HBA Member, Todd Usher, Joins Clemson University's Industry Advisory Board

Todd Usher, GMB, Master CGP, Approved Professional Builder

Past President Todd Usher, GMB, Master CGP, Approved Professional Builder, has been named to the Industry Advisory Board for Clemson University’s Department of Construction Science and Management (CSM).

The CSM department supports the HBA Student Chapter at Clemson. The HBA of Greenville is the sponsoring HBA for the student chapter.

Comprised of leaders from a variety of construction-related companies throughout the Southeast, the Industry Advisory Board works to ensure a relevant academic program for CSM students by focusing on five areas: executive, alumni development, curriculum, development and facilities. Usher, president of Greenville-based Addison Homes, sits on the board’s steering committee.

“It is a privilege to support the Construction Science and Management Department,” says Usher, who earned both a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from Clemson. “I look forward to working on behalf of the school’s rigorous endeavors in teaching, research and service for the benefit of the construction industry.”

The CSM department, now in its 42nd year, is one of the four original components of the university’s College of Architecture. CSM offers both undergraduate and master’s degree programs; in collaboration with the School of Architecture and the Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture, it also offers a Ph.D. program.

In addition, CSM has a research and professional development component, the Center for the Improvement of Construction Management and Processes (CICMP). For more information about Clemson’s CSM Department, visit http://www.clemson.edu/caah/csm/.


About Addison Homes:

Addison Homes builds all of its homes to rigorous ENERGY STAR®, EarthCraft House™ and/or DOE Challenge Home standards. As a leader in sustainable, high-performance building, Addison Homes has received numerous awards and recognition including the 2012 Master Certified Green Builder of the Year Award from the National Association of Home Builders; 2011 EarthCraft House™ Gold Project of the Year Award; 2011 Green Building Advocate of the Year Award from NAHB; 2011 Certified Graduate Builder of the Year Award from NAHB; 2010 Safety Award for Excellence from NAHB/Builders Mutual Insurance Company; 2010 Finalist, America’s Best Builder Award from BUILDER magazine; 2009 Builder of the Year Award from the Home Builders Association of Greenville; 2008 Individual Environmental Stewardship Award from the Upstate Chapter of the US Green Building Council; Upstate Forever’s 2008 Sustainable Communities Champion; and 2007 EarthCraft House™ Regional Builder of the Year Award. For more information, visit www.addison-homes.com.

New Index Shows Housing Markets Back to Normal in 52 Metro Areas

Housing markets in 52 out of the approximately 350 metro areas nationwide have now returned to or exceeded their pre-recessionary levels of activity, according to the newly minted National Association of Home Builders/First American Leading Markets Index (LMI), released today. The index’s nationwide score of .85 indicates that, based on current permits, prices and employment data, the nationwide housing market is running at 85 percent of normal activity.

Baton Rouge, La., tops the list of major metros on the LMI, with a score of 1.41 – or 41% better than its last normal market level. Other major metros at the top of the list include Honolulu, Oklahoma City, Austin and Houston, Texas, as well as Harrisburg, Pa. – all of whose LMI scores indicate that their housing markets now exceed previous norms.

Looking at smaller metros, both Odessa and Midland, Texas, boast LMI scores of 2.0 or better, meaning that their housing markets are now at double their strength prior to the recession. Also at the top of the list of smaller metros are Casper, Wyo.; Bismarck, N.D.; and Florence, Ala., respectively.

“This index helps illustrate how far the U.S. housing recovery has come, and also how much further it has to go as we continue to face some significant headwinds in terms of credit availability, rising costs for lots and labor, and uncertainties regarding Washington policymaking,” said NAHB Chairman Rick Judson, a home builder from Charlotte, N.C.

The LMI shifts the focus from identifying markets that have recently begun to recover, which was the aim of a previous gauge known as the Improving Markets Index, to identifying those areas that are now approaching and exceeding their previous normal levels of activity. More than 350 metro areas are scored by taking their average permit, price and employment numbers for the past 12 months and dividing each by their annual average over the last period of normal growth. For single-family permits and home prices, 2000-2003 is used as the last normal period, and for employment, 2007 is the base comparison. The three components are then averaged to provide an overall score for each market; a national score is calculated based on national measures of the three metrics. An index value above one indicates that a market has advanced beyond its previous normal level of economic activity.

“Smaller metros are leading the way to a housing recovery, accounting for 43 of the top 50 markets on the current LMI,” observed NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe. “This is very much in keeping with the results of our previous index for improving markets, and is an indication of the extent to which local economic conditions dictate the strength of individual housing markets.”

“A total of 118 metros scored by the LMI this month are at least 90 percent of the way back to normal, and that’s a very encouraging sign of things to come,” said Kurt Pfotenhauer, vice chairman of First American Title Insurance Co.

Editor’s Note: In calculating the LMI, NAHB utilizes employment growth data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, house price appreciation data from Freddie Mac and single-family housing permit growth from the U.S. Census Bureau. The LMI is published on the fourth working day of each month, unless that day falls on a Friday -- in which case, it is released on the following Monday.

Travel discounts offered through Home Builders Purchasing Partners

Home Builders Purchasing Partners now includes travel discounts through Expedia.  Save up to 40% on hotels during Expedia's fall sale. As an NPP member you can save an additional 5% on top of Expedia's already great deals.

To access the savings, follow these steps:

• Log in to mynpp.com with your username (mdey@hbaofgreenville.com) and password (forgot password?)
• Under Vendor Discounts select “Expedia.”
• Click on “Access Discount.”
• Create an Expedia account or log in to your existing Expedia account.

Once you have registered for the Expedia discount through the NPP site, you can go directly to Expedia.com and a select the coupon code "NPP 5% Hotel Discount" on the billing and delivery page during checkout.

Book by October 31 and travel by December 31, 2013.

New promotions from Verizon

Here are the latest Verizon promotions available to NPP members:

• 4G Smartphone offers, including: the Nokia Lumia 822 for 99 cents, the Casio G’zOne Commando for $49.99, and the BlackBerry Z10 for $99.99, when you activate or upgrade a voice with data plan.
• Bill Incentive Credit (BIC) of $100/line on Smartphones, $50/line for basic phone service, and $25/line for Netbooks, Tablets and Internet devices with a new monthly plan of $34.99 or higher. 
• Two of Verizon’s Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspots, the MiFi 4620LE and MiFi 5510L, are available to you for free with a mobile broadband plan. The Franklin Wireless X720 is also free.For more details on these offers, take a look at the promotional flyer links included in this e-mail. These promos are available through December 31, 2013.

If you would like to further discuss your NPP membership, feel free to contact us directly at 800.810.3909 or e-mailcustomerservice@mynpp.com.

SC Identity Theft Protection News

In 2012, the SC Department of Revenue was hacked and nearly every South Carolina citizen and business became at risk of identity theft. In response the State of South Carolina has offered free credit monitoring through Experian. That contract expires this month.

New coverage begins October 24 through CSIdentity Corp.  The State of South Carolina is paying CSIdentity up to $8.5 million to provide credit monitoring to anyone affected by the breach of state computers, so there is no charge to you for the service. However, the initial service is not transferable between the two companies.  Therefore, you will need to sign-up again for the free credit monitoring.

Eligible taxpayers can now sign up for the identity protection through CSIdentity by doing one of the following:

Click here
Visit www.scidprotection.com
Call 855-880-2743

Enrollment will remain open until October 1, 2014, and CSIdentity's service will end October 31, 2014, unless renewed by the State of South Carolina.

More information regarding the changeover also is available through the South Carolina Department of Revenue website, www.sctax.org.

GBS Building Supply a Top 20 fastest growing company in SC

GBS Building Supply was recognized by SC Biz News as a Top 20 fastest growing large company in 2013.  Reading the entire report at GSA Business by clicking here.

CEPSCI Course Offered at HBASC - Southern Builders Network (SBN)

A special Certified Erosion Prevention and Sediment Control Inspector (CEPSCI) course will be offered in partnership with the Home Builders Association of South Carolina’s Southern Builders Network Education Conference in Hilton Head, SC. The training will take place at the Westin Hilton Head Island Resort and Spa on November 7, 2013, with the opportunity to take the qualifying exam the following day. Administrators from the state regulatory agency, SC Department of Health and Environmental Control, will be on-hand to answer questions and interact with course participants and instructors.

The purpose of the CEPSCI program is to educate field personnel on the proper installation, maintenance and inspection of erosion prevention and sediment control measures at construction sites. Individuals who complete the course and pass the qualifying exam will be certified to conduct compliance inspections on behalf of the 2012 NPDES Construction General Permit in South Carolina. The cost of the CEPSCI course is $295 per person.

To register for this special CEPSCI course offering, please visit the CEPSCI Registration page. The authentication code will be SBN2013 in all caps.

For more information, please visit the CEPSCI web site.