New officers 2011/2012 from left Stan Mountain, John Harmon, Chuck Dennis, Jose Garcia, Bryan Waggoner, Johnny McClane, Bobby Rowland, Steven Hinson, Barney Brock, Tim Sawyer. Not pictured Doug McCulloch, Sharon Tucker, David Bedingfield and Randy Wachsman.
Texas Association of Builders First Vice President David Miller was the speaker and installation officer at the October membership luncheon of the North Texas Home Builders Association held Thursday, Oct. 6, at the Wellington Banquet & Conference Center.
The new board of directors consists of President Stan Mountain, Vice President Steven Hinson, Associate Vice President Sharon Tucker, Treasurer Barney Brock, and Secretary Tim Sawyer. Directors include John Harmon, Randy Wachsman, David Bedingfield, and Bobby Rowland. Associate directors are Johnny McClane and Bryan Waggoner. Doug McCulloch is the immediate past president. Jose Garcia is state director and Chuck Dennis is life director. John Harmon is the alternate state director.
In his remarks to the membership, Miller, who is president of Newell Construction in Lubbock and the incoming president of the TAB, encouraged everyone to support Proposition 2 in the upcoming election. Proposition 2 will fund needed water projects across the state.
He also spoke in support of retaining the mortgage interest deduction for homebuyers. He said fully 25 percent of the cost of a new home is due to federal, state, and local government regulations. Therefore, homeowners need the mortgage interest deduction.
Miller noted that OSHA is increasing the number of inspectors visiting residential construction sites throughout Texas. “We met with OSHA representatives to come up with training and safety programs for our members to help them meet OHSA guidelines.”
He added that Texas is the number one state in residential construction for each of the last two years.
Miller said TAB membership is currently at about 10,000 members, down from a high of 14,000 members a few years ago. However, he noted the membership decrease has ended and the organization has enjoyed a slight increase in membership during the past year.
He urged everyone to get involved in TAB. “We need to hear your voice out there. There are local and regional issues that you need to be involved in. If you don’t put anything into it, you won’t get anything out of it. There are a lot of committees to get involved in and provide your input.”
He also urged North Texas Home Builders Association members to attend the upcoming Sunbelt Builders Show. This year the show will be in Austin from Oct. 20-22. “There will be 215 exhibitors and four keynote speakers including Gen. Tommy Frank.”
Miller said attitude is important in any organization. “Like a virus, it spreads!”
In closing, he thanked the leaders and members of the North Texas Home Builders Association for their support and involvement in TAB during the last few years and promised to keep working for the interests of homeowners and builders in the future.