This summer I have been coaching a Cyclones 8U select baseball team. It has been a rewarding experience and has afforded me a lot of quality time working with my son, Andy, who is the head coach and coaching my grandson Brody. As you can imagine there were a number of times my patience came close to giving out, but in the end, our players demonstrated a great deal of growth in the fundamentals of baseball and love for the game.
My coaching experience reminds me of what it is we, as experienced builders, subcontractors and suppliers, must do with our new-to-the-profession skilled workers. It requires us to become coaches as we strive to help our workers gain knowledge, experience and a love for our professions. Patience is key to helping these young construction industry workers build a strong foundation of skills and knowledge and to develop an appreciation for the importance of the work they do.
We will celebrate the completion of the Habitat for Humanity HBAL Blitz Build on July 30. Thank you to all of the people who worked on the house. This is another opportunity HBAL took to pay back to our community. Special thanks to Jim Christo, Sam Swartz and Ben Carey for leading the charge on this important project.
Please take the opportunity to express your appreciation to our talented and dedicated HBAL staff. Michaela, Jennie, Andrea, Laure and Taylor provide the expertise, organization and old fashion “elbow grease” that make HBAL a strong organization. Taylor Wyatt recently joined the HBAL staff as Government Affairs Specialist. With HBAL’s growing political activism, finding a gem like Taylor was a stroke of genius and luck. Welcome Taylor!
Please remember the ongoing membership drive. Your efforts to recruit new members will further strengthen our Association. You will find information about the membership drive in this issue of the Business Builder.
Don’t forget the HBAL Family Fun Night on August 9 at the Kleinschmit Farm. Thanks to Matt, Tracy and family for once again hosting this fun-filled HBAL family activity. We also have the Remodelers Golf Tournament on Friday, August 23. You will find information about both of these events in this issue of the Business Builder.
Finally, during the month of July we launched the new HBAL website. Staff has been hard at work with our technology consultant to create this new and improved website.
Happy and Safe Building!
Denny Van Horn