Matt Morrow

Current mission statement: “The Home Builders Association of Greater Springfield is the premier professional organization representing builders, remodelers, and associates. We are committed to ethical business practices, the highest construction standards, the education of our members and the community, and serve as the political voice of the industry. Our vision is to be the consumer’s first choice in builder services and to ensure the dream of homeownership.”

How does the organization work toward fulfilling that mission?

We are actively involved in working with local and state government agencies and officials to put in place policies that promote homeownership and affordability. We promote the industry to the public through our trade shows and Parade of Homes, as well as with our public relations and public information programs. Our members rely heavily on the local HBA as a source of education in running their businesses and providing the highest quality of work.

What is HBA’s current membership, and who is eligible?

This month, the HBA of Greater Springfield reached an all-time high of 388 member companies. Requirements for membership include workers’ compensation and general liability insurance certificates, references and longevity requirements. Builders and remodelers seeking membership must submit their work to inspection by current members before they can be accepted. Our membership standards are some of the highest standards of any HBA in the country. Our dues (ranging from $280 to $330 per year) are among the lowest.

What is one of the major changes to come about under your leadership?

Since 2001, we have established two major subsidiary organizations.

They are our 501(c)3 HBA Charitable Foundation and our Missouri Political Action Committee, The Coalition for Building a Better Tomorrow. Through the HBA Charitable Foundation, we have greatly expanded our ability to provide educational scholarships and charitable help to organizations like Habitat for Humanity and American Red Cross, among others. Through the CBBT, we have had a significant impact on major issues affecting the industry, including reducing, eliminating, or avoiding unnecessary and costly fees and regulations that drive up the cost of housing.

What legislative issues will home builders face in 2005?

In 2004, Missouri became the 24th state to pass “right to repair” legislation. It was later vetoed by Gov. Bob Holden. The bill created a common-sense procedure that allowed builders and homeowners to quickly and inexpensively resolve follow-up work in a way satisfactory to all involved, while avoiding any unnecessary and costly legal proceedings and/or lawsuits. Missouri’s governor is the only governor in the United States to veto such legislation. We narrowly fell short of the two-thirds majority necessary to override the veto this year. I expect this bipartisan, sensible legislation to return in 2005, and we are hopeful that a new governor will do the right thing and sign it into law. We also expect to work toward common-sense tort reform and expanded workers’ compensation reforms. There always are a number of innovative new ideas for how to create new beauracracies and regulations for our industry, and we take those on as they arrive.

How will HBA help home builders deal with those issues?

The HBA is the leading political voice for the residential construction industry. Our association will, at the direction of our volunteer leadership, lead the fight for right to repair. We will again work with legislators in Jefferson City to build the necessary support and answer any concerns they may have, even working to get the legislation amended, if necessary. We already are meeting with our counterparts in other states to learn from their stories of success and failure on similar legislation elsewhere. We hope to use lessons learned in other states to help us craft the best possible public policy here.

What would you like to see happen with HBA in the next year?

We have so many ambitious goals. Our membership should exceed the 400-member milestone. We plan again to successfully navigate the legislature with right to repair legislation. We plan to begin conducting quarterly informational meetings with building officials in Christian County – as we currently do in Greene County and the city of Springfield – so that we can, over time, build strong relationships that foster trust and goodwill. Every year we work to top ourselves from the year before on our major events – the Home Show, Remodeling Show and Parade of Homes. We are even hopeful that we will unveil a brand-new fourth major public event in 2005. … I’m not yet ready to publicly announce what that is, but I can promise it will grab the imagination of our community. And that is just the beginning. 2005 should be a thrilling year.