The TBA Weekly Report is sponsored by Roberts Sand Company, serving the sand and gravel needs of TBA members. For immediate service, call 576-1414.

Tallahassee Builders Association (TBA) member Jerry Linder of Vintage Homes guided construction of the Florida House of Representatives’ blitz-build of a Habitat for Humanity home in Tallahassee for the family of Cookie Ashby. The idea was the brainchild of Rep. Daniel Davis of Jacksonville, who serves as the Executive Director of the Northeast Florida Builders Association (NEFBA). Davis rallied House members behind the cause and Linder, who recently opened building operations in Tallahassee, built the home on Connecticut Street in a single week. They had plenty of help, including TBA’s financial support as well as donations from the Florida Home Builders Association, NEFBA, the Lee BIA, HBA of Metro Orlando, and the Collier Building Industry Association, as well as the Habitat organizations in Jacksonville (Habijax) and Tallahassee (Big Bend Habitat of Humanity). Numerous House members worked on the home. Linder handed the keys to Ms. Ashby last Saturday morning.
 

Universal Design will be the timely subject of Wednesday’s TBA Remodelers Council meeting according to Council Chair Bill Kimberl, CIP, of Kimberl Construction. The speaker will be TBA member Carole Butler, a Certified-Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) and an accomplished interior designer. In addition to Butler’s presentation, there will be a hands-on display of universal design products and techniques provided by Rick Millard of Renovative Bath Systems and Rob Murray of Health @ Home.  They will be bringing a 16-foot mobile showroom with a modular shower unit and a level entry shower. Lunch is complimentary for Council members and all TBA members are welcome to attend. The meeting begins at 11:30 am at the TBA office at 201 East Park Avenue downtown. 
 

Don’t look now but TBA’s 2013 Parade of Homes™ may be 50 percent bigger than the successful 2012 version. Co-Chairs Mark Worley of Worley Construction and Thomas Asbury, Jr. of Premier Fine Homes announced that entries have reached 28 with 30 a serious possibility. Last year’s Parade had 20 new homes and two remodeled projects. Parade dates are May 11-12 and May 18-19 with the judging set for May 3 and the awards event scheduled for the evening of May 15 at the Hotel Duval. The awards dinner will be combined with the TBA May General Membership Meeting.
 

Two of the hottest subjects in the real estate industry today – home values and the appraisals that establish them – will be presented by two top professionals next month when Matt Ryan and Greg Lane of Timberlane Appraisal speak at the April 18 TBA general membership meeting at the Killearn Country Club. The cost is $15 per person which can be paid at the door by check, cash or credit cards. RSVPs are required May 15 to . Ryan and Lane will talk about the direction of residential and commercial property values in the Tallahassee area and the factors that will influence them in the future. 
 

Major sponsors continue to line-up for TBA’s 2013 Saltwater Fishing Tournament, which is set for Saturday, June 8 at the Carrabelle Boat Club. The latest generous sponsor is Superlube Auto Super Service Center represented by Charles Castleton, phone 850-544-0110, e-mail . Garth Easton of Pro-Build, chair of the popular tournament, said in-shore and off-shore grand slam payoffs, now $1,000 each, could grow in the coming weeks as more sponsors sign on. There will also be cash prizes for the largest fish, including red fish, Spanish mackerel, trout, red snapper, king fish, and grouper. The Anglers’ Social, sponsored by James Hardie Building Products, will be held Friday evening, June 7, at 6 pm. Click here for a flyer to sign on as a sponsor or participant. 
 

With the Florida Legislature entering the midway point of its 60-day session, the timing is working perfectly for the Florida Home Builders Association (FHBA) Spring Legislative Conference set for Tuesday and Wednesday, April 16-17 in Tallahassee. The event includes a legislative briefing at 2 pm on April 16 at City Hall Chambers, a 6 pm Legislative Reception at the Governors Club downtown on the evening of April 16, and visits with legislators on April 17. The FHBA meeting schedule include an April 17 forum with National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) CEO Jerry Howard (9:45 am) and the FHBA Spring Board of Directors meeting (2 pm), both in the City Hall Chambers. TBA members are encouraged to participate in all the events, which are free to members. For a complete schedule, go to www.fhba.com. 
 

TBA’s Board of Directors, meeting March 20, 2013, approved two new builder members, both of whom plan to participate in the 2013 Parade of Homes™. They are:
 

Page Pitman of Pitman’s Custom Construction in Crawforville, phone 850-933-7317 and web site www.pitmanscustomconstruction.com.
 

Michael Pafford of Pafford Properties & Construction in Crawfordville, phone 850-556-7746 and e-mail .
 

Please take the time to welcome Page and Michael to the TBA family. 
 
 

Remember to friend and follow TBA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tallahasseebuildersasociation

   -- Paul M. Thompson, Executive Officer
 

Every TBA member is encouraged to attend this Thursday’s general membership meeting featuring National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Past Chairman Barry Rutenberg going “one-on-one” with TBA President Shane Lambert in a discussion on the challenges and opportunities facing today’s home builders. The format is designed for maximum educational impact and will give TBA members the opportunity to interact with a national housing leader who has been at ground zero on issues like appraisals, OSHA fall protection, new mortgage finance rules, and much more. The meeting begins at 11:30 am with lunch. The cost lunch is $15 and can be paid at the door with cash, check or credit card. RSVP by 5 pm on Monday, March 18 to .
 

Universal design will be the timely subject of the March 27, 2013 TBA Remodelers Council meeting according to Council Chair Bill Kimberl, CIP, of Kimberl Construction. The speaker will be TBA member Carole Butler, a Certified-Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) and an accomplished interior designer. In addition to Butler’s presentation, there will be a hands-on display of universal design products and techniques provided by Health and Home. Lunch is complimentary for Council members and all TBA members are welcome to attend. The meeting begins at 11:30 am at the TBA office at 201 East Park Avenue downtown. 
 

The Tallahassee Builders Association’s 2013 Parade of Homes™ is just around the corner and two Platinum-level sponsors are playing lead roles in one of the community’s most anticipated events. City of Tallahassee Natural Gas Utilities and James Hardie Building Products have signed on as major sponsors and will see their products and services highlighted in a number of the Parade homes. The City works closely with new home builders to maximize comfort and energy-efficiency for consumers. James Hardie Building Products will be featured in a number of Parade homes, according to Jason Coleman, the company’s Regional Representative for North Florida and South Georgia. James Hardie products popular with builders for use in siding, trim, soffits, fascia, and shakes.

Additional Parade sponsors include building suppliers Pro-Build, Jenkins Brick, South Georgia Brick, Seminole Trusses, and Nichiha USA; lenders Capital City Bank and Hancock Bank; trades professional Perkins Electric; the real estate law firm of  Smith Thompson Shaw Minacci & Colon, P.A. , and the Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC), which will sponsor two energy-efficiency awards for participating builders. Parade of Homes Co-Chairs Thomas Asbury, Jr. of Premier Fine Homes and Mark Worley, CIP, GMB, of Worley Construction, have announced that Second Harvest will again be the Parade’s designated charity with the goal to eliminate hunger in the Tallahassee area. The Parade is set May 11-12 and May 18-19.
 

Longtime TBA members Jane and Randy Conn of ES Green & Company have partnered with Premier Fine Homes to win a “Best Idea” national honor from the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET); details of the project will be reported in next week’s TBA Weekly Report and featured under News on the TBA web site at tallyba.com… Jacqueline “Jackie” Watts of Watts Mechanical, Inc. in Tallahassee has been re-appointed by Florida Governor Rick Scott to the Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board; if approved by the Senate, her term will run through October 31, 2016… the Florida PACE Program, which finances energy-efficiency improvements for property owners and allows them to repay the loans through their tax bill, is being considered by the Leon County Commission, according to TBA Past President and Governmental Affairs Chairman Jerry McFarland, CIP… TBA and sponsor Capelouto Termite & Pest Control will host an orientation for new and prospective members this Thursday at 11 am just prior to the General Membership Meeting a Killearn Country Club; new and prospective members are guests of TBA for the orientation and the meeting… Friday, April 12, 2013 is the tentative date for the presentation of CAPS II, Designing and Building for Older Adults; the day-long course, taught by TBA member Terry Ward, Ph.D, CAPS, costs $135 for TBA members and leads to the Certified-Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) designation. 
 
 

Remember to friend and follow TBA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tallahasseebuildersasociation

   -- Paul M. Thompson, Executive Officer
 

James Hardie Building Products has made a major investment in the Tallahassee Builders Association with the goal of providing quality education to TBA members. Jason Coleman, James Hardie’s Regional Representative for North Florida and South Georgia, confirmed last week that his company would be a Platinum Corporate Sponsor with a $10,000 contribution in support of various TBA events. The partnership makes James Hardie a major sponsor of the Parade of Homes™, Saltwater Fishing Tournament, Don “Smokey” Young annual Golf Tournament, and Installation/Awards Banquet. James Hardie will also sponsor a joint meeting of the TBA Green and Remodelers Councils on August 8, 2013 and a continuing education seminar on helping builders meet wind-load requirements in the building code (date and location to be announced). James Hardie products are used for siding, trim, soffits, fascia, and shakes. Coleman can be reached at (850) 228-7498 or .

Real estate expert John Stehmeyer of Pro Players Realty will be the featured speaker at the TBA Green Building Council meeting on Thursday at 11:30 am at the Myers Park Community Room. A complimentary lunch is provided according to Council Chair Suzanne Cook, CAE, IOM, and Council Program Chair Dawn Davis of ABC Supply. Stehmeyer will cover local market conditions, projections for future growth, what type of housing is selling, and what’s happening with appraisals, especially as it relates to gaining value from Green and energy-efficient features. The April 11, 2013 Council meeting will be sponsored by Lomanco/ABC Supply and the May 9, 2013 meeting will be sponsored by Tru-Seal, LLC. 
 

In addition to Platinum sponsors City of Tallahassee Natural Gas Utilities and James Hardie Building Products, TBA’s 2013 Parade of Homes™ is garnering major sponsor support, according to co-Chairs Thomas Asbury, Jr. of Premier Fine Homes and Mark Worley, CIP, GMB, of Worley Construction. Sponsors so far include: Pro-Build, Capital City Bank, Hancock Bank, Jenkins Brick Company, Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC), Perkins Electric, Seminole Trusses, and South Georgia Brick Co. Currently, the Parade has over 20 entries with the show weekends set for May 11-12 and May 18-19. The judging is May 3 and the Awards Banquet is May 15 at the Hotel Duval.
 

TBA Past President Pat Gridley and Senior Officer Larry Wayne Strickland CIP, traveled to Jacksonville last week to attend a continuing education seminar sponsored by Simpson Strong-Tie®. “It was an outstanding program and one that I hope we can bring to Tallahassee for the benefit of TBA members,” said Strickland. Simpson Strong-Tie® (www.strongtie.com) is a manufacturer of structural connecting systems for wood, steel, masonry, concrete, and composite wood building construction. 
  

TBA’s Thursday, March 21 general membership meeting at Killearn Country Club begins at 11:30 am with lunch and features National Association of Home Builders Past Chairman Barry Rutenberg of Gainesville as the guest speaker. Rutenberg, Chairman of the Board of Arthur Rutenberg Homes, will address a wide range of policy, market, and management issues and take questions from TBA members. The cost of the luncheon is $15 and can be paid at the door with cash, check or credit card. RSVP by March 18 to .
 
 

Remember to friend and follow TBA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tallahasseebuildersasociation

   -- Paul M. Thompson, Executive Officer
 

TBA’s Thursday, March 21 general membership meeting at Killearn Country Club is a “can’t miss” event. Not only does the 11:30 am luncheon feature one of the home building industry’s top leaders – National Association of Home Builders Past Chairman Barry Rutenberg of Gainesville – but it’s also a time to honor TBA’s achieving members. The 2012 Board of Directors will be saluted for their service, along with the 14 TBA members who have achieved the Construction Industry Professional (CIP) designation, and builder member Mark Worley, who won Florida’s 2012 Big Spike Award as the top membership recruiter in the state. Rutenberg, CEO of Arthur Rutenberg Homes, will address a wide range of policy, market, and management issues and take questions from TBA members. The cost of the luncheon is $15 and can be paid at the door with cash, check or credit card. RSVP by March 18 to .

It didn’t take long for members of the TBA Remodelers Council to flood Joe Walsh with questions after the Associated Services Cleaning and Restoration owner made his initial presentation at the late-February meeting at the TBA office. Remodelers appear to deal almost daily with the type of clean-up jobs that Walsh’s company specializes in… including water, fire, smoke and mold damage remediation. “The program was very timely and practical for our Council members,” said TBA Remodelers Chair Bill Kimberl, CIP, of Kimberl Construction. “We had tons of questions and Joe had the answers. As a TBA member, AS is a great resource for many of the challenges remodelers face today.” For more on visit their web site at www.associatedsvs.com or call Joe at 681-3148. 
 

If anyone knows the Tallahassee real estate market like the back of their hand, it’s John Stehmeyer of Pro Players Realty. A longtime, loyal TBA member, Stehmeyer will be the featured speaker at the TBA Green Building Council meeting on Thursday, March 14, at 11:30 am at the Myers Park Community Room. A complimentary lunch is provided according to Council Chair Suzanne Cook, CAE, IOM, and Council Program Chair Dawn Davis of ABC Supply. Stehmeyer will cover local market conditions, projections for future growth, what type of housing is selling, and what’s happening with appraisals, especially as it relates to gaining value from Green and energy-efficient features.
 

The third Wednesday in May will be special for TBA members as May 15, 2013 has been set as the date for a general membership meeting that combines the annual Parade of Homes™ Awards Presentation. The event will begin with a 6:30 pm reception and follow with dinner at 7 pm in the Level 8 Ballroom at the Hotel Duval. “We wanted a prestigious venue to give maximum exposure to our 2013 Parade winners and let all TBA members join in the celebration,” said Thomas Asbury, Jr. of Premier Fine Homes, a Co-Chair of the Parade with Mark Worley of Worley Construction. Currently, the Parade has over 20 entries with the show weekends set for May 11-12 and May 18-19. The judging is May 3. More details of the May 15 awards event will be provided soon. 
  

Builders Jay Culley and Tim Bozeman of Sterling Custom Homes were among the 30-plus Tallahassee Builders Association (TBA) members who exhibited at the recent North Florida Home Show and like their colleagues in home building, remodeling, residential design and building supply, they witnessed an amazingly strong turnaround in consumer attitudes from previous shows. “It’s like a light switch went on in the minds of people who were looking for the ‘right time’ to build, remodel or make that major purchase to improve their home,” said Culley. “People have decided that the ‘right time’ is now.” Sterling Custom Homes was featured in the March 3, 2013 TBA Today article which runs in the Tallahassee Democrat’s Homefinder.com section of the Sunday newspaper. Culley builds in a wide geographic area that spans from Bainbridge (GA) to the north and Carrabelle on the Gulf coast, and includes homes in Southwood and Centerville Conservation.
 

Professional remodelers in TBA can have their work recognized, evaluated and critiqued when they enter the 2013 Remodelers Showcase Awards, according to awards chairman Larry Wayne Strickland, CIP, of Capital City Builders. “It’s more than just recognition… although the recognition is great,” says Strickland. “The way we have the 2013 program set up is that remodelers who enter will have their entries professionally evaluated by experts from outside our area and the feedback should be very valuable.” Strickland said the deadline to enter is August 16, 2013 and that the awards would be presented September 25, 2013 during a special evening meeting of the TBA Remodelers Council. A registration form outlining categories, fees and additional information will be available shortly. 
 

The TBA family sends best wishes to Past President John Koelemij and TBA Hall of Fame member Dave Samsel as they recover from recent hospital stays… the TBA 2013 Membership Directory is being printed and should be available for distribution by the time of the March 21 general membership meeting… TBA Membership Chairman Alan Weekley of Alan Weekley Homes has set June 30 as the deadline for this year’s membership drive with details to come… TBA’s new member orientations will move to 30 minutes prior to the general meeting with the next one set for March 21 at 11 am at Killearn Country Club with Capelouto Termite & Pest Control as the orientation sponsor…congratulations to longtime TBA member Earl Bacon Agency, which is celebrating its 50^th year in the insurance business… some TBA members will be heading to Jacksonville on March 5, 2013 for a free building code seminar hosted by Simpson Strong Tie.
 
 

Remember to friend and follow TBA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tallahasseebuildersasociation

   -- Paul M. Thompson, Executive Officer