.GIF)
President's Messeage
As your new president I begin my tenure this year with a message of optimism. How can I say this when our industry has seriously struggled in 2007 and continues to struggle? I say it because as an association, as a business and even in your personal life, one rarely succeeds under a cloud of negativity. The big challenge this year for all of us, simply put, is to adjust to a new housing market, one that is returning to a normal pace.
By focusing on the positive and through hard work and perseverance, we will, together, return to prosperous times. If you feeling negative about your current situation, if you’re feeling negative about the future, let go of it now. My goal, as your HBA president, is to constantly remind you to be positive and to be proud of what we do.
It is not a matter of “if” we come out of this downturn, it’s “when.” The public has to see that the housing industry has bottomed out, that there will be no more price reductions and fire sales and all the air is out of the balloon. That’s when we will see pent up demand again and an opportunity to create new value.
In the meantime, the HBA and its various committees will set and accomplish goals that prepare us for a brighter future. Let’s talk about them. One important priority is to support one another. Remember, members do business with members. So use your HBA annual directory as your personal Rolodex. Other goals include offering more educational opportunities for our members, creating a forum to encourage one other to increase our professionalism and improve the public’s perception of our industry, and finally, to embrace the “green” concept and to intelligently phase it into the homes we build. We also plan to develop a mentoring program for our young professionals. What these individuals lack in experience they make up in enthusiasm and technical knowledge!
Let’s all focus on the positive outcomes we can create both as an association and for our individual businesses. To 2008 and to all of you—a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!
