Youthbuild lays the

foundation for success

Financing in 2009

Surviving the times

Enhance your curb appeal, sell your house

YouthBuild lays the

foundation for success

Financing in 2009

Surviving the times

Enhance your curb appeal, sell your house

The official magazine of Tidewater Builders Association April 2009 Vol. 56, Number 3

The TidewaTer

april 2009 1

The TidewaTer

2 President’s Pen

5 Headliners

8 Counsel’s Insights

9, 12 Issues and Actions

10 Shades of Green

3 Navigating financing in 2009 With the days of “quick and easy” no documentation mortgages behind us, it’s important for builders and site agents to take a more active role in securing financing.

4 Building a future TBa’s latest YouthBuild class marks a milestone by becoming the first group to complete a house from start to finish.

6 Plant the seed to your new home’s success investing a little green in a new home’s landscaping could be the difference between having the house sit on the market or being sold.

11 Surviving the times alex and Odysseus Kotarides know that builders can’t plan for perfection, but adapting to and surviving tough times are possible.

13 Philanthropy strikes again TBa past president Jeff ainslie’s $1 million gift to Old Dominion University will bring his alma mater a football game-day building.

Inside this issue…The official magazine of Tidewater Builders Association April 2009 Vol. 56, Number 3

The mission of Tidewater Builders Association is to im-prove the climate for affordable housing; promote the growth and development of the shelter industry; pro-mote excellence and professionalism among members through education and networking opportunities; and support and enhance the community through charitable projects.

OFFICERS: Pete A. Kotarides, president; William H. Hal-prin, vice president; James E. Jackson, associate vice president; Charles J. Miller II, treasurer; S.L. “Sam” Co-hen, secretary; Steven E. Lawson, appointee; Edward R. Sadler, immediate past president

BUILDER DIRECTORS: Richard L. “Tuck” Bowie, Scott G. Brooker, Christopher J. Ettel, Dennis M. Graf, Pete O. Kotarides, Steven E. Lawson, Lucky C. Peterson, Ste-phen B. Quick IV

ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS: G. Robert Aston Jr., J. Gregory Dodd, Thomas W. Dye, Scott M. Gandy, Brenda K. Reid, Samuel G. Scott, H. Mac Weaver II, Edward O. Yoder

DIRECTORS EMERITI: Edward P. Brogan, William J. Fanney, Richard D. Guy, Doyle E. Hull, Frederick J. Na-politano, Richard E. Olivieri, John H. Peterson Jr., The Honorable Owen B. Pickett, Julian Rashkind, Stanley Waranch, Howard M. Weisberg, Wendell A. White

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER: Channing A. Pfeiffer

The Tidewater Builder is published monthly, January through December, by Tidewater Builders Association, located at 2117 Smith Ave., Chesapeake, VA 23320. Editorial deadline is 5 p.m. on the 1st of the month pre-ceding publication. Advertising deadline for copy and insertion order is 5 p.m. on the 10th and for camera-ready ads, 5 p.m. on the 15th of the month preceding publication. All advertising is subject to current rates, copies of which can be obtained from the Special Events/Membership/Marketing Division, 420-2434. The newspaper reserves the right to determine the suitabil-ity of any advertising or editorial copy, and all real estate advertising is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968, which makes it illegal to advertise and prefer-ence, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination.

Managing editor ................................ Mary Prier, APREditor ........................................................ Sara SteilAdvertising sales ...............Kim Powers, JoAnn Lucero Production coordinator ......................... Stella CouncilAdviser ..............................................Sandra AmidonGraphic Artist ..................................... Diane Trumbull

Copyright: 2009; all rights reserved. No permission to reprint unless expressly given by Tidewater Builders Association. The Tidewater Builder is published for all TBA member firms through the $15 subscription price, which is included in the annual membership fee. Opinions expressed by contributing columnist are not necessarily those of this publication.

Features

Departments

About the cover: TBA’s latest YouthBuild graduates stand on the porch to the house they built in Portsmouth. They are, from left to right, first row: Donter-rio Jones, Antenile Johnson and Luis Soto; second row, Khadir Barner, Ashley Atkins; back row, Rico Nixon, Travis Owens and Shawn Everrett. Not pictured students include Aaron Watson, Keith Swain and Tim Morgan.

april 2009 1

18 Shop Talk

19 Advertiser’s Index

Events Calendar

Membership Update

After completing a house in Portsmouth in five months, YouthBuild Program students work to install doors on an auxiliary building for Chesapeake Service Sys-tems. They are, from left to right, Khadir Barner, Instructor Billy Vick, Rico Nixon, Luis Soto, Donterrio Jones and Shawn Everrett.

2 april 2009

Keeping hope alive at the Building Trades academy

President’s Pen

it has been more than 30 years since our association first took on the work of giving people hope for a bet-ter life through train-ing in construction through TBa’s Building Trades academy, for-

merly known as the pre-apprenticeship program.

For many of the nearly 4,000 gradu-ates, the training and job placement gave them a chance to build productive lives for themselves and their families.

We hear a lot of success stories from these trainees. Many of them, be-ing products of their environment, got caught early in the wrong associations and on the wrong path. They come to appreciate the new direction and new vision this training has provided. Oth-ers have worked hard all their lives in low-paying, dead-end jobs and never en-visioned they could have a rewarding career in the building industry.

in times past, we could count on fed-eral funds for this worthy program. But for the past three years, we have had to rely on constant appeals to individuals and organizations to keep this program alive.

The local Workforce investment Board that provides funding for this training took a major hit three years ago when federal funds were diverted to other national priorities. We still re-ceive funding through this system, but not enough to sustain the program on a full-time basis.

We are hopeful our new president’s workforce training agenda and stimulus dollars will find their way to our pro-

gram in the coming months, but in the meantime, we are still working hard at other options.

Over the past few years, we have received funding from generous TBa members and company and community foundations, but, as we are all too keenly aware, many of these funds have disap-peared with the stock market plunge.

Most recently, we have had support from local cities that stepped up to in-vest in these lives, recognizing this in-vestment pays off in many ways. Not only are they getting a productive, tax-paying citizen, but also they are poten-tially removing them from the expense category — whether they are receiving support from social services, or in a worse case scenario, services from the correctional department.

When you see how these lives have changed, the $4,000 tuition seems like a small investment.

The trainees who graduate from the program must prove they are motivated and have the work skills needed to be successful employees. To date, every graduate has been placed in a job, most often with a TBa member firm.

a recent class of graduates received Epa certification training to qualify them for work in facilities maintenance in the multifamily housing community. These students started their new lives with a job paying $14 an hour, plus health ben-efits and a 401k.

We are currently exploring whether specific employers or groups of em-ployers would consider making an in-vestment in training their potential em-ployees. That’s just one of many ideas being floated to carve out a future for the program.

TBa is also winding down a grant to train students in the YouthBuild program for portsmouth residents. The most recent class of students is deliver-ing a new construction home for sale

by portsmouth Housing and redevelop-ment Development, our partners in the grant.

One possible buyer, as it turns out, is a former student of the Building Trades academy. This grant from the U.S. De-partment of Housing and Urban Devel-opment ran out at the end of March. We’re hoping for a new grant, but noth-ing is guaranteed.

Meanwhile, the staff — Tony Davis, Billy Vick, Franklin Cobb and Shannon pfeiffer — get high marks from the trainees for their ability to communi-cate what’s important for success to a population that is not always easy to serve.

We’re optimistic the value of what this program does for the community will be recognized by those who make available the federal dollars that could keep it alive.

One way in which TBa members can support the Building Trades academy is through TBa’s annual Charity Golf Tour-nament. This year’s tournament will be held on Wednesday, May 20, at Sewell’s point Golf Course in Norfolk. For more information about how you can sup-port the Building Trades academy at this year’s golf tournament, please see page 14 for more details.

Meanwhile, if any of you have ideas to help secure the future of the program, please contact Channing pfeiffer, our CEO, at 420-2434. Thank you to everyone who has supported these programs.

Hang in there,

pete a. Kotarides

Major contributors since 2006:Sherman Reese Foundation $150,000Norfolk Foundation $65,500Beazley Foundation $52,000Ainslie Widener $56,700TowneBank Foundation $25,000Landmark Foundation $25,000Wachovia Foundation $20,000

For many of the nearly 4,000 graduates, the training and job placement gave them a chance to build productive lives for themselves and their families.

april 2009 3

President’s Pen Home mortgages in 2009

By Mary Prier, APRGone are the days of the “quick and

easy” no documentation mortgages, said Toby Harris, of New american Mort-gage. Gone also are the NiNJa loans (no income, no assets, no job), 100 per-cent financing for investor loans, easy appraisals and low FiCO scores for Va and FHa loans.

in today’s environment, the mort-gage cannot be left up to the borrower, he said.

“it’s critical the builder, agent and loan officer work together as a team from the very beginning to make sure that everyone is on the same page and that the buyer really is able to close.”

Here are his observations: • Buyers need full documentation of

their finances• They alsoneedcredit scores in the

mid-600s and higher• Appraisalswillbetough• Jumbo loans (above $417,000) will

be hard to get• Therewillbefewinvestorloans• Also,fewersecondmortgages• Pricing will be based on LTV and

FiCO score• Buyersmustqualifyandhavemoney

Advice for sellers: • Prequalificationlettersareworthless.

all buyers should have a complete approval letter after a full loan ap-plication from a reputable company. The loan should be locked through the estimated closing.

• Obtain information from buyers thatis pertinent to their ability to perform. Make sure they have the necessary cash (not stocks!). ask where they work (people are getting terminated). Make sure you know exactly what kind of loan they are getting and the chances of the product disappearing.

• Getasizablenon-refundabledepositto prevent a borrower from walking.

• Analyze your risk if the loan is notclosing within 90 days and a new credit report must be pulled.

• Educateyourcustomersabouthowto maintain their credit score. Credit scores have dropped from 800 to 620 in 60 days.

2009 Cornerstone Foundation Members

Diamond $10,000

Virginia Natural Gas

Dominion Virginia Power

Fulton Bank/Fulton Mortgage

TowneBank

Wells Fargo

The Ainslie Group

SunTrust Real Estate Finance Group

Bank of America

Tidewater Home Funding

Beach Ford Inc.

The Virginian-Pilot

RBC Builder Finance

Sykes, Bourdon, Ahern & Levy P.C.

Bank of Hampton Roads

Williams Mullen

William E. Wood & Assoc.

Kotarides Builders

Napolitano Homes

Clark Whitehill Enterprises Inc.

Area Builders of Tidewater Inc.

Terry/Peterson Cos.

Hearndon Construction Corp.

Ashdon Builders Inc.

L.R. Hill Custom Builders Inc.

Miller Custom Homes

Joey Corp.

Greenbrier Lighting

Associated Development

Real Estate Information Network Inc.

Gateway Bank & Trust Co.

Reese Smith Construction

iLevel by Weyerhaeuser

The Closet Factory

Monarch Bank/Monarch Mortgage

Superior Equipment Sales Inc.

Cox Communications

Columbia Gas of Virginia

Platinum $5,000

Gold $2,500

Thank you to the following companies for their support of the shelter industry:

4 april 2009

By Sara SteilOn the corner of Portsmouth’s

Chestnut and Palmer streets sits a three bedroom, 2½ bath home with 1,500-square-feet of living space. In just 5 months, this home was constructed by a work crew that likely never dreamed they could do it. They are students train-ing in the YouthBuild Program. About the program

Funded by a three-year, $700,000grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban redevelopment, the six-month training program is a partner-ship between Tidewater Builders asso-ciation’s Building Trades academy and portsmouth redevelopment and Hous-ing authority aimed at providing career direction to disadvantaged populations in the community.

The students were given the oppor-tunity to earn their General Education Development certificate and a salary, as well as building trades training, life skill instruction, hands-on experience building homes, job placement services and follow-up. Through the program, participants build affordable homes in underserved neighborhoods of ports-mouth and get started thinking about what they can achieve in life.

During the program’s three years, YouthBuild students successfully com-pleted four homes from start to finish, as well as began construction on an auxiliary facility for Chesapeake Service Systems. The program, which began in 2006, served 60 low-income portsmouth residents between the ages of 18 and 24 who didn’t have their GED or diploma.

Over the grant period, 450 potential participantswererecruited,57ofwhomenrolled in the program. Of these, 37graduated and received their GED and 10 are still in training — representing 82 percent of original participants hav-ing or expecting to receive industry credentials.

Students have been placed in jobs rang-

ing from shipyard and electrical work to facility and apartment maintenance.

Hands-on training, invaluable lessons

The students in the program have gained more than hands-on training. Most have taken advantage of the op-portunity to get their GED and some are hoping to enroll in Tidewater Com-munity College for additional course-work.

“i had no idea that i had something like this in me. i never thought i’d build a house — never,” said Shawn Everrett, who plans to pursue a future in weld-ing. “The teamwork, my values my ethic, my morals, i’ll take to TCC with me.”

“Don’t ever tell yourself you can’t,” said antenile Johnson, who is hoping to earn her civil engineering degree from TCC. “if you feel there’s something you can’t do, just put forth initiative and see if you can work it out. it was a great op-portunity and a great chance for me to

Building homes; instilling valuesYouthBuild Program celebrates three successful years

After completing construction on a house in Portsmouth’s Prentice Place, recent YouthBuild graduates take a moment from working on an auxiliary facility at Chesapeake Service Systems. They are, from left to right, front row: Luis Soto, Travis Owens, Antenile Johnson and Rico Nixon; back row: Shawn Everrett, Donterrio Jones and Khadir Barner.

start a new life track.”The last class of students marked

a milestone, as they became the first group to complete a house from start to finish.

“it’s an opportunity for somebody who needs a second chance,” said Travis Owens, whose life took an unexpected turn when he got caught up with the wrong crowd, lost his football schol-arship — his ticket to college — and spent some time in prison. However, he is thankful for the program, which “prepares you for work life,” he said. “The book is good, but the hands-on is great.”

A new future?although the grant for the ports-

mouth YouthBuild program expired at the end of March, the economic stimu-lus package has opened up the possibil-ity for additional funding. if approved, a two-year YouthBuild program will be developed for Suffolk.

april 2009 5

Save the date for this year’s picnic! TBa’s Festival in the park (formerly the TBa annual picnic) is one

event that you don’t want to miss. The annual picnic is scheduled for 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday, June 12, at Chesapeake City park. You will enjoy mouthwatering food, refreshing beverages, exciting activities, contests and fabulous entertainment. remember, this is an adults only event.

if you would like to join the committee or obtain information re-garding sponsorships, please contact Teresa Howell at 305-9062. For more information on purchasing tickets or becoming a sponsor, please visit www.tbaonline.org/events.php.

Hips were a swingin’ as contestants

gave it their all in the

hula hooping contest at last

year’s picnic.

Headliners

TBA House Talk in The Virginian-Pilot This year Tidewater Builders association has a

regular column, “TBa House Talk” each month in the Saturday Home section of The Virginian-Pilot.

The January column by remodelers Council chair Chris Ettel was on planning ahead for re-modeling projects, February’s column by Green Building Council Chair allen loree covered what it means to build green, and the March topic by TBa president pete a. Kotarides examines incentives available for new home buyers.

Each month, TBa will use the opportunity to provide consumer education about housing issues and trends.

Keep up with TBA newsEvery TBa member should be receiving TBa’s bi-

monthly e-newsletter Nuts & Bolts. The newsletter, which has a new look and now is more interactive, keeps members abreast of upcoming TBa events, as well as industry news to use.

if you are not currently receiving the e-newslet-ter, please make sure your contact and e-mail infor-mation is up-to-date with member services’ Stacey Turner at 305- 9042 or by e-mail at sturner@tbaon-line.org

6 april 2009

By Sara SteilMost buyers have made up their minds

within the first 15 minutes of seeing a home, according to Christian Basnight of Basnight land & lawn. putting a little extra money into landscaping could be the difference between turning a potential buyer into your next ho-meowner.

according to Virginia Society of landscape Designers, homeowners can not only expect to recover 100 to 200 percent of their costs with professional landscaping when they sell, but it will also “sell your home faster, due to enhanced ‘curb-appeal’ for prospective buy-ers.”

Here are some things that landscaping ex-perts say can make or break the deal for po-tential buyers.

What builders should plan forFirst, have “a good, well-designed entrance

to the house,” said Basnight. “a builder needs to try and find a happy

medium,” said robert askew Jr. of r.W. askew

Photos courtesy of Basnight Land and Lawn

When landscaping a new home, planting a few bushes and one tree won’t cut it. By spending a little extra money landscaping, a builder can increase his chances of his home selling faster with an enhanced curb appeal.For example, builders should be spending more money in the areas that a buyer first sees and sees the most, with attention being paid to establishing a well-designed entrance.

Sell your home faster by adding more green

Before

6 april 2009

april 2009 7

There are many things that builders and landscapers can do to add to a new home’s curb appeal. Here are a few items, from lower to higher end, that make a home more inviting to potential buyers:Add an economical water feature, such as a bubbler

Upgrade from concrete to pavers for walk-ways, driveways and patios, if possible

Instead of trying to seed the front yard, use sod. It makes the home look more es-tablished.

Use color texture in the landscape.

Spend a little money in annual color to get a punch of color in the appropriate places, such as the front door of the house. For example, burgundy is a good planting col-or to use year round.

Avoid planting a lot of perennials, as they involve pruning and tend to be more water sensitive.

Add a pergola

Add an arbor

Add a dry-river bed

Add an outdoor kitchen

Add a pool

Source: David Dubinsky of Jack Frost landscape, robert askew Jr. of r.W. askew Nurseries inc. and Christian Basnight of Basnight land & lawn

Before

Nurseries inc. “You want a house that is not underplanted and that is not over-planted. if it’s overplanted, it’s going to run the cost up and the builder has to pass it on to the buyers.

“Buyers right now are shopping for the most for their money,” he continued.

“Establish a budget for what you want to do to the house, in most cases that runs 1 percent of the house cost in land-scaping. That would give you a very nice yard with a few nice trees,” said askew.

Builders also should be prepared to spend money in the areas that a buyer first sees and sees the most. Then, land-scape the secondary areas of the prop-erty as the budget allows.

Keep in mind that the exterior and style of the house also will dictate how the landscaping will be done. For exam-

By adding a pop of color, a dry river bed and using color texture near the home’s entrance, the home now looks more established, which makes the home look more valuable.

ple, a colonial house should have a very formal entryway. a traditional home should a more traditional landscape.

remember that “a house also has to look like it’s established,” said Basnight.

“To plant a ‘builder’s special,’ which is 12 bushes and a tree in the front yard is not going to cut it,” said askew. Buyers “want a house that has a nice, professional look.” However, “people want a simpler landscape. They want something that really looks nice, but they don’t want to create a monster that they have to take care of.

“You want that house, when the buyer pulls up, to look estab-lished and to make the home look like it’s worth something,” he continued. “Established landscaping gives the buyer confidence that the house is a solid house.”

Possible trends to look foraccording to askew and Basnight, more buyers are looking for

garden spaces. “You see more people that want to have an area set aside for gar-

den features where they can grow their own vegetables,” said askew. “i’m seeing that now instead of someone wanting a pond.”

additionally, “more and more homeowners want maintenance-free yards as much as possible, unless it’s a retired couple. if the homeowners want to be involved in the yard, then that’s fine, but in today’s world, most husbands and wives are working as well as having children playing sports and other activities. They don’t have but so many weekends a year to work in the yard. They want a pretty maintenance-free landscape.”

8 april 2009

Housing has been economically assault-ed from every direction. Builders and devel-opers bought land at prices that are now well above market. Mortgage money has been difficult to obtain. Demand for new and existing lots and homes is at an all-time low. Market values continue to drop. The national and world financial markets are

barely recognizable and major players are gone or teetering on the end of the abyss. Government stimulus plans seem to ignore the need to provide a real boost to the housing indus-try. Many builders and developers have not been able to ad-just both variable and fixed costs to match up with revenue, resulting in negative cash flow. relief is not in sight. Short of heading out on an extended trip to New Zealand or rio, what are some steps you may want to consider taking?

First and foremost, keep in mind a few key points:• Positivecashflow,notprofit,iswhatmatters.Cashflow

strangulation will kill any business regardless of size — it’s a matter of time.

• Usingbusinessorpersonalresourcestosolvesome,butnot all, of your business issues often leads to failure be-cause you run out of resources before you have fixed all your problems.

• Credibilityandintegrityareparamount.Neverlie,mis-represent or fudge the truth. Once credibility is lost, it’s almost never recovered.

• Decideonacourseofactionandimplementit.Donotwaitor vacillate — the sooner you take action the more likely it is that you will have the resources to be successful.

• Reorganization under Chapter 11 of the BankruptcyCode will enable you to restructure obligations and buy some time, but it’s not a solution for a broken business model. You need to change your business operations so youproducepositivecashflow.in many situations, your existing lend-

ers and vendors become key strategic partners in a successful restructuring. When problems loom, communicate re-garding the potential problems as early as possible. Bankers hate unpleasant surpris-es. anticipate the conditions a creditor may impose to consent to restructure re-payment terms or discount debt. lenders will require current financial information on the borrowing entities and guarantors and will request additional collateral (if unencumbered assets are available). if you

Counsel’s Insights

By C. Grigsby Scifres

Depressed housing market – what’s a builder to do?

seek a discount, then be prepared to pay the balance in full. Develop a conservative proposal to repay indebtedness

and make sure that the proposal is likely to be achieved. if you lack the resources to pay your debts in full, then your plan needs to request discounts from creditors. it’s counter-productive to propose a workout plan that requires a perfect alignment of the sun, the moon and the stars to be successful. Often you only have one opportunity to forestall collection activity by lenders or unpaid vendors.

Somewhere in the process, consideration will be given to using bankruptcy as a tool to achieve business objectives. While bankruptcy can be an effective means of restructuring a business and related obligations, many more bankruptcy reorganizations fail than succeed. The process is time con-suming, emotionally draining and expensive.

if the individual owners have provided full recourse guar-anties to lenders or vendors, simply filing a Chapter 11 re-organization case will not protect the guarantors from de-mands for payment pursuant to their guaranty agreements. Most importantly, whether the restructuring of the business and related indebtedness occurs inside or outside of bank-ruptcy, the key components are a conservative plan to ad-dress the underlying business problems and keeping existing lenders and vendors as strategic partners in that plan. When the debtor and its creditors are combatants, all parties often are disappointed.

Financial problems will test one’s character; however, suc-cessful outcomes can be achieved if the underlying business problems can be solved. a proactive approach increases the

likelihood of success.

Scifres, a partner in the Virginia Beach office of the law firm of Williams Mullen, is Tidewater Builders Association’s general counsel. He specializes in financing, real estate and creditor’s rights matters. He can be reached at gscifres@wil-liamsmullen.com or (757) 473-5370.

Issues and Actions

april 2009 9

Builder Services success story

PArTieS imPAcTed: Balance Builders inc.

AdvocATe: paul Wallace of Balance Builders inc.

iSSue: Wallace was having difficulties with a city regarding a sewer line to his property that had been cut in the past.

While finishing construction of a spec home, Wallace discovered that city con-tractors installing a water line in the right of way cut a sewer line to his property when it was nonoperational. He then contacted the city hoping to have the city repair it, but with no success.

AcTion TAKen: Wallace contacted Builder Services and after much discus-sion and research, an agreeable resolu-tion was achieved. The line was repaired and Wallace was able to proceed with his project.

commenT: Though the city refused to pay for the repairs, “at least i got the door open to do what i had to do,” said Wallace. “We ended up having to repair the line ourselves, but they (Builder Ser-vices) were able to work with public

works … to stream-line the permit process. it went

right through, and we got our own con-tractor to repair the pipe.”

This wasn’t the first time that Wallace called on the aid of Builder Services.

“Builder Services alone is enough rea-son for me to belong to TBa,” he said. “To me, the biggest benefit of TBa is Builder Services.”

If you or your company have a building or development issue you would like help resolving or a ques-tion you need answered, please con-tact TBA’s Builder Services Specialist Barbara York at 420-2434, ext. 215, or byork@tbaonline.org

Issues and Actions

10 april 2009

Going green used to be a niche concern most company execu-tives pretended to care about. However, recent statistics indicate a dra-matic shift in thinking about sustainability.

John Makower, the editor of GreenBiz.com, reports that de-spite the most severe economic down-turn in decades, businesses are going greener. The “green values” of efficiency, reducing waste and managing carbon have become standard practice for any smart business.

in the construction industry, one way to measure the success of sustain-ability is the leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or lEED, green building rating system. The U.S. Green

Job site recycling can be good for business

Shades of Green

By Michael Benedetto, TFC Recycling

Building Council confirmed that num-bers of lEED-registered and lEED-certi-fied projects doubled in 2008 — from about 10,000 registered projects at the endof2007tomorethan20,000bytheend of January 2009, while square foot-age of lEED-certified construction rose 92 percent, from 148 million to 284 mil-lion square feet.

Most builders are familiar with lEED certification and, in many cases, it’s a re-quirement for new construction. How-ever, builders might be surprised to learn cost-saving, sustainable choices can be made from the time a project is proposed to long after construction is complete.

Builders often contact local waste companies for open top containers to handle construction site debris. But what happens to that construction and demolition (C&D) waste after it is placed into the containers? a recycling company can bring the C&D to a mate-rials recovery facility (MrF) where the waste is kept out of landfills.

About the processThe process is fascinating. C&D is

dumped into a presort area where large items, such as steel columns and con-crete, are removed by large machines with grapplers.

Next, material is placed into a grinder and shredded to a size of less than two feet. Conveyors transport the shredded waste to a sorting platform where items such as textiles, wire and fabrics are manually picked off the conveyor belt.

a sizing screen then separates dirt and other small material from the larger mix. Dirt falls and accumulates in a storage bunker below while the remaining mix is transported by a conveyor to a water separation unit that resembles a mini log flume. Wood and other items that float are removed and sent to a grinder that shreds it to a mulch-like size.

The shredded wood then passes un-der a ferrous magnet that removes met-als, including nails.

The remaining heavy items such as concrete, asphalt and bricks are con-veyed to another crusher and sized

Earth Day, april 22, is no lon-ger a day to learn about the earth.

instead, it’s a time to think greener and initiate change. To get involved locally, attend the Earth Day Festival on Sunday, May 3, at Mount Trashmore from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The free event will feature Earth Day exhibits, an ar-ray of crafts, demos, music, ecycling and more. in the meantime, here are a few facts to tickle your brain.

8,000 lbs. of waste are cre-ated from constructing a 2,000-square-foot home, the majority of which is wood, cardboard and drywall. Source: National association of Home Builders

40% of waste from construction make up the nation’s solid waste. Source: Epa

See how your lifestyle impacts our planet at www.earthday.net. Click on “Ecological footprint” to take an in-teractive quiz to determine how you affect your environment.

Thinking green

down to a few inches before being conveyed to another storage area.

The uses of c&d incredibly, about 90 percent of the

C&D waste is put back to beneficial uses.

Metal is sent to scrap yards and converted into new products. Wood waste can wind up as mulch or boiler fuel. Dirt is converted to fill or cover. Crushed aggregate is used for new road or building projects. and non-re-cyclables are sent to a waste-to-energy facility and converted into fuel.

recycle and receive some Leed credits

C&D waste recycling is a remark-able process and an easy way to re-ceive lEED credits, but sustainability doesn’t have to end there. lEED cred-its are also awarded if a recycling pro-gram is designed into the new facility. a comprehensive recycling program can be designed for new and existing buildings whereby paper, bottles and cans can all be mixed together into one recycling container. These single stream recycling programs have prov-en successful in residential recycling programs such as Virginia Beach, Nor-folk, Newport News and Hampton. The ease and convenience of one large re-cycling container encourages partici-pation, makes recycling easy, and saves money while saving the Earth.

recycling is an essential part of sus-tainability for builders and is often less expensive than traditional waste remov-al. it’s a way to go green and save green. There’s no better time than now!

Michael “Recycle” Benedetto is a vice president and owner of TFC Re-cycling, a family-owned and operated recycling and waste removal com-pany since 1973. Benedetto can be reached at mbenedetto@tfcrecycling.com or 543-5766.

april 2009 11

(left) Alex Kotarides conducts business at Lake Wood Gardens, which was built during the high interest rates of the 1970s and 1980s. (right) Despite the savings and loan woes of the 1980s, Odysseus Kotarides forges ahead on a Kotarides development at Crystal Lake.

By Sara Steil The history of the United States is a constant cycle of good years and bad

years. and according to Kotarides Developers’ alex and Odysseus Kotarides, that is what every builder should remember in today’s economic climate.

“it always goes up and down,” said alex Kotarides.TBa is asking builders who survived difficult economies, “What words

of wisdom do you have for today’s builders?”The brothers, who emigrated to the U.S. from Greece in the 1950s,

landed in the housing industry by accident in 1963. While working at Mary Jane Bakery, they met a co-worker who was building houses on the side and “we said, ‘we can do that too,’” Odysseus Kotarides said. “We started in lake Smith Terrace,” developed by the late lee Gifford, he added.

“We started with $200,” said alex Kotarides, “and we made $3,000 profit.” During their 40 plus years in business, the men have survived many

tremulous economic cycles. “in the ’60s when we started to build, there were times when even a

commander in the Navy couldn’t qualify to buy a home because money was so tight,” said alex Kotarides.

However, when money was tight, the Kotarides adapted to make sure their investments pulled through. Once, they personally took out a second mortgage and loaned the money to the buyer, who in turn mailed a check monthly to the Kotarides until the amount was paid in full.

The men learned to adapt and survive. They started out building single- family homes in the 1960s, and have built apartments, townhouses, condos and small commercial over the years. To this day, they continue to devel-op a variety of product types, depending on the demands of the market, which believe this is the key to their long term success.

“You have ups and downs in this business constantly,” Odysseus Ko-tarides said. “all the builders are under a lot of pressure because you’re dealing with a lot of money. When you start something so far ahead and then the bottom comes out, what do you do?

“You survive,” alex Kotarides said.“it’s a tough business, there’s no doubt about that,” Odysseus Kotarides

continued. “Hopefully, soon we will see better days in the near future.”

Surviving the times: Part 2 of an ongoing series

You can’t plan for a perfect market, but you can adapt

Advice for builders

• Firstandforemost,rememberthis is a people business.

• Keepitinperspective.

• Don’tbringyourproblemsandag-gravations home. Go home, take care of and enjoy yourself.

• Confronttheproblems.Don’tavoidthe bankers and your suppliers. Most people will try to help you fig-ure out a solution to your problems because they want you to be a re-turn customer.

• Keepaneyeonyourproductandthe details, such as making sure themortgageisOKthroughouttheentire process, not just at the begin-ning stages.

• Beflexibleonwhatyoubuildanddon’tgetlockedintobuildingthesame house. Instead, build in some flexibility.

• Differentproducttypesworkatdif-ferent times.

• Don’tbetthefarmallononeproject.

• Beconservativesoyouhavefinan-cialflexibility.Nomatterifthemar-ket is up or down, always be conser-vative when you bring people in to your company.

• Youcan’talwaysplanforgoodmar-kets. Plan for slow markets as well.

• Trytobereasonablewiththecustomers.

• Beasurvivor.

Alex and Odysseus Kotarides

12 april 2009

Lawson

chesapeake – Stephen Quick, chairThe committee comprised of Stephen

Quick, Stephen alexander Homes, Greg Dodd, Horton and Dodd, and Erin Speckhart-Widen-er, allenstar Homes, meets with municipal of-ficials to improve the business climate for the industry in Chesapeake. City staff made recent improvements to development processes to im-

prove efficiency and predictability for the industry: • WithTBA’sinput,staffrevisedtheprocessofmonthlybill-

ing for inspection hours to an upfront percentage of the construction costs. Effective March 1, inspection fees for new subdivisions are calculated using two percent of the construction costs based on the city’s unit price list.

• CityCouncilalsoapprovedazoningordinanceamend-ment for Construction Record Drawings (CRDs). In lieu of CRDs for private improvements, only one certifica-tion will be required from a professional engineer or surveyor. Other changes are pending for the Public Fa-cilities Manual and suggestions are requested.

• AgroupincludingTBArepresentativeshasbeenformedto review and develop a recommendation for new re-quirements under consideration for reforestation and enhanced tree planting, which could mean a substan-tial increase to the cost of building and developing.

• Thanks to the Department of Neighborhood Servicesfor eliminating the requirement that pressure reducing valves be used in all newly built or existing structures in areas served by the Northwest River Water Treatment Plant. The city determined operating pressures normally range between 40 and 60 psi with the occasional rise above 80 psi. With that, the city determined it would be cost effective to new customers and contractors (about $100 savings) to eliminate the requirement. However, the International Plumbing Code 2006 requires the in-stallation of the valves and the city will retain the right to require the use of the valve where the water service pressure within a building exceeds 80 psi as determined by city staff.

Suffolk, Southampton, Franklin – Tuck Bowie, chair

Chairman Tuck Bowie and Vice Chair reese Smith continue to meet with building and de-velopment staff on a regular basis to improve Suffolk’s building and development climate: • At the request of the City’s Planning De-partment, TBA compiled a list of items the

industry recommends for change or reconsideration in theUnifiedDevelopmentOrdinance.

• TBAalsoprovidedinputonamendmentsregardingres-idential infill redevelopment on narrow or infill lots.

Municipal affairs Quarterly report

Issues and Actions

• InFranklin,TBAprovided support for the city’s subdivi-sion ordinance amendments to allow issuance of building permits if the surface course asphalt and required side-walks are subject to a subdivision agreement and bond.

• InSouthamptonCounty,TBAprovidedextensiveinputon the county’s revisions to its subdivision ordinance adopted earlier in the year.

norfolk – Sam cohen, chairTBa is working with Norfolk building of-

ficial lynn Underwood and other city officials to develop a process by which builders, re-modelers and homeowners can participate in a voluntary green building program. Under-wood spoke at TBa’s Green Building Council’s March meeting.

Portsmouth – Steve Lawson, chairOne of new building official Doug Smith’s

first acts was to change the building inspection schedule. Effective March 1, the department is inspecting for the following: foundation/box in-spection, sheathing inspections, framing inspec-tion and insulation inspection – electrical rough-in must occur before insulation installation.

virginia Beach – John Ainslie, chairChairman John ainslie and Vice Chair pete

O. Kotarides continue to meet regularly with building and development staff. recent efforts include work on the city’s Chesapeake Bay and preservation act requirements involving pools. The state’s Chesapeake Bay local assistance Department requested the city change their requirements for pools so as to include the

pool area as impervious surface, rather than pervious as is currently done. TBa is a stakeholder in continued efforts to minimize the affects of pools on CBpa requirements.

developer’s council – John olivieri, chairTBa’s Developer’s Council organized a sub-

committee to review proposed Stormwater regulations from the state Department of Con-servation and recreation. Engineering consul-tants evaluated development plans using the proposed regulations, resulting in a significant costs to remove pollutants from stormwater.

These efforts have been coordinated with local stormwater engineers, Hampton roads planning District Commission staff and staff from the Center for Watershed protection. The group, headed by andy Herr of Terry/peter-son residential Cos., will work in conjunction with the state association on comments on the proposals when they are officially presented for public comment by DCr this spring.

By Claudia Cotton, vice president Builder Services

Quick

Cohen

Bowie

Ainslie

Olivieri

april 2009 13

By Mary Prier, APRTBa past president Jeff ainslie recently announced a

gift of $1 million to his alma mater for a football game-day building, which is scheduled to open next fall in time for Old Dominion University’s first football game atForemanFieldinmorethan70years.

ainslie graduated from ODU in 1983 with a bach-elor’s degree in marketing management.

Today, as a loyal alumnus, ainslie is vice president of the alumni association Board of Directors, on which he has served for seven years.

ainslie, also president of ainslie Group, is known for his community service and philanthropy. He also has served as president of the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Foundation board, president of the Home Builders as-sociation of Virginia and chair of the Opportunity inc./Hampton roads Workforce Development board.

He is an active member of Tidewater Builders associ-ation and has generously contributed to TBa’s charitable efforts, including the TBa Building Trades academy.

at ODU, ainslie established the Jeff ainslie Endowed Scholarship in real Estate with a $100,000 gift in 2005. He also provided audiovisual equipment for the Kornb-lau alumni Center.

“ODU has grown to become a true destination uni-versity, with many advanced areas of study. The buzz

that’s created when the community gets involved at all levels will certainly cement that reputation across the commonwealth and, ultimately, across the nation,” said ainslie.

a longtime Big Blue Club member ainslie said he is grateful to be in a position to give back to his alma mater.

ODU Big Blue Club gets a big boost

FromleftareODUathleticdirectorJimJarrett,JeffandRubyAin-slie, acting ODU president John Broderick, ODU football coachBobby Wilder and assistant vice president of athletic development MarkBensonattheFeb.25ODUgamevs.William&Mary.

TEN YEARS AGO, Monarch Bank took flight with a dozen employees and the dream of bringing a true local community banking experience to Hampton Roads. Today, the “butterfly bank” employs more than 300 and caters to personal and business banking needs across Hampton Roads and beyond. And despite what The Wall Street Journal calls the toughest economic times for financial services firms since the Great Depression, Monarch Bank continues to grow as we approach our 10th anniversary in April.

With all the negativity in the media about financial institutions it is nice to see all the great positive things going on at Monarch. Expansion of new Monarch Mortgage operation has expanded to 12 locations: five in Hampton Roads; one on the Outer Banks of North Carolina; one in Richmond, Virginia; five in Maryland. We are setting new performance records and further differentiating Monarch from our competition.

In this tough economy, Bank with strength at Monarch.

www.monarchbank.com • FDIC XXX

Monarch Mortgage’s Ted Yoder and Will Morrison

C E L E B R A T I N G T E N Y E A R S

Only bank in the country to earn prestigious Sandler O’Neill’s Sm-All Stars Award two years in a row for �nancial performance

14 april 2009

2009 Charity Golf Tournament Wednesday, May 20th

Sewells Point Golf Course All proceeds will be used to give a hand up, not a handout,

to economically disadvantaged participants at TBA’s Building Trades Academy. Style of play is Florida Best Ball.

Registration starts at 11 a.m. and tee time is 12 p.m. Refreshments and dinner will be provided.

Awards given for 1st and 2nd place teams. SPONSORSHIPS:

REGISTRATION ALL PAYMENTS MUST BE RECEIVED PRIOR TO TOURNAMENT (No rain date.)

Company:_________________________________Contact person:__________________________________________

Phone:_____________________Fax:____________________ Email:_______________________________________

PlAyERS $150/PlAyER

1. _______________________________________

2. _______________________________________

*Individual players welcomed! We will gladly pair you with other participants. NO BLUE JEANS.

VAluE PAckAGE (VP) $25/PlAyERVP includes 1 Mulligan, 1 Ladies Aid, 1 Throw, & 2 Raffle Tickets- $25 (ONly 1 VP per player)Pay now and your package will be ready for pick-up at tournament registration. VP can only be used for scoring purposes.

I would like ________ Value Package(s) for a total of $_____________.

SPONSORSHIPCompany Name:__________________________________________________________________________________ ( P R I N T N E A T L Y - T H I S I S W HA T W I L L B E P R I N T E D O N S I G N A G E )

Type of Sponsorship:_______________________________________________________________________________

Payment$_____________ + $_____________ + $_____________ = $__________ P L A Y E R S V P S P O N S O R S H I P T O T A L

Check one: q VISA q MC q Check #: ________________

Exp. Date: ____________________ CRV:__________________

Card Number:_________________________________________

Signature: ___________________________________________

Mail or fax this form with yourCharge Info or Check payable to:

Building Trades Academy2117 Smith Ave.Chesapeake, VA 23320ATTN: Shannon PfeifferFax: (757) 965-6586

Questions? Contact Shannon at420-2566 or email spfeiffer@tbaonline.org

!

Golf cart Sponsor – $1,500 Beverage Sponsors – $750 Dinner Sponsors – $500 Scoreboard Sponsors – $500 Exclusive Hole Sponsors – $500 Hole Sponsors – $350 Prize Sponsors – cash donation

3. _______________________________________

4. _______________________________________

april 2009 15

By Sara SteilWhat began as a cram session for a young lawyer has

evolved into a 30-year run of seminars focused on residen-tial landlord Tenant law/Fair Housing act. Now, John “Chip” Dicks of Futurelaw llC is drawing bigger crowds than when he first presented his seminar for Tidewater Builders associa-tionin1978.

On april 23, Dicks will be speaking at the Chesapeake Conference Center on the two topics of which he is extreme-ly knowledgeable. Dicks, owner of Futurelaw, served as an elected member of the Virginia General assembly during the 1980s, and also has substantial expertise in land use applica-tions and in the field of landlord tenant and fair housing laws, having written most of law throughout his career.

“Thisisaprogramthatbeganin1978,”Dickssaid,when“TBa wanted to train property managers on residential land-lord Tenant law. The seminar has evolved into a combination residential Tenant law, fair housing and sort of a practical application and an update on what the General assembly has done in specific to real estate law and in particular residen-tial landlord Tenant law.

“TBa has made it an interactive discussion session where people ask me questions, get an update, talk about landlord tenant law and everybody gets their two hours of fair hous-ing training,” Dicks said. The real Estate Board also certifies it for licensing.

attendees can expect to hear about the following topics:• Foreclosure and how to handle

rental properties as foreclosures, as well as what rights the landlord/ten-ant have.

• Sourceofincome. There have been proposals in the General assembly to require landlords to, in essence, ac-cept Section 8 vouchers. This will be discussed as to whether that’s a fair housing violation.

• Mold. learn how landlords are pro-tected if they follow certain mold procedures.

• Changes in lead-basedpaint lawthat affect remodeling.

• IssuesrelevanttotheService mem-bersCivilReliefAct.

• current issues on the fair housing front, such as the hot issues for regu-latory folks, accessibility, etc.additionally, each participant will

take home a notebook including up-dates in the law recently passed by the General assembly, as well as a current copy of the landlord residential Tenant act, the Fair Housing act and the Ser-vice Members Civil relief act.

The “real value of the seminar is that they get an updated resource manual to take home,” Dicks said.

“Chip” Dicks with FutureLaw LLC will be speaking about the latest developments in Residential Landlord Tenant Law/Fair Housing Act, as well as answering audi-ence questions.

One thing you won’t hear at the seminar is legal ease. “people come loaded for bear with questions. i try to an-

swer them in plain English,” said Dicks. “i always try to explain the policy behind laws.

“it’s important knowledge to know, particularly when you’re supposed to be a knowledgeable person in a property management position dealing with tenants. You really need to know those laws.”

it’s time to brush up on your fair housing knowledge

Going?What Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act/ Fair Housing review When 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday, April 23Where Chesapeake Conference Center Cost $80 for TMHC members and sponsors, and $100 for nonmembersreGister by april 17 For more information contact Maggie Rickard at 420-2434, ext. 253 or mrickard@tbaonline.org

16 april 2009

Marketplace

For as little as $125, you can purchase a marketplace ad in

The Tidewater Builder. Contact your sales rep at 420-2434.

Your ad here.1 lot available in Western Branch area4016 Cory Lane off Dock Landing Road

$89,000City water & sewage • 0.72 acres • 31,182 square feet

1 lot available in Suffolk(Whaleyville area) on John Mullen Lane

$43,900City water & city approved for conventional septic tank

12,850 square feetCall: Andy Brockinton 757-403-4980 or 399-0939

2 READY TO BUILD LOTS

o

By Sara SteilWhile a bleak picture of housing and financial markets is

being painted on a national level, Hampton roads is not in as dire of a position as one would gather from TV and news-paper reports, according to four out of five local participants inanInsideBusiness/CoxexecutivediscussiononMarch17.part of a new series, local experts, were asked, “What will it take to stabilize the housing market?”

James Koch Board of Visitors Professor of Economics andPresidentEmeritus,OldDominionUniversity

“We have to be careful renegotiating mortgages to keep people in their homes. … We need to move people from their homes to rentals instead. The key is to revitalize the housing market.

“We really do have a crisis, but we have a lack of faith in some institutions. We need to be more free with information.

G.RobertAstonJr., Chairman and CEO of TowneBank

as to when the local economy will benefit from Washing-ton’s stimulus package, “the program will gain traction as it goes down the road, and the government will make a lot of money off of the loans (that major banks received), but you have to give it time to leverage.

“Managing credit and loan losses will be the No. 1 priority.”

J.VanRoseJr.,President of New Homes Division, Rose&WombleEnterprises

“There are still plenty of consumers, but they are buying safe” with homes priced below $350,000 moving. “They are

Experts debate stabilizing the housing market

looking for return on investment (rOi).“right now, we are at an all-time high for Hampton roads

with 200-250 rOi sales a month.”

Steve rockefeller, Vice president, SunTrust Mortgage Inc.

“The market is normalizing.” Though current lending re-sembles that of the late 1980s, “we’re seeing $2 billion in financing applications a day, though more of them are for refinancing.

“if people qualify, you get the loan. We are making sound decisions everyday.”

PeteA.Kotarides, President, Tidewater Builders Association

“The new home inventory is not as bad here as it is in other places; however, getting loans is more challenging.

“Our market is completely different from palm Beach, ari-zona and other places,” that are suffering from record foreclo-sures, “but we’re light years away from the that.”

as to whether the first-time home buyer $8,000 tax credit will help spur the market, Kotarides and other experts be-lieve that the credit should be available up front for buyers and not a credit that they receive one year later.

“The state association (Home Builders of association of Virginia) is trying to make it available up front, by workers with the Virginia Housing & Development authority. almost 70percentofAmericansliveinahomeandthiswouldhavegone to the heart of the matter.”

ODU Professor of EconomicsJames Koch, TowneBank CEO Robert Aston Jr., TBA President Pete A. Kotarides, President of NewHomesDivisionofRose&Womble Enterprises Van Rose Jr. and vice president of Suntrust Mortgage Inc. Steve Rockefeller, participate in an executive dis-cussion series on what it will take to stabilize the housing market on March 17, 2009.

16 april 2009

april 2009 17

2969 South Military Highway • Chesapeake, VA 23323 Phone: 757-967-9551 • Fax: 757-487-5190

Visit us at: www.reliancegrp.net

“We are your Hometown Contractor Supplier, committed to deliver quality products & superior service while upholding moral values.”

SPECIALIZING IN DECORATIVE CONCRETE SUPPLIES

Energy tax credit to generate $6 billion in remodeling jobs

Energy Star has published extensive information on how the housing indus-try and consumers can take advantage of the federal tax credits for energy-efficient home im-

provements in the new economic stim-ulus package.

according to federal officials, the credits are expected to significantly increase demand for green renovation projects this year and next. Congres-sional economists project that the new provisions will generate an estimated $6 billion in remodeling work by the end of 2010.

Homeowners can receive a 30 per-cent tax credit, up to a total of $1,500, for doors, windows, insulation and oth-er improvements.

There are also new and expanded tax credits for new construction that include renewable energy systems and products, such as solar panels.

remodelers are well positioned to take advantage of increased consumer interest in consuming less power.

“These new tax credits are another way that the home building industry can combat the potential effects of global climate change by encouraging home owners to make energy-efficient improvements to their homes,” said Greg Miedema, chairman of NaHB re-modelers.

The newly expanded tax credits are in alignment with industry research which shows that remodeling and ret-rofitting the nation’s older homes will have a far more significant impact on re-ducing residential energy consumption than meeting even the most aggressive efficiency goals for new homes.

Not only this, but the credits, are a great marketing tool. Details on qualify-ing improvements are available on the Energy Star Web site at www.energy star.gov

Source: Nation’s Building News Online

REIN

, INC. Your Regional Multiple Listing Service

757.531.7900 | www.REINMLS.com

18 april 2009

MidSouthBuildingSupplyInc.movestonewlocationMid South Building Supply inc. is no longer off of Woodlake Drive. The com-

pany has moved and is ready to serve your window, siding and cabinet needs in theCavalierIndustrialPark,3728ProfitWay,Chesapeake.

Shop Talk

Winahouse.Makeadifference.With only 11,500 tickets for sale, your

odds of winning the St. Jude Dream Home are better than winning the lottery.

The $490,000 home in the Summer park neighborhood of Chesapeake is be-ing raffled for $100 a ticket, with proceeds going to support St. Jude Children’s re-search Hospital, one of the world’s pre-mier pediatric cancer research centers.

Other prizes, such as a laptop with HD widescreen display, diamond neck-lace, an american rover cruise, a week-end getaway courtesy of ritz-Carlton, a 42-inch HD plasma TV and more will also be given away.

The home, located at 1845 Burson Drive, Chesapeake, is open for tours from april 4 through May 5 on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.

Tickets are available at TowneBank, Ferguson Bath & Kitchen Gallery, rose & Womble realty Co. and Value City Fur-niture. For more information, call (877)707-8703 or visit www.stjudedream-home.org.

TBA members honored for customer service

Of the 94 companies that qualified as 2009 Guildmaster award winners, TBa’s VB Homes and Sasser Construction lC made the cut.

The Guildmaster awards competition recognizes builders, remodelers and spe-cialty contractors and real estate compa-nies that consistently deliver exceptional customer experience.

Three levels of awards were given: Guildmaster, Guildmaster with Distinc-tion, and Guildmaster with Highest Dis-tinction. The three distinctions relate to the response rate received during the surveying: 80 percent or above received “Distinction” and 90 percent or above re-ceived “Highest Distinction.”

Sasser Construction lC earned a Guild-master honor, while VB Homes earned Guildmaster with Distinction.

GuildQuality provides customer sat-isfaction surveying and performance re-porting for building, real estate and home services companies throughout North america.

Attend a conference, earn credits toward designationsNaHB members can earn credits toward valuable designations by taking re-

quired courses at the Building for Boomers & Beyond: 50+ Housing Symposium in PhiladelphiaApril 27-29. For more information, visit www-nahb.org/confer-ences.

april 2009 19

Welcome New Members

Here To StayAssociates84 lumber Co.aFlaCatlantic Bay Mortgageatlantic Foundations inc.Benefit Masonry inc.Beskin & associates inc.Brown & Brown insuranceBudget Blinds of ChesapeakeCarter MachineryCasa DecksCase Handyman & remodelingCloset Factory, TheCoastal Foor installations Co.Countrywide Home loans inc.Cox CommunicationsCurtis Key plumbing Contractors inc.Dernis international MarketingDrucker & Falk llCFamily Housing program Naval Sup-port activityFulton Mortgage - a Southern DivisionGeorge G. lee Co. inc.

BuildersRobinsonDevelopmentGroupInc.Builders/developers; property/condo-minium managementTim culpepper.......757-282-1020www.robinsondevelopment.com Associates

Gleam GuardCabinets; interior trim; kitchensJohn Pratt...............757-289-4405

Griggs LumberBuilding materials; cabinets; doors; engineered/lumber; lighting; lumber/millwork/trim; roofing; shelving;siding; windowsmike Halsey............252-264-2323www.griggslumber.com

Peters & White construction companyUtilities/public&privatePaul Peters...............757-487-100

GildersleeveGlass DoctorHarvey lindsay Commercial real EstateJames river Grounds Management inc.K & D round’s landscape Service inc.land planning SolutionsMullins & Co. General Contractorspella Windows & Doorsproduction paintingpro-Tec Security inc.resident Data, a Choicepoint ServiceShuttleworth, ruloff, Swain, Haddad & Morecock pCSykes, Bourdon, ahern & levy pCTidewater Fibre Corp. (TFC recycling)Tidewater Floors inc.Titan americaUnited TurfVirginia Natural GasVirtual Homes dba affordable Kitchens & BathsWells Fargo Home MortgageWells Fargo real Estate GroupWindow World of Tidewater

Beach Ford .................................18Biia ........................................... iBCandy Brockinton ........................16Dominion Virginia power .............8Ferguson Enterprises ................. FCinternational Jet Charter ...........15Monarch Bank ............................13prier Communications ...............20proSource .....................................9rein real Estate ..........................20reliance Contractor Supply .......17rSVp .............................................9Smith & Keene .............................7Spivey rentals ............................20Sprint ..........................................18Superior Equipment Sales ......... BCTerry peterson ...............................17William E. Wood............................. 19

Advertisers’ Index

TBA Calendar APRil

2 Green Building Council meeting

7 AC Basics & Electric Troubleshooting class

14 Remodelers Council meeting

15 TMHC Executive Committee meeting

16 Developers Council meeting

Stormwater Committee meeting

21 TMHC Associates meeting

23 Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act/Fair Housing review, Chesapeake Conference Center

MAy7 Green Building Council meeting

11 TBA Executive Committee meeting

TBA Board of Directors meeting

12 New Member Orientation

Remodelers Council meeting

14 Quarterly Builder Breakfast

19 TMHC Associates meeting

20 TBA Charity Golf Tournament, Sewells Point, Norfolk

TMHC Executive Committee meeting

21 Developers Council meeting

26-31 NAHB spring Board of Directors meeting, Washington

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20 april 2009

TBa associate and president of Green-wich Kitchen Cen-ter, luke Newman, 57, passed away onMarch 10, 2009.

Born lloyd Kel-land Newman Jr., he took over his family’s

business as owner and operator of Greenwich Kitchen Center in 1991.

Under his leadership, it won nu-merous awards, including multiple Tidewater Builders association’s Stan-ley awards and a Best of Homearama.

“He loved this business,” said New-man’s friend and Greenwich Kitchen vice president Jim Query. “He consid-ered Greenwich Kitchen his baby.”

Closer to Newman’s heart was the National Kidney Foundation, where he served as director on the state board, and chaired a fundraising golf tourna-ment for nine years with his sister. a three-time kidney transplant recipient, Newman also competed in the World Transplant Games. Generosity is the

In memory: luke Newman, 1951-2009

one thing for which Query hopes his friend is remembered.

“Once, he found out about a man who was dying of a brain tumor and luke didn’t know him. He gave me $200 and the only instruction was that no one was to know that the money was from him. if he won the raffle, i was to donate the money back. He was just that type of guy. if you didn’t know him, you missed out.”

luke is survived by his wife Jolyn T. Newman; sons, lloyd K. Newman iii (Kelly) and Matthew T. Newman; father, lloyd K. Newman Sr. and wife Carmen; sisters Charlotte Newman Hauck and husband Donald; and Ju-lia Newman Shubert; brother Harry B. Newman and wife Kathryn; two nieces and four nephews.

Memorial donations can be made in Newman’s name to the National Kidney Foundation of Virginia at www.kidneyva.org or Church of the Holy Family.

Online condolences may be made at www.hdoliver.com.

Newman

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april 2009 21

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Workers’ CompIncluding safety training & individual assistance with OSHA compliance.

Building Industry Insurance Association, Inc. www.vabuildersinsurance.com 757-420-3022

Is it time for a change?Does your policy provide the coverage you really need? Before you renew your General Liability or Workers’ Compensation policies, be sure your agent calls the Building Industry Insurance Association, Inc., to compare coverage & costs. Building Industry Insurance Association, Inc. (BIIA) offers our members more value for their money. The company is endorsed by Home Builders Association of Virginia, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tidewater Builders Association. We understand the difficulties facing the building industry & are dedicated to supporting your business. BIIA offers flexible payment options that allow you to track your payments with your work flow on a monthly basis.

22 april 2009

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