The past few issues of Association Maximization has focused on the volunteer work at the national level of our association. We will continue with more highlighted works throughout the rest of 2015 to demonstrate the importance of all three levels of membership. I wanted to pause at this point since we are at the 3/4 mark of 2015 and bring in someone who could speak to the members and leaders of our association.
Today's guest blogger is my dear friend Jerry Howard, Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Jerry
has over 25 years of association experience and a lifetime in the housing industry.
Jerry began his association career at the National Association of Realtors, where he
served as a Legislative Analyst for tax issues. Prior to joining NAHB, Jerry served as
the Chief Lobbyist for the National Council of State Housing Agencies where he was
instrumental in the development of the low-income housing tax credit as part of the
Tax Reform Act of 1986.
Jerry came to NAHB as tax counsel in 1988 and served in a variety of roles, including
Chief Lobbyist. Jerry was promoted to Executive Vice President & Chief Executive
Officer in February 2001.
Before embarking on his association career, Jerry practiced real estate law in his
home state of South Carolina. His exposure to the housing industry has literally
encompassed a lifetime; Jerry grew up working in a variety of roles for his father, a
developer.
Jerry earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Vermont and received his Juris
Doctorate from the University of South Carolina. He, his wife Christina and their
children Eirann, Meaghan and Sean live in Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C.
NAHB at the Three Quarter Mark of 2015
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| Jerry Howard, NAHB CEO |
NAHB has
been busy this year fighting for housing on major policy issues, providing
excellent educational programming, and creating outstanding networking
opportunities for members. The proof of our success is in the
numbers. Through the first eight months of 2015, just a handful of NAHB's many
advocacy efforts saved association members a total of almost $720 million
nationwide.
Stronger Market, Improving Membership
Even as NAHB is working hard on behalf
of members, our economists are giving us good news about the state of the
housing market. Chief Economist David Crowe and his staff are projecting
roughly 1.1 million housing starts this year, almost 1.3 million in 2016 and
roughly 1.5 million starts in 2017.
After several very tough years,
membership numbers have stabilized and there are signs that soon we may be
enjoying real growth. This last spring we had one of our most
successful membership drives in years, with locals bringing in more than 3,600
new members. We’ll be wrapping up the fall drive at the end of October, and we
have almost 70 percent of local associations participating. That is a
6 percent increase over the HBA participation rate last fall.
Design and Construction Week
NAHB is also deep into
planning for the 2016 International Builders’ Show. For the third
year in a row, NAHB is partnering with the National Kitchen and Bath
Association and their Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) to produce Design
and Construction Week.
Along with IBS and KBIS, this year’s
Design and Construction Week will include two more industry tradeshows. The
International Window Coverings Expo will join us once again in the Las Vegas
Convention Center. The International Surface Event, which combines all types of
flooring and tile, will co-date with us and will be held at the Mandalay Bay
Convention Center.
For three days in January, Design and
Construction Week will be the center of the home building universe. And
with acres of product exhibits, cutting-edge education, and countless
networking events, NAHB’s Builders’ Show provides unparalleled
opportunities for anyone working in the housing industry.
There is simply no better place to take
the pulse of the housing market and learn everything you need to know to set
your business on a course for success. I encourage any NAHB member who has
not already registered to go to www.buildersshow.com.
Fighting for the Housing Industry
NAHB has been on the forefront of
fighting the “waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) rule issued by the
Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers ever since
the proposal was first introduced. We have taken action on the legal,
legislative and regulatory fronts to put a stop to this ill-advised rule.
NAHB is fighting several burdensome labor issues,
includingthe Department of Labor’s (DOL) draft regulation on
overtime, the DOL’s emphasis on classification of independent
contractors, and the National Labor Relations Board’s decision
in Browning Ferris Industries, which expands the “joint
employer” definition.
In a victory for single-family home
builders, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) announced
Oct. 2 its decision to delay enforcement of the new Confined Spaces in
Construction Standard until Jan. 8, 2016.
The Army Corps of Engineers made
significant changes to its new flood plain standards based on
comments provided by NAHB. The Corps will not apply the floodplain requirements
to Clean Water Act wetland permits. Similarly, FEMA will not apply the requirements
to the National Flood Insurance Program, and HUD has indicated that the
standard will not apply to FHA insurance of single-family mortgages.
NAHB is very involved in the ongoing
effort to keep codes sensible and cost-effective. Earlier this month, NAHB
1st Vice Chairman Ed Brady spoke to the International Code Council during their
meetings in Long Beach, California about the importance of cost-effective
building code changes.
This has always been the theme of NAHB’s
advocacy: Code change proposals that attempt to make homes safer and more
energy efficient need to be balanced with what families can actually afford –
so we have buyers for these homes. And while proposals that would have limited
a lot of flexibility in our construction practices were soundly defeated when
code officials voted in Long Beach, advocates who have their own profits in
mind are likely to try to influence the final outcome when these proposals are
opened to online voting later this month. Be on the lookout for the NAHB
Voting Guide and be ready to share it with the building code officials in your
city so they support only those code change proposals that are necessary and
will result in building sustainable homes that are also safe and affordable.
Learn More about how NAHB Can Serve
You
These are just a few highlights of the
many ways NAHB is working for members. I could go on about NAHB’s educational
offerings, leadership from NAHB councils, designation programs that help
members set themselves apart, and Member Advantage programs that save
members millions of dollars each year. But the easiest way to learn about all
these services, and much more, is to visit www.valueofnahb.org.
Regards,
Jerry
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