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NCHI Suppliers Good Friends to Have in Housing Downturn
Recognizing the steady increase in its membership as suppliers of home building products and services have been stepping up their collaboration with home builders to bolster sales in today’s more competitive marketplace, the National Council of the Housing Industry (NCHI) recently announced that it is calling itself “The Leading Suppliers of NAHB.”
A part of NAHB from the inception of the association in 1942, NCHI came into its own during the 1960s when it was called upon to organize and help sustain the National Housing Center in Washington, D.C., the first real home of NAHB. The council continued to play that role when NAHB moved to larger headquarters roughly a decade later and when that building was expanded to double its size several years ago.
Most recently, NCHI was known as “The Suppliers 100 of NAHB,” indicating how many companies had joined the council, but that number has been exceeded and membership now stands in the range of 140. Council membership has grown about 50% in just the last couple of years and its retention rate has remained at 94%.
NCHI’s mission is “to be a multi-faceted supplier resource for the building industry, and to represent the business interests of its members through advocacy, education and networking.”
The council grew rapidly during the 2003-to-2005 housing boom along with growth in NAHB and a surge in housing activity around the country. With the slowdown in housing demand, the cutting-edge supplies and products going into new homes, already a strong draw for prospective buyers, have become increasingly important in attracting customers and NCHI members have been working with the home building community to showcase cutting-edge features and amenities that can boost sales.
“The members of NCHI are staunch allies for the nation’s home builders,” said NAHB President Brian Catalde. “We have made tremendous progress in improving home building techniques and delivering homes that perform better than ever for our customers. This is always an ongoing process, it is vitally important to the health of our businesses and it would not be possible without the advanced products that the manufacturers have been bringing to the market.”
Catalde cited as an example today’s increasingly energy-efficient products — from appliances to HVAC systems — and noted that fixtures of homes considered luxuries only a few years ago have, through the ingenuity of manufacturers, become standard features in mainstream homes.
“There is an amazing assortment of options available to home builders and buyers today, and that is lending some real excitement to the market even at a time when demand has slowed because of the mortgage credit crunch,” Catalde said.
NCHI is best known in the industry for its annual New American Home, which has been a prime attraction at the annual International Builders’ Show since 1984. The trend-setting home is used to spark new ideas among home builders and demonstrate new approaches in residential construction and design.
NCHI members constitute the largest single exhibitors at the Builders’ Show, accounting for more than $13 million in exhibit space sales. In addition, members of the council sponsor about $1.5 million worth of show events, banners and receptions during the show.
Individual NCHI members sponsor many NAHB activities and conferences including the Legislative Conference, the Economic Forecast Conference, the Home Builders Institute, Pillars of the Industry, Custom Builders, Remodelers, 50-Plus, multifamily receptions at board meetings, the Women’s Council, the 20 Clubs and many others.
Staff members of NCHI companies hold more than 3,000 memberships in local home builders associations in all 50 states. Dozens of NCHI members actively participate as liaisons with most of NAHB’s committees and councils to address industry concerns, and members also serve on subcommittees.
The 12 original NCHI members are:
For more information about the National Council of the Housing Industry – The Leading Suppliers of NAHB, e-mail Barbara McMurray, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8243.
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