Members Share Tips to Win a Trip to Napa Valley

Between Sept. 1 and Nov. 30, hundreds of local home builders' associations across the country are hosting membership drives to recruit new members, highlight the benefits of membership and further strengthen the Federation. [caption id="attachment_16984" align="alignright" width="300"] The Signature Kitchen Suite "Experience & Design Center" located in Napa Valley, California features nearly 200 home appliances and serves as a brand epicenter to explore the intersection between technology and culinary innovation.[/caption] In support of this effort, Signature Kitchen Suite is again offering a big incentive to the top nine Builder members who recruit the most new* Builder and Associate members. Those top recruiters will receive an all-inclusive, four-day trip for them and a guest to Napa Valley, Calif., which will feature a private tour of the LG and Signature Kitchen Suite Experience and Design Center. To help give this year's recruiters a leg up on the competition, a few of the 2019 winners offered some words of wisdom: Paul Davis, owner and president of Marble Depot Inc, who recruited 39 new members last year: "It's important to instill excitement. If you aren't excited about the product you're selling, then the people on the other end of the phone aren't going to be excited either." Jeff Logsdon, owner and president of Hearthstone Luxury Homes, recruited 23 new members last year: "The main message that I carried [when recruiting last year is that] the association supports the builders, and the builders support the trade partners. Successful recruiting is largely about being able to explain what the association is doing to help the industry, and how that can benefit [the prospective member]." Steven Dassa, vice president of operations for Mattamy Homes, who recruited 26 new members last year: "It all goes back to members helping members ... and continuous follow-up." With that advice in mind, take a look below at the latest standings of the top recruiters in each HBA size category (based on member recruitment from Sept. 1-30): Large-size HBA (500+ members)

• Jeremy Rutter, Maryland Building Industry Association: 13
• Gaye Orr, HBA of Raleigh & Wake County: 13
• Jason Campbell, Tyler Area BA: 11
• Chris Vocelka, HBA of St. Louis and Eastern Missouri: 10
• Robert Wood, West Texas HBA: 10
• Chuck Neibert, BIA of Clark County: 8
• Robert Holmes, West Texas HBA: 6

Medium-size HBA (250-499 members)

• David Sullivan, Builders & Remodelers Association of Greater Boston: 6
• David Foy, Alamance Caswell Builders Association: 3
• Michael Garabedian, Greater Fort Worth Builders Association: 3
• Kent Lee, Lakeshore Home Builders Association: 3
• Chad Murphy, Greater Brazos Valley BA: 3
• Steven Shalibo, HBA of Middle Tennessee: 3
• Miriam Villard, Kitsap Building Association: 3

Small-size HBA (0-249 members)

• Dale Rockensuess, HBA of Hickory-Catawba Valley: 11
• Bruno Schickel, Tompkins/Cortland Builders & Remodelers Assn.: 9
• Randy Bowling, El Paso Assn. of Builders: 7
• Gene Lantrip, Big Country HBA: 7
• Adrian Balderas, HBA of San Angelo: 6
• Jim Patterson, Heart of Texas BA: 6
• Robert Ritenour, HBA of Greater Charleston: 4

Builder members compete against others from HBAs in the same size category, and the top three from each size category will win the trip to Napa. The prize packages include airfare, meals, hotel and transportation for each winner and his or her guest. For more details and official rules, click here. *New Builder and Associate members only. Membership renewals are not included.