June President’s Message

July 7, 2022

We just enjoyed a successful BIAW summer board meeting at

the Skamania Lodge where we celebrated our 2022 Excellence in Remodeling Award winners, raised money for BUILD-PAC to support pro-housing candidates in Congress and enjoyed a fun Spike Party. We also got down to business with reports from our NAHB chief lobbyist and other NAHB guests as well as updates on state business. Here are a few highlights from my president’s report.

Workforce development

Many of us are still struggling with a skilled labor shortage. That’s why I made workforce development one of my top priorities for 2022—and many of you have, too.

Throughout the first half of the year:

• Central Washington Home Builders Association and Building Industry Association of Clark County both held Dozer Day events to share our work with the youngest generations.
• Kitsap Building Association’s Tractors & Tikes, sponsored by Bob Disney, was a similarly great opportunity for kids to experience the trades.
• Spokane Home Builders Association recently held its “Frame Your Future” event where students from Mead High School joined local builders for a two-day build.
• Master Builders Association of Pierce County also just held a signing day at the Pierce County Skills Center, where they’d recently been named Business Partner of the Year.

That’s just a round-up of major events. We’ll have more to come in the second half of the year.

Small business and industry support

Supporting small businesses and our industry were two other priorities coming into 2022. The BIAW Certified Builder program supports both small businesses and our industry, giving builders and remodelers a chance to rise above the competition.

I’ve been encouraging fellow builders to join this program and we’ve already added more Certified Builders in the first four months of this year than we did all last year. Shout out to my local, the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties, for leading the way!

And speaking of leading the way, BIAW has really led the way when it comes to fighting for our rights. We’re proud to welcome Daimon Doyle from the Olympia Master Builders as our new representative on the state building code council. It’s just too bad we had to sue the governor to make that happen!

There’s so much more to share but these are just a few highlights from this year. As I travel around to state and national meetings, I’m excited to see so many younger professionals joining our more senior members in supporting our industry. I’m proud to be your leader and can’t wait to visit more associations in the upcoming months!