Southern Oregon Construction is Blooming
Construction activity is growing like crazy here in Southern Oregon. Everywhere you go these days, you see heavy equipment pushing dirt, foundations being poured and framing reaching for the sky. On the commercial side, General Contractors are on the lookout for qualified sub contractors and skilled laborers. The ranks of our tradesmen are only about 40% of what they were 10 years ago and we have more demand than there are workers. On the residential side, housing inventories are down, days on market are nearly a third shorter than last year and sellers are getting 95% of their asking price or more. New homes for sale are getting multiple offers before they are even completed. If you are in or related to the construction industry right now, you are probably about as busy as you have ever been. Our Southern Oregon construction market today is like a garden full of growing things. But just like a regular garden, not everything that grows in it is good.
When demand and activity are high, so is risk. Risk comes in a lot of varieties and packaged in any number of ways but at the end of the day we all have to manage it well if we're going to succeed. Construction is one of the most regulated industries in America and Oregon is one of the most regulated states in our nation. Oregon EPA regulates and enforces environmental law which impacts land development, where and how subdivisions can be placed and even surface water that might run off of a job site while it's under construction. Oregon OSHA regulates and enforces workers education and practices. Most construction and related businesses are required to have monthly safety meetings to be compliant. Does yours? Oregon CCB regulates and enforces contractor education and licensing including the Federal Lead Paint based rules. Did you know that any home built before 1978 is covered by this Federal EPA rule?
We're here to help you. If you have questions about any of things I've just mentioned, give us a call. If you've got a question about something else, give us a call. We are the information hub for construction information in Southern Oregon. If we don't know it, we'll do our best to get you pointed in the right direction. Helping you manage risk helps all of us and that's good for our community. Be sure to let us know if you're coming to our Tour of Homes kickoff mixer next week on April 21. Our friends at Fergusons are hosting a great evening of fun, food and friends at their showroom and you don't want to miss it. Let's keep our industry growing!
To your success,
Brad Bennington, Executive Officer
Southern Oregon Builders Association
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NAHB Launches The Drive Home
Do you have an exciting or meaningful story about building or remodeling a dream home for one of your customers? Can you share an incredible tale of your own home professional journey?
Then tell NAHB your story!
NAHB is launching The Drive Home campaign in the late summer/early fall. We'll be taking a five-week trip across the country with a video blogger to capture the emotional stories of our members and their home buyers. Share your story via The Drive Home!
NAHB will review all member submissions and select the best-then travel to your area to capture your story on film. These will be turned into short features for The Drive Home campaign that will run throughout 2017. Read More.
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April Membership Mixer & Tour of Homes Kick Off
Our April Membership Mixer & Tour of Homes Kick Off will be held at
Ferguson's Showroom
1130 Helicopter Way, Medford, OR 97502
Thursday, April 21
6:00 - 7:30
Please RSVP by email or phone 541-773-2872.
Our focus for this Mixer will be the
Southern Oregon Tour of Homes
Come learn about the Tour of Homes and how your company can participate in this much-anticipated event!
There will be delicious food and drinks, plus the great company of your fellow HBA members. We hope to see you there!
Please RSVP by email or phone 541-773-2872.
With friendly, knowledgeable product experts and the latest selection of bath, kitchen, appliance & lighting products, Ferguson helps make your dream home a reality. At Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Galleries, you'll find the largest offering of quality brands, a symphony of ideas, and dedicated consultants to help coordinate kitchen and bath projects. When you walk into a Ferguson Showroom, you'll appreciate the incredible quality of products ranging from lighting fixtures, kitchen and bath sinks, kitchen stoves, refrigerators, and many more home appliances. Let one of our expert product consultants help guide you to products that fit the scope of your job and budget. When you need help finding the right kitchen, bath or lighting products, Ferguson has you covered.
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Showcase your work in the 2016 Tour of Homes!
Builders, this one is for you.
The Southern Oregon Tour of Homes is designed to promote builders and the incredible product you produce!
This is your chance to separate yourselves from your competitors. Having your home showcased on the Tour not only adds to the value of your home - driving property value up; your subs can also showcase their products. It is an event that the general public loves.
Come to our Tour of Homes Kickoff on April 21 at Ferguson's Showroom at 1130 Helicopter Way.
What other way can you show off your work to so many people?
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You're invited to the 22nd Annual Golf Tournament!
Friday June 17, 2016
at Eagle Point Golf Course Registration: 7:00 am
Shotgun Start: 8:30 am
Format: 4-person Scramble
Not a golfer? For just $10 you can join us for the social afterwards.
For more information:
Phone: (541) 773-2872 | Fax: (541) 773-1189
frank.mania@ticortitle.com or anita@hbajc.com
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE
All proceeds benefit Redemption Ridge
(See more about Grace House below)
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Rotary Luncheon with Rep. Greg Walden
Associate VP and Rotary member, Frank Mania invited, SOBA EO Brad Bennington & SOBA President, Tim Alvarez to the Rotary Luncheon where Congressman Walden visited and had a Q & A with members. It was a great afternoon to connect with other business people in the valley.
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True South Solar - Green Business of the Year
The Ashland Chamber honored True South Solar as the Green Business of the Year.
The Green Business award recognizes a business that not only has products and services that help support green initiatives but also integrates those initiatives into their daily business practices and their company culture. Tue South Solar provides services for businesses to manage their energy consumption. And they lead by example, every single day. You'll often find both the owners and employees of this stellar company zipping around to projects on their bicycles or in the company's electric vehicle. Beyond providing ways to catch the power of the sun at the residential and commercial levels, True South Solar also partners with local non-profits to help make solar more accessible and to go beyond just installing the hardware. For example, last winter and spring, True South Solar helped Coyote Trails School of Nature write grants to fund their solar installation at US Cellular Field. And, when Helman Elementary School wanted to add a system to power 250 computers, True South Solar was able to offer them a bigger system than the school had budgeted for, giving the school a greater capacity. Great job Eric, Wade, and the True South Solar team!
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Ashland Daily Tidings
Oregon is smack in the middle of a housing crisis. The numbers tell the story: Oregon has a 3.5 percent vacancy rate, compared with 7 percent nationally, according to U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley's office. The renters association in Jackson County puts the rental vacancy rates at somewhere around 2 percent. And it has been even worse in Ashland, where the vacancy rate has been as low as 1.8 percent. Read More.
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HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLECTION EVENT
Household Hazardous Waste Collection Days
SATURDAY ONLY
MAY 7, 2016 8:00 A.M. TO 4:00 P.M. 8001 Table Rock Road, White City
Bring your household hazardous waste to the Rogue Disposal Transfer Station located at 8001 Table Rock Road.
COST IS STILL $5.00 The minimum $5 charge includes the first cubic yard of hazardous waste, a volume equal to six 32 gallon trash cans. If you have more than one cubic yard of waste, your charge will increase accordingly.
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National Safety STAND-DOWN to Prevent Falls in Construction
Falls kill - they are the top cause of construction fatalities and account for one-third of on-the-job injury deaths in the industry. Each year in the U.S. more than 200 construction workers are killed and over 10,000 are seriously injured by falls.
The goal of this national campaign is to prevent fatal falls from roofs, ladders, and scaffolds by encouraging residential construction contractors to:
* PLAN ahead to get the job done safely. * PROVIDE the right equipment. * TRAIN everyone to use the equipment safely.
Below are links to information for our Members on this year's campaign.
CPWR has developed stickers to help raise awareness of the Campaign to Prevent Falls in Construction. These stickers can be affixed onto hardhats or equipment on a work site, to spread the word. To order, email falls@cpwr.com.
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Did you know that you can have more than one RMI?
CCB, Licensing Manager Laurie Hall
Oregon law requires that every licensee have at least one Responsible Managing Individual (RMI) associated with their business at all times. There is no maximum.
Even though most licensees currently only have one RMI for their business, there are a few good reasons to consider having more than one.
- If your RMI leaves your business unexpectedly, by choice or otherwise, your license technically becomes invalid on the date we are notified. When that happens, CCB will send you a letter informing you that you must replace the RMI as soon as possible. Since there are training and testing requirements that must be met before the new RMI can be put into place, this is not something that can happen immediately.
- In the meantime, you may be risking a license suspension until we have notification that a new RMI has been assigned
- Another advantage is that, in most cases, the RMI training can be approved by the licensing or education managers to satisfy all residential continuing education hours for that license period.
If you have questions about adding another RMI to your license, please contact the CCB Customer Service Unit at 503-378-4621.
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NAHB CONTRACTS - READY TO USE
As members of your local HBA you are also members of the state and national HBA. This affords our members a wealth of valuable resources.
The NAHB Contracts website offers access to a variety of residential construction contracts and documents developed by NAHB members, exclusively for home builders and remodelers. You will save hours of work - which means saving hundreds of dollars - with every contract use. The contract document series includes:: CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS SALES CONTRACTS - Complete Dwellings CONTRACT EXHIBITS - Additional Terms REMODELING CONTRACTS SUBCONTRACTS |
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Initial Lead Based Paint Classes
8- Hour Lead Based Paint Initial Course
For Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Training
April 13, 2016
Cost: $175 for Members and $225 for Non-Members
Qualifies for (8) Series B Credit Hours
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Refresher Lead Based Paint Classes
4- Hour Lead Based Paint
Refresher Course
June 22, 2016
Cost: $150 for Members and $200 for Non-Members Qualifies for (4) Series B Credit Hours |
Home Builders Association of Jackson County
Southern Oregon Builders Association 1006 East Jackson St., Medford, OR 97504 Phone: 541-773-2872 Fax: 541-773-1189 hbajc.com
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CCB Newsletter
Jackson County Residential Statistics
Jackson County Building Permits Issued
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Mark Your Calendars!
APRIL 21
at Ferguson's Showroom
6:00-7:30
JUNE 17
HBA Golf Tournament at Eagle Point Golf Course
JULY 9
Foster Parents BBQ
Call or email us if you would like to volunteer for this event
SEPTEMBER 16-18 & 23-25
Southern Oregon Tour of Homes
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CCB Law Class comes to Grants Pass on April 28
The Construction Contractors Board will be in Grants Pass to offer its "Laws, Regulations and Business Practices" class.
Date: April 28 Time: 9 a.m.-noon Location:
Rogue Community College, Redwood Campus, 3345 Redwood Highway,Grants Pass, Building H, Room H-2
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Next edition of pre-license reference manual is coming
Before an applicant can take the test for their CCB license, they must first complete 16-hours of study. A new study manual is coming down the pike.
The CCB is contracting with the National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies (NASCLA) to produce the next edition of the reference manual that is the basis for pre-licensing training and testing. In transitioning to a NASCLA/Oregon manual, Oregon enjoys the benefits of NASCLA expertise in construction contracting, the input it receives from multiple states and a manual with improved readability.
If you know someone who will be taking the exam, here are some key dates:
- July 1, 2016: Sales of the NASCLA/Oregon manual begin.
- Sept. 1, 2016: The pre-license exam is based on the new manual
Questions? Call the CCB at: 503-934-2195.
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National Member Benefits - Click here for details
| NAHB Member Benefits |
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CCB Residential Construction Contract Checklist
A "checklist" is provided by the Construction Contractors Board (CCB) for use by contractors that offer services on residential structures. (The definition of "residential structures" is available on the CCB website.) It is intended to be a tool contractors may use to review their contracts for required elements. Click here for list.
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Oregon Sick Leave Law FAQ
The Sick Leave FAQ was written by Jenna Reed, General Counsel and Director of Compliance Services for Cascade Employers Association. Cascade Employers Association is a membership-based resource for Northwest employers committed to developing a strong, vital workforce. Cascade works with organizations who know a prosperous business is built on their people and offers services from hiring well, to training for excellence, to dismissing effectively. For more information visit cascadeemployers.com.
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The 2016 Member Directory
Stop by the office to pick up your copy or we would be happy to mail you one.
This directory of our proud members is used by people in the industry, as well as the public, to find the best in the business!
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SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Sponsorship is a great way to get A LOT of exposure at our amazing events!
We have sponsorship opportunities available for the 2016 Golf Tournament, the 2016 Tour of Homes, and the 2017 Home Show. It's a great way to market your business by partnering with these successful events.
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Contact Us
541-773-2872 | www,hbajc.com
Administratin, C
ommunity Outreach and Governmental Affairs
Brad Bennington
Education, Communications and Member Services
Anita Wright
Home Show, Golf Tournament, Events
Jessica Bennington
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