New for 2008 will be a reception held directly after the NCBC Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, February 12 at 5:00 p.m. in West 330 C. All members are invited and we hope you’ll bring others interested in building commercial with you.

Below, please find the full schedule. Always check your IBS program for last minute room changes.

NCBC Headquarters Room                                                                                  

Monday – Friday                      W 104 A

Monday, February 11

3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. / NCBC Communications Sub-Committee / W 108 B 

Tuesday, February 12

8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. / NCBC Issues Sub-Committee / W 330 B

9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. / NCBC Membership Sub-Committee / W 330 B

3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. / NCBC Board of Trustees / W 330 B

5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. / NCBC Reception / W 330 C

Wednesday, February 13

8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. / "Alternate Business Income for Builders”  / S 320 E-H

10:30 a.m. / NAHB Opening Ceremonies   

1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. / NAHB Area Caucuses 

1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. / "Light Commercial Construction for Home Builders” / S 320 E-H

3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. / "Don’t Give Up, Diversify: Financing Commercial Projects" / W 300

Thursday, February 14

8:00 a.m. - Noon / NAHB Joint Executive Committee / W 224 G-H

11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. / NCBC Meet the Experts Luncheon / W 104 A

3:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. / NAHB Board of Directors Meeting

6:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.  / NAHB Spike Party / Citywalk

Friday, February 15

8:00 a.m. - Noon / NAHB Board of Directors       

3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. / “ Green Building for Light Commercial: Stay Ahead of the Curve” / W 314 Evening / NAHB Leadership Celebration / Rosen Shingle Creek, Gatlin D

NCBC is hosting four educational programs designed to introduce home builders to light commercial construction:

Alternate Business Income for Builders, Wednesday, February 13, 8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m., Orange County Convention Center, South 320 E-H:  Build to own and you'll have a steady income stream right into your retirement years. Mini-storage, strip malls and small office buildings all provide continual rental income - a credit to your bottom line long after the project is completed.

Light Commercial Construction for Home Builders, Wednesday, February 13, 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m., Orange County Convention Center, South 320 E-H:  Are experiencing a market slow down? Have you planned to diversify? This program will give you an introduction to the many opportunities that exist today. Learn what it takes to build retail, mini-storage, small offices, and schools.

Don't Give Up, Diversify…Financing Commercial Projects, Wednesday, February 13, 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., Orange County Convention Center, West 300: In the current residential building climate, light commercial construction may be the key to business survival. Learn how to obtain funding and take the fear factor out of the process. Bankers and light commercial builders will share their knowledge.

Green Building for Light Commercial: Stay Ahead of the Curve, Friday, February 15, 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., Orange County Convention Center, West 314: Building green is one of the hottest topics in the construction industry. Learn how to incorporate green building into your commercial projects and how the light commercial industry can light the path for all builders to build green.

The bill includes revenue offsets to pay for the measure but differs in one key respect from a similar measure passed by the chamber on Nov. 9. In a victory for multifamily home builders, the revised legislation no longer includes a provision to tax “carried interest” to pay for the bill.

NAHB lobbied intensively to remove this controversial measure from the legislation because it would have imposed a multi-billion dollar tax increase on real estate at a time when the industry was already struggling with a serious slowdown in the marketplace.

The fate of the bill remains uncertain because Republican senators and President Bush still insist on a stand-alone AMT relief bill without any offsetting spending cuts or tax increases, arguing that the excessive AMT revenue was never intended to be collected in the first place. They are at odds with House Democratic leaders, who insist that pay-as-you-go budget rules are essential to enforcing fiscal discipline and not adding further to the national debt.

The White House also issued a new veto threat, warning that the failure of Congress to move quickly will cause the IRS to delay millions of tax refunds because the agency will be unable to process the necessary administrative changes in a timely manner.

At this point, it remains uncertain which chamber will compromise first, or whether the deadlock between the House and Senate will ultimately result in no AMT relief for American taxpayers.

NAHB continues to urge Congress to enact swift passage of AMT relief and ensure that the carried interest proposal stays out of any final bill because of its damaging impact on real estate development.

To view the bill, click here and type H.R. 4351 in the box in the upper center screen.

For more information, e-mail Greg Brown at NAHB or call him at 800-368-5242 x8421. [return to top]

 The starts estimates are a summary from Reed Construction Data’s project database. Unreported contract values were estimated using RSMeans’ building cost models.

 Starts of commercial buildings declined 5% from October, mostly for hotels, and were 30% below the June, 2007 peak level. The negative impact from more expensive commercial mortgages and lower anticipated investment returns in a weakening economy appears to have begun and is expected to become more significant. Slower growth in commercial construction also appears in the U.S. Census Bureau construction spending data through October and in the November jobs data for non-residential contractors.

 Starts of institutional buildings increased marginally from October, but were more than 30% below the summer peak level. The slowdown encompasses all types of buildings. Education starts are now $3 billion below the summer peak level. This construction category is insulated from the immediate impact of problems in the financial market. Instead, public and non-profit facility managers may have become concerned about funding adequacy as stock indexes fell during the fall and many states reported tax receipts below budgeted levels at the start of the new fiscal year.

 Heavy construction starts jumped 22.7% in November from an unusually weak October, but were slightly below the peak summer level. Allowing for seasonality, starts are strengthening in this sector. Water and sewer starts have doubled from earlier in the year. This offsets declines for highways and bridges, where contract awards are again being stalled by a delayed federal budget. This problem appears likely to persist for a few more months. [return to top]

Public speaking does not have to be a stressful experience for NAHB members who can learn how to confidently prepare and deliver dynamic presentations to any audience by taking NAHB’s “Presentation Skills” seminar, which teaches attendees how to organize and deliver a speech and presentation with accompanying question and answer sessions.

“Presentation Skills” is part of the popular “Spokesperson Training” program.

Sessions Available at the International Builders’ Show

Registration is now open for ”Presentation Skills” sessions being held at International Builders’ Show in Orlando on Feb. 13 and 14.

In addition, NAHB will be offering “Interview Skills” seminars at IBS on Feb. 11 and 12. "Interview Skills" helps participants learn how to effectively convey a message to the public through the news media and master strategies for broadcast and print interviews. The training includes message development.

Each 7.5-hour seminar is limited to 12 participants. The seminars include instruction, skill-building exercises and on-camera practice interviews and presentations.

The "Interview Skills" session on Feb. 12 is sold out.

More than 15,000 NAHB leaders have participated in the “Spokesperson Training” program. The seminars are led by professional communication consultants, each with more than 30 years of experience training NAHB members on the issues that home builders, home builders association staff members and affiliate members face every day.

To Register

The registration fee is $495 for each one-day seminar. Registrations are being accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, click here.

To register, e-mail Gwyn Donohue at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8447. [return to top]

GM's extensive vehicle lineup includes the all-new 2007 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra, both redesigned to tow more than before and stop at the pump less.

For complete details, visit www.gmfleet.com/nahb.

For the most up-to-date details on the Member Advantage discount program and all of the participating companies, go to www.nahb.org/MA. [return to top]

The NAHB shipping discounts include domestic air and ground, international export and international import. 

Association members can also take advantage of hassle-free on-line shipping, 24/7 access and advanced package tracking at your fingertips.

NAHB members are eligible for discounts up to 30% to help manage costs with no catch — and no minimums.

The shipping discounts — which increase the more packages or letters the user sends — will be applied once enrollment is complete.

The enrollment process is fast and easy and is available to NAHB members through the Web site: www.savewithups.com/nahb.  

For more information on UPS savings and the complete Member Advantage program, visit www.nahb.org/MA. [return to top]