President’s Message

New acronyms and new terminology that I have come to dislike so much: COVID-19, social distancing, flatten the curve, Stay Safe, SBA, PPP, EIDL…all things that have become part of our “New Normal” evidently. I think we may have all permanently damaged our skin from so much hand sanitizer and washing our hands. What was that about smooth sailing that I mentioned in my last President’s Message? That sure went out the window fast! But seriously, by the time this article is published I hope and pray that everyone is doing well and that we have made it out of the worst. As I reflect on everything that we have all gone through as of recently, I keep coming back to one word… resilience. It has been amazing to see the resilience in our families, in our local community, in our country, and also here in our building industry. Even with so much bad in the news and sort of a darkness over everything as we have weathered through this crisis, I have seen so much good happening around us all. People helping family, friends, neighbors and strangers. Our frontline doctors and nurses fighting to help people stay alive and get better. Businesses adapting to stay open and provide for their customers and employees. People lining up to make and distribute face masks. Construction businesses like mine and yours donating our dust masks to medical offices. The list could go on and on. We really have seen such strength, toughness, spirit and flexibility… resilience.

Bringing this back to here at the HBA, we have been working hard demonstrating all those same attributes. Huge praises and thanks go out to our HBA, the OHBA, and all the HBAs around the State that really got out in front of this crisis when it first broke out. Without the coordinated effort of all our associations we would not

President’s Message by Brett Tallan

have been able to stay open and keep working. We worked diligently with the Governor and staff to make sure that we would adhere to safe working practices and that we were deemed essential to the community and our economy from the very beginning. Our association has also done an amazing job providing up to date information via emails and virtual meetings about SBA loans, safety issues, etc. The spirit and the flexibility of the staff has been tremendous, and I applaud them greatly. They have all been working hard through this whole crisis keeping things running smooth. Next time you get a chance to see one of them face to face, I hope you all take the opportunity to give them a personal thanks. I know that all of us out there in the building industry wonder where this is going to leave us when this is all done. We all hope we bounce right back to a robust building and home selling market. Time will tell I guess, but for now strength, toughness, and a spirit of hope will be what I am leaning on. Resilience will get us through.

This crisis has brought out the best in us and I hope to see you all soon at an upcoming event. Face to face… I am so tired of the virtual meetings.

FULL SPECTRUM ENGINEERING AND SURVEYING SERVICES.

ENGINEERING SERVICES, INC

Celebrating over 30 years in the industry.

We are here to take you from start to finish.

•Residential Subdivisions •Apartment Complexes – Site and Building Design •Commercial – Site and Building Design •Geotechnical Services •Land Planning – Comp Plan Zone Change, Conditional Use •Land Surveying and More CALL FOR AN APPOINTMENT 503-363-9227. Visit www.mtengineering.net for a further list of services.