Business View Civil & Municipal | Volume 2, Issue 11

20 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 2, ISSUE 11 community development companies, as well as some home builders that do some community development themselves or take part in the development process. We currently have about 70 members. Our association includes the developer level, which consists of community development companies, and we also have an associate member level that includes a variety of companies that do business within the community development industry – law firms, civil engineers, architects, biotechnology companies, wastewater treatment facility companies, and many more. “Our association and our members are definitely about building communities that are focused on transportation and infrastructure, land use, and all the important aspects of quality of life… it’s a streamlined process where they’re getting environmental permits and wetland permits and relocating endangered species, while at the same time building homes and communities that are effective, resilient, energy efficient, and modernized, so we can make the best of all worlds. All these things we need to be cognizant about in 2021 as we continue to build out.” BVM: How does advocacy come into play? Pierce: “ Advocacy is our largest member benefit; governmental affairs and legislative advocacy before state legislature. Also advocacy and communication with our regulatory agencies. We deal with quite a few, including Business & Professional Regulation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, etc., depending on what the issue is. We deal with the Dept. of Transportation a lot for infrastructure and road issues. Our advocacy is mainly focused on a state level but there are times when we have to deal with federal agencies, such as U.S. Fish & Wildlife and the EPA when it comes to natural resources. “Climate change definitely impacts our developers. So, when we’re looking at building our coastal communities out, we have several