Missed the Fall Board Meeting? Here is Your Recap

The NAHB and the Remodelors Council recent Fall Board meeting in Columbus, OH, was a success. If you were unable to join us in Columbus, here is what you missed.

Business Associates Committee

• The group reviewed the results of two surveys. One survey was sent to associate members of the Remodelors Council and one survey was sent to the chairs of the local Remodelors Council. The associates survey was completed by 90 associate members of the Remodelors Council throughout the country.  Among other things it concluded that the most important reason for Associates to join the RC was to meet and learn from builders and remodelers and the most important benefit was the opportunity to promote their products.
• The Local Council survey was completed by 28 local council chairs.  It found that the most important benefit of membership was networking and the most needed resource was awareness of the association in the community.
• A common theme found in both surveys was the desire of the remodelers to have associates advertise the importance of professional designation for remodelers, and the associates said that the most important program the Business Associates Committee could undertake was to develop programs that promoted the professionalism of the RC members
• As a result of the surveys a working group was created to develop a list of effective techniques and methods that associates and local dealers can use to promote the RC membership.
• The Associates Committee of NAHB will develop a PowerPoint that can be used by local councils to train associates on how to work with remodelers.

CAPS Board of Governors

• A total of 480 CAPS nationwide
• University of Housing has been in communications with ASID regarding the CAPS program. CAPS courses are listed on the ASID website as they are scheduled.
• National Aging in Place Week is Nov. 7-13, 2004. The Board discussed building community based coalitions in promoting CAPS and universal design to the public. Currently, NRLMA more than 20 events have been scheduled nationwide.
• Bill Owens, CAPS advised the Board that Harvard Joint Center on Housing Studies placed aging-in-place on their research docket.

CGR Board of Governors

• A total of 724 active CGRs nationwide
• The RC created a new advertising campaign promoting CGR to trade professionals and consumers
• The CGR Board approved two individual Emeritus applications for the first CGR retirees.

Education & Business Development Committee

• The RC will have 15 education sessions during IBS; eight programs are being invited to be combined with other education program (in and outside the Remodelors Council).
• The RC is looking for remodelers to participate in the its Cost of Doing Business survey, if you would like to participate contact the Remodelors Council, remodel@nahb.com or 800-368-5242 x8216.
• The committee formed a working group to develop a proposal to BuilderBooks.com for a pay-per-view consumer letters product for remodelers.

Membership & Local Council Development Committee

• As of August 2004, there are 6,526 active members.  As of August 2003, there were 6,258 —  an increase of 258 members.
• There are some potential new councils that have expressed interest in forming:
   Quad Cities, IA
   Southern Nevada
   Charleston, SC
   Indiana Builders Association
   Syracuse, NY
   Fayetteville, NC
• The current leaders in the Year Long Membership Contest are:
   Large Councils — #2433 BA of the Twin Cities, MN
   Medium Councils — #1005 Collier County, FL
   Small Councils — #4530 Greater Fort Worth HBA, TX

Past Chairs Leadership Development Committee

• The Interview Subcommittee will be interviewing candidates for trustees and RC Observer position during the fall board and the Remodeling Show.  All interested candidates are encouraged to complete the leadership profile and set an appointment.
• The committee continues to work on the Remodelor Council History. Bryan Patchan listed highlights of the council from 1952 through 2003.  Several past council chairs have completed histories of their year as chair.
• The Bryan Patchan Scholarship will again be offered to a current chair or vice chair of a local Remodelors Council for 2005. Donations for the scholarship were collected at a party for leadership.

Public Affairs Committee

• Remodelors Councils in St. Louis, Miami, Philadelphia, Seattle, Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis, Columbus, OH, and Kansas City, MO are working with HUD, the National Housing Endowment, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, Fannie Mae and Freddie make to help 10 families become homeowners through the HUD Homewise program.
• The committee approved a new set of guidelines for the America’s Best Remodeling Hall of Fame with three changes. The amended guidelines were submitted to the Board of Trustees for approval.
• The RC continues to be the only council with regularly published member-written articles in NBN. But we are always looking for writers because we need to contribute an article once a week.
• Also, to promote our authors, NBN and help out our locals with their newsletters, we have posted all NBN articles on the Web under Remodelors Council Resources for locals to use in their newsletters.
• A motion was passed to direct leadership to discuss cooperating with NARI to jointly promote May is National Remodeling Month and Home Improvement Month.
• The RMI was released in mid-August. While the second quarter fell from the first the industry is still strong. Year-to-year comparisons are on target. We need more respondents to give more accurate readings of the industry.
• A new series of ads were developed promoting membership in the  Remodelors Council that will appear in various trade magazines thanks to partnerships with Hanley-Wood and Qualified Remodeler.
• A new series of consumer ads will appear in consumer-oriented Hanley-Wood  special interest publications.
• Because knowledge is one of the true tangible benefits we can offer RC members, we are working with NAHB Online Relations to “lock down” parts of the RC website that will be available only to members of the Remodelors Council.

Other Remodelors Council Business

• NAHB Vice President Secretary Brian Catalde reported that the NAHB Senior Officers are currently making Committee and Council appointments
• The Remodelors Council 2005 budget has a new product for two print issues per year of ReNews.
• The Board approved new Remodelors Council Rules and Procedures
• The Board approved appointing a working group to work with EPA and NAHB Regulatory Affairs Department to develop a voluntary program to train remodelers to use lead paint safe work practices.
• The Board approved the revised guidelines for the “America’s Best Remodeling Hall of Fame.”
• More than $3,000 was collected during Fall Board for the Bryan Patchan Scholarship Fund.