FEBRUARY 2015

CLASSIFIED ADS

ECONOMICS

EDUCATION

ASSOCIATION

NETWORK Check out our Member Spotlights & Events p. 6 & 15

HOUSING STARTS Your resource for locally relevant economic data p. 13

EDUCATION Changes to local building inspections p. 9 & 12

CALENDAR Stay Current with our Current Events p. 12

SOUTHWEST MONTANA BUILDING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION

Find us on

Photo by The Knolls at Hillcrest

2 DO BUSINESS WITH A MEMBER

CONTENTS NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2015

3 PRESIDENT’S LETTER Incoming Chairman Brian Popiel shares his thoughts on current association happenings and relevant industry issues.

4 SPIKE CLUB The true champions of NAHB! Check out our current member spike ranking and see how you stack up with your fellow members!

4 MEMBERSHIP UPDATES View new and renewing members.

9, 11 EDUCATION Information about upcoming education opportunities

11 GRIP SAFETY Get the latest on safety from MBIA Safety Specialists!

12 ECONOMIC NEWS UPDATE Featured articles and information from local, state and national sources.

P. 13

13 HOUSING STARTS See what is happening here in Bozeman!

8 SWMBIA HOME EXPO Southwest Montana’s largest home, garden & lifestyle show—March 21-22

P. 10

More Photos on SWMBIA‘s

Facebook page

Many thanks to our table greeters Pat Shampeny and Roxanne Pearson (Keller

Williams Montana Realty). Keller Williams was also our door prize sponsor.

Congrats to lucky door prize winners:

Loren Van Middendorp (Pierce Flooring & Design Center),

Marilee Anderson (Pioneer Crossing, LLC), and City of Bozeman Mayor Jeff Krauss.

Harry Kirschenbaum (Republic Services) won $100 in the Member Draw. Harry donated his winnings to the Bozeman Fire Fighters fund. What a great guy!! Congratulations Harry!

Member Drawing from current roster and you

must be in attendance to win.

3 DO BUSINESS WITH A MEMBER

PRESIDENT’S LETTER UPDATE

It‘s tough being a builder in Bozeman in winter. The days are short, the weather is cold; it‘s really hard to build things, and it‘s even harder to do it profitably. That‘s my favorite excuse for attending the International Builders Show every January. Of course, convenient as that is to justify a trip to Las Vegas in January, I don‘t really need much

of an excuse to attend IBS. Those of you who have attended know what I‘m talking about: those of you who haven‘t may not understand. Lest there be any mistake, IBS is probably the most cost and time effective investment you can make in your business. The show is three solid days of education, expo, and networking with the most innovative and in te l l igent people in the construction community. Montana is one of the last states without any formal contractor licensing. That makes it all the more important to take advantage of the unlimited educational resources of our national organization. Don‘t understand all the hoopla over ‗green building‘? There‘s a class for that. Been denied financing for your new project? There‘s a class for that. Having trouble with appraisals? That too. Working non-stop, but can‘t understand why you never have any money? Yep, you guessed it; there‘s a class for that too. It can be tough to go to class all the time, so IBS offers the biggest expo in the construction industry. After the expo closes, there are

unlimited opportunities to network with the smartest and most successful people in the building industry. I hear there are other things to do in Vegas, too. Maybe I‘ll have time for that next year. In all seriousness, if you don‘t already have it on your schedule, block out the third week of January next year. Register early, book a discounted room, get a cheap flight. It‘s cheap, it‘s fun, and you‘ll come back a better builder. I can‘t wait to see you there.

BRIAN POPIEL ARETE BUILDERS RESOURCE SITE SERVICES 2015 CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

Montana Builder Wins Nationwide Award

Our past State Association President Mike Hughes was recipient of The B.E.A.M. Award. This prestigious award is given to the builder who best exemplifies NAHB's motto "It's good business to do business with a member . " BEAM stands for Builders Engaging Associate Members. Mike's award was announced at the International Builders Show in Las Vegas.

DO BUSINESS WITH A MEMBER 4

SPIKES

CHAMPIONS OF NAHB

Statesmen (500-1000) Tim Dean 529 Spikes

Royal Spike (150-249) Eugene Graf IV 224 Spikes John Miller 207 Spikes Byron Anderson 206 Spikes Dennis Cattin 183 Spikes Clair W. Daines 177 Spikes David Andreassi 159 Spikes Jim Syth 156 Spikes

Red Spike (100-149) Anders Lewendal 147 Spikes Kevin Click 137 Spikes Greg Vidmar 117 Spikes Bill Fiedler 115 Spikes Eric Roset 109 Spikes Eugene Graf III 102 Spikes

Green Spike (50-99)

Chuck Graden 96 Spikes Beth Zeman 95 Spikes David Graham 94 Spikes Rob Evans 92 Spikes J.D. Engle 91 Spikes Richard Smith 89 Spikes Nathan Albrecht 80 Spikes Frank Armknecht 64 Spikes Guy Graham 59 Spikes Steve Armknecht 57 Spikes

Life Spike (25-49)

Ken Vidar 49 Spikes Jon Moullet 47 Spikes Adrian Vaughn 46 Spikes Sally Hickey 40 Spikes Keith Fraser 41 Spikes Ron Hinds 37 Spikes Dean Derby 28 Spikes

Blue Spikes (6-24) Mike Thompson 14 Spikes Jeri Norris 10 Spikes Leif Sundeen 9 Spikes Erica Renslow 7 Spikes Tim Rote 7 Spikes By recruiting, involving and retaining members, SPIKES strengthen and build our Association.

NEW MEMBERS ASSOCIATES: Carbonic Heat Geoffrey Goodman 917 Valley Avenue NW, Suite A Puyallup, WA 98371 406-600-4381 www.carbonicheat.com Opportunity Bank of Montana Lori Christophersen 1455 West Oak Bozeman, MT 59715 406-587-7711 lchristophersen@oppbank.com www.opportunitybank.com Opportunity Bank of Mon-tana, formerly American Federal Savings Bank, went through a name and a charter change in October 2014. The bank has been a member of the Montana Banking Institution since 1922. Our mission is to provide strong financial futures for Montanans.

AFFILIATES: North Fork Builders, Inc. Kenneth W. Eiden III PO Box 1173 Bozeman, MT 59771 (406) 551-4060 www.northforkbuilders.com Sponsored by Eugen Graf North Fork Builders, Inc. Thomas J. Letke PO Box 1173 Bozeman, MT 59771 (406) 551-4060 www.northforkbuilders.com Sponsored by Eugen Graf North Fork Builders, Inc. Garrett M. Jasinski PO Box 1173 Bozeman, MT 59771 (406) 551-4060 www.northforkbuilders.com Sponsored by Eugen Graf

RENEWING MEMBERS BUILDERS: Arete Builders / Resource Site Services Frameworks, Inc. *Graham Enterprises, Inc. Mazzella Construction *McIntosh Construction, Inc. *SLT Construction, Inc. ASSOCIATES: Best Western GranTree Inn Bridger Steel, Inc. Easton Concrete High Country Paving Montana Paint, Inc. Rocky Mountain Credit Union *Tractor & Equipment, The Cat Rental Store

*Denotes Issues Fund Donations—Thank you for your support!

From the Front Cover… PROJECT OF THE MONTH

The Highlands

The Knolls at Hillcrest

Cheryl Ridgely

PO Box 10490

Bozeman, MT 59719

(406) 522-7646 www.thehighlandsbozeman.com

This wonderful home is full of

great features. Located on

Josephine and built by Chase

Skogen Construction, it is a

great example of well done aging

in place living.

Thank you SWMBIA Members:

Chase Skogen Construction Hometown Heating & Cooling Easton Concrete The Flooring Place

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See your project here! SWMBIA Project of the Month Just another free member benefit

6 DO BUSINESS WITH A MEMBER

BUILDER OF THE YEAR

Nathan Albrecht Pro Builders Who says lightning can‘t strike twice? When you have a lighting bolt of energy like immediate past Chairman of the Board Nathan Albrecht, it certainly can. As 2013 and 2014 SWMBIA Chairman, Nathan has deservedly been recognized twice.

Nathan has spend many long hours devoted to SWMBIA and issues facing the industry. The voice of SWMBIA each Monday on 1450AM, he has tirelessly attended committee meetings, commission meetings, socials, dinners and well—quite a lot.

Nathan has also managed to fit in years of Playhouses on Parade for charity and is a eight time Parade of Homes builder alumni. His Parade Home was selected as People‘s Choice in 2014. As our NAHB National Director, Nathan has attended national meetings in Washington DC as well as the International Builders Show. As our State Director, Nathan never misses the opportunity to share knowledge with our fellow members from around Montana at quarterly board of directors meetings. We are very proud of Nathan and hope that if you see him out and about—say CONGRATULATIONS!

MEMBERS OF THE YEAR

NATHAN ALBRECHT PRO BUILDERS

Join a committee! There is something that will interest you!

Call SWMBIA at 585-8181 or visit www.swmbia.org and volunteer

7 STATE LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

Dustin Stewart Executive Director 1717 11th Ave Helena, MT 59601

(406) 442-4479 www.montanabia.com

Waiting For Water Storm Water, Exempt Well Bills Coming Soon. We are now 25% through the Session and the Legislative Committee work is progressing much slower than in past years. There have been a total of 2,420 bill draft requests, but only about 25% of the drafts have been introduced as bills. MBIA is actively tracking about 200 drafts and around 40 introduced bills. We are waiting on several important pieces of legislation to finish the drafting process, including a bill that will allow continued use of individual wells for new construc-tion and a bill that reduces administrative fines for storm water violations. Overview of Bill Progress This Week:

HB 168 (Rep. Fitzpatrick - R, Great Falls). This bill is commonly referred to as "the subdivision grandfather bill" because it allows subdivisions that were started before 10/17/2014 to use 10 acre feet of water for each lot. Subdivi-sions started after 10/17 will only be al-lowed 10 acre feet of water for the entire development. This bill is now in the Senate and we are encouraging the Committee Chairman to schedule a hearing as soon as possible. SB 39 (Sen.Smith - R, Billings). This bill aims to prevent "patent trolling", which is a process by which someone patents a very general, commonly used technology and demands a fee from a small business for continued use. Typically the "patent troll" demands around $100 immediately or threats to sue. Though this has not been a problem in Montana, it is something that has started to occur in our neighboring states to the West. SB 39 was amended in committee and passed out 9 to 0 and then passed 48 to 0 on second reading on Saturday. It should pass 3

rd reading today.

HB 302 (Rep. Mandeville - R, Park City). This bill places the burden of proof laws related to proving subdivision exemptions on the local government. It was heard in the House Local Government last Tuesday. We are monitoring this bill and have not taken a position. HB 213 (Rep. Miller - R, Helmville). HB 213 revises the business equipment tax laws by changing the amount of personal property exempt from taxation from $100,000 to $500,000. The bill received strong support in the House Taxation Committee. The major opponents were the Department of Revenue, MACO, and the League of Cities and Towns because they stand to lose around $2.5 million per year in tax revenue. We supported this bill as it would eliminate the business equipment tax for most MBIA members. We sat in on the hearing on SB 112, SB 159, and SB 160 by Sen. Ankney (R - Colstrip); all dealing with water quality in streams and tributaries. We did not take a position on any of these bills but will continue to follow them.

DO BUSINESS WITH A MEMBER 8

City of Bozeman Building Division

Fifth Annual Winter Training Program

**Come Learn the New Codes With Us**

March 12, 2015 - 2012 International Existing Building Code Fundamentals; This seminar will introduce critical concepts of the 2012 International Existing Building Code

® (IEBC

®). It will provide a

basis for the correct use and application of the code. It will build an understanding of the intent of the code through detailing basic tables, categorizations and a case study.

Lunch and class materials will be provided. These classes will be free to all participants

Location: The Comfort Inn of Bozeman; 1370 N.

Seventh Ave, Bozeman

Pre-registration is a must and attendance will be lim-ited to 30 participants. Contact the Building Division at 582-2371 or 582-2931 or email us at per-mits@bozeman.net to obtain a registration form. Please see individual class announcements for spe-cific registration deadlines.

To our Customers- In order to simplify our inspection procedure we‘ve revised the listed inspection order on our building permit inspection record. Check out the revised order of the listed inspections on the inspection record. You‘ll notice that we‘ve reorganized them so that the list is more in line with the order of when we should actually do the inspections. We‘re hoping you‘ll use this inspection record as a checklist to help you avoid missing a required inspection. This should be a big help get us there when you want us and to keep your job running smoothly. You‘ll also notice that the Roof Nail/Truss, Exterior Shear/HDs, and Roof Dry-in are now grouped together in front of the frame and rough inspection. We‘re asking that you request these inspections as soon as you‘re ready and that you don‘t wait until the frame and rough inspections before you request them. If you think about it, it makes sense that we should look at the trusses and roof framing before you get your finished roof installed… that way, if there‘s a problem with the trusses (yes, it has happened) it can be resolved without having to tear off part or all of your new roof. This new order will also give us a chance to sign off your exterior shear wall nailing before you cover it… this is extremely important because in the future we will no longer ignore a shear nail inspection because the vapor barrier and/or siding has been installed ahead of our shear nail inspection. In the future, if the exterior braced walls and shear panels are covered before the required inspection you will have the following options. (1) Uncover the sheathing so that we can conduct the I nspection. (2) Hire a Montana State Licensed Structural Engineer to inspect and approve the Braced Wall Line, sheathing installation and shear nailing. We understand that the new inspection order may require us to make one or more additional trips to your jobsite to conduct inspections… but if that‘s what it takes to keep your job moving, it‘s important for us to do it.

Please note that in the future we will no longer issue a certificate of occupancy for a structure when any of the required building inspections that are applicable to the project are not approved. Thank you for your understanding and help with this.

Bob Risk Chief Building Official City of Bozeman, Building Division PO Box 1230 Bozeman, MT 59771 406-582-2377 www.bozeman.net

DO BUSINESS WITH A MEMBER 10

EDUCATION 11

GRIP SAFETY

MBIA

February is Forklift Certification Month

For the February GRIP Safety Class we will be hosting forklift certification classes. Did you know OSHA mandates that forklift operators are trained and certified to operate forklifts and must re-certify every three years (1910.178(l))? Training will consist of formal classroom lecture, a written competency examination, and instruction on conducting hands on practical evaluations within your company. Upon completing this class you will have detailed documentation that meets and exceeds OSHA requirements. Lecture will cover both rough terrain/variable reach type forklifts and warehouse/vertical mast style forklifts. We will also briefly touch on forklift related issues presented by OSHA‘s ―Cranes and Derricks in Construction‖ which presents additional requirements when suspending loads from a forklift. Riggers and signal persons are required in this legislation; not having qualified and competent people is an OSHA citable offense. Participants must be 18 years of age or older, free from the influence of drugs or alcohol, and English speaking. This class will only be available on a RSVP basis so we can provide adequate books and instructional materials. Please RSVP to the MBIA at 442-4479

March Safety

Fall Protection / Scaffolding Training

7:30am —10:30am Tuesday, March 11

th C‘Mon Inn

(6138 East Valley Center Road)

Also available by request: Forklift Operator, Excavation/Trenching, Competent Per-son Scaffolding Certification, Powder Actuated Tools, Ae-rial Lift Certification, Hazard Communication (SDS), Back & Lifting Safety, Defensive Driving, and Electrical Safety.

Sean Lawler & Mike Rocchio GRIP Safety Specialists

Call Sean or Mike at (406) 442-4479 or visit www.montanabia.com for

more information.

Don’t be an internet star

GRIP Safety Seminars are free to members.

12 EDUCATION

Tax Reformless

The combination of ongoing weak GDP growth and a steep rise in corporate inversions designed to reduce US corporate tax liabilities has again brought the perennial idea of tax reform to the fore. Done right tax reform is a winner. By closing loopholes and lowering marginal rates the economy can better perform and

GDP growth can be raised. That said, despite the positive rhetoric coming out of Capitol Hill, don‘t count on it soon. Moreover, the sharp, and short-lived seven day brawl about scaling back tax breaks for 529 college savings plans is painfully instructive and illustrative as to why. In his State of the Union address, President Obama proposed doing away with the tax-free treatment of capital gains in 529 college savings plans. Instead, he proposed increasing the size of the American Opportunity Tax Credit, available only to families with pretax incomes of less than $180,000, from $1,000/year to $1,500/year and to allow it to be used for five years, up from four. Looked at in isolation, the economics behind this particular policy is pretty solid. First, there is limited evidence that tax breaks designed to increase savings actually do so. Rather, the evidence generally finds that tax breaks reward individuals who would have saved anyways. Worse, the tax incentives don‘t seem to increase the total amount of savings either! Second, most of the tax shelter goes to higher income households. According to the White House, 70% of the benefits from 529 plans go to households with incomes greater than $200,000, while a GAO study from 2010 found that 47% of families with a 529 plan had incomes above $150,000. A recent College Savings Foundation study found that not quite 10% of 529 account holders have household income below $50,000. In short, these plans give tax breaks to wealthier households who already send their kids to college and would have saved as much with or without the plan. By contrast, giving all households with incomes below $180,000 slightly more money for college might raise the percentage of kids from middle- and lower-class households that attend college. More concerning is that be it via 529 plans, the American Opportunity Tax Credit, guaranteed student loans and now increasing student loan forgiveness, government, through the tax code and elsewhere, heavily subsidizes college costs, and in the process dramatically inflates the cost of college tuition. Real tax reform would scrap these

inflationary subsidies and implement a more coherent and more focused approach. But here is the rub, taking away the advantageous tax status of 529 plans created an instant coalition of three powerful groups that rolled the administration. The groups included parents with kids bound for college fearful they were about to lose a valuable tax break that they ―deserved,‖ higher education that was concerned it was losing a subsidy and the financial industry which feared losing the billions in fees associated with administering a huge $250 billion program. While everyone claims that they want a simpler tax code with lower rates and bereft of deductions, loopholes and credits, taking any of these away creates winners and losers. And while the winners may be numerous, what they stand to gain is nebulous and distant. By contrast, losers quickly organize themselves and make themselves heard. If doing away with something as small as this was impossible, good luck with larger tax issues that touch deeper pockets.

Elliot Eisenberg, Ph.D. is President of GraphsandLaughs, LLC and can be reached at Elliot@graphsandlaughs.net. His daily 70 word economics and policy blog can be seen at www.econ70.com.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS February 5 Board of Directors Meeting, 4pm February 9 Government Affairs Meeting 4pm February 11 Membership Meeting & Dinner, 6pm February 11 MBIA Legislative Social, 5:30pm– at Haw-thorne Bottle Shop, downtown Helena February 12-13 MBIA Board of Directors Meeting, Helena February 16 President‘s Day—Office Closed February 17 Playhouses on Parade moves into Mall February 17 4pm Parade of Homes Committee Mtg, Johnny Carinos Restaurant February 24 10am Playhouses on Parade Meeting February 24 11am Home Expo Committee meeting February 24 4pm Executive Committee Meeting March 1 Home Expo Magazine Submissions Due March 5 4pm Board of Directors Meeting March 20 5:30pm Home Expo Social March 21-22 SWMBIA Home Expo

All Meetings held at SWMBIA Office unless noted otherwise

More information available at www.swmbia.org or at Southwest Montana Building Industry Association

(SWMBIA) Face Book page

ECONOMICS 13

HOUSING STARTS

ePlan is Here! Electronic Plan Review (ePlan) is a web-based solution that allows plans for Building Permits and Zoning Projects to be submitted electronically, replacing the traditional paper-based review method. ePlan will improve the plan review cycle; reduce costs associated with obtaining building permits and development approvals as well as support green initiatives.

www.bozeman.net

Homeownership Education

The Human Resource Development Council in Bozeman offers free homebuyer education. Home is where it all starts and our goal is to help families get a start with a new home. In our 8 hour comprehensive course, directed by a HUD-Approved Instructor, will help you to better understand the home purchase process. We will discuss all the topics that homeowners need to know and cover all the questions that they didn‘t know that they needed to ask. Some questions to be addressed include: Are you ready to buy a home? How do lenders decide to make loans? How important is a credit score? Just what does debt to income mean? How should one go about shopping for a home? Now that you own a home, how should you go about repairing and improving it? Completion of Homeownership Education may help you qualify for down-payment assistance through HRDC. This is an interest free loan for up to $30,000. Area lenders, Realtors, title companies, insurance agents are encouraged to volunteer to present at our classes.

The course is free and open to everyone. Classes are offered twice a month. Space is limited so pre-registration and a $25 refundable deposit are required to reserve a seat. Contact Deana at 406-585-4882 to inquire about upcoming class dates. Visit thehrdc.org for more information. The Road to Home is sponsored by the Human Resource Develop-ment Council of District IX, Inc. in partnership with the Montana De-partment of Commerce, Montana Homeownership Network, Gallatin County, City of Bozeman, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, area lenders, Local Initiative Support Corporation, and the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation.

MEMBER DISCOUNT OF THE MONTH

We‘re pleased to extend to members a pri-

vate offer1 of up to $500 toward the purchase

or lease of most new GM vehicles. NAHB

members who are business owners can now

qualify for up to $1,000 and also add on

incentives from the National Fleet Purchase

Program2 and Business Choice

3 to get the

best value on vehicles that run your business. To get this offer

just visit your local dealer, choose an eligible GM vehicle, and

present your NAHB proof of membership form.How it works:

1. Get your NAHB proof of membership form

at www.nahb.org/gm.

2. Bring form to your GM dealer and mention this private

offer.

3. At time of purchase or lease, present your NAHB proof of

membership.

For private offer details, visit www.nahb.org/gm.

14 RESHAPING & ENRICHING OUR COMMUNITIES

NAHB EDUCATION Live Online Course Schedule for 2015

Another initiative NAHB has tested in order to support members challenged to complete designations they have started, (some many years ago) is in the form of live, online webinars over a few weeks. The courses selected for delivery in this format are mostly CGB/CGR courses not offered enough around the country to help designees that have not been able to find courses locally. Members have told us they would like to see online options to avoid having to travel long distances and many times, out of state. This format has been met with a positive response. The 2015 Live Online Designation Course Schedule is as follows:

Marketing & Sales for Building Professionals April 7, 14, 21, 2015 from 1PM – 3PM EST Estimating for Building Professionals May 5, 12, 19, 2015 from 1PM – 3PM EST Project Management June 9, 16, 23, 2015 from 1PM – 3PM EST

Financial Management November 3, 10, 17, 2015 from 1PM – 3PM EST Advanced Green Building: Project Management December 1, 8, 15, 2015 from 1PM – 3PM EST

Registration for these courses will be up by mid-January at www.nahb.org/elearning.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

2015 HOME EXPO MAGAZINE & MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY

ADVERTISING

Deadline March 1st

This valuable publication is utilized long after the Home Expo. With pertinent consumer tips and a

SWMBIA Membership Directory, we give out 1000s to consumers.

RESERVE YOUR SPACE TODAY!

Associate of the Year Tylene Vitt, CPA with Rudd & Company is SWMBIA‘s Treasurer. She has spent time keeping our books on the straight and narrow and in the black. She is willing share her expertis e on the Executive Committee and we can‘t thank her enough. Tylene lives in the valley with her husband and children. They enjoy many pursuits that make our area a fabulous place to raise a family—and maintain a successful career.

Affiliate of the Year Leif Sundeen is General Manager at Kenyon Noble Truss. While that keeps him quite busy, he has also been SWMBIA‘s Membership Committee Chairman for two years. Leif has been committed to the success of SWMBIA and is actively recruiting members and sharing the benefits of membership. He has also honed his event-planning skills with the membership dinners. Leif is also an active member of the Government Affairs Committee. He has attended many city

commission meetings and shared his input. Being in a position to work closely with builders at the truss plant, he has educated himself on the issues facing the housing industry as well as small businesses. Leif and his wife and two children are newly moving into Bozeman from Belgrade and we look forward to continuing his involvement on both committees.

Sponsor of the Year Security Title Company has been a cornerstone of SWMBIA over two decades. Security Title Company of Montana offers a full range of title insurance, escrow, and closing services for Gallatin, Madison and Park Counties. Their friendly, knowledgeable staff keep you as their number one priority with unmatched customer service. Security Title has many members involved, including Beth Zeman, who serves as Home Expo Committee Chair and Tina Altimus, Parade of Homes Coordinator. Even Cory Berkram has stepped in for SWMBIA—vouching for SWMBIA so we can hold member dinners at Riverside Country Club—They are a company that is involved. As Major Sponsors of both the SWMBIA Home Expo and the Parade of Homes, they are instrumental in the success of those events. Participating and sponsoring are second nature to this home grown local member and we are proud as can be to see SWMBIA Member sticker in their company window.

15 DO BUSINESS WITH A MEMBER

Members of the Month (Continued)

Tylene Vitt Rudd & Company

Leif Sundeen Kenyon Noble

16 ASSOCIATION

DO BUSINESS WITH A MEMBER 17

Gene Graf Inducted as Senior NAHB Life Director

We are so proud of our longtime member Gene Graf, on his achievement of Senior Life Director with the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). We cannot thank him enough for his dedication to the housing industry. To achieve Life Director status, Gene has attended ten years of NAHB Board meetings. to attain Senior Life Director Status, he has attended an additional ten years. That is over 20 years of dedication to SWMBIA, NAHB, the Montana Building Industry Association (MBIA) and to the building industry. Congratulations, Gene!

Apex Group, Inc. 20

Big Sky Insulations 7 First Interstate Bank 19

First Security Bank 18 First West Insurance 18

Knife River 5

Little Stinkers Septic & Portable Toilets 10, 16 Stockman Bank 14

TMC, Inc. Sand & Gravel 15 Tractor & Equipment Co. “The Cat Rental Store” 6

QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS PUBLICATION? (406) 585-8181 ♦ www.swmbia.org

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 2015

Chairperson / President Brian Popiel, Arete Bldrs/Resource Site Svcs First Vice Chair Andy Rowe, Alpenglow Custom Builders Associate Vice Chair Mike Thompson, Kenyon Noble Lumber Treasurer Tylene Vitt, Rudd & Company Past Chairman Nathan Albrecht, Pro Builders

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2015

BUILDER BOARD MEMBERS 2 Year Term 2015 Bill Schwahn 2 Year Term 2015 Andrew Mazzella 2 Year Term 2015 Adrian Vaughn 2 Year Term 2016 Rob Evans 2 Year Term 2016 David Graham 2 Year Term 2016 Bryan Morrison ASSOCIATE BOARD MEMBERS 2 Year Term 2016 Darryl Seymour 2 Year Term 2016 Mike Thompson 2 Year Term 2015 Jeri Norris 2 Year Term 2015 Beth Zeman LIFE DIRECTORS Gene Graf,

Clair Daines, Tim Dean, Jim Syth, Frank Armknecht, Richard Smith, Byron Anderson

STATE DIRECTORS 2015

ELECTED Nathan Albrecht, Brian Popiel, Bill Fiedler, Adrian Vaughn, Mike Jarrett ALTERNATES LIFE DIRECTORS Frank Armknecht, Tim Dean, Gene Graf, Richard Smith, Byron Anderson

NATIONAL DIRECTORS 2015

ELECTED Brian Popiel, Bill Fiedler ALTERNATE Mike Thompson LIFE DIRECTORS Tim Dean, Frank Armknecht, Jim Syth, Richard Smith, Byron Anderson SENIOR LIFE DIRETORS: Clair Daines, Gene Graf

COMMITTEE CHAIRS 2015

Golf Tournament Committee Chair Adrian Vaughn Government Affairs Committee Chair David Graham Government Affairs C.I.T.F. Eugene Graf IV Green Building Committee Chair Jeff Moore Home Expo Committee Chair Beth Zeman Membership Committee Chair Leif Sundeen Parade of Homes Committee Chair Darryl Seymour Playhouses on Parade Committee Chair Public Relations Committee Chair Darryl Seymour Special Events Brett Barager

ADVERTISER’S INDEX

Gene is inducted as a Senior Life Director at the January 2014 International Builders Show

18 DO BUSINESS WITH A MEMBER

24th Parade of Homes September 12, 13, 18, 19, 20,

2015

“The Best of What’s New!”

Southwest Montana Building Industry Association

1716 West Main Street Suite 8-G Bozeman MT 59715

www.swmbia.org

PRSRT-STD

U.S. POSTAGE PAID

BOZEMAN MT 5 59715

Permit #9

February 11th

Membership Dinner & Meeting

Ferraro‘s Italian Restaurant 726 North 7

th Avenue

Cocktails – 5:30, Dinner – 6:30pm $30 per person

RESERVATIONS REQUIRED SPACE IS LIMITED

MENU – Served Family Style House Salad with Italian Vinaigrette, Spaghetti Squash, Carrots, Broccoli

Pasta – Half Marinara, Half Garlic Butter Beef Gorgonzola, Chicken Cacciatore,

Scampi

Special guest Craig Woolard

Friday, March 20th

“Construction Connection”

Social 5:30pm-7:30pm Brick Breeden Fieldhouse Come kick off the SWMBIA Home

Expo Sponsored in part by