Greetings!   

"Exhausted but exhilarated" best describes how the EXPO Committee felt at the conclusion of the 2012 Home EXPO on Sunday. Chairman, Eric Palmer of Traverse Repro underscored that the event could not have been possible without the cadre of dedicated volunteers, vendors and staff who contributed hundreds of hours to make it so.

A special debt of gratitude is owed to our Platinum sponsor, Traverse Area Association of Realtors® and our Gold sponsor, Precision Plumbing and Heating Systems, Inc. who provided the extra revenue needed to bolster our marketing efforts.

EXPO promotion by the IdeaStream Team spearheaded by Marsha Stratton, made sure that the airways, hallways and highways had plenty of EXPO info.  

A huge commitment was made once again by Chris Feys of Signs Now and his dedicated team of ticket sellers.  Kudos to the Plinko Plunkers who hosted a total 1358 visitors to their stage! And a special thank you to VanDrie Home Furnishings that created a living room for weary guests and a great NFL video to watch. 

To Doug Priest and his Cold Weather Warriors, Lynn Steinebach, Jim Valesano, Robb Bollenberg, Greg Kilinski and Ryan Bishoff, - thanks for directing traffic for so many long hours. We really appreciate you bundling on our behalf.

And to this year's 120+ EXPO vendors, we are deeply indebted to you for allowing us to work through the myriad details inherent in a show this size in the new location. We appreciate your understanding as we were learning the ropes.  We know the vendor's lounge was a bit utilitarian - oops!  We will rehab that for next year. 

As far as the date, we're sticking with the first weekend in February.  We can't possibly accommodate all the fans of VASA, Nascar, Valentine's Day, Winter Festivals and the Sault 500 Snowmobile races. There just aren't enough February weekends - even in Leap Year. Northern Michigan remains a hot spot even in the depths of winter!

Events and Marketing Coordinator, Kerry Gartland, did an incredible job with thousands of little details, insuring that everyone got it and out of the Resort without incident.  Technology guru, Jenny Hanrahan, handled the "devil in the details" as far as technology and website were concerned and for both of them, we're grateful.

Special rebates currently offered by DTE Energy will be explained in detail at an HBA Sunrise Seminar February 16^th.   Builders, Remodelers, and Energy Auditors learn how you may receive these rebates valued from $50-$250.  The savings can be yours or you can pass them along to your customers.  The seminar is from 7:30-9:30 a.m. at the HBA office located at 3040 Sunset Lane, Traverse City.   There is no charge for the seminar, but registration is required. 

 To register: CLICK HERE

Participants of all ages enjoyed the 28^th annual Home Builders EXPO held at the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa.  

Several vendors were named to the "Top Ten Best Booth" list from the recent Home EXPO.  Join your HBA colleagues on Monday evening, Feb. 13^th to see if you were among the most notable displays at the show, according to the participants. 

The announcements will be made around 6 p.m. at the General Membership Meeting hosted by Fireside, LLC. 

CHECK THE HBAGTA WEBSITE BEFORE YOU MAKE A PURCHASE to take advantage of the Member Discounts that are available to you!  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.