Sandhills CC to build new construction training facility

Sandhills Community College has been awarded a $680,000 grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation to finalize more than $1.1 million in funding to build and equip the Larry Caddell Training Center for the construction trades in Carthage.

The center will be a 4,400 sf building housing three classrooms, two labs and an open training space. It will serve Moore and Hoke counties and offer short-term workforce training that can lead to jobs paying $17-$25 an hour. It will offer classes in construction, construction management, HVAC and plumbing trades.

Students will be eligible for 100% scholarship funding through the SCC Foundation. High school students will be eligible to participate through CTE and dual enrollment classes.

A survey taken by Sandhills in fall 2019 showed there are at least 745 unfilled positions in the construction trades in Moore County alone. The college has been offering electrical and HVAC classes in limited space on campus and at off-campus sites. MCHBA hosted an HVAC class in its former Aberdeen location during the 2017-18 school year.

“Moore County has needed a training facility like this for a long time,” said MCHBA Executive Officer Warren Wakeland. “There is an extreme shortage of trained skills workers in our region. This center will produce well-trained workers in a variety of construction fields and help alleviate that shortage.

“MCHBA looks forward to helping the College get this new project rolling as soon as possible, and help it grow into a premier training facility in the future.”

MONTHLY NEWS June 2020

“Every man owes a part of his time and money to the business or industry to which he is engaged.

No man has a moral right to withhold his support from an organization that is striving

to improve conditions within his sphere.” — President Theodore Roosevelt

The interior layout for the new Larry Caddell Training Center, specifically to house construction trade classes.

MCHBA awards scholarships to two students

MCHBA is proud to award Jay Hoshall and Caleb Moore, from Pinecrest High School, each with $1,000 scholarships from the Albert G. Clendenin Scholarship Program for 2020.

Hoshall graduated with a 3.92 GPA and will major in civil engineering at UNC-Charlotte. Jay took two years of dual enrollment classes at Sandhills Community College and was the captain of the men’s varsity golf team in 2019. He has volunteered his time in the community for Hurricane Florence relief, the One Great Day of Service program, and leading 5

th graders in

Vacation Bible School.

Moore graduated with a 3.73 GPA and will major in construction at Western Carolina University. Caleb has earned NCCER certifications in Core & Sustainable Construction, Carpentry II and Masonry I, and has completed an internship with Sanford Contractors. He has volunteered his time with Habitat for Humanity and his church. Moore has also been awarded the Albert G. Clendenin Award for outstanding achievement in the building trades.

“These two young men exemplify the high-character values of outstanding work in and out of the classroom that MCHBA promotes,” said MCHBA President Martin Hovland. “We’ll be proud to watch both young men achieve more at the next level and in their future professional lives.”

MCHBA awards scholarships each spring to outstanding Moore County high school students who want to build a career in construction through higher education at a North Carolina college or university.

Employee Retention Tax Credit: What You Need To Know

The IRS has released an extensive FAQ clarifying many early questions about when the employee retention tax credit can be claimed. The tax credit is designed to support eligible employers whose businesses are disrupted due to COVID-19 and was included in the CARES Act that was recently enacted into law.

In general, eligible employers are allowed a credit equal to 50% of up to $10,000 in qualified wages with respect to each employee.

To claim this credit, the business must experience one of these two events:

The operation of the trade or business is fully or partially suspended during the appropriate calendar quarter due to orders from an appropriate governmental authority limiting commerce, travel, or group meetings due to COVID-19; or

The trade or business experiences a significant decline in gross receipts, with a 50% decline in gross receipts when compared to the same quarter in the prior year. Businesses remain eligible until their gross receipts recover to 80% when compared to the same quarter in the previous year.

However, employers receiving a loan under the Payroll Protection Program are not eligible for the employee retention credit.

Recently, IRS guidance clarified that employer-provided health care costs for furloughed employees may not count towards the employee retention tax credit unless the employees are also paid at least a portion of their wages. This has raised bipartisan concerns in Congress, indicating Congress may alter the employee retention tax credit in a future bill.

For more information, go to www.irs.gov or contact J.P. Delmore at 1-800-368-5242 x8412.

LIKE MCHBA ON FACEBOOK!!

Remember, in between newsletters you can find the latest news and information about MCHBA and the building industry on our Facebook page, facebook.com/MCHBA. We also provide news updates on our website, www.mchba.com.

Hoshall Moore

Government approves relaxation of PPP loan requirements Courtesy of the Moore County Chamber of Commerce President Trump has signed into law the following changes to the Payment Protection Program (PPP) loan requirements that should ease pressure on small businesses to restart in full sooner than they desire. This information is not intended to give, and should not be relied upon for, legal advice in any particular circumstance or fact situation. No action should be taken in reliance upon the information contained in this email without obtaining the advice of an attorney. 1. Loan Maturity. Extends the minimum maturity of PPP loans to five years. However, the bill doesn’t prevent lenders and borrowers from mutually agreeing to modify the maturity terms of existing PPP loans. 2. Covered Period. a. Extends the covered period for operation of PPP loans from June 30, 2020 to December 31, 2020. b. Extends the covered period for PPP loan forgiveness from eight weeks from the date of origination (funding) to the earlier of (a) 24 weeks from the origination date or (b) December 31, 2020. However, a borrower who received a loan before the bill’s enactment can elect to continue using the 8-week covered period set forth in the CARES Act. 3. Re-hire Deadline. Extends the deadline for the re-hire exception to forgiveness reduction from June 30, 2020 to December 31, 2020. 4. FTEEs. a. Provides that the amount of loan forgiveness will not be reduced by a reduction in the number of full-time equivalent employees if, with respect to the period from February 15, 2020 to December 31, 2020, the borrower is able to document in good faith (i) an inability to (A) rehire employees who had been employed on February 15, 2020 and (B) an inability to hire similarly qualified employees for unfilled positions by December 31, 2020 or (ii) an inability to return to the same level of business activity at which the borrower was operating before February 15, 2020 due to compliance with requirements or guidance from the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration set forth between March 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020 relating to standards of sanitation, social distancing or other worker or customer safety requirements due to COVID-19. This is clearly a rather vague standard, as many employers will maintain a reduced staff for a range of reasons, including indirectly by reason of federal government requirements or guidance, and many employers will need to conserve cash. b. The new SBA rule that requires employers to alert unemployment authorities about their employees who decline to return to work remains in effect. 5. Required Payroll Threshold. Provides that at least 60% of PPP loan proceeds must be used for payroll costs (wages, health insurance premiums, and retirement contributions) to receive loan forgiveness (this overturns the 75% standard discussed by the Small Business Administration). This is a cliff provision, so failure to spend at least 60% of the PPP loan on payroll will disqualify the entire PPP loan from forgiveness. We note that Senate Small Business Committee Chairman Marco Rubio expressed concerns about this provision so it is possible that it may be the subject of further action. 6. Repayment. Eliminates the six-month deferral of payments due under PPP loans and replaces it with deferral until the date on which the amount of forgiveness determined under the CARES Act is remitted to the lender. However, if a borrower fails to apply for forgiveness within 10 months after the last day of the PPP loan forgiveness covered period (i.e., the earlier of 24 weeks from origination or December 31, 2020), the borrower must then begin to make payments of principal, interest, and fees on its PPP loan. 7. Payroll Tax Deferral. Allows all employers, regardless of whether they have had a PPP loan forgiven, to take advantage of the CARES Act deferral of the 6.2% employer portion of Social Security payroll taxes (50% of these taxes must be paid in 2021 and the remaining 50% in 2022).

You like saving money, right?

Call MCHBA to find out how you can!

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THANK YOU

MCHBA wants to take this opportunity to thank you for being a member of the Moore County Home Builders Association. This is an unprecedented and uncertain time in our businesses and lives. Your support for the association, especially now, is highly appreciated. We can never say THANK YOU enough. We want to help you be safe, healthy and prosperous. If we can assist you in some way, please let us know. If there are people you know who would benefit from being a member, please encourage them to join. The news, information, rules, and regulations in this industry are ever-changing. The financial damage done during this crisis will undoubtedly lead governments to consider increasing building fees to make up for lost revenue. The industry needs to be united going forward so we can keep the cost of housing reasonable going forward. MCHBA wishes every member the best success possible. Keep your jobsites, stores and offices safe, stay healthy and thank you again for being an MCHBA member.

Help MCHBA grow. Volunteer. Contact Leigh Ann today (910) 944-2992 or staff@mchba.com

BUILD-PAC lets MCHBA help you

MCHBA raised $6,500 in political action money in 2019, the sixth-most of all North Carolina HBAs and far surpassing our goal of $3,340 for the year. More than one in four members made a contribution to BUILD-PAC in 2019. We thank you.

Your efforts have helped MCHBA get state and local legislation passed and stopped that benefits every member.

Every contribution helps, but with all the change taking place today it’s more important than ever that MCHBA be able to help pro-housing officials get elected.

As always, a $100 contribution to Build-PAC gives you this 20 oz. Yeti cup, to keep warm drinks warm and cold drinks cold no matter how warm or cold it is outside.

You can help MCHBA gain success not only on the state level but locally as well with your contributions. Your efforts help us make conditions for growth and development better in Moore County, to help keep taxes low and quality of life high.

Call Warren at the MCHBA office if you’d like to contribute today.

Got a job opening? Let MCHBA spread the word!

Perhaps the biggest difficulty builders and subcontractors have today is finding quality skilled labor. Associates in all areas have a similar problem – finding quality employees to hire. MCHBA wants to help you find the quality employee you need to help your business work better.

MCHBA can put your job openings on our Facebook page, which now has more than 590 “likes” and can potentially reach thousands of Moore County residents. For only $20 we can “boost” your post to reach as many as 7,000 county residents. Contact Warren if you’d like MCHBA to help you find workers for the jobs you have available.

Your membership can be free – take advantage of discounts and rebates

Members, do you want to save serious money?

NAHB has discount deals with 20 different national companies including Office Depot, FTD Florists, Hertz, Dell and more to give you the best possible deal on equipment you need to run a strong and successful business.

To learn more about the MAHB Member Discount program go to www.nahb.org/ma.

NCHBA has deals with 50 different companies including Bryant, Peerless, Sherwin Williams, Boise Cascade and more to provide you with rebates on every purchase of their product. Chances are the companies whose products you use will pay you to use them!

In 2019, contractors enrolled in the Member Rebate Program saved more than $1,800 per company on average. THAT’S MORE THAN THREE MCHBA MEMBERSHIPS! MCHBA membership can actually pay you, rather than you pay for it.

The programs are open to all members. To learn more go to www.nchbarebates.com.

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NEWS SHORTS

2020 MCHBA

Luncheon Partners

When mailing to MCHBA, please use our mailing address

P.O. Box 912 Aberdeen, NC 28315

Thank you.

Remember to protect your job sites

and workplaces against COVID-19.

Wash your hands and use hand

sanitizer regularly.

Wipe down surfaces with disinfecting

wipes before you touch them.

Wear a protective face covering

when possible.

Keep a distance of 6 feet apart

when possible.

You can obtain a jobsite poster

describing safety procedures

from MCHBA by emailing

execofficer@mchba.com.