|
FRIDAY FURLOUGHS |
|
The HBAGTA staff began a new 4-day work week on August 31st. In an effort to preserve financial resources, staff time has been reduced by 20%. The office hours are from 8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. For the most up-to-date information about Association events visit www.hbagta.com. |
|
CALENDAR AND
EVENT LINKS |
|
|
Office Closed
September 7, 2009
Labor Day - Office Closed
September 18, 2009
Office Closed
September 25, 2009
Office Closed
October 3 & 4, 2009
|
|
NEW HBAGTA MEMBER BENEFIT TO BE LAUNCHED IN SEPTEMBER! |
|
|
|
The Home Builders Association of the Grand Traverse Area and Builder Helper are pleased to announce a partnership and a new member benefit program for all HBAGTA members. Builder Helper.com is a web-based construction management program that facilitates estimating, bidding and scheduling as well as the flow of information between contractors, trades and other parties. Builder Helper is a more efficient and cost effective way for Builders and Trade Contractors to do business - saving every TIME and MONEY while also REDUCING Material Waste.
|
|
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSOR!
|
|
|
Sponsor Link
CONTACT THE HBAGTA TO BECOME A TUESDAY TOOLBOX SPONSOR!
|
|
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
|
|
September 14, 2009
Waterfront Conference Center
BUILDER FORUM:
4:30 PM
"Clarity - How Social Media is Used in Today's Business World and Why You Should Know"
NETWORKING:
5:00 - 6:00 PM
DINNER MEETING:
6:15 PM
"Successfully Using Social Media to Promote Your Business"
Please be courteous and let us know if you plan to attend the event and the names of the guests that will attend with you. This will ensure that enough meals and seats are available for all who attend. We cannot guarantee a meal if you do not RSVP. Guest meals will be charged $25/per meal or $22 if paid at the door.
If you need to cancel your RSVP, please inform our office by calling BEFORE the event: (231)946-2305.
PLEASE NOTE
You will be responsible for payment of the ordered meal if you do not attend and do not inform the HBAGTA before the meeting! |
|
TABLE TOPS |
|
Table Tops will be available for rental for the September General Membership Meeting. Contact the HBAGTA to reserve your table today! |
|
Cost is $50 per table |
|
BANK OF AMERICA FINANCIAL SERVICES |
|
|
|
A Member Advantage Benefit from NAHB.
|
|
REGISTER NOW FOR INTERNATIONAL BUILDERS SHOW
|
|
Registration and housing are now open for the building industry's biggest event, the 2010 International Builders' Show! Join us January 19-22, 2010 in Las Vegas! Get all the latest information at www.buildersshow.com.
|
|
WOMEN-CENTRIC MATTERS SEMINAR
|
|
|
|
Midland and Central Michigan HBA are hosting special seminars on Tuesday, Oct. 27th. The Midland session is in the morning and the Mt. Pleasant one in the afternoon. Paul Foresman, Director of Business Development for Design Basics, Inc. will be the presenter.
At the core is an understanding that the female customer is the primary decision maker in regards to purchasing, remodeling and decorating the home. This seminar is intended to help contractors better understand proven sales techniques and approaches that are effective with the feminine consumer.
For more information, contact the HBA of Midland County at 989-835-2562 or the HBA of Central Michigan at 989-775-7747
|
|
PORTLAND PAINTER FALLS HARD FOR LICENSING
|
|
|
|
Fifteen years ago, one of Eric Hernanz' employees fell off a ladder. The fall resulted in a broken elbow and a sky-high medical bill - about $18,000. Hernanz, a Portland painter, was young and "borderline destitute," but he had his Oregon contractor's license, which requires workers' compensation insurance. And his insurance paid the bill.
Read More>>
| |
|
| Greetings! ,
 I think all of us are suffering from information overload. The sheer volume of emails, faxes, text messages and phone calls received in the course of one day is often mind-boggling. The unfortunate result is that we feel compelled to provide well reasoned and articulate answers, data and information instantaneously. We rarely believe that we have the luxury of being reflective. Therefore a quick response- one off the cuff - often results in hasty judgments made without thorough consideration. And the result is that we often spend even more time redoing, undoing or elaborating further on our knee jerk responses
But I digress . . . Some of the requests and information I get on a daily basis are extremely relevant. Other stuff is just frivolous. Occasionally I discover a profound message in a simple story. And one of these recently crossed my desk. I believe it bears repeating or a least paraphrasing. So the tale began by acknowledging that many of us have experienced some gut-wrenching challenges recently and no amount of platitudes is going to make them less . . . well "challenging."
In the narrative, a grown daughter was despairing to her mother about how hard life was and about the number of recent losses and heartaches she'd experienced. Wordlessly, the mother led her daughter into the kitchen and put three pots of water on the stove to boil. In the first she placed carrots, the second contained raw eggs and the third held coffee beans. After 20 minutes or so the mother removed the pots from the stove as well as the contents from the pots and asked the young woman to describe what she saw. The daughter responded . . . carrots, eggs and coffee!
But the mother probed some more and asked her to examine the contents more closely. Each of these things she noted had been subjected to the same adversity-boiling water - and yet the result was different. The carrots softened and lost their rigor when boiled. The eggs that had been so fragile were now was hardened and inflexible. The coffee beans however, changed the water into a new substance altogether and added a dimension of richness that was not there before.
 The mother queried, "When faced with adversity or challenges, do you bend and fall apart . . . or become inflexible and rigid? Or like the coffee beans, do you change the situation around you provide it with a whole new dimension?" The happiest people she explained don't necessarily have the best of everything but the do make the most of what comes their way. So when you're subjected to the proverbial hot water, what are you most like . . . the carrot, egg or coffee bean? Please think about this; you DO have a choice.
Together, we are building a stronger Association!
Kathy
Executive Officer
p: 231.946.2305
f: 231.946.1051
toll free: 800.422.5166
|
|
HBAGTA MEMBERS PRESENT BEFORE MEETS AFTER |
|
|
|
BEFORE AFTER
We are sneaking up on the deadline for the 1st Annual Showcase of Remodeled Home Tour. If you would like to advertise, we do have space available.
Our Tour Guide will be set in magazine form with informative articles, full color advertising and all of the remodeled homes. It will be a great magazine to set out on your coffee table.
What a nice way to start a conversation about your business!
Events and Marketing Coordinator
Home Builders Association of
Grand Traverse Area, Inc
|
|
SHOWCASE OF REMODELED HOMES |
|
SATURDAY & SUNDAY
OCTOBER 3 & 4
12pm to 6pm each day |
The Showcase of Remodeled Homes is scheduled for October 3 & 4, 2009 in the Greater Grand Traverse Region. Residential remodel projects completed after January 1, 2006 and before September 4, 2009 are eligible to participate. Builders and Remodelers are encouraged to include "Before" and "After" pictures of the remodel project for publication. For more information, contact the HBAGTA at 231-946-2305.
-
-
Call the HBAGTA Office to find out how you can be involved. -
Plan for an opportunity to have your business and work showcased in this exciting premier event! |
|
PROPOSED BYLAW AMENDMENTS |
|
|
|
The Policy of the HBAGTA allows that Bylaw changes may be made in the months of September and/or April of each year. The Board of Directors approved the suggested revisions detailed below at their meeting on August 26th. A vote on these amendments will be taken at the September General Membership Meeting that will take place on September 14th at the Waterfront Conference Center.
ARTICLE VI
(Membership Dues)
Sec. 1 Dues for the membership in the National Association of Home Builders, and the Michigan Association of Home Builders shall be paid by this Association from its treasury. In addition, the Association shall pay the cost of one meal per member the food for each Master Member who attends of the Annual and General Meetings of the membership. If a member Master Member is unable to attend any meeting, one of his employees, support members, spouse, or partners shall be entitled to the meal the privilege of attending on his/her behalf. Members or one of the employees or partners who fail to attend the Annual or General Meetings shall not be reimbursed for such meals.
(Membership)
Sec. 5 Meetings of the membership shall be held as follows:
(a) An Annual Meeting of the membership of this Association shall be held in the month of October of each year for the purpose of electing members to the Board of Directors.
(b) General Meetings of the membership of this Association shall be held once each month, except for the months of June, July, and August, at least six times a year at the time, and place to be designated by the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE X
(Voting and Quorums)
Sec. 2 Quorums shall be as follows:
(a) A quorum of the membership shall consist of 10% of the Master Members or fifty (50) Master Members of the Association whichever is less. Membership will be determined by the NAHB's Membership Report of the SECOND month immediately prior to the month in which a vote is taken.)
(Election to Board of Directors)
Sec. 5 Installation.
(a) The newly elected Board and all Officers shall be installed at the December General Membership Meeting and assume leadership on January 1st of the following year. |
|
NEGOTIATION SKILLS CAN BE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PROFIT AND LOSS |
|
|
|
Negotiating Skills
Date: Friday, September 11, 2009
Time: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Cost: $175/NAHB Member $225/Non-Member
Instructor: Bruce Frost, MBA, DDL
This is a required course for the Graduate Master Builder Designation (GMB)
Every day requires negotiation with customers, employees, subcontractors, suppliers and government officials. Your negotiation skills could spell the difference between profit and loss. In this course you'll learn strategies for specific negotiating situations and develop the skills to get the results you want through exercises and role-playing.
As a graduate of this course, you will be able to:
-
Demonstrate effective communication skills for negotiations
-
Use the constructive approach to negotiations
-
Apply five key concepts in each phase of negotiation
-
Plan for and conduct effective negotiations
-
Use the negotiation process in different settings
-
|
|
LEE SCHWARTZ COMMENTS ON INTERIOR DESIGN LEGISLATION |
|
|
|
On September 3rd, the NAHB's Remodelers and State and Local Government Affairs Committee will be holding a conference call. Among the items to be discussed during this call is that attached resolution that commits the resources of the NAHB to fight any legislation to register or license the practice of interior design.
The Michigan Association of Home Builders believes the NAHB should NOT involve itself in this issue. We believe each state and local HBA should be free to take their own position based upon their individual circumstances. We are asking you to communicate that position to your members who will be participating in this conference call as well as to your members who will be attending fall board.
In Michigan, interior designers must have their interior design documents sealed by architects or engineers. The MAHB has supported and does support the American Society of Interiors Designers in their Michigan attempts to be able to submit interior design documents as part of the required construction documents under their own names and not have them sealed by architects or engineers. After years of discussion with the interested parties and even after the passage of legislation on this issue, it has become apparent the only way to achieve this in Michigan is through licensure (an analysis of last session's legislation is attached). While we are supporting such legislation for Michigan, other states will have other situations and may make different decisions. They should be free to do so.
Michigan's legislation, which was carefully written to be as narrow as possible, was also supported by the Michigan chapter of the Kitchen and Bath Association who disagreed with their national association on this issue.
Again, we feel it is inappropriate for the NAHB to take the position espoused in this resolution. Michigan further feels the NAHB should support and assist state and local home builders associations in their efforts on this issue in accordance with the position taken by the association, not just if the association opposes selected legislation.
We hope you will communicate this position to your leadership.
Please feel free to call me if you have any questions on this issue
Lee
Lee Schwartz
Executive Vice President for Government Relations
Michigan Association of Home Builders
1-800-748-0432
|
|
NAHB WEBINAR - BEYOND THE BEST-CASE SCENARIO |
|
|
|
Beyond the Best-Case Scenario:Positioning Your Company to Take Advantage of the Downturn
September 17, 2009
2:00 to 3:00 pm
Single family home sales rose 11% in June, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. This is great news, but the housing industry isn't done transforming itself yet.
When the dust of the housing shakeup settles, the builders and other housing professionals left standing strong will be the ones who made a plan for the future. What's the smartest way to create that plan while staying on top of the current market's challenges?
In the Beyond the Best-Case Scenario audio seminar, Ross Robbins and Manny Schatz, outline a three-step process to do just that. It starts with controlling what can be controlled now and preparing for any market in the future. This approach puts you in the driver's seat and helps you to be more realistic about your options. Robbins' strategic process will show you how to make decisions deliberately instead of desperately.
| |
SAVE THE DATES! The following courses have been scheduled for this fall in the Roger Papineau Professional Development Center: 