Biz Tech-Connect is a small-business Web portal that provides free online technology training geared towards women and minority entrepreneurs nationwide. Content, features and links on Biz Tech-Connect provide users with up-to-the-minute business news through Small Business TV (provided by AT&T), free instructional Web-based seminars, video training courses hosted by business experts, and information on managing and growing a small business. Business owners can also submit questions to and receive answers from member companies.

The recommendation for Biz Tech-Connect traces its origin to the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council Technology Toolbox pilot and workshop that was funded by the AT&T Foundation, the philanthropic arm of AT&T, in 2004. This project gave women entrepreneurs easy access to the latest information about how technology can contribute to the success of their businesses.

“There is a significant body of knowledge from the private and public sector that shows an underutilization of technology by small, minority- and women-owned businesses. The Minority Business Development Agency commends ITAA, Microsoft, WBENC, AT&T and the Task Force for their commitment to tackle this opportunity gap,” said Ronald Langston, MBDA national director. “Ensuring that women and minority entrepreneurs realize their business success and competitiveness through the effective use of technology is essential to America’s economic strength.”

Microsoft convened the Task Force, now administered by ITAA, in response to an Urban Institute study that revealed that many women and minority business owners were not maximizing their earning potential by better utilizing technology. The study also projected that the U.S. economy could capture up to $200 billion in additional revenue if technology use increased among minority- and women-owned enterprises.

“Too often, minority- and women-owned businesses have not realized the benefits of the technology boom,” said ITAA Vice President for Government Relations, Cindy Jimenez. “ITAA is proud to work with both the public and private sectors to provide women and minority small businesses with market access to technology information and resources so they can stay competitive in today’s global economy. We encourage companies across the IT industry to contribute information to aid small businesses’ access to technology through Biz Tech Connect.”

“Small businesses overall, including those that are women- and minority-owned, are growing, thanks in large part to increased access to the Internet,” said John Regan, vice president of Small Business Segment Marketing, AT&T.  “AT&T is proud to have played a key role in developing Biz Tech-Connect, which helps entrepreneurs better understand and leverage technologies, such as e-mail, Web sites and high-speed Internet access to expand their business.”

“Among the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council’s membership of over 6,500 certified, women-owned businesses, we find technology users at every level.  In addition to certification services and accessibility to supply chain opportunities, WBENC aims to aide our women’s business enterprises (WBEs) in increasing their effectiveness and efficiency through technology,” said Linda Denny, interim president of WBENC. “AT&T and Microsoft have been among WBENC’s corporate supporters for many years, and have joined with the MBDA in this Task Force, to ensure that these technology tools get in the hands of our powerful WBEs."

“Microsoft is committed to working with both public leaders such as MBDA and technology counterparts to provide technology and tools to help minority- and women-owned small businesses realize their full potential,” said Reed Overfelt, General Manager of Mid-Atlantic Small and Medium Business Division, Microsoft Corp.

About the Task Force
The Technology Partnership for Small Business Task Force is a first-ever collaboration of an elite group of IT industry leaders, associations representing small, minority and women-owned businesses, and other partners. convened by Microsoft Corp., Cisco, and AT&T to address the underutilization of technology by minority- and women-owned businesses.   ITAA is the managing host of the Task Force. [return to top]

• Learn more about Carmen Dominguez, builder of the New American Home for the 2007 International Builders’ Show.
• The Women’s Council Communications Committee explores how to de-stress from a long day at the office.
• Find out the latest trends in vacation home building.

  [return to top]

This is a significant win for housing affordability and consumer choice in home safety decisions. Had our efforts been unsuccessful at the Rochester code hearings, fire sprinklers would have been required in all new one- and two-family homes and townhouses wherever the IRC was adopted — something that would raise the cost of building a typical single-family home by as much as $6 per square foot or more and raise the threshold for homeownership significantly. With this decision, fire sprinklers will remain in the appendix of the IRC, where local jurisdictions can still adopt them if they so choose, and certainly home buyers will always have the option of choosing to have fire sprinklers installed in their new homes, as is appropriate.

While the battle to maintain fire sprinklers as optional rather than mandated equipment in new homes can be expected to continue in subsequent code development cycles, that does not diminish the great accomplishment that our NVPs, State Reps, EOs, HBAs, members and staff achieved in explaining our concerns about mandates to building code officials so that they could understand the many questions and potential problems surrounding this issue. Ultimately, their input convinced voting code officials to make the most appropriate and balanced decision on fire sprinklers. 

Going forward, those who helped with our campaign are strongly encouraged to build upon the good working relationships that they developed with code officials through this effort, so that we can keep the channels of communication open and foster even greater understanding among all parties involved in the code development process.  [return to top]

BuilderLink will pinpoint members of Congress who have the most influence over priority housing issues and link them to the NAHB members living in the areas they represent. As constituents, NAHB members are in a unique position to directly communicate with their federal lawmakers on the impact of their decisions on housing.

Whether conducting a local visit, writing a letter or making a phone call to a member of Congress, BuilderLink will provide the resources NAHB members need to advocate a pro-housing message.

“Members of Congress need to hear from the men and women in the building industry — their constituents — about the impact federal policies have on their livelihood,” said Michael Sivage, chairman of the NAHB Federal Government Affairs Committee. “BuilderLink gives NAHB members the tools they need to develop relationships with federal lawmakers and make their voices heard.”

For more information on BuilderLink, click here, or e-mail Molly Murray at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8470.
[return to top]

The RAND study computed disparity ratios for WOSBs based on both the dollar value and the number of contracts awarded to WOSBs. RAND found under-representation of WOSBs in federal contracting in as many as 87 percent of industries, depending on the measures used to calculate the disparity ratios. The study indicates that WOSBs will be found to be underrepresented in many more industries when disparity is measured using number of contracts awarded rather than contract dollars awarded.

In its letter, the Council encouraged the SBA to move swiftly in implementing the contracting program in order to provide women-owned businesses the opportunity to compete for their fair share of federal contracts. In addition, the Council recommended including adequate guidance and training for procurement officers government-wide when implementing the program to ensure the set-aside is applied promptly and correctly. The Council also suggested making procurement officers accountable for reaching the goal in their performance reviews. [return to top]

To date, 95 local associations in 30 states have applied for and received, or been approved to receive, nearly $1.8 million in advertising assistance. Including the matching funds that the HBAs contributed, the total value of their advertising campaigns is more than $5.5 million. To see a list of the HBAs and the grant levels, click here.

The NAHB “Buy Now” Advertising Assistance Program provides grants to qualifying HBAs in three categories:

• HBAs conducting ad campaigns in the top 10 media markets.
• HBAs with more than 250 members operating in areas outside the top 10 major media markets.
• HBAs with 250 or fewer members.

To qualify for grants, the ads must deliver a “buy now” message, be placed in 2007 and conducted in markets that have experienced a major decline in home sales and housing production.

NAHB is encouraging associations that have received grants to promote their grant to their membership through HBA publications and newsletters and on their Web sites.

To learn more about the program, eligibility considerations and requirements, click here, or call Niki Clark at 800-368-5242 x806l.
[return to top]

NAHB has developed the toolkit to help members highlight positive messages about the home building industry and provide consumers with information on the benefits of homeownership.

Members are encouraged to distribute the information in this kit to their local news media throughout June or anytime throughout the year, and to use the ready-to-use articles in their promotional material for Home Shows, Parade of Homes or other special events.

NAHB’s National Homeownership Month promotional kit includes:

• Talking points on why it’s a great time for homeownership
•  “National Homeownership Month” press release
•  Economic and housing data
•  “National Homeownership Month” proclamation
• Questions and answers to counter negative perceptions of market conditions
• Ready-to-use print and radio advertisements
• Articles you can use in your client communications

For More Information or the Free Promotional Kit

For more information, or to download your free homeownership month promotional material, visit the NAHB Web site.

For additional information, e-mail Niki Clark at NAHB, or call her 800-368-5242 x8061. [return to top]

Attention Council members: the NAHB Membership Committee has made official federation membership available to Council members who are employed by a Builder or Associate member for a significantly reduced dues investment. The idea is a decrease in dues for the ‘employee’ membership category in exchange for an increase in official member participation — a structural shift that could yield big benefits for would-be members who currently participate in local-level events without being counted in industry totals.

This means if your employer is a Builder or Associate member, and your local HBA recognizes the Affiliate category, you are now eligible for full membership via the Affiliate category for a significantly reduced fee (the national portion of the dues investment is only $5). Why bother? Because it’s the full memberships that count when it comes to taking care of our industry.

By reducing the already low Affiliate member dues structure from $25 to $5 at the national level and breaking down the financial barrier to membership, the NAHB Membership Committee is raising priorities in other areas:

1. The dues decrease is designed to increase official participation and therefore our ability to protect and serve the industry.
   
   
2. The dues decrease will amplify valuable member involvement at all levels of the federation.

“Numbers are just as important in managing the business of our association as they are in the business of building homes,” said 2006 NAHB Membership Committee Chair Larry Stege who led the 2006 Committee in an exploration of possibilities regarding this membership category last year culminating in the change, “The only difference is that our bottom line is measured by the vitality brought to the scene by our members and by the strength we have in our legislature’s office…in order to lead this industry into the future, we have to be able to officially count and welcome in the thousands of Affiliate members who are involved in our Councils,” Stege added. 

As an Affiliate member, individuals may serve on NAHB committees, task forces, working groups and more, and are included in the official membership number of the federation. Council members who are eligible (employed by a Builder or Associate member) are encouraged to participate by seeking Affiliate membership. If your local HBA does not offer the category, contact your Executive Officer to request availability.

More details are available online or contact Emily Fitzsimmons. [return to top]