Top Reasons to Become an Associate Member

[caption id="attachment_19035" align="alignright" width="300"] (From r to l) Society of Honored Associates members Rich Robinson, Judy Dinelle and Byron Anderson, featured with National Associate Chair Diana Lucero and 2019 Associates Member Committee Chair Linda Mosier-Vaudt[/caption] For many NAHB Associate members, visibility and networking are keys to a successful business. Joining a community such as NAHB opens the doors to make those connections and increases business opportunities that service and trade professionals would otherwise not have, especially when working with home builders. In honor of Associate Member Appreciation Month, we asked last year's Society of Honored Associate inductees to share their top reasons for joining the Federation as an Associate member. Be A Part of a Larger Mission NAHB comprises more than 140,000 members who work hard every day to make the home building industry the best that it can be. This community allows you to be a part of that mission and have your voice heard on issues that matter most. "A unified voice through NAHB has a far greater impact than individual or smaller trades efforts," said 23-year Associate member Byron Anderson of Valley Glass & Windows, Inc. "The beauty of the tri-level Associate membership is the ability for state and local associations to tap into NAHB's knowledge and assets when facing new regulations on the state and local levels." Shine a Spotlight on Your Business You are your biggest promoter. With NAHB, there are many ways to bring recognition to your business through the people you meet and the events you attend. Judy Dinelle, 2020 Associates Member Committee chair and building ambassador for 84 Lumber, credits her membership and NAHB involvement for allowing her to expand her business connections. "The top reason to join the Federation has to be networking with fellow professionals, customers and suppliers, while also spotlighting the products and services you offer," Dinelle said. Getting others to know your name, what you do and what you can offer them, is only going to help your business grow. Gain Personal Relationships Lead That to Professional Ones Being an Associate member exposes you to different people from not only your own field, but others from the home building community. Rich Robinson, 2020 Membership Committee chair and vice president of the Member Rebate Program, explained that joining the Federation not only benefits you professionally, but personally. "By getting involved at my Builders Association immediately, I was able to form wonderful relationships that alone would have been worth joining, but some even led to fantastic business opportunities," he said. Anderson, Dinelle and Robinson were nominated for the 2019 Associate of the Year award. As finalists, they were all inducted into NAHB's prestigious Society of Honored Associates. Applications for the 2020 Associate of the Year award are now open at awards.nahb.org.