2022 Year in Review: Opening New Doors
By Phil Crone, Executive Officer, Dallas Builders Association
A few years from now, especially when hindsight bias sets in, history will likely recall 2022 as the start of the
great normalization. It will be marked as the year when the chaos and consternation of the pandemic-defined economy began its bumpy reversion back to a more steady and predictable market.
With the year fresh in our minds, we know the true story is more nuanced. In many ways, the way it started looks a lot different than how it ended. That’s absolutely the case at 5816 W. Plano Pkwy. where our building is located.
A year ago, I was walking through a cavernous space of empty drywall and open ceiling grid as the clean up and rebuilding from our massive flood damage entered its 11th month. Even then, with plenty of work ahead of us, you could see what was in store and realize we would soon be opening new doors. I mean this literally with our beautiful new iron entry unit in the front and figuratively with all of the opportunities the reopening of our beautiful building created.
In late May, we cut the ribbon and attendees marveled at the incredible work done by countless trades and subcontractors and made possible by the ingenuity of our staff including Accounting Manager Becky Warner, who kept an eagle eye on the job’s finances, the donation of more than $200,000 of goods and services, and one remarkable builder. That builder, of course, is Michael Turner with Classic Urban Homes.
As I said at the ribbon cutting ceremony, the hundreds of hours Michael dedicated to this project, with no expectation of reimbursement, is one of the most selfless and extraordinary acts of volunteerism in the nearly 80 -year history of the Dallas Builders Association. The recovery and rebuilding efforts earned us several accolades including an Association Excellence Award from NAHB and the Texas Association of Builders’ Association Accomplishment of the Year.
One of those most happy to see our headquarters reopened was Operations Officer and Education Director, Sheena Beaver. Our education program served more than 300 industry professionals between June and December proving, once again, why it is one of the most successful in the nation.
The 86 hours of coursework taught in 2022 included new instructors and committee volunteers and vastly expanded our on-demand library of pertinent topics. The program has an audacious agenda for 2023 that will combine NAHB’s hybrid courses and newly-formed local certifications.
The Dallas BA also opened its doors to dozens of new members last year. In fact, we reached a new (post-Great Recession) high of 1,143 builders and associates towards the end of the year and a strong 81.3 percent retention rate. Membership Chairman Chris Clay with 2-10 Home Buyer’s Warranty once again led by example, winning the Shorty Howard Award for most new members recruited for the second consecutive year.
Each of our After Hours events were packed and averaged more than 130 members. The free beer certainly helped, but so did the generosity of all our gracious hosts who opened their showrooms and gave out fantastic food and prizes. After Hours will be back on Jan. 19 thanks to Yearlong Membership Partner StrucSure Home Warranty, who will help us honor our top all-time membership recruiters.
We also held three well-attended New Member Welcome Breakfast events last year. All of them packed the conference room with enthusiastic builders and associates. Along with continuing to help us grow, Director of Membership Coleman Yates and the membership committee will be focused on helping new and existing members get more involved in the Dallas BA.
As the market normalizes, so will the dynamic between builder and associate members. Our builder membership has grown significantly over the past two years and the Dallas BA’s role in cultivating new business relationships will be more important than ever in 2023.
Our divisions, councils and special events continued to help members grow their business and give back to our community in 2022. The Dallas Division continued to be spot on with pertinent programming. A big reason for that is longtime volunteer Joe Mazza. Joe has been steadfast and dedicated to booking the Division’s programs for as long as I can remember and he is always at the meetings greeting new and old friends with a warm handshake and welcoming demeanor.
The Multifamily Builders Council donated $8,600 and more than 100 toys to the Samaritan Inn, helping bring Christmas to children suffering from homelessness. They also packed the course for their sold-out golf tournament and are becoming more ingrained in other association events.
The Metro East Division’s newfound focus on connecting builders and associates in their region led to a spectacular increase in attendance and provided a conduit for several new members to become involved with the Dallas BA. They kept their strong partnerships with Lone Star CASA firing on all cylinders, raising nearly $75,000 to help protect the interests of abused and neglected children caught up in the courts system.
2022 also brought us a new council, Professional Women in Building. The PWB hit the ground running with stellar programming and fundraising. They outraised every other division and council in terms of partnerships and have more big things in store.
Staff Director of Meetings and Events Misty Varsalone did an extraordinary job coordinating our major events. Those included old favorites such as the State of the Industry Summit (so nice we now do it twice), the McSAM Awards, our golf tournament, and Casino Christmas. Misty also initiated the return of Speed Networking and our first-ever Trivia Night.
While our meetings and events were connecting the industry with itself, our advocacy efforts, led by Director of Government Affairs David Lehde, pushed our housing first message into the policy arena. The toughest job for us here involved helping the City of Dallas through their two- year battle with permitting mediocrity.
At long last, we did finally make some progress. Thanks to the strong collective voice of our Dallas Division, the city filled the long-vacant Chief and Deputy Building Official positions and added an Assistant Director for Land Development. Each of these officials and others have taken ownership of the problem, cleared the backlog and are working with us to make processes and policies more efficient and effective.
David remains extremely active in Denton, where the city is reviewing its roadway impact fees. Earlier in the year, his efforts reduced the city’s park fee proposal by $1,500 per lot.
With the pandemic behind us, it was time to take the show on the road to Washington, DC. In June, Association leaders met with our local Congressional delegation on Capitol Hill addressing supply chain concerns, rising interest rates and other affordability challenges.
Our political action committee, HOMEPAC, had a critical role to play in the year’s midterm elections. Nearly every candidate the PAC supported, 98 percent in fact, prevailed in November. This success and our ability to support so many candidates was made possible by dozens of donors and a very successful clay shooting competition in August.
With the state legislature convening comes a prime opportunity to take our affordability issues head on. We’ll need your help though. Therefore, be sure to mark your calendars for Rally Day on March 29.
You don’t need me to tell you that today’s market is different from what we had a year ago. While history may call it the great normalization, it is not a pain-free adjustment. Consequently, it is important for us to tell our story with the candor and perspective of a trusted local source.
We’ve fortunately had that opportunity more so now than ever before. Last year, I told our Communications Director Barcie Vilches that, in my 15 years with the Dallas BA, I cannot recall receiving as many media inquiries as we did. Somehow 2022 managed to top that.
In Barcie’s estimation (which means this is absolutely the case), we are more visible than we have ever been. This year’s coverage included all of the major local print and television stations and also the Washington Post, AP News International and Fox Business.
Being a visible, relevant and trusted local source is probably our most improved area in recent years. A huge part of that success is owed not only to Barcie, but also to Creative and Marketing Coordinator Holly Pemberton. Our evolution continued in 2022 which saw our official publication since 1947,The Home Builder, become an interactive flip book.
Making the transition from print to digital allows staff to include more timely content and direct links to email addresses, event registrations, web pages and supporting documents. We can also reach a much larger distribution list via email and on social media.
The list of members who contributed to all our milestones in 2022 is too numerous to list is this already-lengthy column. However, I would be remiss if I didn’t name a few.
First there’s Matt Walls and his wife Susan with Winston Custom Homes. They stepped up for a second time to build a mortgage free home in partnership with our charity of choice Operation Finally Home. Every project is special in its own way, this one was especially touching. U.S. Navy Corpsman Luisa Velez and her son Spencer opened their new doors after a long journey following her service as a medic.
The connection those two share is magical and it warms my heart when I think about everyone who helped Matt and Susan enable them to spend the holidays in their new home on a lot provided by the City of Irving. We hope to get them a couple of neighbors here soon as the city has generously donated the adjoining lots to OPFH as well.
In November, we had quite a bit to celebrate at TAB’s Fall Board of Directors meeting. First, our very own Donnie Evans with Altura Homes was installed as President of TAB. Donnie was one of the best presidents I’ve had the opportunity to work with at the local level. I have no doubt that he’ll leverage that experience along with more than 40 years in the industry to successfully lead TAB through a critical legislative year.
We also honored living legend, Jerry Carter, as he was inducted into the Texas Housing Hall of Honor. I have written several applications for the Hall of Honor over the years. Not all were successful, as it is very hard to receive this prestigious distinction. That said, Jerry’s application essentially wrote itself.
You’d be hard pressed to find a more passionate advocate for the housing industry or a better volunteer role model at the local, state and national levels. Like hundreds of others, I have learned so much from Jerry over the years. He’s eager to share his wisdom yet retains an immense amount of humor and humility.
We also recognized one the best at the local level. Past President Alan Hoffmann with Hoffmann Homes was honored in October with the Hugh Prather Trophy.
Alan is a housing advocate in every sense of the word. He’s long been a leader in resource efficient home building and has used his intellect, passion and experience to bring about more sensible policies in the City of Dallas. He’s never been afraid to back down from a fight. His tireless work on behalf of his homebuyers has brought positive change to local elections and Texas land use law.
One of the best things about working for you all is experiencing the passion that our Association presidents, both past and present, have for making the Dallas BA and the industry we serve a better place. Immediate Past President Andrew Pieper is no exception.
Andrew’s calm, composed demeanor and thoughtful leadership have made him a rising star at Hillwood Communities. Those traits helped him navigate the changes we experienced this past year and made him an outstanding ambassador of the Dallas Builders Association. Current President John Porizek with M/I Homes has picked up right where Andrew left off. His diligence and commitment ensure that we are well positioned to handle whatever challenges 2023 has in store for us.
Thank you to all who helped us open new doors in 2022 including the 167 companies who partnered our events, meetings and classes. Although the market may be normalizing, the efforts from our membership and staff continue to be nothing short of extraordinary.
A huge thank you is owed to them as well as 2022 Industry Investors Hotchkiss Insurance Agency, StrucSure Home Warranty, BGE, Fox Energy Specialists, DuPont, FACETS, Atmos Energy and James Hardie Building Products.