Wednesday Workbench e-News from the HBAGTA

Home Builders Association - Commitment To Excellence

The Home Builders Association of the Grand Traverse Area, Inc.

WEDNESDAY WORKBENCH

MARCH 2, 2011

IN THIS ISSUE

DREAM WINNERS

COOK-OUT & CODES

2011 PARADE

CONTINUING COMP

TRICK OR TWEET

DO BUSINESS..

LOOKING FOR A FEW

DLEG CHANGES

ADVERTISING OPPORTUNTIES

PAY ONLINE

"I have built many great partnerships in the Home Building Industry because of my membership in the HBA."

John Kittle
Design Depot, Inc.

Tell us why you are a member of the HBAGTA!

Send an email with your testimonial to Kathy and let us know why you are a member!

OFFICE HOURS

Monday

through

Thursday

8:30 am to 4:30 pm

For more information on Association Events please visit the HBAGTA website at

www.hbagta.com

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

CLICK HERE
to view the HBAGTA Calendar

March 3, 2011 EXPO Committee Meeting
12:00 pm

March 4, 2011

Cook-Out & Codes

10:30 am - 1:30 pm

March 8, 2011

Green Build Committee Meeting 11:30 am

March 10, 2011 Public Relations Committee 8:00 am

March 14, 2011
General Membership Meeting
Pella Window & Doors
4:30 pm - Builder Forum
5:00 pm - Networking
5:30 pm - Orientation

March 15, 2011
Membership Committee Meeting 8:30 am

March 16, 2011 Board of Directors Meeting
7:30 am

March 17, 2011
Parade of Homes & Developments Committee
9:00 am

SAVE THE DATES

PARADE OF HOMES AND DEVELOPMENTS
June 18th to 26th

SHOWCASE OF REMODELED HOMES TOUR
October 1st & 2nd

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS 2011

Now's the time to mark your calendars! Our HBAGTA General Membership meetings are slated for:

March 14^th

April 11^th

May 9^th

We are always looking for member sponsors who are interested in hosting a meeting at their place of business. If you would like the chance to host one, please contact Kathy at kathy@hbagta.com or call the office at 946-2305.

License Postcard deadline

THE MAY 31ST DEADLINE IS NEAR!

CONTINUING COMPETENCY FOR LICENSED BUILDERS

MCIM SCHEDULES CONSTRUCTION SAFETY SEMINARS

Mt. Pleasant

(Soaring Eagle Casino)

March 23rd

Traverse City
(Grand Traverse Resort)

April 13th

MCIM policyholders and their employees are encouraged to attend one of the free Safety Seminars for free. These are required if a contractor has the Safety Rewards endorsement on their policy. The sessions run from 8:30 a.m. until 11 a.m. Breakfast is served at 8:00 a.m. For information or to register: 888-886-1619 or lpss@mcim.com.

SAVE THE DATE

Save the Date

Michigan Energy Conference

April 13-14^th

Ferris State University

For more information call Shanee Ramsey at 231-591-5811 or email mec@ferris.edu.

Registration Form

Information

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS!

NuFloor Design Center

Scott McLellan

WELCOME BACK!

Bushong Construction Company

Dennis Bushong

MICHIGAN SAVES

CONTRACTOR ENROLLMENT IS UNDERWAY!

Enroll now to be one of the first authorized contractors of teh Michigan Saves Home Energy Loan Program!

SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS NOW AVAILABLE

Each year, the HBAGTA offers scholarships to students who will be attending college. These scholarship applications are now available to those students who will be enrolled in the 2011-2012 school year.

The first scholarship to Northwestern Michigan College is funded by the proceeds of the "Home In A Day" Project undertaken by the Association many years ago.

The second scholarship is funded through the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation with an online application. It can be used towards the college of the student's choice and is dedicated to students who are pursuing a career that relates to the Home Building Industry.

For more information
CLICK HERE

The deadline for completion of the scholarship applications is April 8, 2011 and will be presented to the students at the HBAGTA May General Membership Meeting.

Please call the Association office with any questions.

Greetings!

Our recent Home Builders EXPO was among the smoothest run and most successful in recent memory. Nearly 1800 adults purchased tickets at the door for the event and literally hundreds of children accompanied them.

Congratulations to Team Bob's Heating, Cooling & Plumbing for being selected as "Best Booth" by the participants in this year's show. They will receive a free 10 x 10 booth space for the 2012 EXPO. First Place Bank won the Klipsch IPod, MP3 Player donated by A Better Sound, and Todd Conners of The Concrete Service won an hour of graphic design consultation donated by IdeaStream. Both these winners were drawn from the vendor survey entrants.

A very special thank you to all of our dedicated HBAGTA members, who monitored the doors, helped stage the off-loading of trucks, manned the Wheel of Dreams, hosted the Welcome Center, stuffed visitor bags and sold tickets. To each of them, we are extremely grateful.

We are also appreciative of First Place Bank and Julie Courtade, Holly Hack and Corbin Buttleman for providing the picnic dinner for all the hungry workers on Friday night.

The EXPO Committee worked for months to make this EXPO a reality. We owe a great deal to this dedicated group. We couldn't have done it without you!

Chris Feys of Sign Now shows off the "Wheel of Dreams"

Eric Palmer, Chairman - Traverse Repro

Marc Burkholder - Burkholder Construction

Marv Saxton - Saxton-McCumby Builders

Chris Feys - Signs Now

Julie Courtade - First Place Bank

Julie Korienek - VanDrie Home Furnishings

Dave & Jackie Jameson - On Call Home Inspection

Doug & Janet Priest - Priest Painting & Wallpapering

Jerry Stricker - GreenCrest Homes

Scott Lankford - Lankford Design Group

Marsha Stratton - IdeaStream

Together We Are Building a Stronger Association!

Kathy Maisonville

Executive Officer

Home Builders Association of the Grand Traverse Area, Inc.

3040 Sunset Lane

Traverse City, MI 49684

p: 231.946.2305

f: 231.946.1051

e: kathy@hbagta.com
www.hbagta.com

WHEEL OF DREAMS WINNERS

Congratulations to the following individuals whose names were drawn as the Wheel of Dreams winners at the recent Home Builders EXPO.

Ed Haines of Traverse City - closet shelving unit

Donated by First Class Closets

Lisa Murphy of Maple City - 4 hours of house cleaning

Donated by Action Cleaning

Kathy Ehrenberger of Lake Leelanau - flowering crab tree

Donated by Traverse Outdoors

Verna Farley of Traverse City - 1 hour massage

Donated by Living Light Massage

Pam Deasy of Traverse City - butane cooker

Donated by Tri-Gas Distributing Company

Nick Vasquez of Elk Rapids-beveled mirror

Donated by Twin Bay Glass

J. Craig Wiles of Lake Leelanau - $500

Abigail Norris of Traverse City - $250

Laura Slingerland of Cedar Springs - $150

All Donated by HBAGTA

Jeanette Thompson of Traverse City - 40" flat screen TV

Donated by Saxton McCumby Builders and

Traverse Area Title Service, Inc.

Lisa Palmer of Traverse City - VIP Wine Tour

Donated by Chateau Chantal

Pat Nestor of Traverse City - 15" LCD/DVD Player

Donated by Max's Service

Robert Durga of Traverse City - Painter for a Day

Donated by Dan Brady Painting & Wallpapering

Mert Palmer of Rapid City - $100 Gift Certificate

VanDrie Home Furnishings

Courtney Robertson of Leroy - $300 Gift Certificate

Donated by Two Women and a Dream Decorating

Maynard Abbott of Maple City - Tree Tops Golf Package

Donated by Tree Tops Resort

Joseph Rondazzo of Traverse City - 6 foot patio door

Donated by Pella Window and Doors by Horne

Eric Palmer of Traverse Repro presents the 40" Flat Screen TV to winner Jeanette Thompson
with Dick Evans both of Traverse City

For More Pictures of our EXPO 2011 Winners, visit the HBAGTA Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/hbagta

COOK-OUT & CODES

"COOK-OUT & CODES"
Presented by Roger Papineau

HBAGTA Professional Development Center
March 4, 2011
10:00 AM to 1:30 PM with Lunch

COST: $59/members or $99/non-members

hot dog Before the new building season gets underway, take this opportunity to become familiar with the code changes that the building inspectors will be looking for. This course also qualifies for 3 hours of Continuing Competency.

REGISTRATION FORM

PLEASE NOTE: The March 3rd evening presentation has been cancelled.

2011 PARADE OF HOMES & DEVELOPMENTS

Fabulous new homes are under construction in our region by master craftsmen - members of our Home Builders Association of the Grand Traverse Area, Inc. The buzz is building and folks are already calling to find out what will be featured this June. The annual Parade slated for June 18-26, 2011 will likely feature more homes than last year. Contracts which will be due by April 22^nd are now available. Click here to get a copy of the 2011 Parade Builder or Developer Contract. For more information, contact Kerry at 946-2305 extension 15 or by emailing kerry@hbagta.com.

COURSES ARE SCHEDULED FOR CONTINUING COMP REQUIREMENTS

Don't Hesitate! Those of you who have not yet fulfilled your 3 clock hour requirement for Continuing Competency, you can still complete the state mandate in time to renew your license in May! While we realize there are multiple ways contractors can fulfill this obligation, we think our solution is one of the simplest. The HBAGTA has more seminars scheduled at our Professional Development Center beginning April 8th. The dates available are April 8, 9, and 27 as well as May 6 and 18^th. To register go to our website at www.hbagta.com or CLICK HERE for a registration form. Seating at each session is limited.

TRICK OR TWEET

You may not know that a portion of your local association dues go to the Michigan Association of Home Builders (MAHB) to help represent you and the building industry in Lansing. The MAHB also has numerous savings programs that will put money in your pocket. In an attempt to do all we can to communicate the efforts of your state association, we are adding a new mechanism (the "Tweet" if you will) for those that want short snips of information on what the MAHB is up to.

Many of you, I presume, will have no interest in following the MAHB "tweets" going forward and may not know what Twitter is. But never knowing when a bit or piece of information may be compelling to you, your colleagues or your HBA, we have decided it is an appropriate thing to spend a few moments on each week. We hope to "tweet" your interest on at least a few of the things we are working on and that you will follow up with questions or input that helps us do a better job for you and our members across the state.

You can sign up to follow our tweets by clicking on the following link: http://twitter.com/mihomebuilders

Bob Filka

CEO

Michigan Association of Home Builders

BuildingMichigan.Org
(517) 646-2555 Direct

"DO BUSINESS WITH A MEMBER"

CHECK THE HBAGTA WEBSITE BEFORE YOU MAKE A PURCHASE to take advantage of the Member Discounts that are available to you! mtom discount logo We now boast 17 participants that are offering discounts to our members and it's never too late to get involved!

If you would like to offer a free or discounted service or product to your HBA colleagues, please complete the application you received in the mail or print another one here. You may mail it or fax it to the HBA office. There is no charge for this opportunity.

To take advantage of these discounts simply show your current HBAGTA Membership Card to the provider at the time of purchase.

LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD MEN OR WOMAN

3 stooges We are looking for "A Few Good Men or Women" to volunteer for the 2011 HBAGTA Golf Outing this year. We had over 100 golfers last year! It was extremely successful. We didn't even let the rain dampen our fun! If you would like to be a part of a fun and exciting committee, please call Kerry @ 946-2305 or email her at kerry@hbagta.com.

DLEG CHANGES NAME AND FOCUS

The department's new name will be the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, reflecting its leadership role in reinventing the state's regulatory process and its increased licensing responsibilities. Recently appointed department director Steven Hilfinger joined Snyder in the announcement.

"Creating a climate of economic growth depends in large part on a simple, fair, efficient and transparent regulatory environment and a focused, efficient state government," Snyder said. "Our new Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs will help drive this change by having a more coherent and consistent approach to its mission. By consolidating its core functions under one roof and transferring responsibilities that were not compatible to the appropriate agencies, this streamlined department is better positioned to serve its customers while significantly contributing to our overall goal of fostering economic success. Director Steve Hilfinger's background and expertise in the business and legal community will be invaluable as we move Michigan forward."

Top

vertlogo Thank you for your membership and support of the Home Builders Association of the Grand Traverse Area, Inc.

Sincerely,

The HBAGTA Staff

Kathy Maisonville, Executive Officer

Kerry Gartland, Events and Marketing Coordinator

Jenny Hanrahan, Director of Membership, Education and Technology

SPONSORSHIPS AND ADVERTISING AVAILABLE FOR E-NEWS

Sponsorships are available for our bi-weekly e-newsletter for $25 an issue. Get your name out in front of the HBAGTA Members and event participants. Sponsorship includes your logo prominently placed in the publication along with a link to your web site. Don't miss this unique opportunity! Sponsorships must be pre-paid. Go to your member profile to sign up for this service then send an email with your requested dates and graphic to jenny@hbagta.com.

Classified Advertising will be available beginning with the next issue of our e-newsletter. Each ad will be $10 and will be limited 30 Words and will not include graphics. Classified ads will be located at the bottom of the e-newsletter with a link in the table of contents. Go to your member profile to sign up for this service then send an email with your classified ad to jenny@hbagta.com.

PAY ONLINE AND SAVE YOUR TIME!

YES YOU CAN!

We are proud to announce that you can now pay your invoices and register for events on the HBAGTA web site!

It's this easy:

Go to www.HBAGTA.com
Click on the "Members Only" Link on the top right hand corner of the Home Page.
Log In with your User Name and Password.

If you haven't logged in to your account yet, your user name and password are:

User Name: First name initial with last name (jsmith)

Password: Fusion (this is a default password that should be changed.)

You won't believe what you see! Take a tour and see how much information is at your fingertips!