2015 Senior Officers, from left, Vice President/Treasurer Kurt Dinnes of COHBA, President Phil Rhees of Greater Tulsa, Vice President/Secretary Dan Reeves, Immediate Past President Todd Booze of BASCO
By CAROL HARTZOG
Carol Hartzog Communications
These four men are going to take your membership dollar to the next level of service.
They are building from the feedback you gave us two years ago, written into a strategic plan, and now these four have a "laser focus" on your priorities. Our hats are off to the leadership team to take time out from their families and jobs to further our cause.
Incoming President Phil Rhees stated the board's 2015 priorities during the recent installation banquet:
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Education: The largest Oklahoma Building Summit yet is planned Aug. 26-27, with more vendors, more learning venues and more social time, and with a regional reach.
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Legislation: OSHBA will be pushing for builder registration again this year, to raise the professionalism of the industry and set you, the member, apart from everyone else in the field. Also, OSHBA will be fighting again mandatory fire sprinkler installation in new homes.
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Codes: With the need to be prepared to address amendments to the 2015 IRC in place, we will need to address amendments that are overly burdensome.
From the several comments made from the banquet's podium, we've highlighted a few with our descriptives:
The hammer. Todd Booze in thanking Gina Cox, Outgoing Associates Council chair. "We are losing you this year on the advisory board. The thing we appreciate about her is that she and a couple of associate leaders boxed our ears pretty good and got us thinking about a few things. A lot of times we don't show appreciation for the associates. We thank all of you. They are the lifeblood of our association."
The screwdriver. Mike Means, showing appreciation to outgoing President Todd Booze: "I've been used to dealing with custom builders. Todd Booze is a production builder - one of the largest in Oklahoma. His tremendous ideas challenged me as your E.O."
The duct tape. Todd Booze in passing the gavel to Phil Rhees: "Phil Rhees is a gentleman in every sense of the word. He is always the calmest demeanor when the rest of us are blowing off steam."
The pliers. All active members. Todd Booze: "If I had not taken this role, I would never have had the opportunity to meet with you across the state. Sometimes we sit here and get frustrated, as it is always the same 20 people representing our industry. But all of you need to be commended for what you do. Because ya'll are driving the changes in our industry."
...And from outgoing president Booze, our deepest thanks to:
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Executive assistant Kathy Kastner. "You could be chasing a million things (when you come into a meeting. But no matter what day it is), she always has a biggest smile on her face, to let you know that things aren't really that bad."
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Executive Vice President Mike Means. "He's brought a new level to E.O.'s in our state. He's made us relevant at the Capitol. He pushed us to get involve. He's not only our state E.O., but he's with the best E.O. in the country with Paul Kane in Tulsa," as honored by NAHB this year.
