HBA Honors Late Builder by Creating Grants for Young Professionals
Derek Weiss was an ambitious business owner whose work brought bespoke and handcrafted millworks, cabinetry and furniture pieces to Detroit. The third-generation carpenter who worked at Home Dimensions Custom Carpentry in Holly, Mich., tragically passed away at the age of 39 in 2021.
In his honor, the Home Builders Association of Southeastern Michigan announced four $1,000 grants for HBA members to attend the 2025 NAHB International Builders’ Show (IBS), an event Weiss greatly benefited from in growing his business.
The grants were made by the 3 Rivers Community Foundation to four individuals aged 40 or younger, who are licensed remodelers or builders in Michigan and current members of the HBA.
The awardees are:
- Jacob Morris Beer of Nosan Signature Homes in Farmington Hills
- Hussein Mokahal of The LED Lion, Inc. in Dearborn Heights
- Gordon Russell III of Russell Building Company in St. Clair Shores
- Maxwell Zervos of Zervos Construction in Farmington
Latest from NAHBNow
President Trump on Oct. 22 signed an executive order to lower single-family and mortgage costs, and the Treasury Department released new institutional investor rules.
NAHB Chairman Bill Owens issued the following statement today regarding President Trump’s housing executive order.
Latest Economic News
The share of new homes with decks inched upward, from an all-time low of 17.4% in 2024 to 17.8% in 2025, according to NAHB tabulation of data from the HUD/Census Bureau Survey of Construction (SOC).
State-level employment data for September continued to show a mixed labor market, with job gains and losses split across the county. Although national nonfarm payroll employment increased modestly, year-over-year job growth varied considerably across states
Diversifying the construction labor force remains a key priority amid persistent skilled labor shortages. According to NAHB analysis of the 2024 American Community Survey, non-Hispanic White workers account for the majority of the construction industry at 55.8%. Hispanic workers now represent nearly one-third of the labor force at 32.8%, followed by non-Hispanic Black workers at 5% and non-Hispanic Asian workers at 1.8 %.