December 2017
HBA Welcomes 2018 President Gary Kerns Economic Forecast Breakfast – page 4 2017 HBA Award Winners – page 6 Past Presidents Dinner – page 11
Share your ideas for the future of Overland Park – page 14
Gary Kerns, Gary Kerns Homebuilders, was officially welcomed as the incoming president of the Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City at the annual Inaugural Celebration on December 6. Gary grew up in Hemple, Mo., which is a very small town north of Gower, Mo., and east of St. Joseph, Mo. His parents Wayne and Betty Kerns were homebuilders in St Joseph; they started building homes in 1963 alongside Gary’s grandfather Orville. During his remarks at the Inaugural, Gary recalled his experiences as a child riding around with his Dad to job sites and meeting all the subcontractors at Holiday Inn for coffee and donuts. In those days, builders stopped at pay phones with a roll of dimes to call someone……and the phone numbers were all written down on the outside of the booth. Gary married his wife Amy in 1986. According to Gary, “she is the one that keeps things reeled in and asks me the why and how and are you sure…. She is the one I go to first when deciding on a business decision. She keeps me in check.” Gary Kerns Homebuilders is a family company with eldest son Justin
Kerns working as a superintendent. Daughter Jessica also works at the company along with her fiancé, Mike. Youngest son Jordan is in his last year of college pursuing a degree in computer science. The Parade of Homes was Gary’s introduction to the KCHBA: “I wanted to have one of my homes in the Parade, so I joined the KC HBA and even entered a home in the contest. The next week after judging, I got a call from the HBA suggesting that I come to The gavel passes from Harold Phelps to Gary Kerns committees; and is president of the Home the awards ceremony. We went to the cerBuilders Association of Missouri. emony and we won an award…. someone Goals for Gary’s year as president include: at the HBA must have known. Now I was • Work Force Issues. The workforce sold on the HBA and all they had to offer.” development committee has completed In 2007 Gary was elected to the HBA’s a strategic plan and put it into action. Board of Directors. He remembers walking in at the first board lunch not know• Renovation of the HBA building. ing what to expect. Staff greeted him like We will continue to work on renovating he had been coming there for years and the building to make it an asset that we by the end of the first year Gary was acare all proud of. quainted with people like George Schluter, Bob Frost, Tom Woods, Chris Ragland and • Continue to engage with government many other builders and associates. officials. Thank you, Josh Clark our Gary has served on nearly all KCHBA new EO, for your bold desire to make committees since joining the association. us heard and I look forward to working He currently chairs the Membership comwith you next year. Josh’s experience mittee; serves on the Parade and PAC in politics is Continued on page 6