

"Have You DOT ORG-ed Lately?" (click here)

BuilderBooks.com: NAHB's Official Bookstore (click here)

NAHB's Publications and Subscriptions (click here)

NAHB's Facebook Page (click here)

NAHB Associates Facebook Page (click here)

NAHB's LinkedIn Group (click here)

NAHB Associates LinkedIn Group

 

Submitted by:

Michael Kurpiel, CGA, CGP

HBAK Summer Board Committee Meetings

The 2012 Home Builders Assoc of KY Summer Board meeting took place at the Louisville Hyatt Regency Downtown on Wednesday and Thurs May 15 & 16.  It was a really good meeting that featured committee meetings and seminars on Wednesday with the Board of Directors meeting being held on Thursday morning.

Above you can see the hard-working Legislative/PAC Committee going over the results and strategies that keep this committee busy whether Frankfort is in or out of session.  Some of the important information coming out of this committee was:

1. The HBAK 2012 Legislative Wrap-up
2. Information on the S.A.F.E Act fix
3. Information on the Uniform Form for Local Occupational Licens Taxes
4. News of the brand new Building Materials Sales Tax Exemption for Kentucky designated disaster areas resulting, primarily from the rampant tornadoes that destroyed so many properties in the State.
5. The regs on the PVA Standards that came through on HB398.
6. Legislation on Copper theft
7. Information on the Stormchasers/Roofer Bill (HB 421)
8. Discussion on the details of the Brownfields legislation (HB 465)
9. The extremely important HB 495 that relates to the interest the Commonwealth owes on the federal loan obtained to pay for unemployment insturance. 

Details of all of these important regulations and legislature can be obtained from HBAK, but suffice it to say that without the efforts of your association, many pieces would have been passed or not passed that would severly curtail the rebound of our industry.

If you cannot see what your dues do for you....just attend one of these meetings and you will be amazed that so much can be done with so small of a dues schedule. 

Guest Blogger Dianne Beaton on "Top 5 Reasons to Become Involved Within NAHB"

May 20, 2012

"Top 5 Reasons to Become Involved Within NAHB"

Today's guest blogger is Dianne Beaton, CGA, CAPS. Dianne is the 2012 NAHB Associate Members Committee Chairman and is an associate member from New Hampshire.

Dianne Beaton, CGA, CAPS

Quite a few years have past since I made the journey from Manchester, New Hampshire to Washington, D.C. and embraced my complete membership; local, state AND national. I have met so many fellow members from across the country and learned so much about other associations that it just naturally helped me become aware of all the possibilities of networking outside the borders of my state. I would like to share with you my thoughts and hope that I pique your interest and add NAHB to your "to do list." I hope you can join us for NAHB's Legislative Conference on June 6th and our NAHB Associate Members Committee on June 8th, both to be held in Washington D.C. At the end of my "Top 5" click on my name and contact me with any questions or input regarding Spring Board or becoming involved nationally.

  to Become Involved Within NAHB

1. Networking with your fellow members from other states - expanding who you know is very important in life and with social media sites like Facebook and LinkedIn our world is expanding like the original "Big Bang." You never know who you could help, and who could help you, by increasing your professional network. NAHB involvement is the positive steps to take in that direction.

2. Taking part on a national committee - members from different areas of the United States working towards like-minded goals. Not only can this help you with committee work back home at your local with similar committees, it also helps who become a better professional, working with such a diverse group of people. The mannerisms, the attitudes, the way others "look at life" are so varied but it helps you develop a unique set of people skills you wouldn't normally receive by being bound within your own state.

3. Learn about advocacy for our members at the federal level - now, more than ever, "The Hill" is where our industry will recover. Gaining insight to the advocacy process not only helps you understand what affects you, but helps you take action to protect yourself.

4. Gain a better understanding of housing issues in other areas of the country - when certain anti-home-building groups find a successful tactic in becomes only a matter of time before it spreads like weeds in your garden. What happens in New Jersey and California, our two most industry legislated and regulated states, has and will appear elsewhere. It's great to know, if there is a particular plan to stop housing in your state, that others have already "been there, done that" and could help you plan and prepare.

5. Engage in discussion about best business practices - NAHB builder members have a program designed to help them called "The Builder 20 Club" designed to help these members discuss their businesses with their peers, but peers that are of no competition because they are from different parts of the country. While associates don't have that particular program we do have our NAHB Associate Members Committee which can give you the same types of discussions. As an example, if you are a marketing professional in your state and you would like to discuss tactics on growing your business, someone who is your competitor is not likely to help. However, a fellow marketer from another state that you have successfully networked with and developed into a friendship would. 

Open your minds to the idea that not all things are confined within a state and let the world of our Federation flow towards you.

Regards,

Dianne

Dianne Beaton, CGA, CAPS
2012 NAHB Associate Members Committee Chairman

New HBAK Registered Associates

Congratulations to Home Builder's Assoc of KY new Registered Associates

Dave French (2012 Chairman of the Associates Committee) (far left) with the three new members of HBAK's Registered Associates.  This honor was bestowed at the HBAK Spring Board meeting in Louisville on 5/17/2012 to (l-r):

• Roberta Tanno of Essroc Cement Corp in Northern, KY
• Carolyn Reynolds Bogie of Reynolds Insurance Agency, Richmond, KY
• Butch Chidester of Atmos Energy in Bowling Green, KY

Congratulations to these three and mostly, our sincere "thank you" for all that you have done and all that you continue do to support our industry.



A Neat History Lesson

Thanks to Mike Kurpiel for this very interesting History Lesson.  We appreciate the information and the thoughts this blog contains.

April 22, 2012

"Old Photos and Tales of Past"

"The dimming of the light makes the picture clearer. It's just an old photograph, there's nothing to hide,  when the world was just beginning." - David Byrne & Brian Eno

The above picture is The Builders Association of Northern New Jersey's 1952 Installation Banquet, held at The Hotel Commodore in New York City. The local was chartered by NAHB in 1944 so this picture is really a great snap shot of a time when most local HBAs were forming, creating an identity for themselves. Leaders then were trail blazers, they had to be. This was all new to them. This local, in its heyday, was the most politically active in NJ and wielded influential power within the state. Today, due to the northeastern part of the state's old housing stock and scarcity of open land, the local is now known as The Builders and Remodelers Association of Northern New Jersey. Times change, members come and then leave, only to have new members begin the cycle. 

History is a wonderful tool. Understand it, but don't dwell within it. Remember it, but don't stop creating it yourself. One of the great tributes we have as an association is NAHB's Housing Center. The Center has The Past Presidents (now past chairmen) Wall with all their photographs proudly hanging, displayed for all to see when visiting. From the first president to the immediate past chairman. NAHB also has the Housing Hall of Fame, complete with plaques featuring the likeness of the builder Hall of Famer and the accomplishments of the recipient.  The associates have a Society of Honored Associates, designed to highlight those associates who have made an impact on our Federation. History. It should be respected and preserved so others can see, read, maybe even feel the past.

I believe it is important to understand the history of our association, and the key members that have built each and every local HBA. How the state HBAs formed was really a rallying mechanism to unite all the local chapters to focus on the core reason for an association; advocacy within the state's capitol. NAHB is built exactly like the state HBAs were built, but for a nationwide unification of advocacy within Washington, DC. These associations didn't build themselves and they certainly weren't created out of thin air. Passion was the key motivator, commitment was the engine that utilized the passion. Still is, but by an entirely different group of members. 


Take a good look at the above photograph again. You will be in one exactly like it in 60 years and the point is this; will anyone remember you? Think back 30 years. 20 years. 10, go back even 1 year. How many people have left us and we have nothing but an old picture to remember them by? If we remember them at all. Our association's history is rich and long. If it weren't for our past members, we probably wouldn't have an association, at least not like the one we have today.Take a look a what you are doing to keep your past ever present utilizing it to build a better tomorrow.


History must be written by and for the current members. While we still can all remember.


Submitted by:
Michael Kurpiel, CGA, CGP

Eliott Eisenberg, Ph.D. Senior Economist for National Assoc. of Home Builders

Dr. Eliott Eisenberg, Senior Economist for NAHB leads the HBAL General Membership Meeting attendees in first the UL then the UK Fight song.  Not really, but he did bring lots of laffs with his graffs in discussing the "Economy of Government Regulation".  Over 150 members attended and were all pleased that he said that he can assure us that we have reached the bottom of the depression.  He could not predict when we would or how far we would come out of the recession, but we definitely had hit bottom. 

Thanks to HBAL for giving us the opportunity to hear Dr. Eisenberg.