Featured NAHB Member Advantage Program: FTD.com

Have trouble deciding what to get your special someone for Valentine's Day? Plan ahead and check out FTD.com for special discounts for members of the NAHB.

Visit FTD.com/NAHB or call 800.SEND.FTD and use code 17421 to receive 20% off floral arrangements and gifts.

Your membership of the HBA of Greenville includes membership of NAHB (National Association of Home Builders). As an NAHB benefit, members have access to discounts and savings opportunities offered by many top companies. NAHB members can access the each program using the co-branded links below, or download a one-page overview of all discounts including phone numbers and program codes.

When using these programs, please identify yourself as a member of the National Association of Home Builders.

Click here for a full list of member discounts.

Call for Nominations for Builder, Associate, and Remodeler of the Year

Your Home Builders Association asks that you recommend a member for our annual BB&T Builder of the Year Award, Richard A. Ashmore, Sr., Associate of the Year Award, and Remodeler of the Year Award. The awards are given to a members who freely gives of his or her time, efforts and participation in order to make the HBA of Greenville a stronger organization for all of its members. These members serve the industry through participation on HBA Committees and with special projects of the Home Builders Association. Each represents the highest level of integrity and honesty in the home building industry. Below is a list of recent recipients:

Builder of the Year:

• Wayne Moore, 2012
• Thomas Dillard, 2011
• Brad Thompson, 2010
• Todd Usher, 2009
• Rick Quinn, 2008
• Ted Smith, 2007
• Coleman Shouse, 2006
• Ted Smith/Ron Taylor, 2005
• Keith Smith, 2004
• Jim Gregorie, 2003
• Dan Rawls, 2002
• Clyde Rector, 2001
• Bill Fuller, 2000

Richard A. Ashmore, Sr., Associate of the Year:
The Board of Directors has renamed the Associate of the Year Award the Richard A. Ashmore, Sr., Associate of the Year Award. Richard Ashmore was President of Ashmore Brothers Inc. He was a member of the HBA of Greenville until his death in 2011, and was inducted in to the S.C. Housing Hall of Fame.

• Jon Statom, 2012
• Jason Freeman, 2011
• Scott Presley, 2010
• Eric Hedrick, 2009
• Chuck Childress, 2008
• Tom Ward, 2007
• Scott Presley, 2006
• Lou Hutchings, 2005
• Richard Powers, 2004
• Sandy Wiygul-Bell, 2003
• Robert Murphy, 2002
• Gary Gilliam, 2001
• Richard Powers, 2000

Remodler of the Year:
The Board of Directors also voted to bring back the Remodeler of the Year Award, which has not been awarded in more than 10 years.  The recipient should derive his or her primary business from residential or commercial remodeling activities.

• Clyde Rector, 1998
• Miller Crittendon, 1999
• Robert Markel, CGR, 2012

In addition, these awards also may be given to members of the association:

• Community Service Award
• Membership Award
• Spirit of the HBA Award
• Committee Chairman of the Year Award
• Rookie of the Year Award

These awards may be given to a political or community leader:

• Distinguished Service Award
• HBASC Champion of Housing Award

If you know of a member or other person who should receive one of these awards, please send your nomination to Michael Dey at mdey@hbaofgreenville.com.  Your nomination will be confidential.

Flood Insurance Seminar is January 13

Your Home Builders Association has partnered with the Greater Greenville Association of Realtors to offer a seminar on the recent changes to the National Flood Insurance Program.  

• When: Monday, January 13, 2 p.m. until 4 p.m.
• Where: GGAR Conference Center, 50 Airpark Court, Greenville
• Cost: No charge to HBA of Greenville members

The purpose of the seminar is to update HBA and GGAR members on the changes resulting from the legislation that renewed the National Flood Insurance Program for another five years.  Those changes have resulted in dramatic increases in flood insurance premiums for some homeowners and in some cases have threatened potential real estate transactions.  It is important for Home Builders to understand how the new rules will impact owners of homes built in flood-prone areas.  In addition, Remodelers who are familiar with the new rules may be able to leverage that knowledge to secure new business.

This is not just a Coastal Issue. Property owners and transactions are being impacted all over the Upstate.

Speakers include:

• Lisa S. Jones, CFM, ANFI, CPM, Principla, Carolina Flood Solutions
• Robert Hall, PE, CFM, Flood Plain Administrator, Greenville County
• Jacqueline Chelbezan, PE, PH, CFM, Assistant City Engineer-Environmental, City of Greenville

The agenda will include a comprehensive briefing of the changes in the law regarding flood insurance by Lisa Jones, and briefings from Robert Hall and Jacqueline Chelbezan on local flood management ordinances and resources for evaluating the flooding risk of property in the Greenville area.

The seminar is free to HBA of Greenville members. To register at HBAofGreenville.com, click here.

Kimberly Kelly to host the First annual Southern Home and Garden Bridge Awards.

Greenville native and TV personality Kimberly Kelly scheduled to emcee the 2013 Southern Home and Garden Bridge Awards sponsored by GBS Building Supply.
The Bridge Awards Gala will be held Thursday, January 30, 2013 at the TD Convention Center.

Don't delay enter your sales and marketing team, new home project, or remodeling project TODAY! Click here for more information and to get you entry application.

Martha Childress renovations coming along- STILL raising funds to cover costs.

The renovations undertaken by the Martha Childress Task Force to Martha's parent's homes are coming along and should be ready for Martha in time for her return from a rehabilitation facility just before Christmas.

Martha Childress was paralyzed from the waist down in October after a stray bullet hit her in the Columbia area while waiting for a cab. Work on the homes has been ongoing since November and HBA of Greenville members have pitched in to make such a difficult time easier for her and her family.

Marha's family is very close to the Home Building industry.  Her father, Chuck Childress, is a construction lender for BB&T and serves as the association's Treasurer. Her mother, Pam Childress, is a broker with Prudential C. Dan Joyner.  And her step parents also work in the industry.

Some of the renovations include widening doors, expansion of rooms, and laying new flooring to accommodate her wheel chair. One of the largest parts of the project is the installation of an elevator in one of the homes.

Many of the businesses and individuals involved have donated materials or labor or in some cases both, however this has not come without additional expenses.  Your HBA of Greenville has set a goal of $25,000 in order to purchase the elevator and pay for other expenses of this large project done with mostly donated time and materials. We continue to ask for your help.  To the extent that we raise funds that are not spent on this project, any additional funds will be donated to the trust fund set up for Martha's continued healthcare cost.

Thank you to all of the those companies and individuals who have donated their time, services, and money to this project:

• Dillard-Jones Builders
• Hollison Homes
• Gateway Plumbing
• Ferguson
• Progress Lighting
• Greenville Carpet One
• Clayton Tile
• CertaPro Painters
• Advanced Central Products
• Simply A/V
• Keith Smith Builders
• Dias Renovations
• Advanced Renovations
• Steamatic
• Silas Lewis
• Mobile Attic
• Waste Industries
• Little John Portable Toilets
• Jeff Lynch TV & Appliance
• Gallivan, White, and Boyd
• Sherwin Williams
• Arthur Rutenberg Homes
• Builders First Source
• GBS Building Supply
• Habitat for Humanity
• American Elevator
• IBI Builders
• Priceless Construction
• SupaKleen
• Carolina Foothills Studio
• Electrical Contractors Inc.

Contributions also have been made by:

• Quinn-Satterfield
• Gabriel Builders
• Priceless Construction
• Stoneledge Properties, LLC
• Galloway Custom Homes, LLC
• Dunn Custom Builders, LLC
• Woodmark Homes
• Michael and Karen Dey
• ACA/Freewood Contractors
• Bergeron Custom Homes
• The Marchant Company
• Mr. Hunt and Ms. Wade 

Please consider supporting this effort by contributing to the Martha Childress Fund at the Home Builders Association of Greenville.  Make checks payable to the Home Builders Association of Greenville, earmarked Martha Childress Fund.

Mayor Rick Danner discusses housing at Builder Breakfast

Mayor Rick Danner

Greer Mayor Rick Danner spoke to Home Builders and the HBA Board of Directors at the Builder Breakfast on December 12 at Tommy's Country Ham House.  The event was sponsored by Palmetto Exterminators.

Mayor Danner provided a report on the status of the real estate market in Greer.  He reported that year-to-date new residential construction has totalled $15 million, up from 2012.  He stated that permits are slightly behind 2012, but the value of the homes constructed have increased.

Danner reported that 1,264 new single family lots have been approved in 2013, with 65 percent of those lots located in Spartanburg County.

According to Danner, $13.5 million has been invested in commercial real estate in Greer in 2013. In addition, he reported that Greer is ranked fourth in the state in retail sales, with nearly $800 million spent during the year, up more than 10 percent from 2012.  Median household income in Greer is $68,687, 18 percent higher than Greenville County.

Greer Development has published a Residential Market Profile for the Greer area.  Click here to download the Greer Residential Market Profile.

Congratulations: Gabriel Edward McCloud

Please congratulate Stephen McCloud of Fusion Audio Video and his wife, Kara, on the birth of their son, Gabriel Edward McCloud, born December 4.  Gabriel weighed 6 pounds, 12 ounces, and was 20 inches long at birth.