Texas Builder, Jan/Feb 2016

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and Treasurer Sue Pinger. Steve Sorrells
will continue to serve TAB as Immediate
Past President.
Although this is not a legislative year,
TAB will be working closely with our
elected senators and representatives as
they study and hold hearings on the
“Interim Charges” that have been issued
by Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and House
Speaker Joe Straus. During the interim,
the 18 months between regular Legislative
Sessions, the work of the House and Senate
and your government relations team
continues. Oftentimes, Interim Charges
lead to proposed legislation, so it is very
important that TAB monitor those charges
that could have an impact on the building
industry. We will keep you apprised of any
charges that may require action on the part
of the membership, and we will discuss
them during 2016’s Government Relations
Committee meetings. Additionally, with
2016 being an election year, HOMEPAC,
the political action committee of TAB,
will be working hard to elect pro-housing
candidates to the Texas Legislature.
The “RPM (Relationships Powered by
Members) Membership Challenge” will
continue through 2016. This “Do Business
With a Member” initiative is now open to
all members – builders, remodelers and
associates. The “Two for TAB” membership
drive will also be held through 2016. For
every two new members you recruit, your
name will be placed into one of 28 hats
(one for each local HBA) for a drawing
to win prizes. Prizes for both contests will
be awarded at TAB’s winter and summer
meetings in March and August. Your local
HBA executive officer can provide you
with complete information on how to be
a part of these membership drives, and I
hope that every member will participate!
TAB’s Member’s Choice Health Insurance
and Benefits Marketplace is open to all
members. For more information and
to see the list of Network Brokers, visit
. Every
member company that has two or more
“W-2”ed employees may participate in the
marketplace. Contact one of our Network
Brokers, all of whom are members of
TAB, to become a marketplace member.
You can find information on all of TAB’s
member programs at
membership/benefits.
As the result of HB 1736 that was passed
in 2015, TAB is offering Energy Code
Training through the local HBAs across
the state. For more information on HB
1736 and the training classes, please
see Codes and Standards Committee
Chairman Ron Rohrbacher’s column
on page 28. Your local HBA executive
officer is working with TAB to schedule
the classes and will be advertising those
dates to their members. Thank you to Fox
Energy Specialists for conducting these
energy code classes and for sponsoring
them with StrucSure Home Warranty.
Please add these upcoming events to your
calendar. TAB’s Texas IBS Reception will
be held on Tuesday, January 19, 4:30 – 6:30
p.m. at the Surrender Nightclub at the
Wynn/Encore Hotel, and you can purchase
tickets to the reception at TexasBuilders.
org. TAB’s winter meetings will be held
March 30 – 31 at the historic Sheraton
Gunter Hotel on the Riverwalk in San
Antonio. You can make hotel reservations
and register for those meetings at
.
I hope to see you in Las Vegas and San
Antonio. If at any time in 2016 you would
like to reach out to us, please feel free to
contact me or the TAB staff for any reason.
This is your association, and your input is
important.
Here’s to a great 2016!
Executive Director’s Message
By M. Scott Norman, Jr.
2015 was a banner year for the
Texas Association of Builders,
and I am looking forward
to continuing that positive
momentum through 2016.
A s you know, all six of TAB’s priority
pieces of legislation passed during
last year’s Texas Legislative
Session, the Sunbelt Builders Show™ was
a huge success, and we ended the year by
honoring the members of the association
who were exemplary in their efforts to
further the Texas Association of Builders
and the building, remodeling and land
development industry in Texas in 2015.
Read about these leaders in this issue of
Texas Builder .
TAB’s fall committee and board meetings
were held in November, and it was exciting
to feel the energy that filled the meeting
rooms. Our membership is growing,
TAB is strong financially, housing starts
continue to rise and, from all indications,
2016 will be another great year for our
association and industry.
I look forward to working with our newly
installed officers, President Tim Jackson,
First Vice President Rick McGuire, Vice
President/Secretary Justin MacDonald,
The Best Is Yet to Come