HBA Cornerstone Magazine, October 2023

Escambia

pages 8-9

Go Blue Even in the Dark

Be Storm Ready With Natural Gas

Typically, natural gas customers do not lose service at all during severe weather and no special storm prep is required. All natural gas lines are buried, so outages are rare and typically caused by uprooted trees puncturing the line. Since there are so few outages, Pensacola Energy is very quick to respond.

Most natural gas appliances work even when the power is out, providing comfort for your family during and after the storm, when you need it most.

Natural gas ranges and ovens – cooking functions work normally, without power.

Natural gas grills – function normally, without power and without the worry of running out of gas.

Natural gas tank water heaters – function normally, without power.

Natural gas firepits and fireplaces – function normally, without power and without the worry of running out of gas.

Natural gas outdoor lighting – functions normally, without power.

Natural gas whole house generators – restores electricity to the structure within 30 seconds after a power failure.

Learn more at PensacolaEnergy.com or call (850) 436-5050.

Note – Some appliances require that you manually light the pilot, and this should be done according to the appliance manufacturer’s instructions.

2023 Home Builders Association of West Florida Board of Directors

BUILDER MEMBERS

Fred Gunther, Gunther Properties

Drew Hardgraves, Landshark Homes

Ronnie Johnson J. Taylor Homes

Heath Kelly Heath Kelly Construction

Lowell Larson III, Venture Real Estate

Alton Lister, Lister Builders, Governmental Affairs Chair

Kyle McGee, Sunchase Construction

Shon Owens, Owens Custom Homes & Construction

Douglas Russell R-Squared Construction

Eric Shaffer Shaffer Construction

Casey Smith, DR Horton

Monte Williams Signature Homes

Anton Zaynakov Grand Builders

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS

Bill Batting, REW Materials

Rick Byars, Florida Power & Light

Bruce Carpenter, Home Mortgage of America

Mickey Clinard, Hancock Whitney Bank

Laura Gilmore Fairway Ind. Mortgage, Affordable Housing Liaison

Chris Graye, Graye’s Granite

Jill Grove, Pensacola Energy

John Hattaway Hattaway Home Design, Cost and Codes Chair

Chris Thomas, Acentria Insurance

Shellie Isakson-Smith, Supreme Lending

Daniel Monie KJM Land Surveying

Alex Niedermayer, Underwood Anderson & Associates

Ric Nickelsen, SmartBank

Zach Noel Clear Title of NW FL

Charlie Sherrill SouthState Bank

Pam Smith Real Estate Counselors, Pensacola Assn. of Realtors Liaison (proposed by PAR)

Janson Thomas Swift Supply

Wilma Shortall, Trustmark Mortgage

Kevin Sluder Gene’s Floor Covering

COUNCIL CHAIRS

Mary Jordan Gulf Coast Insurance

Tradesman Education Chair

Suzanne Pollard-Spann Legacy Insurance Brokers Ambassadors Chair

Ex-Officio Members of the Board of Directors

Blaine Flynn, Flynn Built

Shelby Johnson Johnson Construction

Russ Parris Parris Construction Company

Newman Rodgers, Newman Rodgers Construction

Thomas Westerheim Westerheim Properties

Doug Whitfield Doug Whitfield Residential Designer

Curtis Wiggins, Wiggins Plumbing

Replacing Our Industry’s Aging Workforce With

A New Generation Of Construction Workers

As it becomes increasingly difficult to replace our industry’s aging workforce with a new generation of construction workers, the HBA is doing its part on the local, state and national level. NAHB analysis of the most recent data revealed that the median age of construction workers is now 42.5 years of age. The construction industry must continue to aggressively market to the younger generation and show the benefits of a construction career or the effects of a shrinking workforce will have a ripple effect on the price of projects and the length of time to project completion.

NAHB is partnering with educators, members and state and local HBAs to address the housing industry’s labor shortages and to develop a skilled workforce for the future. NAHB is also lobbying our legislators in DC. In a move strongly opposed by NAHB, House appropriators proposed to eliminate the Department of Labor’s Job Corps program as part of a 30% reduction to the agency’s fiscal year 2024 budget. The Home Builders Institute (HBI), NAHB’s workforce development arm, has partnered with the Jobs Corp for 49 years to provide individuals aged 16-24 years old with career technical education and training.

Locally, HBA of West Florida is currently working on strengthening relationships and developing new programs. As contractors and builders, we must look at a skilled workforce as a vital part of our supply chain. Our local pipeline for skilled trade talent includes Pensacola State College, the University of West Florida, George Stone Technical Institute, and local high school programs including the Pine Forest Construction Academy and Navarre High School’s construction program. We are currently working on a joint effort with the office of Escambia County Public School Workforce Development and our builder members as well as currently serving on an industry task force exploring jail work release programs. I encourage all of you to support these local programs, whether it be to recruit and hire new employees, serve as a mentor or guest speaker at a training facility or school or by way of making a donation to help fund scholarships for students working towards a career in construction.

Please reach out to Mary Jordan, Chair of the Tradesmen Council, or Jennifer Mancini, HBA Executive Officer if you are interested in getting involved in this worthwhile effort.

Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 33 states and the District of Columbia in August compared to the previous month, while 17 states lost jobs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nationwide total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 187,000 in August, following a gain of 157,000 jobs in July.

Year-over-year ending in August, 3.1 million jobs have been added, marking a more than full recovery of the labor market. Except for Mississippi and Rhode Island, all the other states and the District of Columbia added jobs compared to a year ago. The range of gains spanned 402,000 jobs in Texas to 1,400 jobs added in Vermont. Mississippi lost 700 jobs, while Rhode Island lost 6,900 jobs on a year-over-year basis. In percentage terms, Nevada reported the highest increase by 3.9%, while Rhode Island decreased by 1.4% compared to a year ago.

Construction sector jobs in the United States increased by 212,000 (2.7%) on a year-over-year basis. Texas added 21,100 jobs, while Missouri lost 2,700 construction sector jobs. In percentage terms, Wyoming had the highest annual growth rate (13%) in the construction sector, while North Dakota reported a decline of 3.8%.

On a month-over-month basis, the construction industry added a net 22,000 jobs in August compared to the previous month.

Source: NAHB

Construction

Sector Jobs Increase Nearly 3% Since August 2022

Members Doing Business with Members

Amir Fooladi

“The construction industry must continue to aggressively market to the younger generation and show the benefits of a construction career ...”

If you do business with previous members, please give them a call and reinforce the value of membership as well as the importance of

Escambia County Public Schools Work to Address the Local Skilled Labor Shortage

Escambia County Public Schools is working to address the local skilled labor shortage in the construction industry. Four high schools have construction related academies or programs. All four programs are offering students the Home Building Institute (HBI) sequence of certifications. The HBI Pre-Apprenticeship Certificate Training (PACT) curriculum provides students with hands-on training that takes them from freshman with little-to-no building experience to seniors that are ready to enter the workforce. The certification sequence starts with the Core which consists of safety, construction math, employability, and tools and materials. The HBI carpentry exam covers safety, measurement, tools & equipment, products & material, rough carpentry and framing, and interior & exterior finishing. Additional HBI certifications include Basic electrical, Core Green and Building Construction Technology.

The Home Builders Association of West Florida (HBA) Green Construction Trades Academy at Pine Forest High School has been successfully operating for a few years. However, the two programs that have made a significant impact this past school year have been the Skilled Trades program at Northview High School and the Energy Academy at West Florida High School.

Mr. Chad Cherry, the Skilled Trades instructor at Northview holds a BA degree and has more than twenty-eight years of experience

in the construction industry, including concrete finishing, framing, drywall hanging and finishing, plumbing as well as building management. His years of experience provide a wealth of knowledge for his students.

As a first-year teacher during the 22-23 school year, Mr. Cherry’s students earned 164 certifications. When you visit his classroom, it is clear that his approach to teaching is to provide real life experiences through classroom discussions and how it relates to the Building Trades curriculum. Mr. Cherry provides hands-on experiences and enjoys watching students learn, especially when an issue is posed to them and they problem solve to find a solution. Safety is paramount in Mr. Cherry’s lab. The students will inform visitors that safety glasses must be worn at all times when in the lab when students are working with tools and machines. His students freely admit that his class is by far their favorite. One senior said, “Mr. Cherry makes understanding math easy. He relates

it directly to the projects that we are working on. I look forward to graduating and going to work and showing my employer that I have skills.”

The second program that is recently having a major impact on providing workforce ready students is Mr. Drew Dittmar’s Energy Academy at West Florida High School. Mr. Dittmar has more than 15 years of direct experience in the construction field. Additionally, Mr. Dittmar holds an MS degree, has all five of the HBI certifications, has two years of experience in the solar industry, has been a construction project manager and is currently serving on the City of Pensacola Zoning Board of Adjustments. Mr. Dittmar’s students earned a whopping 181 HBI

certifications for the 2022-23 school year. It’s obvious walking into Mr. Dittmar’s class that he has high expectations for his students. His hands-on teaching style is a major contributor to the students’ success on the certification exams. When Mr. Dittmar is not teaching courses directly related to the energy academy, he is working with students to transfer those skills to the West Florida High School’s BEST Robotics Competition team as the team’s faculty sponsor.

For more information on the Northview Skilled Trades program or the Energy Academy at West Florida High School please contact Dan Busse, Workforce Education Specialist at 850 469 5309 or dbusse@ecsdfl.us.

“Mr. Cherry makes understanding math easy. He relates it directly to the projects that we are working on. I look forward to graduating and going to work and showing my employer that I have skills.”

HBA President

Established Scholarship

for Local Students Entering Construction Industry

Pensacola builder and current HBA President, Amir Fooladi established a scholarship to help Pensacola State College students hoping to enter the construction field.

Fooladi, PSC President Ed Meadows and the PSC Alumni Association announced the PSC Student Constructors Endowed Scholarship in 2021.

Open to students enrolled in PSC’s carpentry, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and drafting design programs, the scholarship also will help supply Northwest Florida with more construction trade employees.

“One of the biggest hurdles in our industry right now is finding good people and having a skilled labor force,’’ said Fooladi, president and CEO of ParsCo.

“… A lot of times we don’t have the skilled labor we need. ... We want to help our community by creating high-paying jobs for an industry that’s really in need of people.”

Fooladi’s initial gift was $13,500, with $1,000 of that immediately awardable to two students who received scholarships in Spring 2021 semester. The Alumni Association matched the remainder — $12,500 — to establish the current $25,000 endowment fund.

Meadows praised Fooladi’s generosity and vision. “This endowed scholarship may be the first for our construction program,’’ Meadows said. “The nice thing about Mr. Fooladi’s endowment is that he is challenging other construction companies to add to this endowment for the purpose

of assisting more students enroll in this program.”

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, construction sector jobs are projected to grow about 4% each year through 2029 and gain about 296,300 new jobs. Overall growth in the economy and population will increase demand for new buildings, roads, and other structures, which will create new jobs in construc-

tion and extraction occupations, the BLS reported.

Live Online Understanding the New Home Buyer

October 17 & 24, 2023

Who are today’s homebuyers?

What is affecting their buying decisions? Explore buyer profiles to learn to answer their questions before they even ask them! Learn tips and tricks for selling to a variety of buyers in a world of ever changing demographics.

This 6-hour course takes place on 2 consecutive Tuesdays from 1-4pm ET.

Please contact ElearningHelp@nahb.org with any questions

Providing door prizes for this event

Community Bank

The 1st Bank

University Lending Group

Main Street Properties

Gulf Coast Insurance

Scenic Hills Country Club

Johnson Construction

Cadence Bank

Annual 2023 Fall Clay Shoot

Ask any clay shooter how hard it is to shoot clay targets zipping across the sky, and they’ll probably answer, “They’re not hard to hit, but they sure are easy to miss.” This was not the case with this year’s winners. First Place went to the American Concrete Team, Noah McBride, Stephen Campbell, Ben Campbell, and Jerry Campbell. American Concrete came equipped to feed an army for lunch, grilling up a large batch of burgers and brats with all the fixins’.

A huge shout out to our Sponsors this year. This event would not be such a success without their support.

Task Force on the Construction Industry Workforce

Created within the building code bill, the Construction Industry Workforce Task Force brings together 22 statewide employer and labor groups to a create consensus path to train the industry’s most import resource: our workforce. There are thousands of needed construction jobs statewide and this task force will address the demand for improved training in order for the construction industry to lead the way in hiring. Visit www.FHBA.com to learn more.

TOP 10 REASONS TO DO BUSINESS WITH AN ACTIVE ASSOCIATE MEMBER

1. They support the industry at the local, state and national levels.

2. They volunteer time, talent and treasure to help the association accomplish its goals.

Learn the Best Strategies for Suicide and Substance Abuse Prevention

The home building industry has recently shown that it is ready to have conversations about mental health and substance abuse. Join NAHB and its supporting partners in recognizing September as National Suicide Prevention Month and October as National Substance Abuse Prevention Month.

Task Force Objectives

Address the critical shortage of individuals trained in building construction and inspection.

Develop a consensus path for training the next generation of construction workers in the state.

Determine the causes for the current shortage of a trained construction industry workforce and address the impact of the shortages on the recovery of the real estate market.

Review current methods and resources available for construction training.

Review the state of construction training available in K-12 schools.

Address training issues relating to building code inspectors to increase the number of qualified inspectors.

A CDC/NIOSH report from August 2023 showed construction had the highest overdose mortality rate among industries at 162 deaths per 100,000 workers in 2020, and construction professionals accounted for nearly a quarter of the 58,917 total drug overdose deaths in 46 states and New York City.

Construction workers are also five times more likely to die by suicide than from a jobsite injury, with as many as 50% of all construction workers experiencing a diagnosable mental health problem.

NAHB and its partners — including SAFE Project, the JobSite Safety Institute (JSI), MindWise Innovations, and others — have created resources to help employers maintain a safe and supportive work environment.

As a member of the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention, NAHB encourages members to take the pledge to STAND up for suicide prevention and No Shame Pledge.

More resources on mental health and substance abuse can be found on nahb.org.

Source: NAHB 9/27/23

3. They recruit their colleagues and business contacts to become members.

4. They serve on committees and councils gaining valuable networking opportunity while helping to advance the association’s mission.

5. By doing so, you increase the value proposition for all membership in our HBA.

6. They are strong supporters of local and state PACs and BUILD-PAC.

7. They are a major source of non-dues revenue through sponsorships, advertising, etc.

8. As industry partners, they are a valuable resource for business and management tips.

9. They are heavily invested in your business success: You win, they win!

10. Why wouldn’t you do business with a member?

If you do business with previous members, please give them a call and reinforce the value of membership as well as the importance of Members Doing Business with Members

week one year ago. The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($726,200 or less) increased to 7.41%, from 7.31%, with points decreasing to 0.71 from 0.72 (including the origination fee) for loans with a 20% down payment. The rate was 6.52% one year ago.

The 30-year fixed jumbo mortgage rate increased to 7.34%, the highest rate in the history of the MBA’s jumbo rate series dating back to 2011.

“Based on the FOMC’s most recent projections, rates are expected to be higher for longer, which drove the increase in Treasury yields,” said Joel Kan, an MBA economist, referencing the Federal Open Market Committee. “Overall applications declined, as both prospective homebuyers and homeowners continue to feel the impact of these elevated rates.”

Level In Nearly 23 Years

Mortgage Demand Shrinks As Interest Rates Hit The Highest

Mortgage interest rates just hit a level not seen since the year 2000. As a result, mortgage demand is now sitting near a 27-year low.

Total mortgage application volume fell 1.3% last week compared with the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index. Volume was 25.5% lower than the same

Applications to refinance a home loan fell 1% for the week and were 21% lower than they were one year ago. After record low interest rates throughout the first few years of the pandemic, and a refinance boom, there are precious few borrowers now with mortgage rates high enough to benefit from a refinance.

Applications for a mortgage to purchase a home fell 2% for the week and were 27% lower than the same week year over year.

Today’s potential buyers are facing an unprecedented dynamic of a historically low supply of homes for sale, coupled with both rising interest rates and rising prices. Higher interest rates historically throw cold water on home prices, but the supply and demand imbalance is so severe that it is pushing prices higher even though more and more buyers are unable to afford a home.

Interest rates continued to move higher this week, according to a separate survey from Mortgage News Daily. Even sales of newly built homes, which had been rising due to the short supply on the resale market, took a hit in August, according to another report this week. Sales dropped nearly 9% in August from July’s pace, hitting the lowest level since March.

Source: CNBC 9/27/23

1. They support the industry at the local, state and national levels.

2. They volunteer time, talent and treasure to help the association accomplish its goals.

3. They recruit their colleagues & business contacts to become members.

4. They serve on committees and councils gaining valuable networking opportunity while helping to advance the association’s mission.

5. By doing so, you increase the value proposition for all membership in our HBA.

6. They are strong supporters of local and state PACs and BUILD-PAC.

7. They are a major source of non-dues revenue through sponsorships, advertising, etc.

8. As industry partners, they are a valuable resource for business and management tips.

9. They are heavily invested in your business success: You win, they win!

10. Why wouldn’t you do business with a member?

Renee’ D. Wilhoit NMLS 640470 850-436-2982 reneewilhoit@synovus.com

Lisa Hudson NMLS 664126 850-436-7842

lisahudson@synovus.com

Tracey McClurd NMLS 664145 850-436-6538

traceymcclurd@synovus.com

Charles Thomas NMLS 938537 850-436-7831

charlesdthomas@synovus.com

Karen S. Welch NMLS 594834 850-994-2503

karenwelch@synovus.com

Rhonda Holl NMLS 437030 850-837-6525

rhondaholl@synovus.com

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.

Spike Club Levels

Spike Candidate 1-5 credits

Blue Spike 6-24

Life Spike 25-49

Green Spike 50-99

Red Spike 100-149

Royal Spike 150-249

Super Spike 250-499

Statesman Spike 500-999

Grand Spike 1000-1499

All-Time Big Spike 1500+

Spike Club Members and their credits as of 08/31/2023.

Statesman Spike 500 Credits

Harold Logan 525.5

Super Spike 250 Credits

Rod Hurston 432.5

Royal Spike 150 Credits

Rick Sprague 210

Edwin Henry 201

William “Billy” Moore 184

Bob Boccanfuso 165.5

Red Spike 100 Credits

Charlie Rotenberry 150

Oliver Gore 115

Ron Tuttle 109.5

Newman Rodgers IV 102

Ricky Wiggins 101.5

David Holcomb 100

Green Spike 50 Credits

Doug Sprague 90.5

Kenneth Ellzey, Sr. 80.5

Russ Parris 73.5

Blaine Flynn 69.5

Paul Stanley 68.5

Bob Price, Jr. 60

Thomas Westerheim 58.5

Darrell Gooden 52.5

Bill Daniel 51.5

Wilma Shortall 51.5

John Hattaway 50

Life Spike 25 Credits

Doug Whitfield 42.5

Amir Fooladi 36.5

Suzanne Pollard-Spann 35

Garrett Walton 32

Bruce Carpenter III 30

Luke Shows 26.5

Steve Moorhead 23

Brent Woody 22.5

Karen Pettinato 21

Larry Hunter 21.5

Taylor Longsworth 20.5

Lee Hudson 19.5

Alton Lister 18

Jon Pruitt 17.5

Milton Rogers 17

Doug Herrick 16.5

Dean Williams 16.5

Lorie Reed 16

Martin Rich 15.5

William Merrill 15.5

Kevin Ward 13.5

Rick Faciane 12.5

Bill Batting 12

Alex Niedermayer 11

Kim Cheney 10

Spike Credits

Shelby Johnson 9.5

Mary Jordan 9.5

Kevin Russell 9

James Cronley

Shellie I

Rodney Boutwell

Dax Campbell

Advertiser’s Index

Alpha Closets 23 p 850.934.9130 AlphaClosets.com

Ballinger Publishing 16 & 21 p 850.443.1166 ballingerpublishing.com

Campbell Construction & Company, LLC 17 p 850.698.4153 dax.campbellconstruction@gmail.com

Clear Title 3 cleartitlenwfl.com

Gulf Coast Insurance 17 p 850.497.6810 gcins.com

Michael Johnson Insurance Agency 3 p 850.478.7748 michaeljohnsonagency.com

Pensacola Energy 2 o 850.436.5050 pensacolaenergy.com

REW Building Materials, Inc. 9 o 850.471.6291 c 850.259.7756 ecbmfl.com

Synovus

Gold Sponsor for the 2020 Dream Home

If you would like to join the Spike Club or Desire Additional Information, please contact Vicki Pelletier -