I learned that this year will be the 99th year of the Building Industry Association in Southern California, and it is with great honor and humility that I have accepted the position of Chapter President in our 99th year. I look forward to working with all of you and just wish I didn’t have such big shoes to fill. I would like to give a special thank our leader and friend Dave Little, who has led us through COVID for the last two years.
I was at an economic conference recently and the keynote speaker kicked off the event by quoting a novel from 1953 by LP Hartley, “The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.”
I don’t think a more actuate statement could be made between today. We have all adapted to new ways of doing business, with new social norms like the facemasks and fist bumps as formal greetings, and we are not done adapting.
None of us know what the future holds, but I know that what we do as builders is never easy, and we must all continue to adapt to the new normal as it evolves to maintain the human/personal connection. There is nothing more honorable and human than what we do - we build homes.
I believe that 2022, our 99th year, will be another year of change that will start to shape and form the beginning of the new normal until the next paradigm shift. As this change occurs, it is not just the job of our BIA Team Members to be in the room where it happens. It is the job of everyone in our industry, including builders, trader partners, government officials, and industry friends. Together, we must make sure that we have a seat at the table to continue creating the change we all want and need to achieve Sacramento’s challenge of housing for all.
Remember: “The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.”
