Building a ‘Good Place for All’ to Live & Work

Rob HellyerMember News, President's Message

Allow me to first introduce myself; I am Rob Hellyer, CGR, GMB, CAPS. I am greatly honored to serve as your 2020 GHBA President—the third remodeler to serve in the role. The previous two, Dan Bawden and Leslie King, encouraged me to accept the invitation to get on the ladder and have been trusted advisors over my entire 18 years as a member of the GHBA.

I would be remiss if I didn’t thank all of the board members for the last two years as I readied myself for this position. Most importantly among those are Immediate Past President John Williams who has imparted valuable advice over the last year, and Don Klein who served as president during my first year on this journey. I learned a great deal serving with them both.

When we enter the GHBA office we will observe this quote from Theodore Roosevelt: “Every man owes a part of his time and money to the business or industry in which he is engaged. No man has the moral right to withhold his support from an organization that is striving to improve conditions within his sphere.”


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I use the above quote when recruiting new members. Of course, I expand upon it to include women as I’m sure President Roosevelt, if he were alive today, would as well.

Another quote by Roosevelt is relevant to our industry and all builders associations. “This country will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in.”

The GHBA and its members work hard to do just that. Whether diligently working with governmental agencies in crafting smart regulations that protect homeowners while keeping housing affordable or giving back to the community through the many charitable endeavors.

These endeavors, almost too numerous to list but too important not to, include HomeAid, Operation Finally Home, the Adopt-a-Family Project, Benefit Homes Project and additional projects undertaken by the various councils and divisions annually.

One such project for which I had the honor of chairing a team of dedicated volunteers early in my tenure on the Remodelers Council board was Habitat for Humanity’s 2006 Builders Blitz. We built an entire house in one week in the June Houston heat. I daresay that never was a finer home built for that wonderful organization.

As I think is fairly obvious by reading this column, I take great pride in being a GHBA member and take every opportunity to extol the virtues of the association to those unaware, both in the public and the homebuilding and remodeling industries.

I feel a bit like the above is preaching to the choir as I suspect that nearly everyone reading this article feels the same as I. Perhaps a new member or someone considering joining will read this and something will resonate with them, motivating them to become actively involved. To those, I extend this one last quote from the late great developer and past president, Jim Box: “If you’re not at the table, you might be on the menu.”

In closing, I look forward to the coming year and meeting members of our association that I have not had the privilege of meeting in my 18 years as a GHBA member. I just hope my memory serves me well and I recall everyone’s name the second time we meet. Thank you for your support.

About the Author
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Rob Hellyer

2020 GHBA Board President Rob Hellyer, CGR, GMB, CAPS, is a local remodeler and president of Premier Remodeling & Construction, LP.

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