VIPs, Advocacy & Workforce

Category: Build-Remodel-Topics
04/29/2024

Behind the scenes:

How we work to keep you in business

 

Bryce Johnson

Building Industry Association CEO

One of the primary purposes of the Building Industry Association of the RRV is to advocate on behalf of your industry and you. While advocacy and workforce development are at the heart of our Association, they are also one of the most resource-intensive endeavors.

Operationally, the Association leadership has looked at how we function, and the various events we produce to market the industry. Those events are revenue generators that enable us to stay in operation. For years they sustained operations including advocacy, but needs have multiplied. Times have changed.

Advocacy and workforce are the most costly to the Association, but also the most critical to keeping you in business. These efforts are possible with the support of our Very Invested Partners (VIPs).

The advocacy world is constantly evolving. Day-to-day, the BIA-RRV takes phone calls on new building codes, monitors laws going into effect and sharing those changes, communicates with cities that want to be part of our publications and events, reminds the industry of regulations, builds relationships (even when there are changes in elected leadership) and much more. We are receptive to all of these communications and issues. We know that all of this is done to keep you in business!

Many of these advocacy efforts are tied to workforce development, plus our professional staff is constantly organizing ways to connect our industry professionals to the future workforce through events, scholarships and much more.

The VIP sponsorship program is an opportunity to highlight the investment that it takes to ensure we can continue to carry out our mission at the level members are accustomed to. We need your support to keep building upon our efforts. I encourage you to become part of it! 

VIP sponsorships come along with many benefits and perks that are customizable to your involvement with the BIA-RRV. All VIPs get top-level exposure to fellow members via the Association website, bi-weekly newsletter, in our main conference room and mentions at meetings and events. Each VIP can tailor their additional benefits to their liking.

Here's what two members have to share about their experience with VIP. They both signed on when the program began three years ago. 

David Reid | Radiant Homes | VIP since 2022

“I wanted to be part of a much larger vision, giving back to the industry that feeds my family.  These dollars go to support advocacy, education and building our industry's professionalism. As an involved member, I can see how the BIA-RRV really makes a difference, even directly impacting my business for the better.”

Tim Gauer | Bell Bank | VIP since 2022

"While Bell Bank has been a member of the BIA for almost 40 years, becoming a VIP when this became an option was the best way to show our continued support for the BIA’s efforts in advocacy and awareness, amid the constant changes in our industry. The BIA team does an amazing job keeping us informed of events, helping us make numerous connections and meet like-minded people and businesses who are pushing the building industry to new heights. New ideas like the VIP program are just one reason that BIA-RRV is consistently recognized among the best associations nationally in advocacy, member involvement and education."

2024 Very Invested Partners

Photos below represent just a handful of activities and events your Association organizes or participates in as part of advocacy providing you a voice within our local and state regulatory, political and labor arenas.

Top to bottom: 2024 Building Officials Roundtable, Minnesota Day at the Capitol with FMWF Chamber of Commerce, and Building Industry Connect: Our Future Workforce. 

Season of change: Elections

With election season here, our focus shifts toward political advocacy, where we aim to support the election of individuals with pro-housing and pro-growth mindsets. To make informed decisions, we organize events for candidates running in local and state elections. This includes events for positions in Minnesota and North Dakota, at the city, county and state levels. These events provide opportunities for members to engage directly with candidates and understand their stances on industry-related matters.

While we are involved in elections and political engagement, we also focus on building relationships with officials year-round. These working relationships are of the utmost importance and are an integral part of how we stay informed and involved in crucial areas that impact our region and you!

BIA-RRV political involvement at the grassroots level

The following are a few examples of what your Association has been working on over 2023 and the past few months.

Fargo
•    2024 Growth Plan
•    Public-private partnerships (P3) criteria

Horace
•    Land Use Ordinance
•    Two-year property tax exemption for new construction

Moorhead and Dilworth 
•    Meeting with building officials for timely updates
•    Working with staff on communicating economic incentive programs

Regional
•    MetroCOG Housing Study. Advocating for market-driven policies that encourage the production of the missing middle.
•    Return on Incentives. Once launched, this educational campaign will include tools to help the public learn about the positive impacts economic incentives have within our region. 
•    Building Officials Roundtable and meetings with officials and staff that allow for us to share changes and reminders.
•    Collaboration with professional and business-related organizations. This enables us to have a bigger voice resulting in greater impacts. For instance, we participated in the FMWF Chamber Moorhead Area Day at the Capitol in St. Paul, where we had great meetings with legislators and state departments. 
•    Building Industry Connect. These events happen six times per year with no agendas or presentations. Our most recent event featured bedroom communities. The May event welcomes new staff in the city of Moorhead.
•    Minnesota and North Dakota legislative sessions. We work closely with our state associations, North Dakota Association of Builders and the Builders Association of Minnesota to follow bills that have impacts on the industry. This often includes sending letters of support or opposition and encouraging you to reach out to legislators to explain how it directly affects you. It is always with our members’ input that we can make the biggest impact.

All these items mentioned above are just a snapshot of what we have been up to. 

If I could leave you with a final message, it’s this: Now is the time to invest in advocacy and workforce. Contact me at (701) 232-5846 or via email to discuss highlighting your company as a Building Industry Association VIP! 

 

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