| SAHBA | Southern Arizona Home Builders Association |
| A non-profit trade association.
Members are home builders, developers, suppliers, trades, realtors, mortgage
and financial services, and other related professionals. Member benefits include education and training, access to national resources, business net- working and representation in governmental affairs. The "voice" of local building industry; advocate for free-market, affordable housing. |
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| Early 1950s | Charlie Wilson, owner of Wilson Contracting & Engineering, contacts the National Association of Home Builders to form a local association. Planning takes place in his office with Robert Lusk and Irv Buchman. Builders Gordon Fremming, Marvin Volk and Yale Epstein become founders. |
| 1952 | Founded as Tucson Home Builders Association (Tucson HBA) |
| 1953 | First President: Robert Lusk,
The Lusk Company First Executive Director: Red Hirsch Charter granted with 15 builder members |
| 1961 | Becomes Southern Arizona Homes Builders Association (SAHBA) to better reflect it's regional representation of the industry. Membership is 400 companies. |
| Early 1960s | Under the $1,000-A-Mile Deal, builders pave far-east roads like 22nd Street and Golf Links. |
| 1966 | Hard economic times and tight
mortgage money hit Tucson; membership drops to 88. Katherine Ward, landscape designer and owner of Ward Nursery, becomes first woman member. |
| 1972 |
SAHBA gets permanent "home"
office at 2840 N. Country Club, built by John Wesley Miller. |
| 1977 | 25-Year Anniversary; President is Mel Zuckerman of Sabino Vista Developments. 500 members. |
| 1980 | Prime interest rates hit 18.5%, forcing some builders to diversify into related businesses. |
| 1981 | The Solar Parade of Homes, sponsored by SAHBA, is the nation's first. It was in Hidden Valley. |
| 1984 | Tucson builder Peter Herder serves as National Home Builders Association President. |
| 1985 | SAHBA is 1st HBA in Arizona
and 30th in nation to sign Voluntary Affirmative Fair Housing Marketing
Agreement (VAMA) with HUD. VAMA ensures that persons will not be discriminated
against on basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Former political consultant Sam DeLong named SAHBA's first woman Executive VP. |
| 1987 | Launches major fund-raising program for the University of Arizona Arthritis Center, led by Saul Tobin, Tobin Homes, Now known as the Lute Olson Celebrity Auction & Golf Tournament, SAHBA has raised $1.4 million since the event began. |
| 1990 | Alan Lurie named Executive VP. |
| 1992 | 40-Year Anniversary; 350 members. One in 6 people in Pima County have a construction-related job, making it the area's 5th largest work force segment. Annual wages (1991) for direct construction jobs total $375 million; $94 million paid in Federal and State taxes and $15 million for local property taxes. |
| 1994 | Habitat for Humanity partnership begins. At Home Show, volunteers build a 3-BR home for Habitat. Support also begins for Builders of Our Future, a high school vocational program that teaches construction skills. |
| 1995 | Rebuilding Together partnership begins; service program to rebuild neighborhoods-in-need. |
| 2001 | Total value of all new homes sold exceeds $1 billion for first time, which also represents the industry's economic value to Pima County. Annual wages for direct construction jobs total another $1 billion. |
| 2002 |
50-Year Anniversary; President
is Bob Storie of ContraVest Properties. 650 member companies; |