Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to extend a warm welcome to everyone here this evening and thank you for taking the time to come out and support your Association.
I was commenting the other day that I can’t believe that it is October already, and with that the end of my term as Chair of the HAVAN. It has been a very interesting, and very eventful year for me that seems to have passed in the blink of the eye, but at the same time has been filled with very successful events and some significant steps forward for our Association.
I am very pleased to have had the opportunity to serve during such a dynamic time for HAVAN, wherein under the leadership of Bob de Wit, we have developed and adopted a Strategic Plan that will carry our Association into the future with a clear vision of who we are, and the role we wish to play in the industry. Under the plan which was adopted last fall we have focused on fulfilling our mandate as “The Voice of the Residential Construction Industry”. We have identified the areas of concern and are working on the communications plan to reinforce this goal, and are working closer than ever before with both the Provincial, and National organizations to align our efforts and manage our messaging. As such, the opportunity for engagement with government and our industry has been better than at any time I can remember, and at all three levels we are starting to gain traction on the issues that are important to our membership.
This multi-tiered and collaborative effort has started to yield tangible results like: off-setting the proposed Canada Post surcharge for Supermail Boxes of $200 per door, encouraging a broader opportunity for PTT offsets, lobbying for reintroduction of renovation Tax credits, and participation in the National “Get it in Writing” campaign. We have seen the introduction of provincial legislation for Builder Licensing and Education, and the new Building Act which is to uniformly apply the BCBC across the province, and we have taken the initiative of providing comments on Code issues early in the process for NAFS, Arc Fault Interruption Circuits, and Fire Sprinklers. We saw the introduction of the inaugural G2G report with the second being prepared for release as we speak, and the successful collaboration of HAVAN & CHBA-BC to reach out to and engage with BC Hydro to affect meaningful communication and improvement of service. There has also been an expansion of DAC’s in communities that are experiencing significant growth pressure, and the shift from “reporting “ on government relations issues to, identifying, discussing , and issuing a call to action from Membership to deal with those issues.
HAVAN has senior representation on both the national and provincial boards, and the contributions of our current board, as well as, the one elected this evening has been, and will continue to be filled with purpose and enthusiasm to represent the best interests of our members, and ensure their concerns and aspirations are heard and acted upon. These are just a few of the achievements that serve to illustrate the ongoing effort to demonstrate value.
I would also like to take this opportunity to personally thank Bob deWit, and the HAVAN staff for their help and support during my tenure as Chair, as well as my colleagues on the Board for their opinions, assistance and support. It has been great to have representation on the Board from such a broad cross section of the membership which helps to ensure that the interests of all sectors are being represented. In particular would like to thank our immediate past Chairs Lynn Harrison, and Blake Hudema, for their insight and support throughout my term, and I extend my congratulations to Dan Glavind and offer him my support as well.
What an exciting time to be associated with such an organization: this time last year your Board asked for, and Got, a change in the weather pattern that afforded our members one of the mildest winters on record, and an absolutely delightful summer with virtually no rain which allowed everyone to work, build, and play in the most optimal conditions! We had one of the best Legend’s dinners to date, we staged and presented the Ovation Awards to record participation and to the enjoyment of all, G2G has become “a thing”, the golf tournament, held at new venue, was one of the best ever and our “weather order” hung together for that as well (the participation of the deer, Bears, and other wildlife was just a bonus). The educational events presented through the E & T Committee were seeing record attendance and will continue to expand and become an integral part of delivering material and services to support the new educational/CPD requirements, and U40 has presented one successful event after the other with strong attendance and lots of fun for everyone.
Dinner meetings, the 40th anniversary, the Member’s Expo, orientation breakfasts, have all been well attended and received high praise from membership and with the introduction of fresh events and occasions in the future will continue provide opportunities for networking and engagement.
At the start of my term last year I mentioned that seeking to increase direct participation by members, and demonstrate the value that our association can provide was one of my personal goals, and from what I saw over the course of the past year I think this has started to come to pass. In particular this can be reflected in the increase in membership that has been achieved over the last 12 months where we have grown from 783 to 853 members, and were recognized by national, and provincial, as the fastest growing local in the country – growing at a rate greater than Toronto!! Now, this has a lot to do with the efforts of Renee Auer and her team who initiate contact and (some say relentlessly) follow up with prospects, and my compliments to Renee and Carolyn for their efforts in achieving this milestone.
At the same time it has been the efforts of individual members who have encouraged their peers and industry associates to look at joining the Association that has been a significant factor in increasing our membership base. With current menebers introducing potential members to the events and services that HAVAN can offer, and demonstrating their own enthusiasm and commitment, it makes Renee’s and Carolyn’s task that much easier.
I have personally been witness to this recruitment by existing members, and that is exactly what we need to continue on our growth curve and in turn build on the Value we can return to members.
I have been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to offer my service to this association with the help and support of Bob, HAVAN staff, our Board, and the many, many members who time and time again lend their efforts and experience to our programs and directly contribute to our brand. I extend my personal thanks to everyone, and appreciate having had the chance to contribute as director and Chair, and look forward to continuing to serve on the Board again. Many thanks and enjoy the rest of your evening.
Cheers, Ron Rapp
