In my last article as the president of the Home Builders Association of Greater Chattanooga (HBAGC) and as 2016 comes to an end I wanted to take a moment to reflect back on a great and eventful year. This has been a fantastic year for our Association, the home building industry, and the Chattanooga area.
It has been a jam packed year for HBAGC. Our Association was excited to celebrate and host its 50th Annual Spring Home Show. It was another fantastic event that had over 8,000 attendees to visit more than 500 booths. HBAGC also added to its already proud history of community involvement and charitable giving. The Association was thrilled to make significant financial contributions to some of our community’s best charitable organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and The American Cross. HBAGC was also excited to present five different students with scholarships to help them pursue their goals of a career in the home building industry. I’m also proud to report that HBAGC has continued in its mission to make sure our members are most knowledgeable professionals in our industry. At our regular General Membership Meetings, HBAGC hosted some of the most respected professionals and educators in the industry that made presentations on a wide variety of topics.
This has also been a great year for the Chattanooga area and the home building industry. There have been 1,465 residential building permits issued in Hamilton County through mid-December 2016, which is a 29% increase compared to the same time period in 2015. This is a pace that hasn’t been seen in Hamilton County since 2007. That is great news for the Chattanooga area because it helps support over 3,000 jobs and will produce nearly $26.5 million in local government revenue. While 2016 has been a strong year for our industry HBAGC is committed to continue working with our local governments and community leaders to help assure that we are able to maintain this positive momentum far into the future.
It has been an honor to serve as president of such a great organization like the Home Builders Association of Greater Chattanooga that plays such a vital role for its members and the entire community. While this may be the end of my official board president term I’m more optimistic than ever that our Association has a bright future. I’m excited to welcome Mike Croxall as our incoming president and I’m confident that with his leadership, 2017 will be another great year for our Association.
For more information on the local home building industry or to find true industry professionals, contact the Home Builders Association of Greater Chattanooga at 423.624.9992 or hbagc.net.