Join HOME-PAC 2022 and Make Your Voice Heard
The Greater Houston Builders Association was founded in 1941 not only as a place for homebuilders to connect, but for them to advocate on issues important to the industry. Whether working with local county officials to develop incentives for development of affordable housing, advocating at City Hall for reasonable code and regulatory processes, or educating new legislators on the building process, GHBA continues this legacy on a daily basis with our industry leaders.
One of the easiest ways to help make an impact in advocacy for our industry is by giving to our political action committee, HOME-PAC. GHBA’s HOME-PAC is led by Jim Holcomb of Holcomb Properties Company.
“One thing I realized, being a developer, we needed to have relationships with the people making the rules,” Holcomb said. A key way that our PAC trustees help build relationships with elected officials and candidates is through screening candidates at PAC meetings. During those visits, PAC trustees introduce themselves, hear from the candidate and have frank discussions about concerns the industry is facing. Often, candidates may know little about the homebuilding industry, outside of their own experiences as a homebuyer.
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“Electing the right people that support our development and homebuilding industry is extremely important. In a way we are advisors to the elected representatives. They come from different industries and backgrounds, and they don’t always understand the importance of what we do. We are educating them, because our industry has to be represented,” Holcomb said.
As the late, great Jim Box – a longtime GHBA member and regular at government affairs activities – used to say, “If you don’t have a seat the table, you might be on the menu.”
The truth is stronger than that. If you don’t show up, the fact is that your business may suffer mightily due to unintended consequences of new regulation. We often share with elected officials and candidates that in many cases policy that takes place without industry input, not only hurts business owners who are our members, but also their clients who are simply trying to obtain the right housing for them.
“When you limit development, that takes the ‘American Dream’ away from the ordinary person. And that’s not good,” Holcomb said. “We believe it’s important to give back. And in the association world, it’s all giving back. Whether it’s money or time. But we’re happy to do it in support of our industry.”
To learn more about how you can make an impact and join HOME-PAC, please contact Sara Alhalabi. Sara can also share information with you about upcoming Government Affairs Committee and Developers Committee meetings.
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