Utah Valley Home Builders Association

4 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 8 UTAH VALLEY HOME BUI LDERS ASSOC I AT ION scholarships with local universities and colleges. During his tenure, the Association also received the Grand Award for its Membership Competition and the Best Parade of Homes from the NAHB in 2018. UVHBA’s mandate covers six key areas: government affairs, member exposure, education, networking, community service, and the Association’s crown jewel – the UVHBA Parade of Homes. “Advocacy in government affairs is our core mandate because it’s what directly affects the ability of our members to conduct their businesses effectively and profitably,” Caldwell says. “For example, building permits and impact fees are a major cost factor for our members yet at the same time, the cities view it as an easily accessible source of revenue. Our role is to ensure there is a balance between what our members want, which is lower rates, and what the cities want, which is higher collections.” In some instances, the UVHBA’s advocacy efforts pay off in rebates to its members. Recently, it was integral in assessing unnecessary charges regarding building fees involving more than 13,500 building permits issued to about 2,000 individuals and companies, securing $32 million in refunds to parties affected. Former Governor Gary Herbert’s father, Duane Herbert, and others founded UVHBA in 1973 as a local chapter of the umbrella Utah Home Builders Association. Like most homebuilders’ associations, its formation was a convergence of members comprising builders, subcontractors, and suppliers in the building and construction industry, and associate members drawn from adjacent trades and professions like landscapers, interior designers, banks and accountants. Over the years, the association has grown to just over 700 members, drawn from counties that fall under the association’s purview but including regional and national companies with a presence in the area. These strong links to the