Page 8 - Builder Brief December 2022

2022 PRESIDENT
WHAT A YEAR!
It has been a privledge to be your President!
It is hard to imagine that I was installed as your 2022 President at this time last year. It seems like the year has flown by and it has been one that I will neverforget. Whenyoumakethecommitmenttostepintothisleadership role, you become a Sr. Officer for five years. Part of your responsibility as a Sr. Officer is to get plugged in locally with all events, councils, and committees but to also get involved with the Texas Association of Builders (TAB) and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
Serving as your President and serving on the state and national boards has opened my eyes to the incredible time and talent that we have in our federation across Texas and the United States. Shad and I have enjoyed attending the government affairs meetings at TAB and NAHB and we have learned a lot, but we have also discovered that there are invaluable resources available to GSABA members with their local, state, and national memberships.
At the TAB Board meeting last month, we attended the Government Affairs and HOMEPAC meetings with Kristi and we were part of a lively discussionaboutthelegislativeprioritiesthisnextsession. Whiletherecent elections were good news for housing, we still have an uphill battle to protect homeownership and unnecessary regulations and fees.
This next session, TAB will work on the Residential Construction Liability Act(RCLA)andtheStatuteofRepose. Weallneedtoworktohelppass this commonsense legislation so that our Builders, Remodelers, Suppliers, Vendors and Service Providers can continue to operate their companies without the threat of frivolous lawsuits like the stucco suits being filed against our members now by out of state unscrupulous lawyers.
The agenda for the 88th Legislative Session is long and includes County Regulationissues,DualETJOversightAuthoritieswithcitiesandcounties. The counties want to mandate minimum lot sizes and frontages and require both city and county permits. I urge you to mark Wednesday, March 29th, 2023, on your calendar and get on the bus to Austin for our statewide TAB Legislative Rally Day.
We have worked extremely hard this year to engage with all our elected officials on the local, state, and national levels often and in person. Our Legislators want to hear from you—their constituents. We will have a few serious struggles on the national level this year. If you have not attended the NAHB Legislative Conference in Washington, DC in June, you should join us next year when we meet with our Congressional Delegation in their offices on Capitol Hill. I will continue in my role as a Director at TAB and NAHB and if your schedule allows, I urge you to get involved. It is very rewarding.
Moving our annual Parade of Homes from December to 2022 to May 2023 hurt our revenue projections but the leadership team and staff did an exceptional job in generating additional income from other events to make up the six-figure loss from not hosting a Parade of HomesTM. There are so many people that I would like to thank for their leadership. The 2022 Executive Committee; Board of Directors; Committee and Council Chairs
MIKE SOWRY
and our Members who volunteer and sponsor events all year long-THANK YOU. We couldn’t do what we do without your support.
Our advocacy efforts are one of our greatest accomplishments and next year, we will work on furthering our outreach program to not only colleges but high schools to recruit young people to the construction trades. If you have a job, post it on GSABA’s website. If you have questions, call the Association office and they will help you. Workforce development will continue to be a priority.
One of the commitments I made to Shad Schmid as he takes the office of President is that next year, we are going to start a Professional Women in Building (PWB) Chapter. We need more women in leadership roles in our Association and in our businesses. I am blessed beyond measure to work with my wife Molly. She is the heartbeat of Virtuoso Builders, and the Sr. Officers are committed to encouraging more women to get involved and be part of the GSABA Board of Directors and leadership team.
Wehadalotoffirststhisyear. Weformedanew Leadership Council led by Past President Jeff Czar. The Council was made up of Builders, Remodelers and Associate members who contributed to GSABA in some way and that indicated an interest in being part of the leadership team in the future. We will announce our 2023 Leadership Council Class at the upcoming Board meeting on Tuesday, December 13th.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your President. It has been a privilege and a pleasure to lead this great organization this year. Molly and I wish you a very blessed holiday season and a prosperous New Year!
8 DECEMBER 2022 | GREATER SAN ANTONIO BUILDERS ASSOCIATION