Cornerstone Magazine, January 2025 by Ballinger Publishing

2024 Leadership Board

Austin Tenpenny President aDoor Properties

Josh Rayls Secretary Holiday Builders

Heath Kelly 1st Vice President

Heath Kelly Construction

Kevin Sluder 2rd Vice President Gene’s Floor Covering

Shon Owens Tresurer Owens Custom Homes

Janson Thomas 3rd Vice President Swift Supply

2025 Home Builders

Association of West Florida Board of Directors

SENIOR OFFICERS

Austin Tenpenny, aDoor Properties, President

Heath Kelly, Heath Kelly Construction, First Vice President / President-Elect

Shon Owens, Owens Custom Homes, Treasurer

Josh Rayls, Holiday Builders, Secretary

Kevin Sluder, Gene’s Floor Covering, 2rd Vice President

Janson Thomas, Swift Supply, 3rd Vice President

Wilma Shortall, The First Bank, Past 2nd Vice President

Dax Campbell, CamCon, Immediate Past-President

Josh Peden, Hudson, Peden & Associates, Financial Officer

Stephen Moorhead, Moorhead Law Group, Legal Counsel

ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS

Bill Batting, REW Materials

Keith Branch, Good Foundations, Cost and Codes Chair

Rick Byars, Florida Power & Light

Mickey Clinard, Renasant Mortgage

Laura Gilmore, Fairway Ind. Mortgage, Affordable Housing Liaison

Chris Graye, Graye’s Granite

Thomas Hammond, Hammond Engineering, Civil Engineering Liaison

John Hattaway, Hattaway Home Design

Lindy Hurd, First International Title, Sales & Marketing Committee Chair

Shellie Isakson-Smith, SWBC

Mary Jordan, Gulf Coast Insurance, Tradesmen/Workforce Development Committee Chair

Daniel Monie, KJM Land Surveying

Alex Niedermayer, Underwood Anderson & Associates

Zach Noel, Clear Title of NW FL

Suzanne Pollard-Spann, Legacy Insurance Brokers, Ambassadors Committee Chair

Marty Rich, University Lending Group

John Scanlon, Pensacola Energy

Pam Smith, Real Estate Counselors, Pensacola Assn. of Realtors Liaison

Chris Thomas, Acentria Insurance

Wilma Shortall Past 2nd Vice President The First Bank Stephen

Legal Counsel Moorhead Law Group

Dax Campbell Immediate Past-President CamCon

Josh Peden Financial Officer Hudson, Peden & Associates,

BUILDER DIRECTORS

Joel Coleman, P.E., Lennar

Chad Edgar, Joe-Brad Construction

Amir Fooladi, ParsCo, Jessica Ford, FD Builds

Fred Gunther, Gunther Properties

Drew Hardgrave, Landshark Homes

Thomas Henry, Thomas Homes

Alton Lister, Lister Builders, Governmental Affairs Committee Chair

Kyle McGee, Sunchase Construction

Jennifer Reese, Reese Construction Services

Douglas Russell, R-Squared Construction

Anton Zaynakov, Grand Builders

EX-OFFCIO / PAST PRESIDENT BOARD MEMBERS

Edwin Henry, Henry Company Homes

Shelby Johnson, Johnson Construction, Remodeler’s Council Chair

Russ Parris, Parris Construction Company

CORNERSTONE MAGAZINE CONTENTS

JENNIFER MANCINI

Executive Director jennifer@hbawf.com

Publisher Malcolm Ballinger malcolm@ballingerpublishing.com

Executive Editor Kelly Oden kelly@ballingerpublishing.com

Art Director Ian Lett ian@ballingerpublishing.com

Graphic Designer/Ad Coordinator Ryan Dugger advertise@ballingerpublishing.com

Editor Morgan Cole morgan@ballingerpublishing.com

Assistant Editor Nicole Willis nicole@ballingerpublishing.com

Sales & Marketing

Paula Rode, Account Executive, ext. 28 paula@ballingerpublishing.com

Geneva Strange, Account Executive, ext. 31 geneva@ballingerpublishing.com

Cornerstone, the monthly publication of the Home Builders Association of West Florida serving Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties, is published monthly, twelve (12x) per year. Send address changes to HBA of West Florida, 4400 Bayou Boulevard, Suite 45, Pensacola, Florida 32503-1910. Cornerstone, is published in the interests of all segments of the home building industry and is distributed to its members and others associated with the HBA of West Florida. HBA of West Florida and Ballinger Publishing does not accept responsi-bility for, or endorse any statement or claims made by advertisers or authors of any articles. Every effort has been made to assure ac-curacy of information, but authenticity cannot be guaranteed. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of Home Builders Association of West Florida, Copyright ©, 4400 Bayou Boulevard, Suite 45, Pensacola, Florida 32503-1910, 850.476.0318. Advertisers and advertorials in Cornerstone do not constitute an offer for sale in states where prohibited by law.

President’s Message

Austin Tenpenny President aDoor Properties

Dear Members.

Happy New Year! As we embark on 2025, I am honored to serve as your President of the Home Builders Association of West Florida. It is a privilege to represent such a talented and dedicated group of professionals who work tirelessly to shape the future of the housing industry and ensure the continued growth and success of our industry.

This year is particularly special, as we celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Home Builders Association of West Florida. For three-quarters of a century, our Association has been at the forefront of promoting excellence in the home building industry, advocating for sound policies, and fostering meaningful relationships within our community. It is a milestone that speaks to the resilience, innovation, and unity of our members.

This year, the Association will focus on four key priorities:

1. Advocacy and Policy: Continuing to be a strong voice at the local, state, and national levels, ensuring that our industry is well-represented and our concerns are heard.

2. Education and Professional Development: Offering resources and opportunities that empower our members to excel in their craft and stay ahead in an ever-evolving industry.

3. Community Engagement: Strengthening the ties between builders, developers, and the communities we serve.

4. Affordable Housing Partnership with Northwest Florida Community Land Trust: We are also thrilled to announce an exciting partnership with the Northwest Florida Community Land Trust and the City of Pensacola to bring affordable housing to our community. Through this collaboration, we will provide three affordable homes, showcasing the power of joint efforts and community support. This project will rely on contributions from all HBA members to keep these homes affordable through donations of materials, labor, or monetary support. Please stay tuned for more information on how you can participate in this meaningful initiative.

I invite each of you to get involved this year—whether through attending events, joining committees, or sharing your expertise. Your active participation is what makes our Association vibrant and successful.

Thank you for the trust you have placed in me to lead this incredible organization. Together, let’s build not just homes, but a thriving and resilient housing industry. I look forward to working with all of you to make 2025 a landmark year for the Home Builders Association of West Florida.

Here’s to a productive, prosperous, and inspiring year ahead!

Warm regards,

Austin Tenpenny

President, Home Builders Association of West Florida

Photo Gallery from the Annual Installation & Awards Banquet

HBA installed its 2025 Board of Directors on December 12th. Thank you to all those who have committed to serving the Association this year.

to our

Congratulations to the 2024 HBA Ambassador Award recipient, Zach Noel of Clear Title. Zach is a dedicated industry advocate who truly cares about helping HBA members. We are so grateful for all of his efforts and his enthusiasm. The award was presented to Zach by last year’s award recipient, Wilma Shortall of The First Bank.

Congratulations to the HBA Associate Member of the Year Award winner, Good Foundations, Inc.

We are so thankful for all of their work this past year on behalf of the HBA. Keith and

are dedicated members who donate their

and talent and their efforts truly make a

We are

to honor them with this award.

Tonua Branch

time

difference.

thrilled

Ceremony for the installation of 2025 Board of Directors on December 12th.

Congratulations

2025 HBA President, Austin Tenpenny (aDoor Properties)! Austin was installed as our 2025 HBA West Florida President during our Annual Installation & Awards Banquet on Dec.12th. Looking forward to a fantastic year ahead under his leadership!

The 2025 HBA Senior Officers

Keeping Housing at Forefront of the National Agenda 2024

In the pivotal 2024 election year, NAHB laid the groundwork to make housing a top priority at all levels of government. Not only was NAHB able to make housing a top-tier issue, we also made progress on key regulatory, codes, workforce development, supply chain, permitting, impact fees and tax issues that will ease the barriers that hinder the construction of new homes and apartments.

Key highlights include:

• NAHB played a leading role to ensure that housing was a critical issue throughout the 2024 election cycle, including five congressional testimonies, 900-plus members promoting our message to members of Congress during NAHB’s Legislative Conference, and more than 1,000 media mentions on key policy issues.

• NAHB endorsed nearly 100 bipartisan prohousing candidates for Congress, 91% of whom won their races.

• NAHB and our state and local HBAs went five-for-five on election day regarding five key ballot initiatives in North Dakota, California, Washington and Oregon.

• NAHB scored key legal, legislative, regulatory and codes victories in 2024 in areas such as:

o Federal agencies’ regulatory power,

o Waters of the U.S.,

o Workforce development and labor,

o Codes,

o Transformers,

o Tax policy,

o Permitting roadblocks, and

o Impact fees.

• NAHB gave more than $550,000 to HBAs in 2024 through the State and Local Issue Fund and Legal Action Fund for advocacy efforts and litigation, respectively.

• BUILD-PAC exceeded its fundraising goal for the 2023-24 election cycle by raising more than $3.3 million, and 95% of the candidates supported by BUILD-PAC won their races on Nov. 5.

NAHB-Supported Workforce Development Bill Introduced in House

Bipartisan legislation championed by NAHB that is tailored specifically to ease the severe residential construction labor shortage was introduced in the House today.

Reps. Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.), Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) and Don Davis (D-N.C.) introduced the CONSTRUCTS Act, companion legislation to the Senate bill introduced earlier this year by Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) that will support the construction workforce, help improve the housing supply and bend the rising housing cost curve across the nation.

The bipartisan CONSTRUCTS Act directly addresses the lack of workers in the housing sector by expanding opportunities for residential construction training programs at community colleges and technical education schools.

“With the housing industry facing a severe labor shortage that is exacerbating the housing affordability crisis through higher home building costs and construction delays, the CONSTRUCTS Act will strengthen America’s workforce pipeline by creating a new grant program to fund residential housing construction education and skills training programs at our nation’s community college and trade schools,” said NAHB Chairman Carl Harris.

In any given month, there is a shortage of 200,000 to 400,000 construction workers, and home builders will need to add 2.2 million new workers over the next three years just to keep up with demand. By supporting funding for building and construction trades education, this legislation would bolster the housing workforce and directly address the shortage of skilled construction workers.

Honoring Our Heroes: Adams Homes Partners in Gold Star Family Home Surprise

HBA member, Adams Homes, believes in giving back to those who have given so much for our country. This holiday season, they are proud to share a heartwarming story of gratitude and support for a deserving Gold Star family.

In collaboration with the Military Warriors Support Foundation and Wells Fargo, Adams Homes had the honor of participating in a life-changing event for Jessica Ardron, the wife of U.S. Army Sergeant Brian Daniel Ardron, who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation. Jessica and her family were surprised with the gift of a mortgage-free Adams Home in Tampa, FL, a gesture of appreciation for their immense sacrifice and resilience.

Jessica Ardron and her family have faced unimaginable challenges since the loss of Sergeant Ardron. The Military Warriors Support Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting combatwounded veterans and Gold Star families, identified Jessica as a deserving recipient of this incredible gift. With the generous support of our longtime partner Wells Fargo, the foundation was able to secure a beautiful home for the Ardron family. This incredible surprise was unveiled on The Today Show with Hoda & Jenna on December 6th, 2024. The Ardron family was overwhelmed with emotion as they received the keys to their new home. This event was not just about providing a house; it was about creating a safe and loving environment where the Ardron family can build new memories and find peace.

At Adams Homes, we are committed to supporting our military heroes and their families. Partnering with organizations like the Military Warriors Support Foundation and Wells Fargo allows us to make a meaningful impact in the lives of those who have sacrificed so much. We are honored to be part of this initiative and look forward to continuing our efforts to support our nation’s heroes.

We invite our community and partners to join us in supporting the Military Warriors Support Foundation and other organizations dedicated to helping veterans and Gold Star families. Together, we can make a difference and show our gratitude for the sacrifices made by our brave servicemen and women.

For more information on how you can get involved, please visit the Military Warriors Support Foundation’s website and consider making a donation or volunteering your time.

Please visit the link below to read the full story and for video.

www.adamshomes.com/blog/honoring-our-heroes-adams-homespartners-in-gold-star-family-home-surprise

OSHA Updates PPE Fit Requirements for Construction Workers

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) today published a final rule revising its personal protective equipment (PPE) fit requirements for the construction industry. The revised standard will go into effect on Monday, Jan. 13, 2025.

According to a DOL news release, the revision to the standard adds specific language requiring that employers provide PPE that “properly fits” construction industry workers, and the change aligns the construction industry standard with the standard already in place for general industry.

The news release also states this matter has been a longstanding industry safety concern—particularly among some women and physically smaller or larger workers—as improperly sized PPE can be ineffective in protecting workers, create new hazards for the worker, and discourage use because of discomfort or poor fit.

NAHB joined the Construction Industry Safety Coalition in submitting comments when OSHA first proposed the change in 2023, seeking clarification on how the agency intends to enforce

the proposed changes and calling for additional guidance, as well as clearer definitions of such terms as “appropriate size,” “provides necessary protection” and PPE creating “additional safety and health hazards.”

NAHB and OSHA have multiple resources to help employers and employees understand the importance and proper use of PPE, including:

• NAHB Video Toolbox Talks on PPE and Safety Basics please visit www.NAHB.org

• The NAHB Jobsite Safety Handbook mobile app, which includes a section on PPE usage please visit www.NAHB.org

• OSHA webpage on PPE in construction

• OSHA webpage on the hazards and solutions related to PPE usage.

$75 Expo Pass | $595 Expo+Education Pass

* NAHB Member pricing valid through January 10, 2025

Members of our local association are automatically NAHB Members, which means that you can experience the NAHB International Builders’ Show® (IBS) at the member rate.

Top trends & strategies to wow your customers

Construction

Here Are the Top Colors of 2025

“Mapped Blue” is Dutch Boy’s Color of the Year for 2025

Whether it’s a vibrant pop, muted hue or jewel tone, adding color is a way to breathe life into a new home or add personality to a room looking for an update. No matter the circumstance, choosing a wall color is not an easy feat. Sifting through hundreds of swatches can be overwhelming. Thankfully, the top paint manufacturers have released their picks for “color of the year.”

Here is a look at which colors these companies see trending in 2025 and it’s looking like purples, browns and beach house colors are going to make their marks.

Purples:

• Behr: Rumors; “A luxurious ruby red adding warmth and rich allure.”

• Glidden: Purple Basil; “A captivating hue is a blend of warmth and energy, inviting you to embrace the transformative power of color in your space.”

• Benjamin Moore: Cinnamon Slate; “A delicate mix of heathered plum and velvety brown, this nuanced color brings a smooth familiarity to any design.”

• Minwax: Violet; “Creates eclectic interiors and unique pieces that come together to make your home feel mystically whimsy.”

Browns:

• Pantone: Mocha Mousse; “A warming, brown hue imbued with richness. It nurtures us with its suggestion of the delectable qualities of chocolate and coffee, answering our desire for comfort.”

• C2: Raku: “An earthy, burnt, brownish red with oxidized undertones that infuse spaces with drama and intimacy. It’s a deep yet vibrant tone with dynamic undertones of rich mahogany that exude a sense of security, simplicity, and sophistication.”

• Dunn Edwards: Caramelized; “A warm terracotta brown with soft, earthy tones reminiscent of sunbaked clay. The ultimate new neutral, this sophisticated color demonstrates versatility, pairing well with various styles, from vintage-inspired interiors to sleek, contemporary spaces that embrace the concept of ‘old is new.’

Beach:

• HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams: Quietude; “Finds its power in its transcendent tranquility. A soft sage with a whisper of blue influence, Quietude is an emerging color for enduring design and soothes any space inside or out.”

• Valspar: Encore; “An anchoring shade that embodies constancy and confidence to let you create a joyful respite from the ebbs and flows of life.”

• Dutch Boy: Mapped Blue; “A versatile medium tone blue with subtle yellow undertones that provides a dependable foundation for homeowners’ evolving personal styles.”

Lastly, Sherwin-Williams opted for a curated collection of colors for their “2025 Color Capsule of the Year” and it fits in nicely with the trends above, featuring a light, muted shade of purple called “Mauve Finery;” shades of brown like “Grounded” and “Clove;” and a darker, nautical blue called “Rain Cloud.”

Finery

Mauve

Grounded

Clove

Rain Cloud

Austin Tenpenny was installed as our 2025 HBA West Florida President during our Annual Installation & Awards Banquet on Dec.12th

Explore the Many Ways to Connect with NAHB

ContentNAHB has a wide range of communication channels for members, HBA staff, and anyone interested in the residential construction industry to stay on top of the latest housing news and the Federation’s efforts to tackle top priorities.

Blogs

The NAHB Now blog is the premier news destination for the home building industry. The blog keeps members apprised of efforts by NAHB’s staff experts to tackle key issues, updates from Capitol Hill and state houses, the good work being done by HBAs across the country, and more.

For nationally acclaimed economic analysis, NAHB also publishes Eye on Housing, featuring content by NAHB Chief Economist Dr. Robert Dietz and his expert staff. For the latest on the International Builders’ Show, check out the Know the Show blog. And the Best in American Living blog offers inspiration in home design and development.

Social Media Outlets

Beyond blogs, NAHB has a robust presence on popular social media and digital communication channels. Follow NAHB on Facebook, LinkedIn, X and Instagram for the latest from NAHB. And check out some of NAHB’s specialized groups on Facebook and LinkedIn, such as Professional Women in Building, NAHB Remodelers, NAHB Associates, and other dedicated content areas. Just search in Facebook and LinkedIn for NAHB groups.

The International Builders’ Show has its own social accounts on Facebook, LinkedIn and X to keep IBS attendees informed about the latest developments for the upcoming show. These accounts are must-follows for anyone planning to attend the show in Las Vegas.

Podcasts and Videos

NAHB also produces a podcast, Housing Developments, featuring CEO Jim Tobin and Chief Operating Officer Paul Lopez, that dives into important topics in the home building industry. Subscribe to Housing Developments through your favorite podcast provider or watch each episode on YouTube.

Speaking of YouTube, NAHB has an award-winning production department that makes professional videos for the industry. The NAHB YouTube channel features content such as the popular safety video toolbox series, skilled trades promotional videos, the Chairman’s Update, and much more. And be sure to check out the IBS YouTube channel for videos from the show.

Member Community and Updates

Engage with other members directly on NAHB Connect, a platform exclusively for NAHB members to exchange ideas and network digitally. No staff, no non-members — just home builders, remodelers, and associate members discussing their businesses.

NAHB also offers a wide range of email newsletters covering all areas of the Federation to help keep members up to date on the latest news. Check our list of newsletters and subscribe to those that suit your interests.

Learn more about these and other key digital media and publications from NAHB on nahb.org.

SPIKE CLUB

In construction, a spike is a steel object that is essential to making a building strong. As in construction, the HBA of West Florida sees a Spike as someone that works to keep our association strong. Spikes work on the recruitment and retention of members in addition to keeping members active with the association. Anyone is eligible for Spike status. On Spike credit is awarded for each new member recruited and an additional credit is awarded for that new member’s renewal on or before their anniversary date. If you help to retain a member, you are eligible to receive a half point for each member.