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THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSOR:
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Locally connected, personally invested! |
Sponsor Link
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EARLY BIRD SPECIAL!
Register and Pay by May 22
and you will qualify for the "Early Bird" drawing. The winner will receive a
FREE One Month Membership at
The Crown!
HBAGTA ANNUAL GOLF OUTING & PIG ROAST
JUNE 5, 2009
CROWN GOLF COURSE
FOR A REGISTRATION FORM |
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MAY IS NATIONAL REMODELERS MONTH |
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CALENDAR AND
EVENT LINKS |
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MEMBERSHIP CAMPAIGN - "EACH ONE REACH ONE"
May 13, 2009
Golf Committee Meeting 10:30 am
May 17, 2009
May 18, 2009
Membership Drive Ends
May 19, 2009
National Membership Day
The Grand Vision Decision - The State Theater
May 20, 2009
Surviving Economic Challenges - HBAGTA Professional Development Center 7:30 am - 10:30 am
May 25, 2009
Memorial Day
May 27, 2009
Board of Directors Meeting
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LET'S ALL DO THE BARBEQUE! |
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SUNDAY - MAY 17
Volunteers are needed to represent the HBAGTA and serve in the food line. Call Kathy at 946-2305 to volunteer. |
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THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSOR!
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Sponsor Link
CONTACT THE HBAGTA TO BECOME A TUESDAY TOOLBOX SPONSOR!
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GRAND VISION UNVEILED
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The Grand Vision will return to the State Theater on the evening of May 19th for a public unveiling of the results of last fall's big Vision Decision. The final Grand Vision document will be released, along with news about how you can get more actively involved in helping to make positive change in the region. Stay tuned for more details. |
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BENEFITS THROUGH THE MAHB |
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Welcome to MyBlue -Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan offers a suite of individual plan options to cover you and your family at all stages of life. Whether you're single, a recent college graduate, self-employed, starting a family or considering early retirement, we have a plan to meet your needs and fit your budget.
Each plan offers the quality benefits, flexibility and valuable services you've come to expect form Michigan's most trusted name in health care including:
Extensive Provider Network
In Michigan, 25,000 doctors and all hospitals participate with BCBSM. If you're traveling or have a child attending college in another state, we've got you covered. As one of the 39 Blue plans, BCBSM provides you with access to more than 660,000 participating doctors and hospitals across the country.
Innovative decision-support resources
We offer Web-based resources to educate you about your health care options and to help you make informed health care treatment decisions.
Exceptional wellness and health care management
Our BlueHealthConnection® program includes nurse health coaches, targeted outreach, case and disease management, Web-based wellness information, an online personal health risk appraisal and smoking-cessation program.
Unmatched experience With nearly 70 years of experience in the health care industry, you can count on BCBSM for security, exemplary service and innovative products.
Significant member discounts
Simply show your Blues ID card to receive discounts on Weight Watchers® registration, safety-related equipment, select alternative medical services and natural health care related products. | |
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Greetings! ,
Thank you to all who attended our "Dinner at the Dump" last night in Kalkaska! It's always exciting to be able to visit our member companies and see how they do business. It was also an opportunity to reach out to those in the outlying areas who may not always have the opportunity to attend a General Membership Meeting because of the distance. Our Association represents a 5 County area which can be a lot of distance to cover!
We're very excited about our "Each One - Reach One" Membership Campaign which kicked off at our meeting last night. Each new member application that is returned to the HBAGTA Office before May 18, 2009 at 4:00 pm will receive a credit of $100 towards green fees or a hole sponsorship for our Annual Golf Outing which will be held on Friday, June 5. This is the time to make a commitment to your Association and ask those that you are doing business with to become members of the Home Builders Association. Call the Association office with any questions.
Don't forget to get in on the Early Bird Registration for the Golf Outing which will be held at The Crown Golf Course this year. All paid registrations received by Friday, May 22 will be entered into a drawing for a one month membership at The Crown. If you can't golf, come for the Pig Roast after. This is an excellent opportunity to network and enjoy a great day with your associates!
Together we are building a stronger association and a brighter future for northern Michigan.
Kathy
Kathleen Maisonville
Executive Officer
p: 231.946.2305
f: 231.946.1051
toll free: 800.422.5166
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SEPTAGE ISSUE MAY "GO DOWN THE DRAIN" |
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 The HBA Legislative Committee, headed by veteran builder/developer Nick Agostinelli, has been actively pursuing the issue of an equitable solution to the septage fee proposal. Recently, Nick met with Interim Director of the Department of Public Works, K. Ross Childs, to discuss this matter. The burden of paying for the Septage Treatment plant must not be borne by a small group of unfortunate citizens, whether holding tank owners or contractors building new homes. Therefore, a tentative solution is on the table: spread the cost of such among all the homeowners of Grand Traverse County. If accepted, it is expected that such a plan would cost less than $100 per year. More information will be forthcoming as another meeting between Childs and Agostinelli is scheduled for today, May 12th. |
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2009 PARADE OF HOMES AND DEVELOPMENTS |
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COME JOIN THE PARADE! |
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Team Bob's
The Larkin Group
For being recognized as a "Top Ten" Finalists for the TC Chamber of Commerce 2009 Small Business Celebration.
Support these members by attending the "Top Ten Breakfast Celebration" at the Hagerty Center at 7;30 am Wednesday, May 13. |
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EACH ONE - REACH ONE |
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 May is National Membership Month and the HBAGTA has jumped on the opportunity to promote membership in the Home Builders Association!
The "Each One - Reach One" Membership Campaign promotes the idea that each member should sponsor at least ONE new member during the week of May 11, 2009.
"If each one of our members brought in at least one new member, our Association membership number would double in size," explained Membership Committee Chair, Donn Westman.
To add to the incentive to bring in new members during the week of May 11 through May 18, the Golf Committee has generously offered a free greens fee or hole sponsorship for each new paid membership application that is submitted before the deadline. This is a $100 value! You can give this to your new member or you can use it yourself.
In addition, the $25 registration fee has been waived for this special membership promotion.
This is your opportunity to reach out to the people that you do business with to promote membership in the Home Builders Association of the Grand Traverse Area! Remember, if you do business only with members of the HBAGTA your membership and everyone else's will become more valuable. Please call the HBAGTA Office with any questions.
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PLAN TO GET MORE FROM YOUR MEMBERSHIP |
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 You've invested your money into the association. Now it's time to invest your thoughts into how you're going to make your dues dollars work best for you in return.
In order to get more from your membership, you have to have a plan -- a marketing plan.
First, write down three to five things that you want to get from your HBA membership. HBA membership offers us opportunities to:
- Increase our business.
- Network with others in the building industry.
- Learn how to be leaders.
- Stay abreast of the current trends in the industry.
- Get legal advice.
- Become involved in the legislative or political process.
- Learn how to reduce costs.
- Hire and keep good people.
- Create a marketing plan.
- Obtain insurance, telephone, or other business services at a discounted price.
- Attend training classes.
- Make lifelong friends who share our interests and concerns.
And those are just a few benefits of membership. So, from what the HBA offers, develop your list of three to five things you want to get from your membership over the next year. Let's call these things your goals.
Next, write each goal on a separate sheet of paper. Create a list of actions or activities for each goal that you'll carry out in order to achieve them. At first, just write down everything that comes to mind under each goal. Then, go back and review your list and ask yourself: "Will I really do this?" "Will this action/activity really help me achieve this goal?" Keep the ones that end up with "YES" answers.
Third, attach a deadline for each of the actions or activities on the lists. Personally, I've found that without deadlines, I can put things off indefinitely. Without deadlines we procrastinate and "procrastination is the thief of time." It is also the thief of cash flow, business development, happiness, and a host of other wonderful things in life.
Fourth, set a time aside each week to review your goals and the actions and activities you've written into your plan. Use this review as your planning session for the coming week and as a progress update on your goals from the previous week. Don't let this session slide. It's easy to let a week go by and then another and then another and before you know it, a month has slipped away and you are no closer to your goals than you were 30 days before. Make these planning and review sessions part of your routine. The law of the harvest teaches us that "as we sow, we reap." In order to reap, we have to sow. We have to water and fertilize and weed to keep our crop alive and growing. In order to achieve our goals, we have to put the time into planning, reviewing, and taking action. Once each quarter, I also recommend taking stock of your overall goals and making sure you are going in the right direction. You may have to revise a goal or two, or add something.
If you want your HBA membership to yield a harvest of good things for you and your business, this kind of work will be necessary. Having been involved in our association for nearly 20 years, I've had the good fortune of seeing the truth of what I've just shared with you exemplified by so many fellow members. Those who have gotten the most from the association have been those with a plan. I've also found that their plans included a goal which essentially answers the questions, "What can I give to the association?" and "How can I serve my fellow members?" Those who get the most from the HBA are those who invest themselves in service to the association. And, they have a plan. It's that simple. They've learned that we shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands. We need to be able to throw something back.
In closing, I offer this bit of wisdom from my teachers: Failing to plan is a plan to fail. Put another way, "without dreams and visions, we perish." Dreams and visions -- goals and plans for their achievement -- that really matter to us will affect almost everything we do all day long because everything we do becomes related to their achievement.
Joseph Jones is the West Virginia Consumer Market Services Manager for American Electric Power. His articles on marketing have been published in several magazines including "Selling Power." He can be reached at (304) 348-4741. |
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STIMULUS OPPORTUNITIES FOR BUILDERS |
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Audio Seminar
Exploring Commercial Opportunities in the Stimulus Package
May 14, 2009
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET
The new stimulus package includes billions of dollars for infrastructure, which means a lot of work is on the horizon for some lucky commercial builders. Want to get a piece of the action, but don't know where to start? Diversifying into commercial building is easier than you think. The NAHB Audio Seminar, "Stimulus opportunities for Builders" will explain what the stimulus package entails and show you what you need to know to gain work on government projects.
Participate in the Seminar and discover:
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What parts of the stimulus package are relevant to your business
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How members like you are getting involved in stimulus-funded projects
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Before, during, and after-private funding alternatives that are working right now
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