| July 12, 2012 For over 50 years, the Greensboro Builders Association (GBA) has been providing its members support for their construction related businesses. It was first chartered by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) on Sept. 16, 1957, as the Home Builders Association of Greensboro. Now, with its name changed to reflect a broader spectrum of the building industry, the GBA has grown from a mere handful of builders to more than 175 licensed general contractors in Greensboro and Guilford County who specialize in both residential and commercial construction and remodeling.
Over 400 suppliers, trade contractors and service providers are also members of the GBA. In addition, joining the association provides automatic membership in the NCHBA (North Carolina Home Builders Association) and the 160,000 plus member National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
The GBA serves it members in a variety of ways that benefit both the members and their customers. It carefully monitors legislation on the local, state and national levels that relates to the building industry through its membership in TREBIC (Triad Real Estate and Building Industry Coalition). The GBA and TREBIC alert members when changes occur in government building standards, regulations, codes, labor laws and safety and health related policies.
Frequent seminars and workshops are offered to members on how to market and promote their businesses and services, and members are kept up to date on the educational opportunities available through the North Carolina Builders Institute and the NAHB. The GBA website shows a whole list of certifications and designations members are able to obtain through continuing education classes and seminars. There is also a team of experts ready to help members with needs that range from marketing ideas to legal questions.
|  | | |  | The Greensboro Builders Association has 50 years of experience supporting, educating and uniting its members, including nearly 200 builders and over 400 suppliers – ranging from vendors of materials to insurance underwriters to conservative weekly newspapers. Anyone in the construction business – or who would like to develop business connections with builders – is welcome to join. |
New trends and products are exhibited to both the public and GBA members through the annual Southern Ideal Home Show and Associates Expo which the GBA helps sponsor in Greensboro. Over 300 exhibitors were on hand in March this year displaying the very latest ideas in home improvement, kitchens and baths, interior decor, landscaping, gardening and green living.
Within the GBA are a number of councils and committees in which members can participate. Right now the Remodelers Council is busy preparing for the upcoming Tour of Remodeled Homes – Friday, August 24 through Sunday August 26. This is a great opportunity for those looking to remodel or add on to their homes to see the kind of work done by GBA members and associates and talk with the remodeler.
The GBA's Community Service Committee helps GBA members interact with their community in a variety of ways. The committee works with a number of organizations to help provide affordable housing to those in need. Every other year they partner with Habitat for Humanity for Greater Greensboro in "Raising Roofs...Builders for Habitat" build. During the last project in September 2010, GBA members built six nationally certified "green" homes in the Village at Northside, and completed one home renovation in the neighborhood. The renovation project was coordinated by the Remodelers Council.
Other projects the GBA members have participated in include partnering with the Children's Home Society of North Carolina to complete a Habitat home for a foster family (Building Homes - Building Families); providing monetary support and continuing onsite helping hands in Hurricane Katrina relief; and, the Remodelers' Council's complete renovation of a dilapidated duplex in 2005 that provides a home for homeless, single mothers after the birth of their children. It's known as "Amy's House – A Room at the Inn of the Triad."
Last year, GBA members began a new partnership with Housing Greensboro called "ReBuilding Hope." This collaborative project renovated eight homes in May and involved more than 30 members. Peacehaven Farm has also been a recipient of the GBA's community service, as more than 40 members made renovations to Peacehaven's existing community barn during six workdays last June and August. The list just goes on and on. GBA members care deeply for their community and work hard to support youth, foster education and provide affordable housing to those in need.
Because GBA members are also concerned about the environment the Triad Green Building Council was formed to help promote energy saving ideas and products. This council is an advocate for the use of energy saving building techniques and products, and it encourages GBA members to obtain the Certified Green Professional (CGP) designation.
While GBA members know how to work hard, they also know how to play, and social events are a way that members get to know and network with each other. Each spring and fall the GBA holds both a golf tournament and a skeet tournament for members. There is also an annual Holiday Open House, and of course there is always socializing and networking before and after meetings.
One of the original goals of the GBA was to raise the level of professionalism of its membership through the strong code of ethics that all members ascribe to, as well as provide educational opportunities for members. Meeting these goals has helped make the GBA a vital asset to both the Greensboro building industry and the community.
For more information on the GBA and a Membership Directory that lists builders, remodelers and related services, visit www.greensborobuilders.org or call (336) 855-6255.
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