NEFBA and the National Association of Home Builders Remodelors Council hosted a full-day Remodelor and Industry Professional education program, Take the Road to Higher Profits, last month at the University of North Florida.
Nationally known presenters Vince Butler and Alan Hanbury Jr. delivered two education sessions, Planning Your Way to Profit and Overhead, Margin and Markup. The day included seminars, continental breakfast, lunch and reception at the close of the day.
The Road Show is a membership recruitment tool designed by the NAHB Remodelors Council to assist local councils recruit new members through quality education programs. NEFBA was the first local association to host the Road Show.
Carol and Ken Whyrick of Whyrick Builders Inc. attended the seminar and found it very motivating.
“We were at a crossroads in our business and needed some motivation to take the next step,” Carol Whyrick said. “The seminar gave us the nudge we needed to get serious about our business. We walked away with a renewed commitment and a desire to join a 20 Club.”
NAHB’s 20 Clubs are made up of business professionals who help members develop the business plans, strategic plans and marketing plans that position their company for success.
Michael Lenahen of Aurora Custom Homes in Ponte Vedra Beach attended the seminar at the invitation of one of his vendors.
“The seminar was frankly much more beneficial than I had anticipated,” Lenahen said. “The content was extremely important for all builders and remodelors. We get caught up in the building part and don’t always allot enough time to the business end. This was a wake-up call for me to look more closely at the business details.”
Lenahen, who has been in the business nine years, said the seminar prompted him and his business partner to revamp their business plan.
“We are thinking more about security for the future as a result of the seminar,” he said. “Both speakers covered information we very much needed, and I was impressed with the value of the networking - the exchange of ideas of the participants.”
Butler is a second-generation builder and remodelor from Northern Virginia. He has served as president of Butler Brothers Corp. since 1984 and has extensive experience in the design, sales and production of residential construction and remodeling. Butler has a degree in financial management from Virginia Tech. He holds numerous certifications and has served in various capacities with NAHB.
Butler taught “Planning for Profits”, a course that stressed the importance of developing and implementing a business plan to achieve financial goals. It demonstrated a simple and effective process for completing a basic business plan and introduced the financial concepts of budgeting, break-even analysis and performance ratios. Students were also introduced to long-range, strategic planning concepts.
Hanbury is treasurer of House of Hanbury Builders Inc., a full-service remodeling company started in 1976. He has an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Hanbury is active at his local, state and NAHB Remodelors council serving as its National chair in 2001 and NAHB Education committee chair in 2003. He is a contributing editor to Professional Remodeling Magazine with a column called By The Numbers. His firm was selected as NAHB Remodelor of the Month two times, was inducted into Remodeling magazine Big 50 Hall of Fame in 1992 and chosen 1994 Remodelor of the Year for the HBA of Hartford County and Connecticut.
Hanbury presented “Overhead, Mark-up and Margin” which included the principles and mathematics required to properly determine a budget, volume levels, and markup for breakeven and to reach a specific profit target. Several pricing strategies and common pitfalls in a competitive world were discussed. Labor burden calculations, the effects of discounts and overtime and a capitalistic attitude were also covered.
“Our Remodelors Council offers members the support and tools they need to increase and grow their businesses,” said Frank Rodgers, chair of the NEFBA Remodelors Council. “We were pleased to be selected as the first location of the Road Show, and we encourage our members and others in the business to take advantage of the benefits of membership.”
The BIA of Southern California will host the second road show in May. Local home builders associations interested in hosting the road show need to submit a written request to the NAHB Remodelors Council.
For information about NAHB’s 20 Clubs, call 1-800-368-5242, ext. 8609, or visit online at www.nahb.org/20clubs.
For information about NEFBA’s Remodelors Council, contact Thompson Taylor at 725-4355, ext. 224, or visit online at www.jaxremodelors.com.