Ed Castelhano
Chairman's Message
Refocus, Regroup,
Move Forward
Ed Castelhano, Becklin Construction
As 2009 melds into our memory, it was a year for the history books on many different fronts. Locally, nationally and even internationally, our industry has seen better days. We have experienced record job losses and endured business failures. These events have required your association to Refocus who we are, why we exist and how we will continue to be effective into the future. That refocus has lead to several changes in our structure and corporate governance. New job descriptions for our staff and for our volunteer leadership are part of that change. One of the important changes (to me) is the creation of a Past Chairman’s Council which will allow current and future association leaders to tap into a highly experienced brain trust of all who have served in the highest chair of our association leadership.
Another key component of our change required us to Regroup all of our staffing, This includes many tasks and job duties that are being reassigned or in some cases eliminated. Further, the association completed a national search in order to find our new President. Our association has been blessed to have a sharp, educated, organized and dedicated group of professional employees who carried out the business of our association through all of these changes.
Our plan for 2010 is simple — Move Forward. The hardest of the tasks have been completed, so you might ask “what’s left?” First, we want to continue building the membership. We feel that the stronger the membership, the stronger the organization. So I am calling on you to be an active member in 2010, by asking you to get more involved. Quite frankly, you being an active member will help your association, which helps our community as a whole, which in turn will help your business grow.
2010 will be a very important year politically as the mid-term elections could be some of the most important in our nation’s most recent history. You can rest assured that your association will provide the most up-to-date and relevant industry information to you and in turn we will ask that you be more personally involved to help shape our community, state, and nation’s future.
Most importantly, SAHBA will be an informative voice to the public and politicians, educating them on how the Home Building Industry is a very beneficial influence on the community.
In conclusion, I wish (hope you will too) to give special thanks to Chris Kemmerly for his many hours of work on rewriting the SAHBA bylaws and to 2009 Chairman Mike Whyde and 2009 Interim President Art Flagg for all the hard work and making the tough decisions required to refocus and regroup our association. Now let’s prepare to Move Forward in 2010!
Let’s Go Build Some Homes, Ed Castelhano
