ReNews -- Remodelors Council News - September 29, 2006 (Print All Articles)

Council and CAPS on NBC Nightly News

Once again, national attention focused on the Remodelors Council as NBC Nightly News highlighted the hot trend of remodeling to age-in-place.

Featuring Barry Corbett, CAPS, of Raleigh, N.C., Council Chairman Vince Butler, CGR, CAPS, GMB, CAPS instructer Brindley Byrd, CGR, CAPS, and Corbett’s client the Yarurs family, NBC Nightly News showcased the value for homeowners in planning ahead with their remodeling (View the story here. Read the web article here).

Be on HGTV

HGTV's latest one-hour special, "20 Ways to Add Value to Your Home." is looking for a great remodel with fantastic home owners to show it off for the cameras!Here's what they're looking for:

• TV-friendly, fun, energetic homeowners with a good sense of humor to show us their remodel of either a:
  • home office
  • new roof
  • add bathroom
  • replace windows
  • add deck
  • minor kitchen
  • minor bath
  • siding
• Dramatic "before" photos or home video that shows how much better that remodeled space looks today.
• A great story about how the remodel "adds value" to their home so that someday if they do decide to sell, they are better off.
• Home owners willing to let our crew interview them on camera, film them showing the producers around the house, etc.

Free Seminars at the Remodeling Show

Learn fromthe industry’s top professionals, as they discuss how to operate a successful remodeling company during free forum discussions for attendees at the 2006 Remodeling Show in Chicago, October 19-20.

The experts will discuss a variety of topics ranging from scheduling, marketing, benchmarking success, change orders and more. The free forums will take place at the Remodelors Council booth, #831.

Click here to learn more about the Remodeling Show.

The Premier Remodelors Council Event

Don't miss the 2006 Remodelors Council Gala. This year’s event is hosted at the Chicago Cultueral Center on Friday, Oct. 20. The Cultural Center is one of the city's ten most popular attractions and is considered one of the most comprehensive arts showcases in the United States.

Join the Council in celebrating the CADRE and Remodelor of the Year award winners, as well as the 2006 induction of the Remodeling Hall of Fame.

A cocktail reception will be followed by an awards presentation, dinner and dancing. Gala registration is available through the remodeling show  Web site, www.theremodelingshow.com, or click here to order directly online.

Black-tie optional. Sponsored by GE Consumer Finance, Pella Corporation, and Whirlpool.  Cocktail reception sponsored by Hanley Wood.

CGR and CAPS Reception

Reconnect with your CGR and CAPS peers and congratulate the 2006 graduates at a special reception that includes an open bar and light fare.  This is an invitation-only event, limited to CGRs, CAPS, and their guests and non-CGRs who have completed PREP.

When: Wednesday, Oct. 18

Where: The Palmer House Hilton – Empire Room

Time: 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Cost: Free for CGRs, CAPS and one guest with advance registration or $20 per person at the door. All non-CGRs who have completed PREP may register for $40.

Registration: Register via email at mbenik@nahb.com before Oct. 9.

Dress: Casual to business casual

Local Council Workshop

Have you ever said “If only people knew about what we do, we would be tremendously successful?”

On Wednesday, Oct. 18 at the 2006 Remodeling Show, the Remodelors Council will help answer that question through the Local Council Workshop.

Focusing on public relations and membership recruitment, the program will help your HBA reach out to the general public, grow your membership, and become a leader in your community for all things remodeling. The interactive workshop is for leaders, members, and staff of local Remodelors Council.

The Local Council Workshop is sponsored by the Remodelors Council Platinum level sponsors; Pella Corporations, Lowes, GE Money and Whirlpool.

When: Wednesday, Oct. 18

Where: McCormick Place Lakeside Center E 255

Time: 1:00-5:00 p.m.

Cost: Free with advanced registration

Registration: Register via email at remodel@nahb.com or click here to download the fax registration form. Be sure to RSVP by Oct. 2.

Dress: Casual to business casual

All NAHB Remodeling Show Education

• the components of a business plan,
• defining and staffing your business,
•  performance tools for managing and monitoring administration, sales,
• and production, and
• strategies for managing common challenges experienced in startup

Fall Board Highlights

Below are highlights from the Remodelors Council Fall Board Committee Meetings in Salt Lake City, Utah:

• The committee meeting began by reviewing our mission.

• At the Spring Board meeting Bruce Christianson & Don Reddaway of GE Money announced they would be hosting a UofH CGA course for their national sales representatives. GE hosted Sales & Marketing for Remodelers on July 27 at their office in Minneapolis, MN; 31 students attended.  Kudos to GE for encouraging their employees to earn the CGA designation.
• The committee reviewed and edited the Associates Blueprint to focus on builders
• The committee will be considering new titles for the Associates Blueprint as it  is too similar as the UofH’s Blueprint for Success binder for education programs
• The committee reviewed our 4 four Goal’s and highlighted our accomplishments           

• The July/Aug issue of the Local Council Update featured an article by Steven Heiteen, CGR, CAPS on how his local (HBA of Metro Portland) used the Blueprint
• In August the Blueprint presentation was distributed via email to all local Remodelors Council staff. 
• The committee drafted a brief e-survey to distributed to the locals regarding the use of the tool. 
• The committee suggested distributing the presentation to local leadership and state EOCs

• GE Money shared copies of their Advantage newsletter. The July issue feature a story on association membership.
• Pella reported asking the business companies Pella deals with their familiarity with NAHB.

• Six new Associate Members attended the meeting. 
•  All members are encouraged to bring a guest to the next meeting
•  Invitations to the winter committee meeting will be sent to the chairs of the women’s, 50+ & Sales & Marketing councils.

•  As of July, there are 127 CGAs.
• The committee continues to encourage Associate members to earn the  designation

Member Update:

• As of July, we have 7,288 members
• NAHB Announced a new membership total of 335,000 members
• The committee decided to create a recognition program for new councils. New Councils will not be included in the Annual Membership Growth awards as it provided them with an advantage that they started at zero. 
• We have Two New Remodelors Councils.
  • Salt Lake HBA formed in June 2006 with 11 members.  The Chair is Brent Bowthorpe.
  • HBA of Dayton & the Miami Valley formed in August 2006 with 5 members. The Chair is Walt Hibner.
• Staff recently created a section on the Council web pages for locals.  The Local Remodelors Council Resources section is a central source for information. 
• Ray Budde presented at the EOC Conference in August; his presentation highlighted the benefits of having a local Remodelors Council.

Road Show:

• The Fall 2006 Road Show will be hosted by the Wichita Area Builders Association Remodelors Council Oct. 10-11. We are excited by the local leadership and staff enthusiasm.
• The 2007 Road Show application was finalized.  The applications deadline are…
  • For  the Spring 2007 show applications must be received by Nov. 30
  • For the Fall 2007 show applications must be received by March 31, 2007
• Staff will be distributing the applications to local councils shortly.  Promotion includes articles in the Local Council Update & EOC newsletter

2007 IBS Education Programs:                                  

• IBS returns to the Orlando, Fla. Feb. 7- 10, 2007.
• The Remodelors Council is sponsoring 13 programs at IBS 2007. This compares to 10 sessions in 2006; nine sessions at IBS 2005 and 12 sessions at IBS 2004

Closing the Sale:

• Gabrielle Taylor, NAHB Membership department, provided the committee an update on the development of the new membership tool, which will be launched at the Local Council Workshop.

Remodeling Show:      

• Oct. 18-21 in Chicago
• Preshow education begins on Monday, Oct. 16 and the exhibit floor opens on the Wednesday, Oct. 18.
• Remodelors Council booth will feature a presentation area with scheduled speakers.
• Local Council Workshop is Wednesday, Oct. 18. This year’s focus is selling Remodelors Council membership and promoting the Remodelors Council brand name to the public. Leaders, members and staff of local Remodelors Councils are welcomed to attend. Register with Barbara before Monday, Oct 2.

Online At-Large Membership Renewals:

• Staff began sending At-Large renewal invoices via the internet in May. Invoices are emailed three times (once a month); the invoice is also sent via US mail. We are the first council to send invoices via e-mail.

Local Council Update:

• The LCU is going online and will be produced monthly starting this month. The LCU is sent to local council staff and chairs.

Upcoming Projects:

• Local Council to Council Mentor program the committee interested in developing a Local Council to Council Mentoring program. Staff will research and draft a proposal for consideration at the Winter Board meeting.
• In an effort to connect with local leaders staff presented a Local Council Champion Campaign.  The committee approved the program and provided feedback.  Staff will be making some changes to their proposal and launch the program in January.

Leadership Development Highlights

•  Unofficial Golf Tournament — Wednesday, Sept. 13
  • 23 players
  • Netted $1,743.09 for the Bryan Patchan Scholarship Fund
• The second vice chair is formally a member of the leadership development committee
• The committee will consider new names for the Bryan Patchan Scholarship
• Business Associates are encouraged to complete the leadership profile for consideration of three Associate Trustee positions in 2007.

CAPS Board of Governors

CAPS Statistics/ University of Housing Report:

• 936 active CAPS graduates nationwide (total 1,139)
• To date, 103 classes in 2006
• To date, 332 graduates in 2006
• The breakdown of CAPS designees:
  • 77 % — Contractors
  • >1% — Architects
  • 13% — Designers
  • 1% — Consultants
  • 9% — Other (including those in medical professions)

CAPS Connection:

• The latest edition of the CAPS Connection is available. The next issue will be an electronic issue. The submission deadline for the next issue is Nov, 22.

AARP:

• AARP released a new core publication entitled Home Mods that has been released to all 53 state offices. CAPS is mentioned in this publication.
• AARP has implemented a training and scholarship program in Georgia for minority remodelers. AARP received a grant of $48,000 to provide the CAPS training and follow up classes to minorities that the local HBA helped target. The first class six weeks ago produced 15 CAPS graduates. Interest in this program is growing among other states.
• AARP and NAHB are in the process of developing an award program that recognizes three groups: remodelers, builders and developers.

Public Affairs Report:

• CAPS is still receiving amazing press with most recently the NBC Nightly News story that ran last week. Aging in Place Week is coming soon which is a great opportunity for more press.

Rules and Procedures:

• A motion was passed to update the information in the rules and procedures regarding Consultant Governors.
• We’ve eliminated the old Research Center position because their Seniors Housing Department no longer exists.
• We’ve updated the 50+ Housing Council Name. We’ve increased our At Large member representation from one to two and defined them as invited representatives from organizations with declared interest in CAPS.
• We’ve also added a section to the rules and procedures detailing the duties and responsibilities of Consultant Governors.

CGR Board of Governors

CGR Statistics:

• 735 active CGR graduates nationwide
• To date, 86 graduates in 2006
• To date, 139 candidates have taken PREP in 2006

Exit Survey:

• We’ve had a few of our governors begin calling some of our inactive CGRs and giving them the survey. We’ve already had four inactive CGRs become active as a result. So the exit survey is working so far.
• We will continue to have our governors personally contact inactive CGRs.

Revocation Policy:

• A list of offenses that would result in the revocation of the CGR designation has been compiled and is being reviewed by the Education subcommittee this week.

Longevity Pin:

• The longevity pin discussion continues. The CGR Board would like a pin to be available for purchase after an individual has been a CGR for nine years and then eligible for another pin every three years after that.
• The University of Housing will reevaluate the costs and bring them to Winter Boards for further review.

GMR Update:

• The next step is the NAHB Board has to approve the budget at their meeting this week.
• Then the Remodelors Council staff will meet with the University of Housing staff to determine internal administrative procedures which we will hear about at winter boards.

PREP Revision:

• Revision is moving forward.
• Green Building is complete.

Public Affairs and Marketing:

• Still very limited publicity thus far in 2006.
• We talked about ways that we as CGRs can actively promote the program on a local level. We are working on developing and utilizing a database of articles written by designees to use for national release.
• Marketing will work on developing customizable materials such as ads, brochures, and a power point presentation that we can insert our own company names and contact information and use locally.
• In the future we would like to have a full media kit developed and available to graduates to help them get linked into all media channels.

CGReport:

• Scott Sevon CGR, CAPS reported that the lastest issue of the CGReport is hot off the press. A few will be available at the resource table. The submission deadline for the next print issue is Nov 3.

New Governors:

• The CGR Board has one available position and are looking for qualified and interested applicants to fill the position by Winter Board.
• Bill Mercer and Bret Boyum, CGRA of Marvin Windows and Doors have resigned from the CGR Board of Governors.

Public Affairs Committee

Remodelor of the Month:

• Created a working group to address a modifying the judging to create a point system.

Hall of Fame:

• Asked the BoT to create a working group to examine the rules and selection criteria for the Hall of Fame.

CAPS Design Award:

• Created a working group of two PA committee and two CAPS BoG members to review award and suggest changes for winter board meeting. First roll-out in 2007.

Website:

• Passed out a mock-up of a new website for council members, using feedback from Spring Board Meeting
• Member demand for a separate consumer-focused Web site outside of NAHB.org, as homebuilders already have move.com.

NAHB in the News:

• More than 100 million media impressions to date, already surpassing last year. Aging in place is the biggest single topic, covering nearly half of all the Council’s stories — NBC News Story to be shown at general session.
• Looking to push green remodeling as the “aging in place” for 2007.

Consumer Articles:

• Want to build a database of consumer articles written by members for members to use, to create a Council consumer newsletter, and as a source for expert articles to use in the media.
• Send Jim Lapides your company newsletter.

Designation Education at Sunbelt

CGR and GMB courses are offered at the 2006 Sunbelt Builders Show. The show, Nov 16-18, is being held at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas (DFW Metroplex).

The courses outlined below are being offered by the Greater Fort Worth Builders Association (GFWBA) and include a free Expo-Only pass to the 2006 Sunbelt Builders Show. Limited reservations available.

Click here to register for one or more of the designation courses below and a free Expo-Only pass to the 2006 Sunbelt Builders Show.

*Registration deadline for BAR and PREP is Nov. 3

** For questions about these NAHB Designation Courses, please call the Greater Fort Worth Builders Association at 817-457-2864.

Sunbelt also features more than 300 booths with exhibitors showcasing the latest products and technologies for home builders and remodelers and will have more than 40 education sessions designed to teach you the latest and best building practices.

For more information, please visit www.sunbeltbuildersshow.com.

Look in the Mail for October's ReNews

The next edition of ReNews will be a print edition, so look for it in the mail next month! If you need to update your contact information, contact the Council at remodel@nahb.com or 800-368-5242 x8216.

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