Page 18 - Builder Brief January 2021 Issue

FEATURED ARTICLE
2021 GSABA President
Ed Berlanga Tells All...
Newly installed GSABA President, Ed Berlanga of Texas Homes, takes the helm as we move into the new year. GSABA Executive Vice President Kristi Sutterfield sat down with Berlanga recently where he shared a little about himself, his insight and plans for GSABA in 2021.
Q
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JANUARY 2021 | GREATER SAN ANTONIO BUILDERS ASSOCIATION
Where are you from originally? When and how did you get your start in the homebuilding industry?
I was born and raised in San Antonio and I am the youngest of seven children. I have lived in San Antonio my entire life and attended Central Catholic High School and St. Anthony Catholic Seminary. My parents Raoul and Rose Marie were married in San Antonio and my Dad was in the Finance business.
My wife Kitty and I are Parishioners at Holy Spirit Catholic Church but enjoy attending multiple Catholic Parishes around town to hear the message.
I have called San Antonio home for my entire life except for my years in Austin when I was at the University of Texas at Austin. I started my career as a Tax Accountant and consultant and still maintain an insurance license.
In 1992, I went to work for Gordon Hartman Homes and served in various roles; ending my tenure there as Chief Financial Officer. I worked with Gordon from 1992 to 2005 until the assets of the company were purchased by the Corky McMillin Companies from California. The job with Gordon Hartman Homes, which provided me with the opportunity to manage all aspects of the land development and homebuilding operations for their Texas division, gave me my start in the homebuilding industry.
I am passionate about serving the industry that I make a living from. One of my favorite GSABA events is the Military Luncheon that is hosted by our Building Believers Committee the Friday before Thanksgiving every year. I see the impact we make on serving the enlisted men and women of the military as the event is a surprise for them.
For the past several years, we have hosted an in-person luncheon for the Air Force cadets at Lackland Air Force Base, many of whom are away from home for the first time. Unfortunately, we could not host an in-person Thanksgiving luncheon and we are hopeful that we will be able to serve these first year Cadets in November of 2021.
Government affairs and advocacy will continue to be our number one priority in 2021. Texas’ 87th Legislative Session kicks off the second week of January and we are prepared to play a lot of defense. Defending our industry and defeating bad legislation will be at the top of our list. With the huge state budget shortfall, our industry will be under attack and we could see a bill filed to tax construction labor.
We plan to hold face to face meetings with our elected officials on the local, state
and national levels and we have not wasted any time making these meetings happen. We caught up with Councilman Clayton Perry the first week of December and Kristi Sutterfield and I met with newly elected Congressman Tony Gonzales in mid- December who won a hard-fought race for Congressman Will Hurd’s seat.
Success to me means many things. Meeting the needs of our members is important, not only to me, but also to the 2021 leadership team. The Executive Committee continues to be actively involved in the day-to-day management of your Association along with our GSABA Board of Directors. Building a consensus with our members on critical issues, providing relevant communication and education, and getting back to successful and safe meetings in person would be my definition of success in my year as your president.
I want to be remembered as an involved and compassionate leader. My style of leading is to build a consensus while prioritizing and furthering the goals of the Association, but I also very much enjoy our social gatherings as GSABA is quite a fun group to lead.
Q
Q
When it comes to the industry, what are you most passionate about? What drives you?
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How would you define success in your year as President?
What are your top priorities as 2021 GSABA President?
Q
If you could leave behind a legacy at GSABA, what would it be? How do you want to be remembered?