Builders News Dec. 2018

2 ICAHBA Builders News | December 2018
Message from the President
Dear HBA Members,
I have recently been reading Braving It a book about a
father and daughter and their unforgettable journey into
the Alaskan wild. They prepared extensively mentally and
physically, preplanned
their adventures,
consulted with people
who had traveled there
previously, enlisted the
help of a local guide and
set off on the adventure
of a lifetime. They trusted
that the guide would
keep them safe as they
ventured into the wild.
The guide did everything
he could to share his
knowledge, keep the
father and daughter out of danger and made sure they had
a great trip. Their trip was scary, amazing, enjoyable and
something they will never forget.
This book made me think about how custom home
buyers are like the father and daughter in Braving It
and contractors are like the Alaskan guide. Buyers do
their research, prepare financially, consult with others
who have built in the past and set off with a guide to
build a new home. And, maybe contractors are like the
guide. Contractors have been trained in the trades, they
build every day, have expertise in the field and will do
everything possible to make sure buyers have a safe and
memorable build.
So if you are considering “braving it” and building a new
custom home, enlist a contractor (guide) and prepare for
the journey of a lifetime!
Sincerely, Adam Hahn
Watts Group - Director of Construction Services
2018 Greater Iowa City Area HBA President
2018 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
PRESIDENT
Adam Hahn
Watts Group
PAST PRESIDENT
Andy Martin
Martin Construction
1ST VICE PRESIDENT
GT Karr
Sueppel’s Siding & Remodeling
2ND VICE PRESIDENT
Mike Bails
Urban Acres
Members Target Workforce Expansion with
Kirkwood Career Fair, Build My Future Planning
In recognition of October’s construction month, members of
The Greater Iowa City Area HBA’s Remodelers Council, Board
of Directors and Vocational Training Council spent their Oct. 9
lunch hour at Kirkwood Community College’s first annual ACE
Olympiad in Cedar Rapids talking to your future workforce.
Teachers and nearly 50 employers from seven counties visited
with 150 students about the skilled trades. National Association
of Home Builders (NAHB) representatives Greg Zick and Matt
Milroy signed up new NAHB Student Chapter members in the
Vocational Training Council booth.
“With such a variety of tradespeople
in attendance there was someone or
something to pique just about anyone’s
interest,” said Aaron McGlynn of
Cabinet Works. “The hands-on, written
and visual presentations gave students a real sense of what a
career in the construction field may look like.”
Before sharing with students, professionals spent the morning
planning the Build My Future event – a hands-on trades
career fair – to be held in April. Kirkwood’s Joe Greathouse
Aaron McGlynn of Cabinet Works (second from left) talks to a
student about woodworking.
said student feedback about the lunch-hour learning was
tremendous. “We know of around a dozen students who
found work from the career fair and countless others are in
conversations with employers to find a match,” he said. “We
look forward to expanding (the fair) again next fall.” •
HBA Members Talk Affordable Housing with City Official
Kirk Lehmann (left), City of Iowa City
community development planner, met with
several Greater Iowa City Area HBA members,
including Andy Martin of Martin Construction
(second from left); GT Karr of Sueppel’s Siding
& Remodeling (second from right) and Tim Ruth
with McCreedy-Ruth Construction Oct. 24 at
the Iowa City HBA office. The group discussed
identifying public and private practices that
may be barriers to fair housing choices and
developing solutions to address them. •
SECRETARY
Kelly Manning
Sobaski Abbey Carpet & Floor
TREASURER
Marty Tunning
RSM US LLP
DIRECTORS
Glenn Siders - Siders Development
Mike Pugh - Pugh Hagan Prahm, PLC
Art Floss - CBI Bank & Trust
Chad Keune - Advantage Custom Builders
Rory Triplett - Insurance Associates Iowa City
Todd Helle - Terry Lockridge & Dunn
STATE REPRESENTATIVES
HBAI PAST PRESIDENT
Tim Ruth - McCreedy-Ruth Construction
HBAI TREASURER
Melissa Schooley - Great Western Bank
NATIONAL DIRECTOR
Aaron McGlynn - Cabinet Works
REMODELERS COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE
Brad Storck - Bachmeier Carpet One
2018 COMMITTEE CONTACTS
PARADE OF HOMES
Dan Robertson - Overhead Door Company
of Cedar Rapids & Iowa City
Mitchell Manning – Sobaski Abbey
Carpet and Floor
IOWA CITY HOME SHOW
Katy Stutsman – McCreedy-Ruth Construction
Maggie Gehrls – PSC Distribution/Studio H2O
The Greater Iowa City Area
Home Builders Association
EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Karyl Bohnsack
karyl@hbaofic.org
MARKETING AND
ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR
Michelle Moore
michelle@hbaofic.org
PO Box 3396, Iowa City, IA 52244
Phone: 319.351.5333 • Fax: 319.358.2443
Website: iowacityhomes.com