EXCITING But Exhausting

Ali Wolf, Chief Economist, Zonda, the largest homebuilding tech company in North America. Ali manages and analyzes the content for Zonda, runs special research projects, strategizes with the nation's largest homebuilders, presents nationwide covering topics across the housing market and wider economy. Highly regarded as an industry expert, Ali is quoted frequently in national publications including CNBS, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes and Yahoo! Finance, has appeared on Bloomberg TV and Marketplace, and is an advisor to the White House, providing data and insights on the U.S. housing market. She holds a Bachelor's Degree from The Ohio State University in Economics and a Master's Degree from the London School of Economics in Real Estate Economics and Finance.

These sessions were fantastic, but I have to admit my favorite was Opening Ceremony speaker, Mike Rowe. He is known for his work on the Discovery Channel series Dirty Jobs and the series Somebody's Gotta Do It (originally developed for CNN). His mission is to close the skills gap (which is wider than it has ever been) by challenging the stigmas and stereotypes that discourage people from pursuing the millions of available jobs in the trades. There are more than 7 million jobs available across the country, the majority of which don't require a four-year degree. There is a misguided belief that a career in the skilled trades shouldn't be desired, and that has reshaped our expectations of a good job into something that no longer resembles work. The push for higher education (which is good for some) has resulted with the removal of vocational arts from high schools nationwide. The effects of this have laid the foundation for a widening skills gap and massive student loan debt. He talked about "Mike Rowe Works" and how this organization debunks the myths and misperceptions about the trade and helps close the skills gap. NAHB & HBI donated $100,000 to his worthwhile mission. Mike received a well-deserved standing ovation for his informative and engaging session.

I did leave before the Spike Concert featuring Sheryl Crow which I heard was great from those that attended.

That's a wrap for the 2023 International Builders Show and I am excited to see what the 2024 show will bring.