HBA of Metro Denver CEO Report | August 30, 2022
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August 30, 2022 |
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Dear HBA Members, The end of summer is always a busy of time for the HBA, and this August is no exception, with great work being done on the Marshall Fire Task Force, Parade of Homes and Metro Housing Coalition. Tonight, the Marshall Fire Task Force will host the first of 17 free educational sessions for residents and businesses impacted by the Marshall Fire in Boulder County, Louisville and Superior. I need to acknowledge and thank the volunteers who have dedicated much of their personal and professional time to the task force and the rebuilding efforts in the Marshall Fire area. The task force has been meeting regularly since February to work through many of the challenges presented by our rebuilding efforts. Special thanks need to go to the group's co-chairs Steve Erickson, principal of Louisville-based homebuilder Boulder Creek Neighborhoods, and S. Robert August, owner of North Star Synergies, Inc. The task force is made up of more than 20 HBA members who have volunteered their expertise to this effort. Moreover, there are over 50 members participating on our five working groups created to better execute assisting with the rebuilding efforts. The working groups are: builders; manufacturers and suppliers; trades/architecture/engineering; insurance and finance; and education. Thank you for all that you are doing. As the education series kicks off, I would like to thank Louie Delaware of the Living In Place Institute and Bruce Likoff with Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner Law for spearheading the educational program. From tonight through October 18, those impacted by the fire will be able to hear from HBA members about selecting builders and contractors, understanding contracts, legal issues and insurance, securing financing and loans, and much more. Our goal with these sessions is to provide as much support and reputable information as possible so those rebuilding will soon be able to return home. If you have any questions about the task force or the educational series, please email taskforce@hbadenver.com. A complete list of the educational events is available by clicking here. Our successful Parade of Homes presented by Ent Credit Union wrapped up on Sunday. I would like to thank all those who participated; this year's Parade featured 38 homes from 14 builder members throughout the eight-county metro area as well as the spotlight community Painted Prairie in Aurora. Parade attendees were able to tour homes in-person or online, with nearly all of the homes having virtual tours. The Parade also garnered a good deal of press coverage this season ? both in print and on air. Linked here are some of the video highlights of segments where the Denver Parade of Homes was featured this year. As always, the Parade was kicked off with our Industry Night. This year's celebration was held at Montaine in Castle Rock, by Toll Brothers, where more than 400 industry movers and shakers met up for the evening. Nine members showcased their company offerings in the Expo room, while a live band performed on the lawn. For those who missed it, or those who can't wait for next year, please save the August 10, 2023, for next year's Industry Night. On the policy front, I was able to participate in a two-part podcast titled: The Impact of New Energy Codes on Colorado's Fraught Housing Market. The podcast, hosted by the Common Sense Institute, included founder of Confluence Companies Tim Walsh and CSI's 2022 Mike A. Leprino Fellow and report author Evelyn Lim. The podcasts? topics included the state of Colorado's housing market, the goals of recently passed energy-code legislation, increased costs from those new codes and challenges created in implementing them. Please click here for Podcast 1 and Podcast 2. After Labor Day weekend, many Coloradans will shift their attention to the upcoming elections. Colorado has a U.S. Senate race between incumbent Democratic Senator Michael Bennet and Republican Joe O'Dea, as well as eight U.S. House races, including the newly created Eighth Congressional District in the northern Denver suburbs. Both races are in the national spotlight and will likely attract a lot of attention and money. Voters will also be deciding on governor and the other statewide posts, all 65 state House seats and half of the state Senate. The Colorado Association of Home Builders? Political Funding Committee is actively watching these races and preparing endorsements and funding support for many of the candidates. Similarly, the Metro Housing Coalition has been meeting with candidates in county commissioner and local council races across the metro area. The MHC will soon make endorsements and funding support decisions on local candidates as well. Please stay tuned in the fall for updates and HBA endorsements of candidates for the 2022 elections. And please save the date for the MHC's Annual Political Forum on September 21 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Highlands Ranch Manson. This year's topic is Housing Sustainability: Thoughtful Innovation for Transformational Change. More information is available here. Finally, I want to thank the team at the Metro Denver HBA for all of their hard work. Ensuring that these major HBA projects and the associations core member services and programs are successful takes drive, patience, a bit of humor and great dedication to our organization, members and industry. We recently established a Member Services Division, helmed by Connie Dahl, our new Vice President of Member Services. The division will advocate for HBA members in all aspects of engagement, benefits, retention, recruitment, education, and communications. It will enhance the connection between the HBA's councils, events, and our general members - prioritizing our members and enabling their engagement in a manner that positively impacts them, their business, our industry, and of course, the association. I am very thankful to all of the HBA's staff, volunteers and members who make our work on behalf of the industry so successful. Sincerely, |
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Ted Leighty
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