batc digest | april–june 2016

APRIL–JUNE 2016

& BATC BOARD INDUCTION

2016LAUNCH PARTY

FRIENDLY CHEVROLET • FRIDLEY Chris Taylor (763) 786-6100

GILLELAND CHEVROLET • ST. CLOUD Dawn Gustin (907) 712-4246

JEFF BELZER CHEVROLET • LAKEVILLE George Miller (952) 469-4444

LUTHER BROOKDALE CHEVROLET • BROOKLYN CENTER Lyle Hoffman (612) 998-8505

MERIT CHEVROLET • MAPLEWOOD Ron Hogan (651) 739-4400

ROSEDALE CHEVROLET • ROSEVILLE Bob Schmidt (651) 636-0340

STILLWATER MOTORS • STILLWATERMarty Foote (651) 439-4333

SUBURBAN CHEVROLET • EDEN PRAIRIE Darrin Trees (952) 944-2438

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AnokaJeff Blackledge NMLSR ID 351420612-667-0028

Forest LakeMichael J Kohn NMLSR ID 400763651-205-6641

MinneapolisScott Zander NMLSR ID 402042612-667-3332

BlaineStefani Havel NMLSR ID 400890763-755-0012

HastingsRyan Neil Foster NMLSR ID 294064651-319-6312

MinnetonkaRoland A. Buller NMLSR ID 384994612-667-1011

BloomingtonRobert Opdyke NMLSR ID 351658612-316-4488

Maple GroveBrian Jay Carlson NMLSR ID 524833763-315-1505

St. PaulJason A. StoneNMLSR ID 1018649651-205-5239

Dakota and Scott County/BurnsvilleTimothy Philip Hufnagle NMLSR ID 461751612-667-3147

Information is accurate as of date of printing and is subject to change without notice.Wells Fargo Home Mortgage is a division of Wells Fargo Bank, N. A. © 2016 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. All rights reserved. NMLSR ID 399801. AS1876980 Expires 05/2016

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2 BATC Digest April–June 2016

c o n t e n t s

6BATC and BAM Reach Landmark Agreement

122016 Legislative Session

56Builder Day at the Capitol

Photo Gallery

Advertising DirectoryABC Supply Co., Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27Anchor Block an Oldcastle Company . . . . . .53Arrow Building Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31Associated Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55Brock White Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61Brush Masters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29CenterPoint Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14, 67Central Marble Products, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . .70Cityscape Painting Contractors, Inc. . . . . . . .55Corporate 4 Insurance Agency Inc.. . . . . . . .65Cosentino Center - Minneapolis . . . . . . . . . .37Excelsior Capital, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3Ferguson Kitchen, Bath & Lighting Gallery . . . .9GM Elite Dealers . . . . . . . . . .inside front coverHD Supply Interior Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . .67Heating & Cooling Two Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . .63Hedberg Landscape & Masonry Supplies . . .19Icynene Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11IDC-Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33In-Focus Systems . . . . . . . . . inside back coverJames Hardie Building Products . . . . . . . . . .41JL Schwieters Bldg. Supply/Const., Inc. . . . .43Lake Elmo Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37Lampert Lumber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

Light’N Up! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54Lyman Lumber Co./ABC Millwork . . . . . . . .21Lyman Roofing & Siding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45Marvin Windows and Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5Mingle & Studio M Interiors . . . . . . . . . . . . .26Molin Concrete Products Company . . . . . . .54NAHB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37Norbord, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7Pella Windows & Doors - Twin Cities, Inc. . .18Pilings Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63ProBuild . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47Residential Science Resources, LLC . . . . . .23Residential Warranty Company, LLC . . . . . .54Resultants For Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61RMC Solutions, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45Scherer Bros. Lumber Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15Schwieters Companies, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . .51Shaw/Stewart Lumber Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65Synergy Products, LLC . . . . . . . . . . back coverThermo-Tech Windows, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . .35Water Doctors Water Treatment Co. . . . . . .20Wells Fargo Home Mortgage . . . . . . . . . . . . .1Xcel Energy, MN Gas Business Dev. . . . . . .70

4 Letter From the EO 6 A Word From Our

President: BATC & BAM Landmark Agreement

8 Events Calendar 10 News 12 Advocacy: 2016 Legislative

Session 22 Minnesota’s Green Path 24 Ventilation: Why Balanced? 25 MN Clean Energy

Entrepreneur: RSR 28 BATC Golf 30 Hot Sheet (Industry Stats)

32 BATC Bash 34 Small Volume Builders

Council 36 BATC Administration 38 Parade of Homes 40 Artisan Home Tour 42 Social Media: Houzz 44 2016 BATC Awards 46 Endorsed Programs 60 Membership 66 Elite Sponsors 68 BATC Foundation 71 Member News

PHOTO GALLERIES

January Launch Party / 48Job & Career Fair / 50Member Kickstart / 52

Builder Day at the Capitol / 56BATC IBS Hospitality Suite / 58

Contractor U / 59

Executive Director David Siegel

Director of Marketing & Communications Wendy Danks

Director of Creative Services Dawnita Parmely

Communications Coordinator Katy Baar

Creative Services Coordinator Casey Scozzari

Graphic Designer/Partner Fulfillment Laurie Spartz

Graphic Designer Hannah Swan

Graphics & Administrative Assistant Derek Wilkinson

The BATC DIGEST magazine is the official publication of the Builders Association of the Twin Cities (BATC). The BATC

DIGEST is published and distributed four times per year to its members and others associated with the building industry. Neither the advertisers, nor BATC, will be responsible or liable for misinformation, misprints, typographical errors, etc., herein contained. For advertising rates, resource file or address change information, contact BATC. Suggestions, ideas and letters are welcome. If circumstances require, BATC reserves the right to increase or decrease the number of BATC DIGEST issues published on an annual basis.

Builders Association of the Twin Cities (BATC)2960 Centre Pointe Drive Roseville, MN 55113-1182Phone: 651-697-1954 • batc.orgFax: 651-697-7599 • paradeofhomes.org

executive board

President Meg Jaeger

Mega Homes, Inc.

Immediate Past President

Chris Contreras M/I Homes

Builder Vice President Bob Michels Bob Michels

Construction, Inc.

Treasurer Tom Wiener

Cardinal Homebuilders, Inc.

Past Associate Vice President

Todd Polifka Brush Masters

Associate Vice President Jason McCarty

Westwood Professional Services, Inc.

Secretary Charlie Bradburn

Automated Building Components,

Millwork Division

Past President Advisory Council

Mike Swanson JMS Custom Homes, LLC

board of directors

Membership Committee Jill Murphy

Martha O’Hara Interiors

NAHB National Directors Committee

Shawn Nelson New Spaces

Parade of HomesSM Committee

Tim Fohr Lennar

Large Volume Builders Bill Burgess

Lennar

Small Volume Builders Anthony Wiener

Cardinal Homesbuilders, Inc.

Public Policy John Rask

Hans Hagen Homes, Inc.

Remodelers Committee Andy Michels Bob Michels

Construction, Inc.

At-Large Member Jim Kuiken

Accent Homes, Inc.

At-Large Member Dennis Galligan In-Focus Systems

Advertising Sales Kori Meewes Brad Meewes

Accountant Tammi Hall

Administrative Assistant Emily Petermann

Assistant to Public Policy Mary Schweich

BATC Foundation Executive Director

Perri Graham

BATC Foundation Program Coordinator

Jacqueline Bilek

Director of Finance & Administration

Janice Meyer

Director of Membership Kristina Mahler

Director of Public Policy James Vagle

Marketing & Education Manager

Tom Gavaras

Marketing & Events Manager

Nicole Coon

Member Services & Office Manager Heather Griffis

Political Engagement Manager

Mark Foster

Press Secretary Katie Eldred

Receptionist Danica Rueb

ON THE COVER ›› In epic BATC style, we launched 2016 with a BLAST at our annual January dinner meeting and economic forecast at the Calhoun Beach Club.


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David SiegelBATC Executive Director

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What Our Industry Stands For

BATC has identified in its strategic plan

the need for a communications effort

highlighting the values of our building

industry and what we stand for.

Homebuilding must be strong forour state’s economy to be strong

2 3Minnesotans

Agree:

Look for updates in BATC’s weekly e-newsletter, the Voice.

Of course, building and remodeling houses involves the technical aspects of creating a home or changing a

house to fit a homeowner’s lifestyle. But it’s much more. It involves creating a very special place for people that

they call home and which elicits from them tremendous emotion and passion.

I recently came across a blog which asked the question, “What does home mean to you?” The answers included

words like comfort, security, love, family, commu-nity, friends, joy, peace, cozy and blissful. Equally as important, homebuilding means jobs, opportunity,

income, wealth and future. Homebuilding and remod-eling to a large degree drives our economy. All of us involved in this great field look at the work we do as more than just a job. We are the ones who make the

words above become reality.

And yet, as we look at our state legislators, regulators and policy makers, we often see actions that don’t

reflect an appreciation of our industry – of the power of home. We see costly and unnecessary regulations that make building market-rate affordable homes difficult. We see actions by cities that make creating wonderful communities challenging. And we see efforts to keep

building and remodeling out of key markets. To address these challenges, BATC has identified in its strategic

plan the need for a communications effort highlighting the values of our industry and what we stand for. We

will begin this work as we often do, with research, so we can make informed decisions based on good data.

BATC is in the field now conducting research to help us develop a strong positive message as we pivot toward sharing with key audiences what our industry stands

for. Our central goal here is to develop an overarching positive message and tagline that we can use in our

broad array of communications to enhance our indus-try’s stature. One example is the Minnesota Nurses

Association, which today advertises using the phrase, “We Put the Care in Health Care.” Another example is Education Minnesota (the teachers union), which

always positions itself as fighting for kids.

This industry communications campaign will gird our broad advocacy efforts–whether lobbying at the Capitol or engaging in independent expenditures on behalf of candidates who support home building and remod-eling. It’s easier to achieve legislative, regulatory and

media success when the industry is illuminated by the warm glow of positive public relations.

As an example, one question we asked on a recent statewide poll was whether Minnesotans felt that home-

building must be strong for our state’s economy to be strong. A powerful 74% of Minnesotans agree. We’re

off to a good start, and we can’t wait to get back the full results and begin our industry communications efforts. We’ll share more with you as we gain greater insights.

And we hope that when we launch the effort, you’ll stand with us and use your communication opportu-

nities to reinforce the impact of our industry. We don’t just create a house, we create a home, and that makes all

the difference.

I am incredibly proud to work in the home building industry, and so is the entire team here at BATC.

OUTOF

letter from the eo


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ABC Millwork18800 W 78th St.Chanhassen, MN 55317952-937-9060ABCMillwork.com

Arrow Building Center15 LocationsMinnesota & Wisconsinabc-clc.com

Custom Millwork, Inc.2298 N 2nd St.North Saint Paul, MN 55109651-770-2356CustomMillworkInc.com

Dakota County Lumber28 8th StreetFarmington, MN 55024651-460-6646DakotaCountyLumber.com

Fullerton LumberThe Builder’s ChoiceEllsworth – 715-273-5032Glencoe – 320-864-5103Osceola – 715-294-2000Watertown – 952-955-2237FullertonLBR.com

Glenbrook Lumber & Supply5215 Gershwin Ave. NOakdale, MN 55128651-770-9071GlenbrookLumber.com

Hamel Building Center18710 Hwy. 55Plymouth, MN 55446763-478-6601HamelBuildingCenter.comMN LIC #B631040

Hiawatha Lumber Co.3233 E 40th St.Minneapolis, MN 55406612-729-2358HiawathaLumber.com

Lampert LumberApple Valley – Lake ElmoNorth Branch - Northfield Rockford – St. Croix Falls651-695-3600LampertLumber.com

McCarron’s Building Center23840 Lake Blvd.Forest Lake, MN 55025651-464-5427McCarronsBuildingCenter.com

Scherer Bros. Lumber Co.Arden HillsHopkinsShakopee612-379-9633SchererBros.com

Spring Lake Park Lumber8329 Central Ave. NEMinneapolis, MN 55432763-784-3062SLPLumber.com

TS Building Supply5234 Barthel Industrial Dr. NEAlbertville, MN 55301763-515-3255TSBuildingSupply.com

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a word from our president

BATC and BAM Reach Landmark Agreement

As you know, BATC has been working for the past 14 months to redefine our relationship with our state association, while remaining part of the NAHB federation.

Our goals have been to gain appro-priate representation for BATC in BAM’s governance, leverage the resources of BATC for the mutual benefit of our members and our colleagues statewide, and expand and modernize our collective advocacy efforts.

I’m very pleased to report that negotiating teams from BATC and BAM have reached an agreement, which has been approved by the Boards of Directors of both BATC and BAM. All of us at BATC are excited about the partnership, and we anticipate this new agreement will be fully ratified and imple-mented by mid-summer, including necessary BAM Bylaw changes.

The plan calls for BATC to increase its seats on the BAM Board of Directors in direct proportion to our percentage of membership in the state (builders, remodelers and associates). Further, the plan provides for BATC and BAM to jointly launch and finance an Industry Commu-nications Fund, which can tackle public relations efforts on topics such as attracting young people into our labor pool, or high-lighting the economic impact of the housing industry in Minne-sota. Also, the new agreement has

BAM participating in Housing First, our Independent Expenditure electoral fund. BATC will match those dollars and the full sum will be dedicated to a combination of Minnesota House and Senate races in Greater Minnesota and statewide races, such as for Gov-ernor. Finally, the deal provides that BATC will produce a statewide magazine for BAM, helping it to grow nondues revenue.

I do believe that we’ll look back five or 10 years from now and see this as a landmark moment for the home building and remodeling industry in Minnesota, just as the landscape changed completely when BAM was formed in 1974,

and the Minneapolis and St. Paul Builders Associations merged in 1991. We have an opportunity to create something collaboratively that will elevate this industry in its political efforts to heights it has never before achieved.

The pathway to this agreement was long and at times challenging. What’s important now is to build bridges, and consider how much stronger all of us can be through this collaboration. Many thanks on my part to the BATC and BAM negotiating teams, our Boards of Directors, our Executive Officers and our respective legal counsels. I want to particularly thank BAM’s president, KC Chermak, for his leadership during these difficult conversations. While we are all optimistic and enthusiastic, we need to reserve our celebration until the process is complete. I’ll keep you updated as we progress.

As always, much more is hap-pening at BATC, but I wanted to focus my communication with you on this groundbreaking effort. You can read more about our progress in all aspects of our Strategic Plan in the pages of this Digest and via Facebook, LinkedIn, BATC Daily Blog, and at BATC.org.

Meg JaegerBATC [email protected]

763-427-8391

Increasein batc seatson bam board of

directors

joint participation housing first

electoral fund with batc matching

$$$

industry comm's fund

jointly launched & financed

bam statewide magazine

produced by batc

T H E P L A N

+

+

+


norbord.com/na


4/16 Foundation Gala

5/11 Member Kickstart

6/10-6/12 Artisan Home Tour®

6/17-6/19

6/24-6/26

6/15 Small Volume Builders Roundtable

6/16 Remodelers Roundtable

6/21 BATC Member Appreciation Bash

7/19 Mid-Year Economic Forecast

8/3 BATC Golf Open



9/10–10/2 Fall Parade of HomesSM

9/20 BATC Foundation Golf Open

9/26 Directors Dinner

9/30–10/2 Fall Remodelers Showcase®

10/4 Clay Shoot


10/19 Small Volume Builders Roundtable

10/20 The BIG Night


11/17 BATC Buck Auction

2016 BATCCALENDAR

2016 upcoming events • full details available at batc.org

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Look for updates in BATC’s weekly e-newsletter, the Voice.

in the news

Top 10 Industries by

Consumer inquiries

1. Collection Agencies

2. Contractors - General

3. Construction & Remodeling Services

4. Roofing Contractors

5. Auto Dealers - Used

6. Checks - Printing

7. Property Management

8. Pillows

9. Home Builders

10. Plumbers

Top 10 Industries by

volume of complaints

1. Auto Dealers – New

2. Newspapers

3. Auto Dealers - Used

4. Property Management

5. Banks

6. Auto Repair & Services

7. Construction & Remodeling Services

8. Furniture - Retail

9. Electronic Equipment & Supplies - Dealers

10. Contractors - General

NEWS FROM THE BBBOur friends at the Better Business Bureau of Min-nesota and North Dakota released some important

data about customer complaints, and we (construction and remodeling) made the top ten lists. This isn’t a great accomplishment but it’s one we all should be aware of and know how to deal with.

STUDENT CHAPTERS SHINEEach year NAHB hosts a Residential Construction Management Compe-tition as part of the activities at the International Builders Show (IBS) in January. The competition gives stu-dents the opportunity to apply skills learned in the classroom to a real construction situation by completing a management project/proposal. Proposals are submitted to a group of construction company executives who act as judges. During the convention, students defend their proposals to the judges in front of an audience.

This year we’re super proud of our two local student chapters for making their mark with strong wins.

U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I N N E S OTA

Rookie of the YearStudents from the University of Minnesota entered the competition for the first time ever, and showed their stuff winning Rookie of the Year in the four-year competition!

Second Place TrophyNAHB Student Chapters hosted 53 teams at the annual Residential Construction Management Competition at IBS. This year, Dunwoody College of Technology was awarded Second Place for two-year college programs. In addition, Dunwoody received an NAHB Help Grant to expand its residential construction program.

D U N W O O DY C O L L E G E O F T E C H N O LO GY

PHOTOS COURTESY NAHB STUDENT CHAPTERS FACEBOOK PAGE

Congratulations to all the students and their instructors.


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Combine a late start with Capitol renovations, election year politics, and divided leadership and you get what is expected to be a short 2016 legislative session,

possibly just eight weeks. With that in mind, 2016 does not present large windows of opportunity for movement on controversial policy initiatives. It will, however, provide

opportunities to defend against troublesome issues and also to elevate discussions on housing affordability as we approach the 2016 elections.

IMPACTING THE HOMEBUILDING INDUSTRY

DEFENSE

Our 2016 Legislative Objectives

SUCCESSFULLY

AFFORDABILITY

initiate proactive housing affordability

outcomes

SEEK OPPORTUNITIES TO

Multi-Family Home Ownership InitiativeMoratoria Notice and Voting Requirements THE HOMEBUIDING

INDUSTRY STANDS FOR

ELEVATIONELEVATE BATC AND THE INDUSTRY THROUGHdefend against

harmful proposals powerful messaging that highlights the

postives

2016 LEGISLATIVE SESSION:Short, but Sweet?

advocacy


Q: What do we expect as we head into the 2016 session?

JV: We know it is going to be short, this is the latest start in modern legislative history. This suggests that we’ll be in a sprint from day one, which likely means that major, controversial initiatives will struggle to reach the finish line.

Q: What are the big issues before legislators?

JV: There is a budget surplus, $900 million, that will have the eye of all legislators. Some want to invest in early childhood education, some want to give business tax relief. There’s also the outstanding transportation bill that didn’t get done in 2015. How the spending is apportioned between roads, bridges, and transit will be the centerpiece of that debate. Then there’s the centerpiece of 2016, the capital investment (bonding) bill. This is a major projects bill that funds local projects throughout the state. It creates interesting political alliances and there will be sharp debate about how large the final tally should be.

Q: For the homebuilding industry, what are the goals?

JV: Goal one is always to successfully defend against harmful legislation that would unnecessarily increase housing costs or provide a challenge to our members who are already struggling to deliver housing affordability. Beyond that, we’ve laid out a list of common sense proposals that would increase multi-family ownership housing and bring fairness into the process that cities use to impose housing moratoria.

Q: Looking at the multi-family issue first, what is BATC doing to increase multi-family ownership options?

JV: Developers of multi-family projects have long said that the primary impediment to more development is the imbalance in risk placed on developers. In short, the rise of lawsuits in multi-family projects is overwhelming, and the market is responding by building far fewer condos and townhomes. This is a major problem for our housing market, so we’ve joined with a broad coalition of

local governments and development interests to try to balance the process by which we settle

disputes. Our theory is that if we attempt to mediate and solve construction

disputes at the earliest point with strong participation from

members of a home owners association (HOA), we will see less lawsuits and the market will begin to come back.

Q: How about the land use moratorium

initiative?

JV: We’ve seen an uptick in moratoria over the past two years

as local governments struggle to balance new development applications

with existing neighborhood inputs. A housing moratoria can be a legitimate planning

tool, but what we are seeing is a poor process that isn’t inclusive of the many interests impacted by a land use moratorium. We know from MLS data that the impacts of moratoria on the housing market are almost instant, and that’s been a driving force for us to bring some common-sense to the table. We are proposing that local governments give a standard 30-day notice in advance of considering a housing moratorium. We are also asking that, given the depth of impact, a moratorium must achieve the same 2/3 council support that a comprehensive plan amendment must receive to move forward.

Q: Thoughts on the prospects for these bills?

JV: The short session will make this tough, but we have great authors and have built a coalition of support that will give us an opportunity to be heard. If I’ve learned anything in my 15 years of work at the Capitol, it’s to be prepared for anything! We look forward to advancing these discussions and seeing where they go.

Q&

AWe sat down with BATC Director of Advocacy, James Vagle, to get his take on the 2016 legislative session.

Goal one is always to successfully defend against

harmful legislation that would

unnecessarily increase housing costs or provide a challenge to our

members who are already struggling to deliver housing

affordability.

“

CONTINUES ON 16


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EVERYBODY IS UP All 201 Minnesota House and Senate members will be on the ballot.

Democrats want to make gains and retake control of the House, and Republicans are fighting to keep their seats while working to gain more.

NO BIG STATE RACES For the first time since 2004, there’s no statewide race—for U.S. Senate,

the governor’s office or constitutional offices—anchoring the top of the ticket. Instead, legislators will rely solely on excitement over the

presidential race to trickle down to their races.

THE STAKES ARE HIGH For both parties, there’s a lot at stake in 2016: DFL Gov. Mark Dayton sits in the

governor’s office, and if Democrats flip the House and maintain control of the Senate, Minnesota will return to all DFL-controlled government.

TURNOUT BOOST Presidential years always bring out higher numbers of voters. Depending on

who gets the presidential nomination from each party, this can have a major impact on our local races.

SOCIAL MEDIA Social media has been called the game changer this year, giving voters access to

campaigns like they have never had before. The question has gone from 2012’s of “Can candidates gain from social media?” to “How do candidates gain from

social media?” We’ve already seen how fast moments from the national campaigns can go viral and we’re not even half way through the season yet.

Factors5THAT WILL MAKE THIS ELECTION DIFFERENTThis election year has already proved to be more interesting than most with a whopping 17 people declaring their candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination and a whole bunch of other political firsts. As November 8th grows nearer and the campaigns continue to heat up, it’s clear this is going to be an election year unlike any other. Here are five of the factors that are guaranteed to make this election different from the rest.

Stay up to date with our 2016 election coverage at BATC.blog.org

1

2

3

4

5

advocacy

ELECTION 2016

BATC.blog.org


HousingFirstNetwork.org

What to Watch For The Housing First team is already vetting candidates and working on selecting our housing champions that we believe will lead support for the housing industry at the Capitol. Housing First is also ramping up its social and digital presence this election season. Expect to see our Housing First messages popping up in your online feed.

How You Can HelpBe sure to follow and like us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Share our messages and help us spread the word that Home Building Matters. Want to do more? Donate to Housing First by contacting Mary at [email protected]

$30,000+D.R. Horton, Inc. – MinnesotaEternity Homes, LLCLennar Lyman Lumber Co. Pulte Group

$10,000+Contract Interiors, Inc. Gonyea Homes, Inc.Marvin Windows and Doors Mattamy Homes Nodlund Construction Co., Inc.Scherer Bros. Lumber Co.Jim Stanton The Builders GroupTradition Companies

$5,000+KEY LAND HOMESMcDonald Construction, Inc.North American Realty, Inc.

Stinson Leonard Street, LLP

$1,000+and more by KoriAll About Erosion Control Bob MichelsBrush Masters Builders Club C.N. Ostrom & Son, Inc. Cardinal Floors & Design, Inc. Collins Electrical Construction Co. Country Joe Homes Creative Homes, Inc.Custom Millwork, Inc. Custom One Homes Doboszenski and Sons, Inc. Elander Mechanical, Inc. Fieldstone Family Homes, Inc. Fireside Hearth & Home FocalPoint/Builders Carpet Global Closing & Title Services Hans Hagen Homes, Inc.

Harkraft, Inc. Heating & Cooling Two, Inc. Hedberg SupplyHouseRater Huikko Plumbing Icynene Corp.Ispiri, LLCJohn Kraemer & Sons, Inc. Lampert Lumber Larry John Wright Advertising, Inc.Manor Concrete Construction, Inc. Metro Foundations Metro Home Insulation, LLC Metro Siding, Inc. Michael Lee, Inc./ Kootenia HomesMinnesota Valley Millwork, Inc. New Spaces Pella Windows & DoorsPhase One Enterprises, Inc.Pro Drywall & Painting, Inc. Residential Science Resources, LLC

Sabre Plumbing, Heating, & Air Conditioning, Inc.Southview Design Stone Cottage Construction, Inc. Swanson Homes Vantage Law Group Villaume Industries, Inc.Water Doctors Water Treatment Co. Waterproofing, Inc.Weis Builders Westwood Professionals Services, Inc. Zenith Exteriors, Inc.

$500+Alside Installed Sales (Associated Materials) Crystal Kitchen Center, Inc.Ronald Derrick J & W Asphalt, Inc. JMS Custom Homes, LLCMark D. Williams Custom Homes

$100+Action Overhead Garage Door, Inc. Peter Coyle George Cundy Ron DeCoux Elite Waste Disposal Hallmark Building Supplies, Inc. Hayfield Window & Door Co., Inc.Home Options, Inc.IDC – Automatic Lemmerman ConstructionJim Palmersheim Mulligan LandscapingParent Builders Inc. Paulsen Excavating Inc.Pioneer Engineering, P. A .Princess Marble & Granite Rooke, Johnson & Renslow Insurance Agency Robert Torgerson

Housing First Gearing Up for a Big Year

Thank you to our Lifetime Contributors

With the so much at stake this year the Housing First Network is gearing up to play a bigger role in the elections than ever before.

ELECTION 2016


ways Pella’s Direct Sales

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The Pella team is on the front lines with you.

Contractors appreciate end-to-end service from Pella experts. A dedicated sales representative works with the contractor and, if needed, the homeowner. They’re supported by a team of project coordinators who help make sure things are quoted and ordered correctly. The delivery team helps make sure products are delivered on time. Our Pella-trained, dedicated service technicians provide support after the sale. Even our owner is out there meeting with contractors to understand their business needs.

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Water Doctors Water Treatment Co.—8201 Old Central Ave No. Minneapolis, MN 55432 USA 952-928-3737 [email protected]© 2015 Water Doctors Water Systems a consumer direct division of HMI Water Specialists. All Rights reserved. www.waterdrs.com

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minnesota’s green path

Get on the Green Path today. For more information

contact:

Mary Schweich:

651-697-7572 or

[email protected]

Tom Gavaras:

651-697-7592 or

[email protected]

The Right Path for Minnesota Home Buyers…

And for Minnesota Builders.

Green Construction – Why it Matters

Green construction is important to the home building industry, consumers and the nation because it promotes lower total ownership costs through utility savings and increased durability, as well as an improved indoor living environment. It encourages environmental awareness and stewardship. And, it more efficiently uses increasingly scarce resources, helping to conserve them for future generations.

Minnesota’s Green Path, presented by the Builders Association of the Twin Cities, is an energy testing and green certification program for new and remodeled homes. In partnership with Residential Science Resources, Green Path sets standards for green construction and provides each homeowner with a Home Performance Report (HPR) detailing the energy efficiency of a home with a graphic representation of exactly how green the home is.

Spring 2012

Spring 2013

Spring 2014

Spring 2015

Spring 2016

0% 100%Since 2011, more than 5,000

Green Path Home Performance

Reports (HPRs) have been

issued. During the Fall 2011

Parade of Homes, 4% of the

homes participated in Green

Path Energy Tour. During the

recently completed Spring 2016

Parade of Homes, 70% of the

homes participated.

GREEN PATH ENERGY TOUR PARADE OF HOMES PARTICIPATION

70%

8%

37%

44%

57%


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verification is the only way to prove it. Safeguard

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what sets your home apart from the others.

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While ventilation may have some impact on the building itself such as reducing condensation on windows, the primary purpose of ventilation is to provide fresh air for people.

For many years, Minnesota has allowed what is commonly known as “exhaust only” ventilation. That simply means that we used exhaust fans such as bath fans and kitchen fans to remove stale air from the house. The replacement air came from leaks in the house including around windows and places where the building itself was not tight. We had no control over where the air came in. In some cases the incoming air could cause problems in the building envelope itself, and it potentially could pass through areas that would not be considered “clean”: bringing in radon, moisture, bacteria, etc.

To provide the amount of good clean air we really need for people, we need to know and control where the air comes in and goes out. Balanced ventilation does that. Bringing fresh air in the house in a dedicated and controlled

manner eliminates pollution, and protects both people and the building itself.

To get fresh air to people, that air needs to get to where people are – every habitable room. A balanced ventilation system makes this possible. It could have its own duct system, but most likely the fresh air will be connected to the forced air system, the most common heating and cooling system installed in Minnesota today. If the house is equipped with another heating system, such

as hot water radiant heat, a dedicated distribution system for fresh air must be provided.

Fresh air must also be provided on a regular basis when people are in the house. A balanced system, whether it is separate from the heating and cooling system or a dedicated duct

system, can be programmed to operate for a particular amount of time each hour. It can also be adjusted for parts of the year when more ventilation might be needed to control moisture. Finally, the homeowner can manually control the amount of ventilation during times of high pollution, such as over holidays and during parties.

Areas of high pollution, such as bathrooms and kitchens, are outside the requirements for total balanced ventilation. However, installing these exhaust

fans is critical to assure a healthy and safe environment for our families.

The new code recognizes the great job the building industry is doing to make Minnesota homes more durable, more energy-efficient, and now even healthier for the people who live in them.

One option for balanced ventilation is an

ENERGY RECOVERY VENTILATOR

This product removes and replaces an equal amount of air and also controls humidity levels in the house. It can add moisture in the winter months and remove moisture in the spring and summer months. It is easy for the homeowner to maintain. During winter months it can recover much of the heat from the air being exhausted.

Ventilation:Why Balanced? Why Now?

Ventilation is the replacement of air in a house with fresh outdoor

air. How fresh that air is may depend on where the house is located,

but most outdoor air is fresher than indoor air. Indoor air is affected

by human respiration, off-gassing of products and furnishing, cooking

odors, biologicals such as dust mites, mold, and bacteria, teenagers – and

the list goes on.

To provide the amount of good clean air

we really need for people, we need to know

and control where the air comes in and

goes out. Balanced ventilation does that.

BY MARILOU CHEPLE, PHDMANAGER, TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT, RESIDENTIAL SCIENCE RESOURCES, LLC


MN Clean Energy Entrepreneur:Residential Science Resources

There are many companies working in Minnesota to help folks save energy and

money, but we don’t often look closer to see who’s behind this work.

With that in mind, we took a moment to chat with Mat Gates, founder and CEO of

Residential Science Resources, to learn more about their energy efficiency consulting

work with utilities, builders, and homeowners in Minnesota.

Tell us a little bit about Residential Science Resources.

Residential Science Resources (RSR) is a premier energy efficiency consulting firm for utilities, builders, and homeowners. Using performance testing tools and many years of combined experience, RSR takes the complexity and guess work out of selecting the highest standards of health, safety, comfort, durability, and energy efficiency in new and existing homes. Since 2005, RSR has provided over 5,000 home energy audits for CenterPoint Energy and now serves over 10,000 homes annually across Minnesota for CenterPoint, Xcel Energy, and Minnesota Energy Resources.

What attracted you to this work?

As a carpenter and cabinet maker by trade I have always enjoyed construction and building custom projects. After serving in the Air Force I attended the University of Minnesota. My intent was to graduate with an engineering

degree. I soon realized that was not my calling and moved on first to chemistry and then to accounting. Much like other college students, I was having a difficult time deciding what I enjoyed most. I clearly remember the day when I was on the East Bank of the University and saw an advertisement for Wood and Paper Science Majors on the St. Paul Campus. The little bit I read intrigued me. The following day I met Pat Huelman with Cold Climate Housing and some others from the department. I knew instantly I had found a home!

Over the next two years Pat, Marilou Cheple, and others became more than teachers or instructors to me. Their passion, enthusiasm, knowledge, and patience were beyond any expectation I could ever hope for. Pat and Marilou—as well as Rubin Shmulsky and Jim Boyer—significantly impacted my life and helped form me into who I am today. I truly value what they have provided for me. As days, weeks and months went by in the program, there were days when I was “drinking out of the

fire hydrant.” All of my instructors pushed as much information to me as I could handle. Well maybe a bit more than what I could handle at times! It was a great feeling to have such talented and dedicated people there to guide me. Each day I realized I was on the right path and never looked back.

If you had advice for builders these days, what would it be? How about home owners?

Advice for home builders: Continue to take pride in the homes you build each day. Home building is a time honored trade and very respected industry. I advise homeowners and home buyers to be informed about how their home—often the biggest investment they have made—works and how they can choose both energy efficiency and comfort. New technology makes this pretty darn easy, but homeowners must be tuned in to how their home works and how to maintain and protect this huge investment to protect not only the structure and the mechanicals, but also the health of their family.

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Mat Gates, CEOResidential Science Resources

REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM THE CLEAN ENERGY RESOURCE TEAMS (CERTs)

The Clean Energy Resource Teams—or CERTs—are a statewide partnership with a shared mission to connect individuals and their communities to the resources they need to identify and implement community-based clean energy projects. To learn more visit CleanEnergyRe-sourceTeams.org.


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30 BATC Digest April–June 201630 BATC Digest April–June 2016

hot sheet (industry data)

Metro Building Permitted UnitsPast 12 Months

SOURCE: KEYSTONE REPORT

Twin Cities Average Sales PriceSOURCE: MPLS REALTORS

$262,534$245,888

+6.8%Y-Y Change

Unemployment Rate Snapshot

MSP3.2%

December 2014

3.1%December 2015

MN 3.6%

December 2014

3.6%December 2015

YTD Feb 2016

YTD Feb 2015 9.5%Y-Y Change

Multi-Family

53% of Twin Cities Housing Units

Authorized

Twin Cities Total Closed Sales

SOURCE: MPLS REALTORS

YTD 2016

YTD 2015

2,799

2,376

+17.8%Y-Y Change

Twin Cities Total New Listings

SOURCE: MPLS REALTORS

Twin Cities EmploymentSOURCE: DEED MN

Twin Cities Housing Units Authorized

SOURCE: KEYSTONE REPORT

HOTSHEET LOVE INDUSTRY DATA & NEWS?

FOLLOW OR SUBSCRIBE TO THE BATC DAILY BLOG AT BLOG.BATC.ORG

Mar

’15

Apr

’15

May

’15

Jun

’15

Jul ’

15

Aug

’15

Sep

’15

Oct

’15

Nov

’15

Dec

’15

Jan

’16

Feb

’16

928

371

4,167

4,489

YTD 2016

YTD 2015

-7.2%Y-Y Change

YTD 2015

YTD 2016

YTD 2015

YTD 2014

1,260.58

1,224.31

+2%Y-Y Change

7,215

7,304

YTD 2015

YTD 2014

-1%Y-Y Change

Twin Cities Construction Employment

Twin CitiesConstruction Weekly Wage

Twin Cities Home Builders Survey SOURCE: UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS & BUILDERS ASSOCIATION OF THE TWIN CITIES

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TEAMBATC

Come be our guests of honor at the BATC Bash Member Appreciation Party!

We encourage all members–young, old, newbies and long timers–to spend a few hours just enjoying the company of other BATC members. You’ll find plenty of connecting, great food and of course, beer and wine. You’ll even be able to up your stash of BATC Bucks for the November 17th Auction.

RSVP @ batc.org Free to attend!

Member Appreciation Party!Tuesday, June 21 | 3:00–6:00pmBATC Office

IWe You!


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Our February Small Volume Builders Roundtable featured Jenna Engel,

chief growth officer with Jul Creative. It was a great event, with lots of

great information and tips for using digital resources to generate cost-

effective leads for builders.

Getting IN the know about

INbound Marketing

Inbound marketing refers to marketing activities that bring visitors in, rather than marketers having to go out to get prospects’ attention. Inbound marketing earns the attention of customers, makes the company easy to be found, and draws customers to the website by producing interesting content.

BATC’s recent Parade of Homes research confirmed that content is king in an increasingly noisy media world. Buyers are doing plenty of on-line research before they ever get to your

model, so it’s incredibly important that you help them find you, and give them the information they want at the right time.

Jenna shared tips on how to use key word opportunities to attract prospects to your content. And she explained how to use downloadable content (a white paper about the benefits of green construction, a photo gallery of great “white” kitchens) to capture leads. Another key to optimizing inbound marketing efforts is providing content for prospects at different points along their

buying process (awareness, consideration, decision) as well as geared to appeal to your prospects differing personas (empty nester couple most concerned about low maintenance or a busy couple that needs to make the process less time-consuming).

We hope you’ll consider joining our next Small Volume Roundtable on June 15th where we’ll hear from Don Skelly, President of Hanson Builders, who will share tips on writing “defensible” contracts. Details soon at BATC.org.

roundtable

Small Volume Builder Round TableJune 15, 2016Featuring Don Skelly, President of Hanson Builders on

Writing “Defensible” Contracts

Details soon at BATC.org

small volume builders


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Welcome...

batc administration

BATC is pleased to welcome Mark Foster to our staff as our Political Engagement Manager. Mark’s role will be multi-faceted and includes management of the Home Builder Advocate Network, BATC’s Grasstops and Grassroots Member Network; Local and Regional Policy Issues; and Housing First Fundraising and organization. Mark will be in the field actively engaging with BATC members. We know you’ll make him feel welcome when he calls!

A Burlington, Iowa native, Mark earned his political science degree from Minnesota State University, Mankato in 2012 at the age of 19. After graduation, he moved back to his hometown to work for the Greater Burlington Partnership. During his three years with the Partnership he managed a variety of programs, events and organizations including the government relations and young professionals programs. Under Mark’s leadership the government relations program received the 2015 MACE Public

Policy of the Year Award and the young professionals organization reached an all-time membership high. In his spare time Mark enjoys running marathons. He completed five within the past three years and is currently training for the 2016 Boston Marathon. Additionally, Mark and his fiancee, Bonnie, are engaged to be married in July.

Mark Foster Joins BATC Staff as Political Engagement Manager

651-697-7576 // [email protected]

Originally from Eden Prairie, Kristina received her Journalism & Marketing degree from Iowa State University. Following graduation, she remained in Iowa running several local businesses and starting the Alive Concert Series. She took a position with the Greater Des Moines Partnership as their Event Manager, overseeing several large scale festivals including the internationally recognized Des Moines Arts Festival. Like most Minnesota natives, she eventually returned home to the Twin Cities where she found herself

in the high-end jewelry business, managing all aspects of a small boutique jewelry store, Diamonds Direct. After seven years in the business, she left her position as Manager Partner to become the Director of Membership with BATC in her pursuit to follow her passion of doing more for her community.

Mahler resides in the Twin Cities metro with her husband, James, and their 21-month old son, Frankie. In her free time, Kristina enjoys biking, being outdoors in any capacity,

lifting weights, watching the Vikings win (or lose), creating/collecting artwork and baking without recipes. Kristina is also proud of her participation on the board for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Fall Festival of Hope.

Kristina Mahler Joins BATC Staff as Director of Membership


We’re excited to welcome Tammi Hall to the administrative team in her new role as BATC Accountant. Tammi joined BATC in January and will be responsible for daily accounting activities for both BATC and the BATC Foundation. She previously worked for a professional association doing accounting, as well as education programming and event planning.

Most recently she spent 17 years at a non-profit focused on housing and support services for at risk families, where she worked on all aspects of accounting from daily operations to financial reporting. She and her husband, Bob, live in Golden Valley. They have a daughter, Natalie, who is a freshman at the University of St. Thomas. In her spare time, she enjoys all sorts of home and garden

projects, photography, books, movies, biking and travel adventures with her family.

Tammi Hall Joins BATC Staff as new Accountant



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June 7this the Fall 2016 Parade of HomesSM and

Remodelers Showcase® Entry Deadline.

NEED TO GET YOUR MESSAGE IN FRONT OF CONSUMERS?CALL KORI OR BRAD TO TALK ABOUT ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES

KORI [email protected] 612.801.9874 [email protected]

651 .269.2399

While you’re getting feedback from this Spring’s visitors…it’s the perfect time to plan your Fall Parade of Homes entries.

Questions? Contact Casey: 651-697-7569 or [email protected]

Details available and online entries open at ParadeofHomes.org

Early May 2016

September 10 to October 2

Fall Showcase

September 30 to October 2

Remodelers Showcase

2016 FALL EVENTS

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social media

Five Steps to Building aStrong Houzz Profile

Photos are key, but only if they’re searchableHigh quality photos could get you discovered, but when there’s over 9.5 million images on the Houzz photo stream, searchability is key. The good news: all text on Houzz is searchable. Before categorizing and tagging your photos, make sure your business profile includes your business description (who you are), services provided (what you do) and areas served (where you are). All of this text is searchable, after all! Once you’ve finished this, upload photos to a project and identify the photo category, fill out as many drop-downs as possible, and use the keyword tool to list photo details. TIP: For increased search strength, use style descriptors to name your project. For instance, “Rustic Contemporary Kitchen Remodel,” as opposed to “The Smith Residence.”

★Boost your profile by getting reviewsAccording to the most recent Houzz and Home Study, the number one thing homeowners look for before hiring a contractor is reviews. Luckily, Houzz makes it easy to get them. From the reviews screen you can easily enter a client email address and request a review. Be sure to include a custom message. Houzz is set up to send a follow-up email ten days later if no response was given. TIP: You can reference sent review requests in case you need a reminder.

Engage current clients with Idea BooksHouzz makes it easy to collaborate and communicate with current clients through Idea Books. Think of Idea Books as your “virtual manila folder” where you can share documents, photos and ideas. Adding collaborators to a project is easy and you have the ability to make your boards public or private. TIP: Want a more advanced tool to communicate ideas? Houzz’s new app, Sketch, makes it even easier to communicate creatively. With Sketch, you can select any of the photos on Houzz, or take photos on your own, and annotate or draw on the photos. You can even draw up mood-boards or floor plans.

Start giving your expert adviceWant to beat the Houzz algorithm and enhance your company’s search strength? Start giving out free advice. No, we’re not pulling your leg. Houzz’s Advice Section is the best place to show off your expertise to consumers that need help. Why should you do this? Aside from the boosting your profile strength, sharing advice as a business page means that your comments will appear alongside the Houzz pro icon when you post. Not only will you boost your exposure and engagement, but your company profile is just one click away if users want to see more, and expert advice is always the best advice.

Not everything is a sales pitchUltimately, Houzz is a social media platform, so have fun! Stop worrying about only speaking to local prospects, selling your products and services, and stressing about your ROI. Remember that Houzz is a brand building tool that can serve your business and clients right now, but it can also strengthen your company image and showcase your talents to prospective and future clients in the long run.

When Houzz specialist Skylar Schock stopped by BATC’s Remodelers Roundtable in February, we were busy taking notes. She told us there’s over 35 million users per month to the site, but our ears really perked up when she men-tioned that “over 90 percent are homeowners,” and a large percentage of these homeowners are looking to build or remodel in the next year.

The fact is, Houzz captures the industry’s target market in a unique and engaged way. There is no better online site for potential clients seeking ideas for their future home or future remodel. So, if you’re engaged in this online space, building a strong Houzz profile can serve your business well. Here are a few ways to boost your profile and make Houzz work for you:

Online marketing changed the face of small business, and with broad access came the problem of how to focus on the right people. Houzz perfectly solves this in the home industry by providing professionals with a well-qualified, highly engaged, and friendly community. While it’s a serious commitment to stay involved on the site daily, you get out of Houzz what you put into it. Houzz has been integral in elevating Martha O’Hara Interiors from a local design studio to a nationally recognized brand.”

Kate O’HaraMartha O’Hara Interiors

“

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A fabulous & fancy event honoring not only the award winners & the nominated, but all of those involved in our

industry committed to making the Twin Cities

a wonderful place to build or remodel a home

in every way. Such a wonderful venue, with so many peers in one space

having a great time.

“

— Lisa Piazza, Creek Hill Custom Homes, Inc.

Best 2016The

Your Hard Work Deserves RecognitionGet it by entering BATC’s Award Programs. Our awards recognize

excellence in several areas—from quality and value of construction to business ethics. Enter so we can celebrate the fine work you do!

All of our awards are presented at the Building Industry Gala (BIG) Night. At the BIG Night you’ll be able to accept your award alongside all our other

big winners, in front of the entire BATC membership.

We hope to see you onstage this October, accepting your trophy!Find additional entry information at BATCawards.com

ROMA (Remodeler of Merit AwardsSM) BATC Remodelers

May 27 —Entry Commitment & Payment Due

June 24—Entry Materials Due

Rising Star Award July 8—Nominations Due

Builder of the Year, Remodeler of the Year &

Associate of the Year July 8—Entry Due

Reggie AwardsSM Parade of Homes Builders

July 29—Entry Due

Trillium AwardsSM BATC Associates

August 26—Entry Due

Save the Date10.20.16 • Mystic Lake

2016 BATC Awards

Robert L. Hanson Industry Service Award // Spike of the Year

Advocate of the Year // Legislator of the Year

MN Green Path Leadership Award

batcawards.com


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batc endorsed programs

memberbenefits

The Builders Association of the Twin Cities has brought together an impressive array of members-only benefits that positively impact your bottom line.

We seek companies that thoroughly understand the building industry and provide products at rates generally not available on the street. Give these folks a chance to see what they can do. We think you will find they can save you money and provide you better service.

SuperAmerica Fleet Program

Save money with the SA Fleet Association Fueling Program. 13¢ per gallon discount for the first 90 days, 8¢ per gallon after first 90 days.

Lisa Felts | 651-403-3267 www.safleetcard.com

Verizon Wireless

Save 22% off monthly cell service or 18% off personal cell service for companies performing a significant amount of physical construction services, as well as architects, engineers, and surveyors.

Contact NPP at 800-810-3909 [email protected]

HBA Rebate

Join our BATC members who have saved on average $2,100+ using the HBA Rebate Program. Receive rebates from manufacturers you are already using, all without any changes to your business practices.

www.HBA.rebates.com

Holiday Stationstores

Save 4.5 cents on every gallon of gas plus double discounts the first 90 days.

Contact Don Keis at 952-830-8889

GM – NAHB’s Exclusive Auto Dealer

Now get an incentive of up to $1,000 on eligible purchases. See dealer for details.

GMFleet.com

+

2-10 Home Buyers Warranty

Earn exclusive NAHB discounts on 2-10 HBW products: Builder Backed Service Program, Front Line Warranty Services and their New Construction Home Warranty Service Agreement.

Contact Beth Kost at 763-202-3638 [email protected] | www.2-10.com

NEW

Sherwin Williams

Competitive and customizable pricing for members on architectural coatings, chemical coatings, industrial coatings and paint supplies/rollers. Members also have the option of receiving a local quote on wall coverings, floor coverings, window treatments and spray equipment

www.mynpp.com > Sherwin Williams page Questions? Contact NPP at 800-810-3909 [email protected]

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www.safleet.com

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www.mynpp.com

www.hba.rebates.com


BUILDING MATERIALS9130 W 202ND STLAKEVILLE, MN 55044952.469.2116

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But ProBuild doesn’t stop there. We also o� er a full line of windows, doors, and cabinets to put the � nal touches on a product you will be proud to put your name on. If you need it, we have it. Please call or come in today with all of your building needs.

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JANUARY LAUNCH PARTY AND BOARD INDUCTION - JANUARY 14, 2016 1. The BATC Foundation swears in its 2016 Board of Directors 2. Jeanne and Jim Myers, Twin Cities Closet Company 3. Over 200 BATC members packed the great hall of the Calhoun Beach Club as we launched the 2016 year with drinks and appetizers 4. Katie Talboy, Bob Michels Construction, Inc. and Brent Carlson, Carlson Asset Management 5. Emily Helmer and Ray Carroll, Carroll’s Exterior Remodeling 6. Kathy Trimble, Kathy Trimble Custom Homes, Inc. and Kristi Liedman, North Central Sales 7. BATC Executive Director David Siegel swears in the 2016 BATC Board of Directors 8. Timothy and Renee Shimek, Keith Krouse, Josh Wedeking and Tommy Shimek, Glowing Hearth & Home 9. Andrea Christensen, MJ’s Contract Appliance, Inc. and Pattie Martin, Twin City Fireplace & Stone Company, Inc. 10. Kimberly Bednar, Brush Masters; Pattie Martin, Twin City Fireplace & Stone Company, Inc. and Todd Polifka, Brush Masters 11. Bryan Ogle, Ogle Construction Maintanence, Services, Inc. and Luke Hanson, Collins Electrical Construction Co. 12. Scott Jensen, David Weekly Homes and Dennis Galligan, In-Focus Systems 13. Meg Jaeger, Mega Homes and Chris Contreras, M/I Homes of Minneapolis, LLC 14. 2016 BATC President Meg Jaeger with her family 15. Cory Tamm, Icynene, and Tyrone Brunn, T.A. Brunn Construction, Inc. 16. Guest speaker Dr. Robert Dietz, NAHB 17. Judy and Craig Plekkenpol, Plekkenpol Builders, Inc.

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view more photos at www.blog.batc.org

Thank youPRESENTING SPONSORS


BATC JOB & CAREER FAIR - FEBRUARY 18, 2016 The Mall of America Rotunda was bustling with candidates looking to make an impression on the residential construction industry. Thirty-five top-notch BATC member companies were hiring over 200 positions at the 4th Annual BATC Job & Career Fair.


THANK YOU SPONSORS


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FEBRUARY KICKSTART - FEBRUARY 10, 2016 1. Kristi Liedman, North Central Sales, Inc. and Sharon Chamberlain, Phantom Screens 2. Matt Joseph, 101 Mobility Twin Cities 3. Sue Rasmussen, Denamico 4. Alyssa Gallagher, Phantom Screens 5. Executive Director David Siegel presents BATC’s core committments 6. Rob Lind, R.W. Lind Builders, Inc. 7. Brendon Dennewill, Denamico 8. Kristen Lade, Northern Heating & Air Conditioning 9. Bill Benson, Boulder Creek Stone 10. Erik Fenn, Sears Commercial

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INTRODUCING THE NEW BELGARD®

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www.molin.com


• Angies List Honor Roll & BBB Premier Members

• Complete Interior & Exterior Painting

• Custom Wood Finishing

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• And So Much More!

The best home painters in the business for over 30 years.

952-469-5901www.cityscapepainting.com

A DREAM HOME

DOESN’T HAVE TO BE A DREAM.Moving is stressful enough. Building a home doesn’t have to be. That’s why we focus on providing the best customer service experience, so you can move into the home of your dreams. Contact your local expert below to get started today.

Loan products are offered by Associated Bank, N.A., and are subject to credit approval and involve interest and other costs. Please ask about details on fees and terms and conditions of these products. Property insurance and flood insurance, if applicable, will be required on collateral. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender. (2/16) 8363

Michael FannonBloomington651-554-8719NMLS: 524057

Randy HoeschenSt. Louis Park952-591-2897NMLS: 524058

Stuart ManskSavage651-306-1874NMLS: 553805

Daniel NugentPlymouth763-694-2844NMLS: 500985

Mark TrippSt. Paul651-523-6311NMLS: 524105

www.cityscapepainting.com


MINNESOTA BUILDER DAY AT THE CAPITOL - MARCH 15, 2016 1. Jane DeAustin, Sauk Rapids CMBA and Dale Gruber, Dale Gruber Construction 2. Our live Twitter feed was a huge success as members posted photos throughout the event in real-time 3. The Minnesota State Office building at the Capitol complex 4. It was a smooth ride as attendees took deluxe buses from the St. Paul Hotel to the Capitol complex 5. John Coty, Residential Technology Systems and Curt Christensen, Lee Lyn Construction 6. Jeff Cook, Hallmark Building Supplies and Scott Jenewein, Cambria 7. Rep. Jenifer Loon; Melissa Engler, Jan Winnek and Graham Epperson, Pulte Homes of Minnesota 8. Kori Meewes, And More By Kori; Kristin Rother, Minnesota Rusco, Inc.; Rep. Roz Peterson; and Mark Foster, BATC 9. Brad Meewes, BATC, talking with Representative Kelly Fenton 10. Carole Griffith, Robert Thomas Homes; Brian Jacobson, Wells Fargo; Paul Grabow, Robert Thomas Homes; Rep. Jon Koznick; Tim Hufnagle, Wells Fargo; and Tami Erickson, Country Joe Homes 11. Networking was a blast inside the historic St. Paul Hotel 12. Mark Foster, BATC; Brad Sorensen, R&J Insulation; Kori Meewes, And More by Kori; Rep. Tara Mack; Stu Thompson, The Builders Group; Janice Meyer, BATC; Dennis Galligan, In-Focus Systems; and Tammi Hall, BATC 13. We capped off the evening with a special Legislative Reception inside the St. Paul Hotel’s grand ballroom 14. Rep. Erin Murphy; and Bob Schuunicht, Landform Professional Services 15. Danielle Ringwelski, Greenspring Media; and Katie Harms, Scherer Bros. Lumber Co. 16. Bill Gshwind, Minnesota Construction Law Services with James and Rachel Julkowski, Julkowski inc. 17. Michael Resech, Residential Science Resources; Luke Hanson, Collins Electric; and Mat Gates, Residential Science Resources

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Thank youADVOCATE SPONSORS

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59April–June 2016 BATC Digest

BUILDER | REMODELER | REAL ESTATE

BATC IBS HOSPITALITY SUITE - JANUARY 20, 2016 LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

1. Shawn Nelson, New Spaces, and Jason McCarty, Westwood Professional Services, mingled with other BATC members attending BATC’s IBS Hospitality Suite 2. BATC Marketing and Events Manager, Nicole Coon, takes a selfie with the chef 3. Mike Simon, Jon Boonstra, and David Dupree, Ful-lerton Lumber 4. Jody Kern, Wells Fargo Private Mortgage, Katie Harms, Scherer Bros. Lumber Co., Daniel Gaudette, Rauscher & Associates, and Tom Rauscher, Rauscher & Associates 5. Mark Scherer, Scherer Bros. Lumber Co., David Zweber, David Charlez Designs, and Vince Birdsley, Copper Creek LLC 6. BATC’s annual IBS Hospitality Suite was held at the Linq Hotel in Las Vegas 7. The Wells Fargo team enjoying drinks and appetizers 8. Guy and Mary Selinske, American Glass & Mirror, with Deb and Curt Christensen, Lee Lyn Construction 9. Retired remodeler, Mike McCalvy with Kori Meewes, And More by Kori 10. Enjoying the view from the Linq Hotel’s fifth floor Wheel House 11. Scherer Bros. Lumber Co., ThermoTech and Xcel Energy hosted the evening 12. Food and fun was flowing as BATC members socialized and networked

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THANK YOU SPONSORS

BATC’S CONTINUING EDUCATION RESOURCE, CONTRACTOR UNIVERSITY, provided 40 CE courses from December 2015 to March 2016 with top local and national instructors.

www.ContractorU.com

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We hope you’ll make it a point to welcome these new members.

AAA Movers, Inc.5512 Lakeland Avenue N.Crystal, MN [email protected]

Adam’s Pest Control922 Highway 55, #100Medina, MN 55340763-478-9810dave@adamspestcontrol.comwww.adamspestcontrol.com

Advanced Disposal309 Como AvenueSt. Paul, MN 55103651-487-8546magan.thompson@advanceddisposal.comwww.advanceddisposal.com

Alerus120 South 6th Street, #200Minneapolis, MN [email protected]

American Stucco Enterprises, LLC9424 - 325th Avenue NEHarris, MN [email protected]

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.3600 American Boulevard W., #500Bloomington, MN [email protected]

Baton Homes7374 Kirkwood CourtMaple Grove, MN [email protected]

Corner Home Medical3001 Louisiana Avenue N.New Hope, MN [email protected]

Cornerstone Auto17219 Highway 10 NWElk River, MN [email protected] www.cornerstoneauto.com

CT Construction, LLC9808 1st Avenue S.Bloomington, MN [email protected]

Custom Homes by JP Bush, LLC1820 Quinlan Avenue S.Lakeland, MN [email protected] www.joebushmn.com

DCR, LLC7760 France Avenue S., #1100Edina, MN [email protected]

Denamico333 Washington Avenue N., #202Minneapolis, MN [email protected]

Doyle Real Estate Team13784 - 83rd Way N., #200Maple Grove, MN 55446612-702-7687brandon@doylerealestateteam.comwww.doylerealestateteam.com

Emser Tile14105 - 13th Avenue N.Plymouth, MN [email protected]

Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp.4445 W. 77th Street, #105Edina, MN [email protected]

Gilleland Chevrolet Cadillac, Inc.3019 W. Division StreetSt. Cloud, MN [email protected]

Heinen Homes, Inc.21675 - 203rd Street NWBig Lake, MN [email protected] www.heinenhomes.com

Lelch, Inc. dba Lelch Audio Video5600 Excelsior BoulevardSt. Louis Park, MN [email protected]

McCarron’s Building CenterP.O. Box 490Forest Lake, MN [email protected]

Medici Development, LLC5330 Vicksburg Lane N.Plymouth, MN 55446651-788-5841medicihomesusa@gmail.comwww.medicidevelopment.com

Melby Homes, LLCP.O. Box 567North Branch, MN [email protected]

Midwest Electric and Generator, Inc.P.O. Box 293Rogers, MN 55374612-284-1550john@midwestgenerators.comwww.midwestgenerators.com

Modeen Company6215 - 172nd Lane NWRamsey, MN 55303763-425-3600gregp@modeencompany.comwww.modeenwindowanddoor.com

Multivista256 - 1st Avenue N., #300Minneapolis, MN [email protected]

North Country Distributors, Inc.8600 Jefferson HighwayOsseo, MN [email protected]

Northern Heating & Air Conditioning9431 Alpine DriveRamsey, MN [email protected]

Orion Development, LLC17853 - 76th Avenue N.Maple Grove, MN [email protected]

Panasonic2 Riverfront PlazaNewark, NJ 7102407-922-6956chelsea.dunshee@ ext.us.panasonic.comwww.business.panasonic.com

Pinnacle4030 Technology Drive NWBemidji, MN [email protected]

Prescription Builders Roofing12044 - 120th Street S.Hastings, MN 55033651-500-9811derek@prescriptionbuilder.comwww.prescriptionbuilder.com

Principles Building & Remodeling, LLC8156 Nichols RoadEagan, MN [email protected]

membership

Meet BATC’s Newest Members

Joining the Builders Association of the Twin Cities is the first step in becoming more active in your industry. Please take a moment to welcome the newest members of our Association.

MEMBERSHIP CONTINUES ON 62

∙ Brick ∙ Thin Brick

∙ Thin Natural Stone∙ Cut Stone

∙ Decorative Concrete∙ Pavers & Flagstone

∙ Cultured Stone®

∙ Natural Stone∙ Landscape Supplies∙ and more

Your masonry source since 1954.

Eagan 1243 Eagan Industrial Rd 651-686-5036 Elk River 12785 Elk Lake Rd 763-441-2004 www.BrockWhite.com

www.brockwhite.com

www.theresultants.com


See a complete list of Spike points at batc.org

MEMBER SPIKELIGHT

Carole Griffith Homes by Tradition

Jim Stanton Shamrock Builders

Nick Dreher Liberty Title

Kyle Mohs Quality Forklift Sales

Kori Meewes and more by Kori

Kacie Miller Minnesota Exteriors

Peter Lewis Lewis Custom Homes

Deb Earl

Andy Voorhees Ancona Title & Escrow

Bryan Wolfe Fieldstone Family Homes, Inc.

NEW MEMBERLAST QUARTER1

WANT TO BE A SPIKE? It’s easy! Just start recruiting new members for BATC. With your first new member you become a Spike candidate. As soon as you bring us six new members you are officially inducted into the exclusive NAHB Spike Club with all the honors that bestows.

membership

MEMBERSHIP CONTINUES ON 642 3

R. W. Lind Builders, Inc.13700 Water Tower Circle, Ste. CPlymouth, MN [email protected]

Ramsay Properties, LLC217 Dean Avenue EastChamplin, MN 55316763-712-5325bramsay@ramsaypropertiesllc.comwww.ramsaypropertiesllc.com

Riffland Solutions12261 Juniper Street NWMinneapolis, MN 55448651-338-6182mary@rifflandsolutions.comwww.rifflandsolutions.com

Ryan Sales, Inc.4083 Chappuis TrailFaribault, MN [email protected]

Siding Unlimited, Inc.750 South Plaza Drive, #211Mendota Heights, MN [email protected]

Simonson Design Lab, Inc.275 Market Street, Ste. C-7Minneapolis, MN [email protected]

Single Ply Systems909 Apollo RoadEagen, MN [email protected]

Tradition Development Corp.16972 Brandtjen Farm DriveLakeville, MN 55044952-322-8704jacob.fick@ traditiondevelopment.comwww.traditiondevelopment.com

Tradition Mortgage, LLC6800 France Avenue S., #310Edina, MN 55435952-920-5100thomas.nast@traditionllc.comwww.traditioncompanies.com

True North Consulting, LLC4200 - 22nd Avenue S.Minneapolis, MN 55407612-963-4049jill@truenorthconsultingmn.comwww.truenorthconsultingmn.com Twisted Elements, Inc.275 Market Street, Suite C-4Minneapolis, MN 55405612-305-0456skye@twisted-elements.comwww.Twisted-Elements.com

Vanek Construction, LLC5200 Stillwater CourtSt. Paul, MN [email protected]

Waterstone Mortgage Corporation7920 Main Street N.Maple Grove, MN 55369763-315-6140kmaher@waterstonemortgage.comwww.waterstonemortgage.com

Wright Homes, Inc.15005 Jeffers Pass NWPrior Lake, MN [email protected]


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SOLUTIONSWith methods such as hydraulic lift systems, helical piling, tie backs, piering, and load testing, we have repair solutions to fix nearly every situation.

RELIABILITYBecause of our experienced approach to foundation repair and new construction installations, and the depths we go, our solutions provide stability you can rely on.

WHY YOU NEED PILING SYSTEMSWhen you have a foundation issue, Piling Systems has the technology to solve it. With over 20 years of experience in

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Serving Minneapolis/St. Paul and Greater [email protected] | 612-282-5883 pilingsystems.com

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We are excited about a number of new initiatives that the membership committee is working on and since membership is the life-blood of BATC, we thought you should know about them!

We are very excited about the recent hire of our new Director of Membership Kristina Mahler. Kristina will be working on garnering excited new members to BATC’s rosters and will be galvanizing the Membership Committee’s efforts to attract new members who are seeking the great opportunities that BATC has to offer. Heather Griffis will continue to work on Member Services or what we on the MC call “retention.” Together, they will make a well rounded resource for new and existing members alike. BATC Leadership and the Membership Committee have realized that a member is most vulnerable to non-engagement and thus non-renewal in the first two years of their membership.

It’s intimidating to go into a room full of people you don’t know or establish a discipline for making the time to attend events. Thus we are rolling out BATC’s Mentor Program. This program will call upon BATC Membership Committee, Board and other committee members to “mentor” three or four new members throughout the course of their first year(s) of membership. We will be inviting them to events we are attending, making quarterly phone calls to them gauging and encouraging their involvement, connecting them with other members whose experience or connections they could benefit from. In short we will be making sure that they are not “slipping through the cracks” and are aware of all of the potential that BATC’s Membership holds.

The Membership Committee will also be present at the BRS show in April.

We will be targeting new members and first time exhibitors extending ourselves to them as a resource and encouraging behaviors and expectations on the show floor. This means being actively engaged in initiating relationships at the show that they can build upon after. We know that the BRS show is a fabulous opportunity to show your skill-sets and products and you will never have a better and more captive audience. So we’ll be encouraging exhibitors to foster relationships on these grounds, and to follow up with the builders and associates they introduced themselves to during the show, making their investment in the BRS show well worth their time. We are also more clearly identifying new members at events this year by having them wear blue lanyards at events instead of the black ones customarily worn by existing members. If you see a new member at an event, please extend yourself to them, introduce yourself and take the time to hear about what they are looking for within their membership. Chances are you know something or someone that can help them on their quest, and you never know how that new member may come to benefit you and your business! All in all, the Membership Committee is very excited to increase our engagement both in the seeking of new, active members and making sure those members are realizing the true benefits they can achieve by getting involved and broadening their circles. We hope that you all will help us in our efforts as membership belongs to us all.

membership

2016 BATC Membership CommitteeThe BATC Membership Committee maintains a strong membership base by contacting prospective members and encouraging membership retention. Ambassadors also acquaint, motivate and inspire new members to take advantage of and participate in all the programs and services available through the Builders Association of the Twin Cities.

JILL MURPHY, CHAIR Martha O’Hara Interiors

ANDY VOORHEES Ancona Title & Escrow

TIM BLAHNIK Solutions Insurance Agencies

ANDREA CHRISTENSEN MJ’s Contract Appliance, Inc.

JON COTY Residential Technology Systems

BRANDON DOYLE RE/MAX Results

LISA FELTS SuperAmerica

MARTY FOOTE Stillwater Motors

TIM HAGEN Lappin Lighting-JH Larson

DENNA HICKMAN Marvin Windows and Doors

TONY KOVAL Oakcrest Building Products

RICK LOCKWOOD Prudential

PATTIE MARTIN Twin City Fireplace & Stone Company

JANELLE MATTSON Ridge Creek Custom Homes

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ANDY MICHELS Bob Michels Construction, Inc.

JERRY PETERSON

ROGER RATAJCZAK Rosedale Chevrolet

BRIAN ROBBINS Pella Windows & Doors – Twin Cities

CELESTE SCHUMACHER Light’N Up!

LYLE VRANA Masonite International Corp.

HEATHER GRIFFIS BATC Staff

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FINDTHIS

WE HID IT GOOD.

A nail is hidden somewhere in every issue of the BATC Digest, including the one you’re holding right now.

It could be tucked into a photo or stuck in a drawing…in a mar-gin…in a body of text…even used as an exclamation point at the end of a headline (but never in an advertisement). It resem-bles a real-life nail and looks something like this…

The nail above is just an example—it is not the real one hidden for this issue’s contest. We’ve concealed the real one else-where in this issue, and it could be a different color or size. Keep in mind, the Spike Club logo’s nail does not count.

IF YOU FIND IT...1. You must be a member to participate.

2. Email or fax us, telling what page it’s on: ([email protected] or 651-697-7575)

3. We’ll enter you in a drawing to win a business-card size ad in a future BATC Digest, OR a set of member labels (non-electronic version).

4. All other entries receive $100 in BATC Bucks.

5. Entries must be received by May 15, 2016.

LAST ISSUEThe nail was not found. It was on the lower right corner of the “Sherwin Williams” box on the BATC Member Benefits page, on page 66.

66 BATC Digest January–March 2016


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66 BATC Digest January–March 2016


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68 BATC Digest April–June 201668 BATC Digest April–June 2016

batc foundation

Bluebird House Wraps UpA Project by Twin Cities Builders in Support of Our CommunityBY JACQUELINE BILEK, BATC FOUNDATION PROGRAM COORDINATOR

How many hearts were touched by the BATC Foundation’s Bluebird House build and remodel?

Innumerable! Literally hundreds participated in some way including staff, families, builders, vendors, volunteers and donors. We all joined the Bluebird House community of kindness and purpose. So to Matthew, Scott, Randy and Daniel, the residents of Homeward Bound’s Bluebird House, we say thank-you for bringing us all together.

And what better way to celebrate our new community and a finished building project than with a party. The “opening” ribbon was officially cut at the Bluebird Open House on February 16th attended by residents and their families, Homeward Bound staff, BATC members, our Build Partner Vujovich Design Build and many of the vendors who worked on the project.

This very successful project added more than 1,000 square feet of space to the cramped rambler. An expanded bedroom now has adequate space for medical equipment and visitors. A newly built bathroom provides a lift and medical accommodations that give the residents and staff more accessibility to everyday activities we take for granted.

And what about the family room? It is, in fact, a window on the world. Matthew, Scott, Randy and Daniel now have a family room with windows on three sides. The sun radiates in, lifting spirits and welcoming the residents to each new day. The fellows even have a front-row view to the periodic deer that roam their yard. With space now large enough to include not only all the residents but family and staff as well, no doubt there will be future celebrations in this room and out on the new deck in the coming months.

The BATC Foundation is pleased to have spearheaded the Bluebird House project accomplished by a building community that cares. We send a special thankyou to Vujovich Design Build for stepping up to be the Build Partner plus everyone who was involved in this very special project! We are encouraged that such worthy projects will engage more Build Partners and vendors in the BATC Foundation’s future work.

BATC FOUNDATION BLUEBIRD HOUSE RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY - 2/16/16 ABOVE: Daniel and Randy, residents of the Bluebird House; LEFT: Don Priebe, Homeward Bound, Scott Jensen, David Weekley Homes, Perri Graham-Raff, BATC Foundation, and Ed Roskowinski, Vujovich Design Build; CENTER: New laundry; RIGHT: New accessible bath

8

“You guys do amazing work. I have never seen a trade organization that gives back like BATC.”– Frank Roffers

Publisher + Editor-in-Chief Artful Living Magazine


Perri Graham-Raff BATC Foundation

Executive Director

[email protected]

651-697-7563

Our feature project – and our first HomeAid Twin Cities build – will focus on providing tran-sitional housing for homeless veteran-headed households. Partnering with the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV) and Rebuilding Together Twin Cities, this project will provide MACV with an option for housing homeless veterans with families for the first time. To make things even more exciting, this build will be a feature service project for the attendees of the national Medal of Honor national con-ference, scheduled to be held in Minneapolis in October. The

Medal of Honor is the military’s highest award and the living recipients will gather here in October to choose new recip-ients. For the first time, they will be participating in a local service project and have chosen our HomeAid Twin Cities build.

In addition to the MACV project, the BATC Foundation will be helping a Stillwater veteran with some much needed repairs on his home.

We’re looking for a Build Partner for these two very special veter-an-related projects, contact Perri Graham-Raff if you’re interested in knowing more.

Upcoming Events

For Additional Event Information, Visit BATCFoundation.org

April 16Inaugural BATC Foundation’s

Hearts in Housing GalaMetropolitan Ballroom • 5418 Wayzata Boulevard, Golden Valley

Doors Open 4pm • Silent Auction, Cash Bar and Networking 4-8pm Dinner 6:30pm • Awards and Entertainment 8:30pm

Black Tie Admired • Register at: www.batc.org/event/heartsinhousinggala

June 10-12, 17-19 & 24-26 Artisan Home Tour

A Portion of all Ticket Proceeds Benefit the BATC Foundation

September 20 BATC Foundation Golf Open

Legends Club, Prior Lake

2016 ProjectsYour BATC Foundation has some great projects lined up for 2016.


Perri Graham-Raff BATC Foundation

Executive Director

[email protected]

651-697-7563

Our feature project – and our first HomeAid Twin Cities build – will focus on providing tran-sitional housing for homeless veteran-headed households. Partnering with the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV) and Rebuilding Together Twin Cities, this project will provide MACV with an option for housing homeless veterans with families for the first time. To make things even more exciting, this build will be a feature service project for the attendees of the national Medal of Honor national con-ference, scheduled to be held in Minneapolis in October. The

Medal of Honor is the military’s highest award and the living recipients will gather here in October to choose new recip-ients. For the first time, they will be participating in a local service project and have chosen our HomeAid Twin Cities build.

In addition to the MACV project, the BATC Foundation will be helping a Stillwater veteran with some much needed repairs on his home.

We’re looking for a Build Partner for these two very special veter-an-related projects, contact Perri Graham-Raff if you’re interested in knowing more.

Upcoming Events

For Additional Event Information, Visit BATCFoundation.org

April 16Inaugural BATC Foundation’s

Hearts in Housing GalaMetropolitan Ballroom • 5418 Wayzata Boulevard, Golden Valley

Doors Open 4pm • Silent Auction, Cash Bar and Networking 4-8pm Dinner 6:30pm • Awards and Entertainment 8:30pm

Black Tie Admired • Register at: www.batc.org/event/heartsinhousinggala

June 10-12, 17-19 & 24-26 Artisan Home Tour

A Portion of all Ticket Proceeds Benefit the BATC Foundation

September 20 BATC Foundation Golf Open

Legends Club, Prior Lake

2016 ProjectsYour BATC Foundation has some great projects lined up for 2016.

We’re looking for a

BUILD PARTNER

for two very special veteran-related projects, contact

Perri Graham-Raff if you’re

interested in knowing more:

[email protected] 651-697-7563

We welcome all inquiries regarding

participation, worthy projects to consider or donations to ‘Building Heart in Housing.’

We’re looking for a

BUILD PARTNER

for two very special veteran-related projects, contact

Perri Graham-Raff if you’re

interested in knowing more:

[email protected] 651-697-7563

We welcome all inquiries regarding

participation, worthy projects to consider or donations to ‘Building Heart in Housing.’

batcfoundation.org


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Get the details at xcelenergy.com/EnergyPartners.

© 2016 Xcel Energy Inc.

Hook Up with Natural Gas Appliances.

7x4.875_MN_BuildersDigest2016_P01.indd 1 2/10/16 8:13 AM

HOW DO BATC BUCKS WORK?Collect BATC BUCKS all year, then bring them to the BATC BUCK AUCTION in November to bid on great prizes and cash drawings.

EARN EVEN MOREGet more BATC BUCKS by finding the nail in the BATC Digest or by wearing your SPIKE apparel to an event.

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BIG NEWS

Peter Coyle Recognized by Chambers USA

Peter Coyle, Larkin Hoffman, was rec-ognized as a “No-table Practitioner” in real estate by Chambers USA, one of the leading

guides for the legal profession.

NAHB Adds Peter Kulczyk to their Codes Division

Peter Kulczyk, a highly respected code instructor, who has presented residential building code and residential energy

code educational programs for BATC, along with other groups, has recently been retained by the Construction, Codes & Standards Division of NAHB to consult on energy code proposals related to the 2018 International Codes (those published by the International Code Council) during the national code development cycle in 2016.

Best Builder / RemodelerAnchor Builders - Best of St. Louis ParkArbor Haus - Best of MinnetonkaBald Eagle Construction - Best of White Bear LakeCardinal Homebuilders - Best of WoodburyCastle Building & Remodeling - Best of St. PaulCates Fine Homes - Best of St. Croix ValleyCreative Homes - Best of St. Croix ValleyCustom One Homes - Best of WoodburyHagstrom Builder - Best of White Bear LakeIron River Construction - Best of Southwest MetroIspiri Design-Build-Remodel - Best of WoodburyJ Brothers Home Improvement - Best of Maple GroveJohn Kraemer & Sons - Best of EdinaJohn Kraemer & Sons - Best of Southwest MetroLDK Homes - Best of Maple GroveLecy Bros. - Best of Minnetonkamackmiller design + build - Best of Southwest MetroMcCormack Classic Construction - Best of St. Croix ValleyPillar Homes - Best of PlymouthPratt Homes - Best of White Bear LakeRefined, LLC - Best of EdinaSicora - Best of St. Louis Park

Best Home FurnishingsAbbott Paint & Carpet - Best of St. PaulGabberts - Best of EdinaGabberts - Best of Southwest MetroHOM Furniture - Best of PlymouthHOM Furniture - Best of WoodburyMingle - Best of PlymouthWarners’ Stellian Appliances - Best of St. Paul

Best Interior DesignMartha O’Hara Interiors - Best of EdinaMartha O’Hara Interiors - Best of Southwest MetroMingle - Best of Plymouth

Best Landscape Designer / ArchitectBachman’s - Best of EdinaBachman’s - Best of St. PaulHeins Nursery - Best of St. Croix River ValleyHeins Nursery - Best of WoodburyRust Architects - Best of White Bear LakeSouthview Design - Best of Southwest MetroYardscapes, Inc. - Best of Edina

Best Home ServiceCenterpoint Energy - Best of Edina Pronto Heating & Air Conditioning - Best of Edina

BIG NEWSTiger Oak Media Announces Finalists for the 2016 “Best of” Awards

Qualified Remodeler Features Murphy Bros.Qualified Remodeler Magazine featured Murphy Bros. Designers & Remodelers in their December issue. The publication focused on their latest project, a wine retreat, where Murphy Bros. transformed a former basement toy room into a food-and-wine escape. The project was inspired by the homeowners’ love of good wine, entertaining and memorable trip to Paris.

member news

Welcome to Member News. This is the place to learn about what’s happening in the lives of BATC members. We feature awards, births, marriages, condolences, promotions, new hires, and all sorts of other milestones.

staying connected TELL US YOUR NEWS: Remember to send all your important news and announcements to [email protected]!

List includes BATC Members only


member news - continued

BIG NEWS

Officially Off the MarketCongratulations to Andy Michels, Bob Michels Construction, and fiancée Amber Chaika on their engagement. Andy popped the question on March 5th and, of course, she said yes!

AWARDS

Bridgewater Awarded Best Of Houzz 2016Bridgewater Construction has won Best Of Design on Houzz®. The home remodeling company was chosen by the more than 35 million monthly unique users that comprise the Houzz community from among more than one million active home building, remodeling and design industry professionals.

Showroom Showdown Winner AnnouncedHedberg Supply announced Meri-wether Felt, AIA, of Meriwether, Inc. as the winner of its Showroom Showdown contest, which kicked off August 14 at the Masonry Selection Center located in Plym-outh. The “Showroom Showdown” invited architects, designers, builders, masons and landscape contractors to bring their clients to the Selection Center for product selections. Each completed selec-tion sheet constituted an entry in a drawing for a winter vacation for two in one of two popular destinations.

NEW PEOPLE & PROMOTIONS

New Director of Insurance for The Builders Group Effective February 1, 2016, Mitch Loewen will assume the responsibility of Director of Insurance for The Builders Group. Current Director of Insurance, Dennis Medo will stay on with the company to mentor Mitch through the end of the year, as well as also continue his role as President of The Builders Group Education Foundation.

Fullerton Companies Hires New Operations ManagerFullerton Companies named Christopher Blake to the post of plant operations manager of its Fullerton Building Systems division, headquartered in Worth-ington, MN.

ON THE MOVE

Mega Homes Has Moved Mega Homes has moved to a new location in Maple Grove! The company’s central location complements their current business model and will offer many efficiencies to its clients. The new space will also benefit their partnership with current realtor partners; Ryan Johnson, Ryan Boesen & Jamison Kohout all of Premier Real Estate Services, as they will now share the same office location, offering more col-laboration and services to mutual clients. New address: 7082 East Fish Lake Rd., Maple Grove

CONDOLENCES

Wensmann HomesOur sympathies to Herb Wens-mann of Wensmann Homes for the loss of his beloved wife Elaine, who passed away in January at the age of 83 surrounded by her family. Elaine was a loving wife, mother and granny who enjoyed playing golf, working with flowers and spending time with her family. Elaine and Herb owned and operated Wensmann Homes since 1968.

North American RealtyFrank Kottschade, North American Realty, at the passing of his brother Donald Kottschade, age 78. Donald passed away on January 15, 2016, after a recent diagnosis of ALS (Lou Gehrig disease).

Sondergaard Forcier BuildersThe family of Tim Forcier. Tim, age 54, passed away peacefully sur-rounded by his family. Tim was the co-owner of Sondergaard Forcier Builders for the past 20 years.

American Classic HomesDonald Nelson, age 66, entered Eternal Life on March 5, 2016, sur-rounded by

his loved ones after a brief battle with Glioblastoma. Don was diag-nosed with an inoperable brain tumor (Stage IV Glioblastoma) on Tuesday, December 29, 2015. Despite the terminal prognosis and difficult path ahead, Don decided to undergo aggressive treatment with the hope of helping researchers learn from his ailment. From the very moment that Don learned of his fate, his only concern was to make sure that he was able to contribute to research to help find a cure.

C & D GraniteOur deepest sympathy to the family of Curtis A. Steil, Founder of C & D Granite, who passed away on February 19 in Altamonte Springs FL, after a battle with cancer.

James Barton Design Build, Inc.Our hearts are breaking for James Madsen and his family, James Barton Design Build, at the loss of his son. Jared Evan Madsen, age 21, passed away on February 22.

NIH Homes, LLCOur thoughts are with Larry and Bob Skogquist, NIH Homes, at the passing of their mother, Florence Skogquist, age 83.

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Wellborn CabinetsA winning combination of precision construction methods and modern technology. Wellbornconsistently delivers a superior semi-custom product without delays or production errors.

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