JANUARY 2021 NEWSLETTER To promote, educate and advocate for the Residential Building & Remodeling Industry; providing resources that benefit industry professionals and consumers in the communities we serve. PWB Sleigh of Spirits Raffle KEN DIEL Thank you to everyone who purchased and sold tickets for the Sleigh of Spirits. We had record sales and the winner is Kerber, Eck & Braeckel WHATS INSIDE 2020 Year in Review Upcoming Events Jan 13 - Showcase Home Zoom Event March 25 - Anybody’s Game, Networking with a Swing Apr 22 - PWB Power Women Luncheon & Earthworks Facility Tour 2021 SHOWCASE HOME UPDATE! HBR is proud to announce that we have selected the floor plan from Spencer Homes and the General Contractor is Mike Needles with C.A. Jones, Inc. for the Showcase Home located in Windsor Creek! See Page 2 & 3 for More Information Showcase Home Sponsorship Opportunities Scholarship Program Sponsorship Membership Announcements Illinois Tax Credit Program for Industry Employers Building Permit New Home Starts Report In Remembrance of Justin Lowder NAHB News: Lumber Tarriffs Cut NAHB International Builder Show X Illinois Policy Institute - Leading the Way O’Fallon Mayor Roach announcement Page 1
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Commerce Department Cuts Lumber Tariffs from 20% to 9% With lumber prices experiencing extreme price volatility this year and harming housing affordability, a final determination of the first administrative review by the U.S. Commerce Department to reduce duties on shipments of Canadian lumber into the United States by more than half is good news for American home builders and home buyers. “The Commerce Department’s action to reduce duties from more than 20% to 9% on softwood lumber shipments from Canada into the U.S. is a positive development, but more needs to be done,” said NAHB Chairman Chuck Fowke. “Tariffs have contributed to unprecedented price volatility in the lumber market in 2020, leading to upward pressure on prices and harming housing affordability for American consumers. The U.S. needs to work with Canada to end the tariffs and achieve a long-term, stable solution in lumber trade that provides for a consistent and fairly priced supply of lumber.” This latest development on the tariff front comes at a particularly opportune time, with the Random Lengths Framing Composite Price moving lower since midSeptember but still up more than 60% since mid-April. Lower tariffs would mitigate uncertainty and associated volatility that has plagued the marketplace, which could help ease upward price pressure on lumber prices. Another positive development is that housing construction and new home sales have moved forward at a robust pace in recent months as lumber prices have receded from unprecedented highs. Lumber prices peaked above $950 per thousand board feet in September and are now down to roughly $560 per thousand board feet – which is still at an extremely high historical level. NAHB continues to work on all fronts to find solutions that will ensure a lasting and stable supply of lumber for the home building industry at a competitive price. Page 4
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O’Fallon Mayor Herb Roach was elected by Mayors throughout the State of Illinois, to act as a trustee on the newly created Illinois Firefighters Pension Board. Mayor Roach will be one of three mayors statewide to sit on this board that is the statutory steward of over six billion dollars in pension assets for suburban and downstate firefighter pension funds. “I want to thank my fellow mayors for electing me for this great honor,” said Mayor Herb Roach. “I join a team with the duty of harbor, protect, and invest the assets under our care, mindful of the fiduciary duty we have to firefighters, retirees, and their dependents. I will bring my experience as Mayor of O’Fallon and 35 years of private corporate experience to help manage this important pension fund.” The Illinois Firefighters Pension Fund (IFPF) is a consolidated pension fund created in 2020 because of Public Act 101-0610, which consolidated more than 650 downstate and suburban public safety pension funds. Page 6
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LEADING THE WAY FOR ILLINOISIANS VOICE TO ILLINOIS POLITICS It’s not easy to defeat a status quo system that has been in place for decades. But that’s exactly what we’re doing at the Illinois Policy Institute. Entrenched politicians—like Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan—have rigged our state’s political system to benefit themselves and their special interests. They’ve prospered, while the rest of the state has suffered. We’re building a movement to counter this, and we’re gaining momentum. In 2020, we: • Revealed the truth about the “fair tax:” Governor JB Pritzker tried to replace Illinois’ fair, flat tax with a progressive income tax. We showed how his proposed tax would hurt all Illinoisans, including retirees. We also revealed how the proposal would give lawmakers free rein to change tax rates however and whenever they wanted. In the end, voters rejected the “fair tax” decisively. • Highlighted Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan’s corruption: For years, we’ve relentlessly reported on corruption in the Prairie State, especially as it concerns Madigan. We’ve made Madigan a household name in Illinois, making known his overwhelming power over Illinois politics. This effort is now paying off. As of today, 19 House Democrats have announced they will not support Madigan’s reelection as Speaker of the House. That means Madigan is currently five votes below what he needs to win another term as Speaker. • Made the case for constitutional pension reform: With the defeat of the progressive tax, state lawmakers are now forced to make a choice in dealing with Illinois’ fiscal crisis. They can continue cutting core services for Illinoisans in need or they can address the skyrocketing public pension costs. This year, we let the charge in making the case that constitutional pension reform is the only sensible solution. All this was made possible by the support of thousands of Illinoisans like you. CEO of Illinois Policy Institute John Tillman Page 10
RENEWING MEMBERS New American Funding - 2 years Remington Properties - 5 years Wells Fargo Home Mortgage - 9 years Wilson Lighting - 2 years REMODELERS COUNCIL Belleville Supply Daech & Bauer Roofing Drake Construction
On the Legislative front in 2020 there we no bills called in Illinois, not much of a session. There was a budget passed and the veto session was cancelled. One of our State House of Representatives, Charlie Meier, was able to get involved with a mother from his district with a handicapped son who resides in a home bringing her objections of not being able to see her child. She organized the group Illinois Caregivers for Compromise. This Mother was able to get other parents and legislators to join. They worked with the Illinois Department of Public Health, rallied at the Capitol, wrote letters, made phone calls, etc. Toward the end of the year they received word that individuals can have a care person with them! It just takes on person to get the ball rolling and we are very proud that State Representative Charlie Meier played a part in this. Family members can go through testing protocols and enter facilities to take care of their loved ones as long as there isn’t an ongoing outbreak. This is a small victory that will mean so much to anyone that has been kept from being with a loved one in a facility. The group, Illinois Caregivers for Compromise, is now lobbying for a state law mandating the essential caregiver position to prevent their loved ones from being isolated again. It goes without saying that COVID-19 has brought great suffering for many families. Please keep them in your thoughts and help them get thru this with your support and understanding. Page 12
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A few of our favorite pictures from wonderful events we had throughout the year! Page 14
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It goes without saying that losing a loved one this time of year is never easy. On December 22, 2020, Justin Lowder unexpectedly lost his life from injuries sustained in an accident. His loss was completely unexpected and Justin’s Friends and Family are shocked and deeply saddened. Justin worked for the Home Builders & Remodelers Association not to long ago. Many of you will remember him for his fun loving attitude towards life and his axe throwing skills that earned him the title of Axe Master! After leaving the HBR, Justin found his niche working for C. A. Jones, Inc. as their Marketing Manager where his coworkers quickly became like family. Justin did a great job of representing C.A. Jones at many of our HBR events, such as the Axe Throwing, Golf Outing, and many other great gatherings of members and friends. Those events will always bring us great joy in remembering Justin’s love for life and his work. He was the lead singer of the popular Metro-East band, Black Top Boulevard, and he sadly leaves behind a young son, Brady, who was his biggest love and greatest accomplishment. Our hearts go out to Justin’s fiancé, Paige Guenther, his son, his family and to his friends. Justin was always a pleasure to be around and he will be greatly missed by many. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, a private memorial was held. A larger celebration of life is being planned for later in 2021. A Facebook Memorial Page is available for Justin Lowder to leave condolences and follow the great plans his friends and family have to keep Justin’s memory alive. Page 17
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6100 West Main Street Maryville, IL 62062 Phone: 618-343-6331 E-mail: tbutler@hbrmea.org Web: www.hbrmea.org
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