AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas Association of Builders (TAB) swore in El Paso’s Randy Bowling of Tropicana Homes as its 75th association president at the prestigious 2019 Excellence in Leadership Dinner on November 21 in Austin, Texas. TAB also inducted Lyle Johansen, Granger MacDonald, Eddie Martin and the late Dan Markson into the Texas Housing Hall of Honor and handed out six “Of the Year” awards.

On Friday, TAB installed its 2020 Board of Directors and senior officers at the Board of Directors meeting. In addition, the Presidential Distinguished Service Award winners and the inaugural recipient of the Ron Connally Award of Excellence were recognized.

 

The office of President of the Texas Association of Builders carries the highest honor, as well as the greatest responsibility. The president’s duties require commitment, energy, enthusiasm and a willingness to expand one’s leadership abilities. The senior officers are the core leaders of TAB and they are charged with upholding the bylaws and policies of the association.

 

The Board of Directors are responsible for the member programs, representations and education of the association. Directors develop relationships for the betterment of the homebuilding industry, are active participants and set the pace for the membership.

 

The “Of the Year” awards are given annually to recognize exemplary service and leadership contributions to the homebuilding industry by its members. The awards are based on an individuals involvement at the state, local and national association levels.

 

The Presidential Distinguished Service Awards identify TAB members who have demonstrated outstanding service to the association over the year. These members exceeded their commitment to the association for the betterment of the industry.

 

The Ron Connally Award of Excellence was created to celebrate an individual, company or organization that has made significant and lasting contributions to promote the Texas Builders Foundation, the charitable arm of the Texas Association of Builders. The late Ron Connally was instrumental in bringing the Foundation to fruition, and he served as the first Chairman of its Board of Trustees.

 

2020 TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF BUILDERS SENIOR OFFICERS:

President: Randy Bowling, Tropicana Homes — El Paso, Texas

First Vice President: Michael Biggerstaff, Biggerstaff Homes, Inc. — San Angelo, Texas

Vice President/Secretary: Susan Wright, Susan Wright & Associates — San Antonio, Texas

Treasurer: Brett Martin, Tilson Custom Home Builders — Houston, Texas

Immediate Past President: Robert Wood, Custom Homes by Robert Wood — Lubbock, Texas

Click here to read senior officers bios.

 

2019 “OF THE YEAR” AWARD RECIPIENTS

J.B. Sandlin Builder of the Year: Donnie Evans, Altura Homes — Rockwall, Texas

Developer of the Year: Frank Murphy, Wynne Jackson, Inc. — Dallas, Texas

Associate of the Year: Kelly-Moore Paints

Philanthropist of the Year: Perry Homes

Ted Schlossman Lifetime Achievement Award: Joel Katz, Katz Builders, Inc. — Austin, Texas

Association Accomplishment of the Year: Dallas Builders Association — Dallas, Texas

 

2019 PRESIDENTIAL DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS

Don Allen, Lackland Holdings/Riverside Homebuilders — Fort Worth, Texas

Brandon Baker, Wright-Built, LLC – Hawkins, Texas

Bush, Rudnicki, Shelton, P.C. – Dallas, Texas

Randy Jones, Terra Visions, LLC – Houston, Texas

Sam Mezayek, Mezayek Building, LTD – Tyler, Texas

Ray Tonjes Ray Tonjes Builders, Inc. – Austin, Texas

Terry Weaver, Sterling Development Co – Dallas, Texas

 

2019 RON CONNALLY AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

Tommy Ford, Tommy Ford Construction — Dallas, Texas

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2019 “OF THE YEAR” AWARD RECIPIENTS

J.B. SANDLIN BUILDER OF THE YEAR: Donnie Evans, Altura Homes — Rockwall, Texas

 

Donnie Evans has been serving the Texas Association of Builders for decades. He has served or is currently serving on the following committees: Executive, Codes & Standards, Bylaws, Government Relations, Developers Council and the Sunbelt Builders Show™.

 

Evans was recently awarded the highest honor from the Dallas Builders Association, the Hugh Prather Trophy. He has an impeccable reputation and is considered one of the top membership recruiters in the state. Evans is a voracious fundraiser for the Dallas BA and TAB’s HOMEPAC. The thousands of dollars he’s raised for both associations over the years has allowed each to support pro-housing candidates. As a philanthropist, Evans supports Operation FINALLY HOME, Boy Scouts of America, Helping Hands and the Angel Tree Christmas giving program.

DEVELOPER OF THE YEAR: Frank Murphy, Wynne Jackson, Inc. — Dallas, Texas

 

Frank Murphy is a TAB Life Director and has served on the Executive Committee for four years. He has also served as an Area Vice President, is a HOMEPAC Gold Key donor and a founding member of TAB’s Developers Council. For the past seven years, he’s been on the Finance and Association Planning Committees.

 

Frank’s willingness to volunteer and assist during the 86th Texas Legislative Session was extremely valuable to our industry. In 2019, he traveled to Austin numerous times to offer testimony and consult with TAB staff and lobbyists. With his expertise and knowledge, TAB was able to educate lawmakers and pass a bill that reduced the number of years of the agriculture roll-back tax from five years to three years and lowered the interest rate on those back taxes from seven to five percent. This effort provides significant tax relief of almost $500 million over the next 10 years to property owners.

ASSOCIATE OF THE YEAR: Kelly-Moore Paints

 

Kelly-Moore Paints is an associate member company that made the decision in 2015 to become the No. 1 company in its product category in Texas. Since then, Kelly-Moore Paints representatives have become actively involved in TAB and the local HBAs. They currently hold 15 memberships across the state. In addition to their $125,000 endowment to the Texas Builders Foundation, Kelly-Moore has invested thousands of dollars in sponsorships and their members have volunteered hundreds of hours at their local home builders associations by participating in golf tournaments, membership luncheons and a myriad of other local HBA events. Their employees also helped build “America’s Front Porch” at the 2019 Sunbelt Builders Show™.

PHILANTHROPIST OF THE YEAR: Perry Homes

 

Perry Homes has been extremely proactive in helping to alleviate the critical shortage of construction trades professionals in Texas. Perry Homes has supported its employees in working with local school districts, community colleges and career and technical education associations.

 

Perry Homes is responsible for the creation of a construction trades program in the Houston Community College System, the largest community college system in the state. They were successful in getting NAHB’s Home Builders Institute curriculum approved and secured a 50,000 square foot building for the new trades program. Perry Homes is also committed to putting trades school graduates to work and currently provides students with internships.

 

Additionally, Perry Homes provided all of TAB’s 27 local HBAs with toolboxes that contain numerous resources for the local associations to use to promote careers in the trades and the expertise of their employees was instrumental in developing the workforce development resources page or TAB’s website.

TED SCHLOSSMAN LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Joel Katz, Katz Builders, Inc. — Austin, Texas

 

Joel Katz has been a member of TAB’s Executive, Finance, Association Planning, Audit, Contracts and Remodelers Committees for over 20 years. His additional service to TAB includes serving on the Tax Task Force, Texas Housing Hall of Honor Board of Governors, Remodelers Council and is a HOMEPAC Gold Key donor. Katz has been an honored Life Director since 2008.

 

As a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), his expertise has steered the association through financial reorganizations and economic hardships. He was one of a handful of association members with financial knowledge who brought TAB’s financial policies and procedures into the 21st century. It allowed the association to endure the 2008 economic depression and remain on strong financial footing.

 

As a builder and remodeler, he also played a key role in the expansion of the TAB contracts to include provisions, forms and addendums for professional residential remodelers across the state. Katz was named the 2005 J.B. Sandlin Builder of the Year.

ASSOCIATION ACCOMPLISHMENT OF THE YEAR: Dallas Builders Association — Dallas, Texas

 

Website innovation was the core of the Dallas Builders Association initiative for its HBA, members and consumers. Most HBA websites are an information conduit for the members of the association; however, the Dallas Builders Association wanted to create an authoritative internet space on new home construction in Dallas and the surrounding 11 county area.

 

This required that the DBA split their websites into DallasBuilders.com and DallasBuilders.org each with their own audience, the consumers and DBA members. The goal of the public website (DallasBuilders.com) was to enable the Dallas BA to become a trusted consumer resource for area homebuyers and real estate professionals and for the membership. The site’s unique builder search tool enhanced the visibility of association members and added value to their membership. Since DallasBuilders.com was a new concept and had to be built from the ground up, many volunteer, staff and professional developer hours were spent creating original and relevant content.

 

In 2019, more than 87,000 users have accessed the public site (DallasBuilders.com). Advertising revenue has already covered the initial cost set up costs and it’s projected to be a non-dues revenue stream going forward.

 

2019 RON CONNALLY AWARD OF EXCELLENCE: Tommy Ford, Tommy Ford Construction — Dallas, Texas

 

The inaugural Ron Connally Award of Excellence went to Tommy Ford for his unwavering dedication to the Texas Builders Foundation, the charitable arm of the Texas Association of Builders. Ford led the charge to ensure that the Foundation’s main goal would be to bring more people into the residential construction industry by providing scholarships to students who are pursuing careers as construction trades professionals in Texas. Ford was the first major donor to the Foundation and is one of six founding members that continues to serve as a Trustee.