May 2013 Reporter

Reporter Volume 6, No. 5 • May 2013

NORTH TEXAS HOMEBUILDERS ASSOCIATION

4410 Fairway Boulevard • Wichita Falls, TX 76308 • P: 940.692.2211 • F: 940.692.2214 www.nthba.com

General Membership Meeting May 2, 2013 Kemp Center for the Arts 1300 Lamar

Guest Speaker Dr. Daniel Babbel, MD Orthopedic Surgeon Please RSVP by Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Dates to Remember • Scholarship applications are being accepted thru May 1, 2013.

• Parade of Homes is scheduled for June 1st - 9th. The kick-off lunch will be May 31, 2013 at the Cherokee Room at MSU from 11:30-12:30 sponsored by Landmark Title Company. Ribbon cutting will follow at the Show Case Home, #13 Canyon View Court at 1:00PM • Be thinking about someone who deserves to be in the Housing Hall of Honor. Applications for nominees will be accepted through July 29, 2013 and can be downloaded from the NTHBA website, www.nthba.com. Start now and avoid the pressure of waiting until the last minute.

• Business Expo scheduled for September 5, 2013 from 11:30AM - 1:00PM. Watch your mail, the NTHBA website, and read your emails for more information on things that are happening with the North Texas Home Builders Association.

New Member

From The President Steven Hinson

Charles P. Salter.............MWH Group

Welcome!

SHOWTIME! - The time is here for the builders and members of our

association to put our products on display. June 1st thru the 9th is the 61stAnnual North Texas Home builders Association’s Parade of Homes.

Not only is the Parade a huge fundraiser for the local association and our partner Habitat for Humanity, it is a time when members get to show off their products and services. Everyone in the realestate business knows that the best way for a house to sell is to get the consumer to the house and have them inside to tour the house. With that in mind, 1,900 tickets were sold last year, which translates to a lot of foot Acme Brick.....................................Harold Newton traffic. Even at the lowest point in ticket sales 3 years ago, 1,300 ATMD Insurance...............................Shawn Blacklock tickets were sold. Being able to physically see and know how many people have toured your house, viewed your work, or Archer Title of Texas........................................Jean Taylor scoped out your products is the best marketing you can Chris Dockman Co...........................................Jerry Fillmon attain.

Renewals

Hamilton Bryan....................................................Steve Fairchild

This year’s parade will once again be nothing less Herring Bank................................................................Rocio McGill thana success. It will include the NTHBA showcase home, built under the direction of Stan Mountain Luz Lerma Construction....................................................Luz Lerma (past president), 15 homes entries, and a kickoff Nortex Housing Finance......................................................Dave Clark luncheon with many surprises. Not to mention the countless housing guides that Skyline Developers......................................................................Mark Lam will be distributed before and during the parade that all members have a chance to have an ad in. I say all of this just to remind everyone how important the parade is to our association and how beneficial it really is to be able to be a part of a great week.

I would also like to thank Teri and the countless hours she puts in to getting the parade off and runningwithout a hitch each year, as well as the Parade of Homes committee for getting together, once again, Steve Fairchild................................................................................06 what looks to be awonderful parade. To all Justin Davis................................................................................... 07 of the volunteers: a thank you in advance.

Please makesure you spread the word about Lee Grace.................................................................................. 10 The Parade of Homes that will run June 1st Eddie Blackburn.................................................................... 15 thru the 9th and come out and support your local association. Don’t forget about the Debra Clements...............................................................28 kickoffluncheon May 31st!

Thanks for Renewing!

May Birthdays

Charles Beaver.............................................................31 PRAY FOR RAIN!

Happy Birthday!

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Calendar of Events

2012 /2013 Officers & Directors

General Membership..................................................May 2, 2013 .............................................................................................11:30AM Membership, Meetings, & Education.....................May 14, 2013 Committee Meeting........................................................10:00AM Publications and Communications......................May 14, 2013 Committee Meeting........................................................11:00AM Parade of Homes & Special Events .....................May 15, 2013 Committee Meeting........................................................10:00AM Government Affiars ................................................May 16, 2013 Committee Meeting........................................................11:00AM Budget & By-Laws Committee..............................May 21, 2013 Meeting.................................................................................9:15AM Board of Directors Meeting...................................May 22, 2013 .............................................................................................11:00AM

President - Steven Hinson Vice President - Barney Brock Associate Vice President - Eric Nelson Treasurer - Martin Litteken Secretary - Tim Sawyer Immediate Past President - Stan Mountain Builder Directors John Harmon - 1yr R.J. Wachsman - 1yr David Bedingfield - 2yr Steven Klasse - 2yr

Assoicate Directors Johnny McClane - 1yr Larry Park - 2yr

Memorial Day (NTHBA Office Closed...............May 27, 2013

State Director - Jose Garcia Alternate State Director - Stan Mountain Life Director - Chuck Dennis

Parade of Homes Kick-Off Lunch.........................May 31, 2013 .......................................................................11:30AM to 12:30PM

Executive Vice President - Teri Gibson

Because we are committed to the success of the builder industry.

When you work with Stewart, you get more than just our years of experience benefitting your business. You get knowledgeable, full-time, dedicated associates working alongside you at your job sites, in the community, as well as with local, state and national builder associations, and political action committees.

Contact us for more information about why Stewart Title is the right partner for you.

Randy Schaffner Stewart Title Company of Wichita Falls 2733 Midwestern Parkway, Suite 100 Wichita Falls, TX 76308

(940) 691-5600

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Family Night Full of Fun and Games North Texas Home Builder members were joined by some of the instructors of the 363rd Training Squadron April 11, 2013 along with their families at the Good Times Party Barn. Owner, Rick Belz with Builders Wholesale graciously set up the cool spring evening with the ambiance of two fireplaces and Eric Castillo with Stewart Title Company with his background music. Donnie Park, Scott Flinn, Kevin Rhine and other members of First Bank volunteered to spend their time providing and cooking up hamburgers, hot dogs and all the trimmings. There were over a hundred men, women, children and grandchildren who attended the event. The children filled up the barrel train ride and bounce house throughout the evening and prizes were won playing a few games of bingo conducted

by Eric Nelson of Guarantee Title Company. Thank you Archer Title of Texas and Guarantee Title Company for donating the prizes for our bingo games.

T-Shirt sponsored by NTHBA for 363rd TRS Sidewinders Tough Mudders competition.

Wayne Pharries of First National Bank put together a barbeque grille, donated by John Thompson of Lowe’s, to be displayed and given away in a drawing at the end of the evening. Wayne set up a rubber duck pond where members purchased a duck and on the underside of each duck had a number that indicated the number of chances a person would receive to go in the drawing for the grille.

Ducks were sold for $10.00 each or three for $25.00. At the end of the evening Steven Hinson had one of the children in the crowd draw for the grille and Erin Hinson was the winner. Congratulations Erin. The $410.00 raised will go toward the NTHBA’s goal for the TAB HOMEPAC fund. Thank you all who participated in purchasing ducks: John Harmon, Wayne Pharries, Tim Sawyer, Charles Barr, Stan Mountain, Jean Taylor, Rick Belz, Leslie Lyons, Randy Pebworth, Cassie Ahearn, Tom Nichols, Jose Garcia, Sam Ulmer, Larry Hill, , Marie Henricks, Michelle Darnell, Heather Stone, Larry Machen and Teri Gibson.

Major Sam Ulmer, Commander of the 363rd Training Squadron expressed their appreciation saying, “On behalf of the 363rd TRS Sidewinders, I would like to say thank you for the BBQ on 11, April. It was a great event and the people from my squadron that attended are still talking about what a great event it was with the barrel train and the bingo. What a great family event.”

I would like to thank all the members and the 363rd TRS Sidewinders who attended and helped make Family Night a success.

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Is your website a “Billboard in the Desert or a Marquis on Main Street�?

The Original Since 1921

Commercial/Residential Sales, Service, Installation

OVERHEAD DOOR COMPANY OF WICHITA FALLS 601 Central Freeway East Wichita Falls, Texas 76302

Phone (940) 767-7788 Fax (940) 687-3677

Inc.

Serving Wichita, Archer and Clay Counties

1920 Elmwood North Ave. t Wichita Falls, Texas 76308

‡ )D[ Jean Taylor, CESA

Maggie Johnson

jeant@archertitle.com

maggiej@archertitle.com

Most business owners have come to the realization that having a website is imperative because almost every potential client will ask you for your website address. If you don’t have a website they consider you to be a dinosaur. And nobody wants to do business with a dinosaur, unless of course they are shopping for dinosaur eggs.

So now you have a website and a website address (i.e. www.nthba.com) however, how do potential clients find your website? You can give them your website address.Your website address may be on your business card (if they haven’t lost it).Your website address might be on that beautiful brochure you paid big bucks for and handed out at the last “Parade of Homes� or “Home and Garden Show� (again if they haven’t discarded it by now).

Let’s get to the point. Most people look for products and services by searching on Google, Bing, Facebook or one of the over 150 primary directories on the internet.

Continues on page 6

NTHBA REPORTER MONTHLY ADVERTISING RATES AD SIZE

RATE PER MONTH

FULL PAGE AD...................................................$300.00 HALF PAGE AD..................................................$150.00

American National Bank

Mortgage Loans

QUARTER PAGE AD...........................................$75.00

Home Loans From Your Home Town Bank

3 1/2 X 3..................................................................$50.00

anbhomeloan.com

3

1/2

X2

1/2............................................................$45.00

397-2333

(940)

3 1/2 X 2.....................................................................40.00 3 1/2 X 1 3/4.............................................................$30.00

Always Remember to do Business with Association Members!

3 1/2 X 1..................................................................$20.00 1 3/4 X 1..................................................................$15.00

Always Remember to do Business with Association Members!

We always have room for more ads!

Please contact NTHBA 692-2211 to set up your ad.

BRYAN WAGGONER 3907 Kell BoulevarG ‡ WLFKLWD )DOOV ‡ Texas 76308 (940) 691-3641 Continued on pg 12 )D[ ‡

E-Mail bryanl@waggonercarpetone.com

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If the client is looking for a builder in Wichita Falls, TX, they will probably type in the words, “Home Builder Wichita Falls TX� into the search engine.

Now the question is will your “Business Name� come up in the top ten on Google, Yahoo, Bing or other directory? If you are not in the top ten your odds of getting a call from that potential client is zip-to-none!

Your website is a “Billboard in the Desert�.

Here are the top 10 things you need to do to make sure your billboard is on Main Street (this is called Search Engine Optimization or SEO).

Find out what search words and phrases are being used to find your product or service (Google, “Adwords� has a great tool for this).

Make sure that your “Site Title� has the top keywords in it. This is not the words that appear in your “Header�, but the words that appear at the top of Continues on page 10

2801 Kell East

Phone (940) 692-5734

Wichita Falls

Fax (940) 692-0391

Texas 76308

Lane Landes, Owner

tco@wf.net

Delinda Dodd Mortgage Team Member

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Meet Your Members BUILDERS WHOLESALE -

Wichita Falls Builder Wholesale Inc. was founded by Rick Belz in May 1989.

Builders Wholesale was designed to provide a specific range of branded building materials to general contractors, remodelers, builders, siding contractors, and insulation contractors. Rick Belz, owner of Builders Wholesale, comes with over thirty-five years’ experience directly involving products such as exterior siding, windows, doors, insulation, and more. "We are not a retail lumber yard, “he says. "We have chosen specific product offerings and have tried to be very knowledgeable with these products."

Builders Wholesale has been a manufacture partner for many years with brands such as CertainTeed, Mastic, Dow, Burris Windows, Masonite, PSI Sealants, ODL, Tapco, Lonestar Stone, and many more! They have a showroom located at 2905 5th St. (Seymour Highway) that gives you an opportunity to see all of their products as life-sized displays. Rick says the showroom actually "belongs to his customers." He encourages his contractors and builders to bring their customers in and use this area to sell, show, review house plans, etc.

Builders Wholesale also offers a convenient delivery service for the products they sell to any job site within one hundred miles of Wichita Falls. The delivery drivers are trained professionals that take the best of care with the items being delivered.

Training and continuing education is a very big driving force at Builders Wholesale. Several times through-out the year, training classes and/or mini seminars are held for their customers to keep them informed of the latest changes in the marketplace, updates on new products, and installation techniques.

All of this wouldn't be possible without the staff of Builders Wholesale. Business manager Tracy Smith brings

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WINDOWS, DOORS AND MORE!

522 Beverly Drive Wichita Falls, Texas 76309

723-1436

Always Remember to do Business with Association Members!

703 E. Scott Wichita Falls, TX 76308

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BRYAN WAGGONER 3907 Kell BoulevarE t WJDIJUB 'BMMT t Texas 76308

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2525 Kell Blvd., Suite 100 Wichita Falls, TX 76308

NTHBA Member since 1972

Justin Davis

940.763.2100 (main line) 940.763.2101 (fax)

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over 23 years’ experience with these products and the tenure list goes on from there. Whether you come in to browse the showroom for new ideas, returning to pick up materials to finish up a job, or whatever it may be, we make sure to have someone in place to take care of your needs and make your visit to Builders Wholesale pleasant every trip.

THOMPSON BROTHERS CONSTRUCTION Troy Thompson has been building homes for over twenty years. His integrity and desire to build the highest quality home possible make him one of the top builders in Wichita Falls area.

Continued on page 8

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He sets himself apart from most builders because he actually works on all of his houses. Thompson also works closely with his clients, listening to their every goal about their new home. He added that most of his subcontractors have worked for him for many years.

"I pride myself in building a quality home I am one of the few builders left that actually works on your home, I enjoy it and it allows me to better keep an eye on every aspect of your home building process. I take pride in my work and my homes. I build every one of my houses as if I was going to live in it myself." - Troy Thompson Thompson Brothers Construction initially built homes in the Iowa Park area, but now build and remodel homes throughout North Texas, including Dean, Archer City, Windthorst, Burkburnett and all over Wichita, Archer and Clay Counties.

Thompson Brother Construction builds homes from 1200 sq. ft. to 6000 sq. ft. Our homes feature the latest in building products and are very efficient. We use top quality appliances, windows, doors & plumbing. This along with high quality building & insulating techniques produce a very energy conscious home.

Most of his custom homes range in size from 4,000 to 5,000 square feet. However, he builds homes in all sizes and price ranges. Thompson Brothers continues to participate in the North Texas Home Builders Association Parade of Homes featuring homes both in Wichita Falls and Iowa Park.

His custom homes feature exciting designs with open floor plans, large kitchens, and liberal use of stone in walls or fireplaces. He especially likes to customize master bedroom ceilings using domes, barrels and umbrella designs. “I always try to do something different. I like to make each home unique and the way I would want it if I were the one moving in�.

In addition to custom homes and remodeling projects, Thompson Brothers is the developer of Harley Court, a cul-de-sac subdivision of luxury homes located just east of the Old Iowa Park Road and Johnson Road intersection. Harley Court is within walking distance of Iowa Park High School.

If you’re thinking about building a new home and want a custom home builder with a reputation for quality, honesty, and reliability. Call Troy Thompson at 631-9348 to get started on your home or visit our web site www.thompsonbrothers.com and fill out the form on our contact page. While you’re there view our gallery of pictures and testimonials.

THE

EmberShop

JOHNNY McCLANE

Fireplaces by Xtrordinair

Stone Age

Vanguard

Monessen Mendota Town & Country Isokern

Majestic

Wood Burning & Gas Wood & Cast Stone Mantels Outdoor Kitchens

Golden Blount

Service and Installation

www.TheEmberShop.com

4101 McNiel Avenue Wichita Falls, TX 76308

Serving Texas & Oklahoma since 1971

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Debra Clements Mortgage Consultant Mortgage Wells Fargo Home Mortgage 2301 KELL BLVD. WICHITA FALLS, TX 76308 MAC T9904-010 2IÂżFH 'HEUD . &OHPHQWV#ZHOOVIDUJR FRP

1204 28th Street Wichita Falls

(940) 766-3291

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the “Browser” (i.e. Firefox, Chrome, and Internet Explorer) Check your sites “Meta Tags” and “Meta Description” to see if all of the proper search words and phrases are being used. Meta Tags appear in the code behind the scene and are only meant for search engines to view.

The Meta description is the description that will appear on the search engine display (You will need to get the list being used from your webmaster unless you are familiar with how to view the code on your browser).

Make sure you use the top three search words and phrases throughout your website. Most sites I look at read like a fancy brochure and are not search engine friendly. You need to compromise between the two or your fancy brochure is all but useless. Then make sure you consistently post new information and pictures to your website. Your clients will like it and the search engines will love it.

Pictures need to be titled with search friendly keywords. Pictures downloaded from your camera to your computer are usually named something like 00023845pl.jpg. After you download from your camera to your computer, go back and rename those photos (Saginaw_Home_Builder_1.jpg, Saginaw_Home_Builder_2.jpg and so on, where Saginaw is the county and of course Home and Builder are key words). Notice the separation of words with an underscore. This is because search engines cannot parse words.

Pictures on your website should be given title descriptions underneath the pictures. Then have your webmaster give all pictures an “Alt Tag” with key words in it. Pictures can give very you strong rankings on search engines. As you can see we get a triple whammy from pictures (picture name, picture title, alt tag).

List your website on as many directories as possible (We have a software that lists your search engine on over 150 directories and updates them monthly). These back-links are very powerful in getting you to the top of the search list and assure that no matter where potential clients are looking, you will be found.

List your business on “Google Places”,Twitter Places”, Facebook Places” and “Bing Places”. The fact is you can list your business name, address and telephone even if you do not have a website!

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Please remember to pray for all NTHBA members, for their health, their families, and their businesses.

Pray for our armed forces, leaders, and country. We can all use prayer.

Commercial Services

3301 Kell Blvd., Wichita Falls, TX 76308

John Thompson Mike Sharp Mark Miller

Commercial/Residential Plumbing, Builder Sales, Appliances, Lighting

1300 Hatton Road Wichita Falls, TX 76301 Phone: (940) 767-2506

Fax: (940) 761-5563 (888) 266-1387 www.ferguson.com

BEST ELECTRIC COMPANY

DON WRIGHT - President Cell: (940) 636-5641 2606 GRANT STREET WICHITA FALLS, TX 76309 Tel: (940) 696-2758 fax: (940) 691-3757

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Let Us Check Your Shorts

Continued from page 10

940-782-3805

8011 Se\PRXU +Z\ q Wichita Falls, TX 76310

LANDMARK

TITLE COMPANY Your title needs handled promptly (XUHND &LUOFH ‡ :LFKLWD )DOOV 7;

2801 Midwestern Parkway, Suite 200 Wichita Falls, Texas 76308 SKRQH ‡ ID[ ZZZ IVWEQN FRP

CHRI6 ‡ DOCKMA1 ‡ COMPANY

Martin Litteken, Jr., P.E.

2071 FM 171 Wichita Falls, Texas 76305 Phone & Fax (940) 767-9710 Cell (940) 704-3471 Jerry Fillmon, Owner/Manager

2406 Kell Boulevard Wichita Falls, Texas 76309-5326 Phone: (940) 322-6450 Fax: (940) 723-6006

Google recently changed its search criteria (It changes often). “Google Plus� is now very heavily weighted in the search criteria. So it is important to build a profile there as well (we have now added that to our SEO services).

Blog, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn all provide a broad audience to which you can expose your business and gain referrals. I often hear that the people on “Facebook� are not the type of customer I want.

WRONG! The number one growing demographic on Facebook is women between the ages of 40 and 60. So for those of you who do not want to do business with them, I hope retirement suites you well.

Believe it or not there are probably ten or twenty more SEO tips I could write about, but these are the must-do. If you do these 10 things you will be light years ahead of your competition and strongly positioned as we emerge from this recession. .

If you need advice or help feel free to contact me directly at jtheisen@ultimate-builder.com .article furnished by Ultimate Builder.com.

Homebuilders Go PC, Phase out ‘Master Bedroom’ As Sexist, Racist This just in: The “master bedroom� will no longer be referred to as such. That racist, sexist word is being phased out post-haste.

According to a report in the Baltimore Business Journal, homebuilders are no longer using the term “master� on floor plans to describe the largest bedroom in a home or apartment. The new, approved nomenclature is “owner’s suite� or “owner’s bedroom.�

According to the report, the reason for the terminology shift is that the word “master� would denote that a man owns the room. Also, “master,� American slavery, you get the idea.

Anyway, Michael Neibauer, the reporter who wrote the story, quotes several homebuilder firm executives who are trying to actively phase out the “master bedroom� term. “I imagine it’s not only a more accurate description but also a more politically correct term of art,� one home exec told Neibauer.

The change is “just working through the industry, and finally, bingo, we got it,� another said.

The report continues: � ‘The terminology has more of an upscale tone to it, particularly in some of the really large homes that truly have a large bedroom, sitting area, enormous walk-in closets, and lavish bathrooms,’ [Brian Block, managing broker for McLean, Va.-based RE/Max Allegiance] wrote in an email. ‘Owner Suite conveys a sense of being distinguished, having ‘made it’ or ‘arrived’ rather than the everyday ‘Master Bedroom.’ �

This was all based on Neibauer’s survey of 10 major Washington-area homebuilders, so who knows how widespread it is. But you can see some examples of the term being phased out on some of the homebuilder websites.

The Sorrento model from Ryan homes shows a floor plan with “owner’s bedroom,� and Hartland family homes list the room as the “owner’s suite.�

11

Businessman honored twice

Chamber, SBA recognize door-firm chief John Ahearn, the owner of Overhead Door Co. and the 2012 recipient of the Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Small Business Person Award, has another honor coming his way.

He recently was named the Small Business Administration’s District Small Business Person of the Year for 2013 and will be honored at an SBA event in Arlington next month.

He was nominated for the award by the Small Business Development Center at Midwestern State University and the Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Ahearn has owned the company since 2008. At last year’s awards banquet, it was pointed out that his company increased its business by 61 percent in the first quarter of 2012 over the same period the previous year.

He is an active member of the chamber, and he and his wife, Cassie, were named the 2011 Chamber Volunteers of the Year. It was the first time a couple had won the award.

The 2013 Salute to Small Business Awards Luncheon will be May 23 at the Sheraton Arlington Hotel, 1500 Convention Center Drive. For more information about the event, contact the Arlington Chamber of Commerce at 817-548-4289.

The NTHBA would like to congratulate John Ahearn on his honorable achievement.

Thank you to the men and women who serve our country.

ACME BRICK COMPANY (940) 691-9679 office (940) 691-2560 office (940) 691-9678 fax hnewton@acmebrick.com

Harold Newton Branch Manager

6701 Seymour Hwy. Wichita Falls, TX 76310

SANDY STROUD President

4301 Jacksboro Hwy. Wichita Falls, TX 76302 www.snbt.net

(940) 763-2265 Fax (940) 763-2200 sstroud@snbt.net

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