NAHB Chair Carl Harris visits Peninsula builders
September 30, 2024
NAHB’s 2024 Chair Carl Harris travelled to the Olympic Peninsula last week for a joint meeting of the Jefferson County Home Builders Association and the North Peninsula Building Association.
Value of the 3-in-1 membership
Harris visited the area to share the 3-in-1 benefits that members enjoy when they join a local homebuilding association. Each local homebuilding association membership comes with benefits at the state and national level as well.
BIAW President Jay Roberts and Executive Vice President Greg Lane both spoke about the added value BIAW provides at the state level.
“When people talk about how valuable their membership is, I like to say AMEN,” Harris said, teeing up a conversation about top member benefits.
Advocacy
All members get the benefit of advocacy at the state, local and national level when they join a home building association. Locally, members band together to educate city and county officials about the effects of zoning and planning ordinances on home building. Members have government affairs teams and lobbyists at the state and national level as well, working to improve issues of statewide and national significance.
“We don’t have a housing problem,” Harris said. “We have a housing POLICY problem. We want people to own a piece of the American dream and we’re the only ones who can build it for them.”
Money
Harris next shared the value of savings programs available at the state and local level.
NAHB’s Member Savings Program saved members $40 million in 2023. Through the program, members can access savings on building materials, auto, wireless, travel and entertainment, fuel, health, business management, insurance, and more.
Members also save money by participating in BIAW’s HBA Rebates. In 2023, participating builders and remodelers received an average rebate of $1,586 each.
If members qualify to participate in ROII, they can save even more. ROII has returned over $500 million to participating companies since 1982.
Education
Harris spotlighted the wealth of educational opportunities available to members through NAHB, from online classes and in-person learning to designation courses, the BizTools library and NAHB’s publications, blog and podcasts.
He also discussed how NAHB’s Home Builders Institute helps prepare students nationwide for careers in the home building industry.
Networking
Finally, Harris praised the high-value networking opportunities available to members at the local state and national level. At NAHB, the saying goes, “Members do business with members.”
He encouraged members not just to stick to events at the local level but to consider attending the annual International Builders’ Show (IBS) coming up in late February in Las Vegas.
International Builders Show
Now through Oct. 1, members can register for a free IBS Expo pass for themselves and their spouses. Dealers and distributors can also get the free expo pass if they register by Oct. 1. Then prices increase to $75 for members/spouses and $150 for non-members.
Members can add on IBS education for $425 –and that price increases to $595 on Oct. 1. The Expo+Education Pass includes three days of access to more than 120 education sessions, Feb. 25-27.
About NAHB Chair Carl Harris
Co-founder and president of the Carl Harris Co., Inc. and managing partner of Harris Homes, Harris is a small-volume spec and customer home builder from Kansas. He’s spent the last 40 years in the home building, remodeling and light commercial construction industry.
He’s been a national leader in NAHB for over 20 years. He served as president of the Wichita Area Builders Association and the Kansas Building Industry Association as well.
Over the course of his career, he’s served eight years on the Newton City Commission, including two terms as mayor. He’s also served on a number of local commissions.