The August SUHBA General Membership Luncheon will be held Tuesday, August 4, 2009 at 11:45 AM at the Dixie State College Gardner Center. You will be given a "royal" opportunity to really network with other SUHBA members. So wear your company logo apparel and/or name tag, bring plenty of business cards, and perfect your 10 second commercial. It's your time to take the lead and "be king or queen of your company" so take the first step to success - Network!

Guest Speakers: Jim Coleman, ERA Brokers Consolidated Realtor with a NAR Green designation and Matthew Zitting, Chairman of SUHBA Green Building Committee, a Certified Green Professional, and an NAHB Green Verifier. Luncheon Presentation: “Green” is currently a hot topic in the nation. We will discuss the opportunities available for SUHBA members to take advantage of green building programs and the support system being initiated for members interested in Green Building in Southern Utah. 
Special thanks to our Luncheon Sponsor:
Bank of America Home Loans is America's trusted lender because integrity is the cornerstone of our business. Our dedication to responsible lending has never been greater and is focused on a balance of a diverse set of loans, showing our commitment to the first time home buyer as well as repeat buyers. We service our own loans to ensure you have a positive experience for the life of your mortgage. We have tremendous financial strength as one of the largest companies in the world. We have served the needs of over 59 million U.S. households (1 out of every 2 U.S. households).

We are very excited to announce Brian Santos, The Wall Wizard, will be presenting an entertaining, interactive workshop on tips, tricks, and techniques to create perfect paint finishes in your home. Brian has been featured on GOOD MORNING AMERICA, NBC TODAY SHOW, HGTV, and the DISCOVERY CHANNEL.  

Make plans now to attend these informative workshops at the Ultimate Home Expo- September 11th & 12th at the Dixie Center.  Bring your family and friends - you will not want to miss this! Brian has presented over 5,000 workshops throughout the nation.  You will learn the how-tos of easy painting with color selection, quick prep and clean-up, basic painting, and faux finishes. A special thank you to Jones Paint & Glass for their contribution in making this national presenter possible!  Please visit them at 122 South 1200 East, St George or visit www.jonespg.com. 

Reserve your exhibition space for the 6th Annual Ultimate Home Expo to be held September 11 & 12 at the Dixie Center.  Our industry is showing signs of recovery and exhibiting is a great opportunity for SUHBA members to make the connections that will prepare them to capitalize when the economy turns around. Both industry professionals and the general public will be in attendance.  Send in your reservation form with a 50% deposit and reserve your booth today.  Click here for more information or call 674-1400.  Click here to view the exhibit hall layout.

The Ultimate Home Expo is presented by SUHBA and The Spectrum.  Thank you to following for sponsoring this event. We sincerely appreciate their support of this community event.  Please consider these fine companies when in need of related services and products.

Promote your company in the Ultimate Home Expo tabloid and official program to reach 50,000 readers!  Increase your business exposure in 2009 as our economy is recovering by placing an ad in the tabloid and exhibiting in Southern Utah's premier home expo. Inform potential customers that you are open and ready for their business.  SUHBA members save!  Click here for more information or call (435) 674-6245 to place an ad. 

SUHBA is committed to maximize results for exhibitors at the upcoming Ultimate Home Expo, September 11th & 12th at the Dixie Center!! The event will be promoted on a billboard located on Red Cliffs Drive (next to mall), and can be seen by thousands of visitors daily on I-15.  Check it out as you drive by beginning next week! 

Don't miss your opportunity to promote your business in the Home Building & Remodeling Guide - ad sales close August 11th! It is a complete resource guide for all your building and remodeling needs. 15,000 copies will be printed and distributed to approximately 100 businesses, 11,000 Spectrum consumer subscribers, and will be available to Ultimate Home Expo visitors interested in housing. Click here for more information.

Promote your company, products, and/or services for only $250 by being a sponsor at a SUHBA luncheon. Sponsoring gives you the opportunity to network, exhibit your products and service, stand up and get noticed, and promotes name recognition. ...More

You are invited to sponsor the 1st Annual "SUHBA SOFTBALL SHOWDOWN" to be held in October.  

This is a great opportunity for SUHBA Builders and Associates to network in a casual way with their families and to let off a little competitive steam! Builders will take on the Associate members and the winning team will have bragging rights and a trophy displayed at the SUHBA office for one year.

Reserve the exclusive right to sponsor this fun event by emailing kathy@suhba.com today. Or download the Sponsor Reservation here.

This event is presented by the SUHBA Membership Committee.

Bring your family to SUHBA Night at the RoadRunners Baseball Game on Wednesday, August 26, 2009 at 7:00 pm, on Bruce Hurst Field at Dixie State College.  Enjoy a relaxing night of baseball, network with members, and watch our SUHBA Vice President, Mike Madsen throw the first pitch! SUHBA Member discount: Tickets are buy-one-get-one-free and cost only $7.00 (maximum purchase of 4 tickets, get 4 free). Click here for a registration form.

Don’t miss your opportunity to attend the Southern Utah Building Industry Conference held on Friday, September 11th, at the Dixie Center. Keynote speaker will be Attorney General Mark Shurtleff.
 

Learning Strategies to Survive Today Means Thriving Tomorrow

• Continuing Education: Contractors complete all your continuing education requirements in one day! State requirements must be met by November 30, 2009.
• Networking Opportunity: Get acquainted with your peers in the industry at breakfast, lunch, during classes, and at the popular Ultimate Home Expo. All of this is included with the conference fee!

• SUHBA Scholarships Available! The first 50 SUHBA member companies to register and pay for the conference will receive a $50 reimbursement check after attending the conference! This will be done on a first-come, first-served basis. Limited to one scholarship per company. Don’t wait to register or you may miss out on this discount!  

Don't miss the Early Bird Registration! Visit www.buildingconference.com and register today.

Washington City has officially launched its Fast Track Program for new commercial and industrial development after presenting it to the City Council at their July 21,2009 workshop. To view an informational brochure about the program, the application to participate in the program, and the economic impact data sheets for those participating in the program, click here.

A representative from Builder Helper will be making an announcement at the SUHBA Luncheon, August 4th, regarding their program. Make plans now to attend and see how you can benefit by saving time and money. Builder Helper is a web-based construction management program that facilitates bidding, estimating and scheduling, as well as the flow of information between contractors, trades, and other parties. As a SUHBA member, you can utilize Builder Helper at no cost (call 801-227-7811 for details).  Take the Builder Helper Tour at Builderhelper.com today.

Why are Realtors ignoring you? They do have buyers, even in today’s market. And you do have houses to sell. This should be a good fit for everyone involved. So, what’s missing? ...More

Proposed changes to the Energy Star certification program for new homes go far beyond the voluntary program’s charge of promoting energy efficiency and duplicate green building rating systems, including the National Green Building Standard, says NAHB. In a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency commenting on a proposal for the next iteration of the Energy Star Qualified New Homes program, NAHB urged program leaders to stick with what has made Energy Star a household name among new home buyers. ...More

Pride Homes is looking for help in building this year's Habitat for Humanity Home. They are accepting bids and would appreciate any efforts offered by members to contribute to this project. It certainly is a GREAT WAY to give back to the community we all enjoy. For more information, please call Jay Bradley (435) 619-1147.

You are invited to experience the variety of homes that will be on display August 7-23, 2009 from 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM daily. This year, the Parade features three categories of homes that will be showcased throughout the Salt Lake Valley. Please come and see the latest in home design, interior design and affordability!

To purchase advanced tickets online or learn more about this year's unique Salt Lake Parade of Homes, please visit www.saltlakeparade.com.

Ken Hinton, partner at Hinton Burdick CPA's & Advisors suggests, "If you are planning on taking the standard deduction when you file your 2009 tax return, there are a couple of additional deductions you could be entitled to: a sales tax deduction on the purchase of a new vehicle and a property tax deduction". ...More

Tina Anne Stiles, owner of Architectural Illustrationz, Inc., announced the merger with Site Builder Biz. These two companies together offer over 35 years of combined expertise in the fields of Architectural Illustration, Website Design, and Internet Marketing. ...More

Host Business Services, St. George's leading provider of virtual office and on-demand business administration solutions, is providing complimentary  administrative functions and services for local service clubs. ...More

ERA Brokers Consolidated is planning a free seminar to help residents better understand the foreclosed and short-sale home market. The seminar will be Thursday, July 30, 2009 at 7:00 pm at the Ramada Inn, 1440 E. St. George Boulevard. For more information, call 628-1606.

Stop by Rainbow Sign & Banner and pick-up a small free flag in celebration of the 20^th Anniversary of Rainbow Sign & Banner, the original flag company. Enter to win a 30’ flag pole and receive 20% discount on all flags.  Offer good through the month of July.

Windermere Real Estate is pleased to announce the addition of sales associate Doug Harris to its St. George office. He looks forward to providing quality customer service to his clients.

Nationally, total starts rose 3.6% from May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 582,000 while permits advanced a strong 9% to 563,000. For both starts and permits, single-family activity improved upon its May performance according to www.HousingEconomics.com. Both new home prices and existing home prices saw increases as well over the previous month. Washington County saw a 27% increase in building permits issued for single family homes for June over May.

Twenty-six percent of builders are seeing signed sales contracts fall through the cracks because appraisals on their homes are coming in below the contract sales price, according to a nationwide survey conducted by NAHB. "Home builders are increasingly concerned that inappropriate appraisal practices are needlessly driving down home values. This, in turn, is slowing new home sales, causing more workers to lose their jobs and putting a drag on the economic recovery," said NAHB Chairman Joe Robson. ...More

Rosenberg is looking for a full time receptionist to continue their tradition of excellent customer service. Candidate must be able to multi task and have good voice recognition. Must also be proficient in Microsoft applications and familiar with basic computer skills. ...More

SUHBA members are encouraged to submit company event announcements, open house announcements, job announcements, education announcements and press releases for inclusion in the next News You Can Use by Monday, August 10, 2009. Please email the information to news@suhba.com.