COMMITTEE MEETINGS
Associates Council – Andréa Bledsoe
The Associates council had its highest attendance in years, thanks in part to the many first time PBA attendees that came to participate. The council discussed what its own purpose should be at the state level and the differences from local to local on the Associate side. Some local associations have Associate Vice Presidents and/or Associates Councils/Committees with Associate Council/Committee Chairpersons and some have neither.
Since the month of September is Associate Appreciation Month, the Council will be pushing out social media posts highlighting what it means to be an Associate member. We invite all Associate members to join us at the next meeting in October to share their thoughts and ideas as we redefine our Mission Statement and make plans for 2024.
Government Affairs Committee – Jim Rumbaugh
The Government Affairs committee met on Friday to discuss a variety of topics. There was plenty of discussion on the budget impasse, make-up of the House and Senate and what all of it means to the association. Other topics discussed during the meeting included issues on environmental policy, construction liability, land development and zoning issues, as well as construction codes and a list of bad-for-builder legislation. Good news to report – the model contract for home improvement contractors has been completed and is available to members.
Membership Committee – Dean Hilliard
The membership meeting was well attended. Membership attendance has increased by 11 Builder members since the 
Winter meeting. Also, Cindy Cepko reviewed the progress on our marketing with Group Two. The marketing program has been very successful in the first six months of this year. Dean reviewed the meetings with seven locals that Dean, Dan, and Rick have been involved in. The goal is to meet with all the locals by year end.
PBA-PHRC – Brian Wolfgang
The PBA-PHRC breakfast meeting on Friday, July 28, kicked off a full day of committee meetings and discussions. This meeting provided an opportunity for PBA members to speak with Brian Wolfgang of the Pennsylvania Housing Research Center (PHRC) regarding the upcoming fall schedule of events. Brian presented an overview of the upcoming slate including the PHRC webinar series and the 2024 PHRC Housing Conference. Brian also shared some updates on the PHRC team as Tracy Dorman recently retired and other positions have been created and are being filled, including Rachel Fawcett being hired into the newly created Housing Affordability Specialist position. As the PHRC is housed at Penn State, upcoming university activities were discussed such as the 2023 Hankin Distinguished Lecture and the NAHB Student Competition. Future questions and inquiries were directed to the PHRC website at www.phrc.psu.edu.
Professional Women in Building Council – Anna Van Acker
The highlights of our PWB meeting came in the form of our two newest chapters’ great success with events and participation. Central PA’s PWB executed several great events, including welcoming several local CTCs to their annual Home Show to network for with professionals in their area. The chapter is also working with a local residence to help them maintain their facility through evaluations and instruction. BAMP’s PWB was officially charted at NAHB and has grown their ranks to nearly 100 members! They have great participation at each of their events (of which there are many!) and they brought in 12 new members to BAMP as a result of their hard work.
Workforce Training & Education – Cindy Cepko
The Workforce Committee reviewed the seven Endorsed Trade Programs that were up for re-evaluation during the 2023-24 school year. Four schools were recommended for a three-year renewal. Two locals represented reviewed the workforce initiatives that are ongoing in their areas. Dave DiPasquale reported that a total of 14 scholarships were awarded for the school year. Twelve were funded through the Foundation and two were presented from the PBA Professional 
Women in Building Council. In addition, 759 student certificates were awarded for the recent school year.
Dean Hilliard presented the Foundation for Housing’s rate increases – the first increases in the history of the program – that will be implemented.
PBA will be updating materials for potential students, parents, and guidance counselors.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
The 2023 Summer Meeting of the PBA Board of Directors was called to order on Saturday, July 29 at the Gettysburg Hotel and presided over by President John Olson or the Wayne Pike BIA.
The meeting was kicked off with a special guest, Bob Peterson of Colorado, 2024 NAHB Third Vice Chair Candidate. Mr. Peterson spoke to the Directors about his vision for the future and his commitment to members and the home building industry. Following his presentation, the Directors voted unanimously to endorse Mr. Peterson’s candidacy.
Government Affairs Committee Chair Jim Rumbaugh reported on a number of topics discussed at the GA meeting on Friday. He continued to stress the importance of members staying informed and involved as we head into a crucial upcoming election year.
Mr. Rumbaugh also informed members that the PaCAH summer ghost tour event raised $6,547 and then accepted PaCAH checks from various locals for a final weekend total of $26,547.
At the Summer Board Meeting, the PBA Nomination Committee presents the slate of nominations for the upcoming year. Chair Cathy Sloan announced that the committee was putting forth the following nominations:
President-Elect – Thomas McCosby, Lawrence County BA & Mercer County BA
Vice-President – Dean Hilliard, Central Susquehanna BA
Secretary – Greg Harris, HBA of Metropolitan Harrisburg
Associate Vice President – Andréa Bledsoe, York BA
Treasurer – Don Olsommer, Jr., Wayne Pike BIA
With no additional nominations from the floor and following a motion and a second to accept the nominations, the Directors voted to approve the slate of officers.
NAHB officer nominations for 2024 included the following:
State Representative – Andrew Kaye, HBA of Bucks and Montgomery Counties
Builder Delegate – Jon Sukonik, HBA of Bucks and Montgomery Counties
Associate Delegate – Amy Martino, BA of Metropolitan Pittsburgh
PBA Awards Chair Frank Thompson announced the recipients of the annual PBA Awards. For a full list of winners, please CLICK HERE.
Treasurer Don Olsommer, Jr. informed Directors of the association’s current financials. Year-to-date, PBA’s income is higher than budgeted and expenses are below budget. Don focused on PBA’s investment portfolio and its stake in the offshore workers’ compensation insurance program. He emphasized that the overall financial health of PBA and BSI is strong.
Dean Hilliard, Membership Chair, noted the uptick in members during the year so far. Builder and Affiliate memberships 
are up over December 2022 and 13 local HBAs have seen positive growth. Mr. Hilliard announced the results of the 2023 Membership Contest. Dean recognized Don Hannig of the Pocono BA as the winner of a week’s vacation at Long Island Beach, New Jersey donated by Andrew Kaye.
PBA is currently meeting with all local Executive Officers and Presidents to discuss membership activities and how PBA can assist.
Jon Sukonik delivered the NAHB report and Maria Coutts gave the BUILD-PAC summary. Both emphasized the need for PBA members to increase their participation in these areas.
CEO Daniel Durden discussed the ways PBA is working for the members and the industry overall including attending the NAHB Legislative Conference in June where members met with Congressional representatives and staff to discuss and explain issues vital for the future.
PBA President John Olson expressed his optimism for the current PBA activities noting the membership growth and positive activities the committees are making.
Cindy Cepko updated the Directors on the status of the PBA Marketing Campaign that the board approved in 2022. Cindy cited overall website growth by more than 100 percent. Top pages visits are JOIN PBA and FIND A LOCAL. More than 30 forms requesting information on membership have been completed and forwarded to the appropriate locals. Social media branding ads have resulted in more than 4,000 clicks. The strategy of using Google paid searches has increased activity 539 percent. Meetings are held each month with the contracted marketing firm and adjustments are made as needed to ensure success.
Finally, the Board of Directors approved a proposal to test a two-day meeting schedule for the Fall 2024 and Summer 2025 meetings. Upon completion of those meetings, the Board will make decisions on meeting structure moving forward.
The meeting was adjourned, and members were invited to attend the Fall Committee and Board of Directors meetings set for October 26-28 at the Harrisburg Hilton.