The Trivia Night numbers are in!  JCBIA together with JCAR raise $4,239 for Wounded Warrior Project.  Today Tracy O'Dowd, April Stephens, Dana Wooten and I went to Fayetteville to deliver the check!  Thank you to all those who participated in Trivia Night and for those who donated ALL your winnings back!!

Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) serves veterans and service members who incurred a physical or mental injury, illness, or wound, co-incident to their military service on or after September 11, 2001 and their families. On that date, America watched in horror as approximately 3,000 people died including hundreds of firefighters and rescue workers. Many warriors note a sense of duty to volunteer for the military following these tragic events.

The Johnston County Building Industry Association and the Johnston County Association of Realtors put their brains in action last night!  The inaugural Trivia Night was a great success!  $3800 was raised for The Wounded Warrior Project!

What would you think if you could get a rebate for your loyalty to many of the nation’s leading housing industry Manufacturers? Well, now you can regardless of your volume!

The JCBIA is happy to help promote the NCHBA Member Rebate Program, a free member benefit, aimed at increasing your bottom line. For the minimal effort of informing them about the products you use, and telling them when you close on a home or project, you’ll be putting money back in your pocket. When you participate in the NCHBA Member Rebate Program, every home you build can earn you rebate checks! Remember, both Builders AND Remodelers qualify for the NCHBA Member Rebate Program.

Over 70% of the Builders & Remodelers who participated last year received back in rebates more than they paid in annual dues to the Association!  Click Here to Read More!

During the 2015 Johnston County Parade of Homes the public had an opportunity to vote for their favorite neighborhood!  The winning community is The Nine, which is a private, gated community in Clayton, NC, named for its nine luxury home lots. All homes in The Nine are built exclusively by Kirkwood Builders, a local custom home builder consistently recognized for excellence in design.  Just for voting during the Parade of Homes the public had an opportunity to win a 50" TV sponsored by AlarmFox.  Today Ray Bilinski with Alarm Fox and Art Kirkwood with Kirkwood Builders drew the name of the winner! 

Thank you Lowes Home Improvement for sponsoring the March General Membership Meeting!  All the giveaways were awesome and the food was great!

P&L -- Profit and Loss.  Not every company may have a fancy spreadsheet to show their P&L for a year, but without question every company from the smallest sole proprietor to the largest multi-billion dollar commerce, reconciles its gain or loss as a reflection of the success of its business operations.  Every enterprise weighs investment against return -- how much "bang for my buck" will this job, or this advertising, or this piece of equipment, or this partnership bring to my bottom line?  However, while P&L's might show us part of the picture of the success or failure of a business, and while every business needs to turn a profit in order to survive, altruistically P&L goes much deeper than mere financial profit.

Its the 1st (hopefully annual) Trivia Night Fundraiser!  The members of the Johnston County Building Industry Association and the members of the Johnston County Association of Realtors want to join forces to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project.  This is your opportunity to use all the knowledge you have swimming around in your head!!  Teams will place 1st, 2nd, 3rd.  HOWEVER - the Association that raises the LEAST amount of money will have to carry the "Brain Pill Dispenser" to all general membership meetings for the remainder of the year and offer all their members "brain pills" so they can prepare for the next challenge.....LOL!!!!  Team Registration is Open - please call or email Sherry.

Open House is JUST AROUND THE CORNER!  Open house dates are April 18-19, 25-26 and May 2-3.  Saturdays and Sundays 12pm -5pm!

Our Builders continue to shine in a challenging environment, and we are especially proud to say that high-quality craftsmanship and overall excellence still prevail when building a home in Johnston County!

To map out your tour please visit Johnston County Parade of Homes!

Those in attendance listen intently as Norman Smit of Integrated Media Strategies explains the importance of having a website!  Also discussed was the TECH Trends THAT REALLY MATTER- Impact of social media on business:

People talk and share their experiences on social media

Increasingly social media results show up in Search

Recommendations on social media are increasingly important

IMPACT
Social media are an important channel for good and bad

SOLUTION
Authenticity in content marketing

Next Workshop is scheduled for May 12th from 9am -11am at the JCBIA office.

If you are in the market for lighting fixtures, and other home decor items - you will not want to miss this extravaganza!

1 DAY ONLY!! MARCH 28TH FROM 9AM TO 1 PM
VISIT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE FOR DETAILS
WIDE VARIETY OF CLEARANCE FIXTURES, CHANDELIERS, OUTSIDE LIGHTS, MIRRORS AND LAMPS

Members of the JCBIA make repairs at The House of Hope in Clayton. After an inspection of the property, we found where water had come in around the 2 back doors and damaged the floors, door trim, etc.  Tim Veronelli and Terry Evans gathered supplies and some help from Don Marsh and made the repairs on a Saturday!

Thank you Lowes of Smithfield for supplying product
Thank you STOCK Building Supply for supplying the replacement doors
Thank you Special Effects for supplying the carpet and labor
Thank you Goldsboro Builder Supply for supplying the linoleum

2015 seems to have started strong with almost everyone I have spoken with in the building community. Jan/Feb business was better than past years by far when.....here goes Mother Nature with her humbling reminder of who is really the boss in wintertime! Two weeks of icy,cold,wet conditions rendered many job sites temporarily impassable. Historically we are done with most or all of our snow by the middle of March . Lets hope that she has finished our lesson early for this year and will allow Spring to take hold.
As you look at other markets, especially up north, it doesn't take long to realize how lucky we are to only lose a couple of weeks to winter weather.We measure our snowfall in inches....not feet!
Have a great year everyone.

STOP SELLING START SOLVING their problem!   Customers buy products or services to solve problems.  Sometimes it is a problem of having the blues or being depressed—so a Snickers Bar or a good cheeseburger will do. Other times, their couch is getting wet every time it rains because their roof leaks or their car keeps breaking down so they are late to work.  In each case, there is a problem to be fixed, which is driving or causing the need for a solution.Solve the problem, and you make a sale. If you approach “selling” with the perspective of “solving the customer’s problem” instead of “making a sale,” you’ll make more sales, have happier customers, and increase your referrals (free business). Just a friendly reminder:  smiling is the very best way to convey friendship and build rapport.

A NEW PLACE FOR Inspiration HAS ARRIVED IN RALEIGH!  STOCK Building Supply is proud to announce the Grand Opening of their newly remodeled showroom & design center!

Join them - Thursday, April 2nd from 8am - 3pm.

3000 Yonkers Road, Raleigh

Breakfast and lunch * Giveaways and Prizes * Product Demonstrations from industry leaders * showroom tours!

Joshua B. Mauney Earns Graduate Master Builder (GMB) Educational Designation

Garner, January 26, 2015 – Joshua B. Mauney of Paragon Building Group, Inc., has become one of a select group of professional home builders nationwide to attain the Graduate Master Builder (GMB) designation, identifying himself as one of the building industry’s top professionals nationwide.

Administered by National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Education, the GMB program is sponsored locally by the Johnston County Building Industry Association.

“I’m pleased to have completed the requirements for this educational designation and to be one of only 10 designees throughout North Carolina,” said Mr. Mauney. “The extensive curriculum was very comprehensive, and as a result, I believe we can provide better services to each of our clients.”

Jarman Homes receives Best of Houzz 2015 Award in Design! 

Jarman Homes, Inc. of Clayton, NC has been awarded “Best Of Houzz” for Design by Houzz, the leading platform for home remodeling and design. The Custom Building company has just celebrated their 15th year in business with a nice anniversary gift of winning the Best of Houzz award for Design. Jarman Homes, Inc. was chosen by the more than 25 million monthly unique users that comprise the Houzz community from among more than 500,000 active home building, remodeling, and design industry professionals.

Read all about it by clicking Jarman Homes.

Carolina Comfort Air is excited to announce a new community outreach effort, “Working Hands, Warm Hearts - Community Comfort Program.” This program will gift one new Home Comfort System to a family in need every month of 2015.

For more information on this program, please visit Comfort Program!

JCBIA and some association members perform a Christmas Miracle. In 25 days a "man cave" was built for a 14 year old by fighting Leukemia.  From start to finish, inside and out, everything was donated!  JCBIA members, neighbors, church members, and friends gave Colin Carberry a Christmas to remember.

If you would still like to help out this family, you can make a monetary donation to help out with incidentals.  Make checks payable to Colin Carberry Fund and send it to the JCBIA.

Bruce Nichols was honored at the 2014 Christmas Dinner for his 20+ years of dedication to the association.  Bruce is a local builder who has been instrumental in the success of the JCBIA.  His company has a long track record of building high end residential homes in Johnston County and surrounding counties.