THE HOME BUILDER January 2023 2022 Year in Review: Opening New Doors Page Four
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builder. That builder, of course, is Michael Turner with Classic Urban Homes. As I said at the ribbon cutting ceremony, the hundreds of hours Mi - chael dedicated to this project, with no expectation of reimbursement, is one of the most selfless and extraordinary acts of volunteerism in the nearly 80 -year history of the Dallas Builders Association. The recovery and rebuild- ing efforts earned us several accolades including an Association Excellence Award from NAHB and the Texas Association of Builders’ Association Accomplishment of the Year. One of those most happy to see our headquarters reopened was Operations Officer and Education Director, Sheena Beaver. Our educa - tion program served more than 300 industry professionals between June and December proving, once again, why it is one of the most successful in the nation. The 86 hours of coursework taught in 2022 included new instruc- tors and committee volunteers and vastly expanded our on-demand li - brary of pertinent topics. The program has an audacious agenda for 2023 that will combine NAHB’s hybrid courses and newly-formed local certifications. The Dallas BA also opened its
The highlight of 2022 was undoubtedly the Association’s return to its totally renovated new home.
doors to dozens of new members last year. In fact, we reached a new (post-Great Recession) high of 1,143 builders and associates towards the end of the year and a strong 81.3 percent retention rate. Membership Chairman Chris Clay with 2-10 Home Buyer’s Warranty once again led by example, winning the Shorty Howard Award for most new members recruited for the second consecutive year. Each of our After Hours events were packed and averaged more than 130 members. The free beer certainly helped, but so did the generosity of all our gracious hosts who opened their showrooms and gave out fantastic food and prizes. After Hours will be back on Jan. 19 thanks to Yearlong
Membership Partner StrucSure Home Warranty, who will help us honor our top all-time membership recruiters. We also held three well-attended New Member Welcome Breakfast events last year. All of them packed the conference room with enthusiastic builders and associates. Along with continuing to help us grow, Director of Membership Coleman Yates and the membership committee will be focused on helping new and existing members get more involved in the Dallas BA. As the market normalizes, so will the dynamic between builder and associate members. Our builder membership has grown significantly over the past two years and the Dallas BA’s role in cultivating new business relationships will be more important than ever in 2023. Our divisions, councils and spe - cial events continued to help members grow their business and give back to our community in 2022. The Dallas Division continued to be spot on with pertinent programming. A big reason for that is longtime volunteer Joe Mazza. Joe has been steadfast and dedicated to booking the Division’s programs for as long as I can remem- ber and he is always at the meetings greeting new and old friends with a warm handshake and welcoming demeanor. The Multifamily Builders Coun- cil donated $8,600 and more than 100 toys to the Samaritan Inn, helping bring Christmas to children suffering from homelessness. They also packed the course for their sold-out golf tournament and are becoming more ingrained in other association events. The Metro East Division’s new- found focus on connecting builders and associates in their region led to a spectacular increase in attendance and provided a conduit for several new
members to become involved with the Dallas BA. They kept their strong partnerships with Lone Star CASA firing on all cylinders, raising nearly $75,000 to help protect the interests of abused and neglected children caught up in the courts system. 2022 also brought us a new coun- cil, Professional Women in Building. The PWB hit the ground running with stellar programming and fundraising. They outraised every other division and council in terms of partnerships and have more big things in store. Staff Director of Meetings and Events Misty Varsalone did an ex - traordinary job coordinating our major events. Those included old favorites such as the State of the Industry Sum - mit (so nice we now do it twice), the McSAM Awards, our golf tournament, and Casino Christmas. Misty also initi- ated the return of Speed Networking and our first-ever Trivia Night. While our meetings and events were connecting the industry with itself, our advocacy efforts, led by
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Dallas Division Coat Drive The Association’s Dallas Division has been organizing a coat drive for many years. This year they asked members to bring coats, socks, scarves and winter hats to their Dec. 1 lunch meeting. Above, Dallas Division board member Joe Mazza helps organize. dozens of warm articles of clothing that were collected for North Dallas Shared Ministries, a faith-based service agency focused on improving the quality of life for people in need. A part of Catholic Charities, this group is a first responder to the community’s most vulnerable, helping those in crisis move toward a better life.
The Dallas BA’s highest honor, the Hugh Prather Trophy, was awarded to Past President Alan Hoffmann in October.
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