CHBA annual 2011_website.pdf - Canadian Home Builders ...

1. P RESIDENT’ S R EPORT
As the saying goes, “May you live in
interesting times”. 2011 has proven a most
interesting year by any standard. A seismic
shift in the global economic centre of power
is underway and at the centre of all this is
a large country with a small population,
emerging as the strongest economy on the
planet. Yes, we are blessed to be living in a
country that has weathered the past three
years better than most. Has it been difficult?
Of course! Are we out of the woods?
Certainly the results of the past year suggest
we have a ways to go.
At the October 2011 CHBA National Meeting
in Ottawa, there was consensus that the
coming 2-3 years will be essentially a
‘steady-as-she-goes’ marketplace. Given
the turbulence of the recession that we are
emerging from and the singular economic
strength that the Edmonton Region has
demonstrated on the national stage, this is
a good-news story. The CHBA-ER has also
witnessed a dramatic change in fortunes over
the past year as the planning and programs
put in place by the previous Board of
Directors begins to take hold and bear fruit.
2011 has been a year of growth in virtually all
areas: we have witnessed unprecedented
membership growth; this April, we launched
our first and unquestionably successful
Residential Construction Industry Conference;
our magazine, The Industry Insider, came
off the press for the first time in September
2010, and we published seven extremely well
received issues over the course of the year;
we introduced Business Luncheons for the
management and executive sector of our
industry; our NextGen program for the young
(and young-at-heart) leaders of tomorrow
was refloated with outstanding turnouts for
all of their events; and our volunteer program
has continued to grow by leaps and bounds.
Our existing programs also enjoyed strong
support. The 2010 Awards of Excellence
in Housing Gala was very well attended
and members and judges enjoyed the
convenience of online submissions and
voting. All of the CHBA-ER’s social programs
were fully subscribed, and our Builder
Breakfasts – a cornerstone of our program
year – ran a full schedule. Dinner meetings
continued to enjoy strong support from the
membership.
On the committee side, our Government
Relations program has evolved into a multifaceted
creature that is truly moving CHBA-
ER into the centre of the residential decisionmaking
arena. We have gone from being a
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