10
Texas Association of Builders
January/February 2015
and Joe Carlyle, Tyler, will continue to
serve as Immediate Past President. I also
want to thank Eddie Martin who has
served our association so well over the past
several years. Additionally, Rick McGuire
was elected to serve as the NAHB National
Area Chairman, and Justin MacDonald,
Kerrville, was elected to serve as the NAHB
State Representative from Texas.
I also want to thank everyone who was
a champion for TAB in 2014. Whether
you served on a committee, provided
testimony before a governmental body,
recruited new members, or attended the
Sunbelt Builders Show™, we appreciate
your support of our initiatives last year
and hope that you will continue to be an
active member of your association in 2015.
It’s an odd-numbered year, and that
means the Texas Legislature will convene
on the second Tuesday of January for
140 days. TAB’s Government Relations
Committee has been hard at work to
determine our agenda for this 84
th
Texas Legislative Session, and your TAB
government relations team has been busy
meeting with legislators and legislators-
elect regarding the issues that are
important to the residential building and
land development industry.
Texas had a complete turnover of statewide
elected officials including Governor Greg
Abbott and Lieutenant Governor Dan
Patrick. We will be working with a large
number of freshman and sophomore
legislators in the Texas Senate and House
of Representatives. The next five months
will be challenging and interesting, and
we will keep you up-to-date on news and
information from the Texas Capitol in
TAB’s
Legislative Line
, our e-newsletter that
will be published throughout the session.
One of the most important events of the
year is TAB’s Rally Day that will be held on
Wednesday, March 4. I invite every member
of the Texas Association of Builders to come
to Austin on Rally Day to meet face-to-face
with your Senator and State Representative
to help promote TAB’s legislative agenda.
Together, we are a strong voice for our
industry, and your support on Rally Day is
crucial to a successful grassroots advocacy
program. Please contact your local HBA to
be a part of the delegation from your area
for Rally Day 2015.
We also hope you will join us at TAB’s
Winter Board Meetings that will be held
March 5 – 6 at the Driskill Hotel. Come
for Rally Day and stay to be a part of the
governance of your association. Even if you
are not a votingmember of a committee, you
are welcome and encouraged to participate
in your areas of interest. Make your hotel
reservations today – our discounted room
block fills quickly. You can register for the
meetings a
As always, the TAB staff and I are here
to serve you and to ensure that your
association is providing you with the
tools and resources you need. Please don’t
hesitate to contact TAB if we can be of
assistance to you. Here’s to a great 2015!
Executive Director’s Message
Happy New Year!
By M. Scott Norman, Jr.
I
hope that you and your family had a
wonderful holiday season. As we close
the book on 2014, I am happy to report
that it was another good year for our
industry and association. Texas continued
to lead the nation in housing starts and
our state’s economy remains strong;
TAB’s membership continues to grow at a
slow but steady rate, and we start this year
on solid financial ground.
I want to congratulate the Texas
Association of Builders 2015 leaders who
were sworn into office at the Excellence
in Leadership Dinner in November:
President Steve Sorrells, Waco; First
Vice President Tim Jackson, Fairview;
Vice President/Secretary Rick McGuire,
Lubbock; Treasurer Sue Pinger, Austin;
