NAHB elects new leadership team
New leadership has been elected by members of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
The move arrives at the conclusion of leadership meetings held during the NAHB International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas.
Carl Harris, a Wichita, Kansas-based small value spec and customer home builder has been elected as the NAHB’s latest chairman. Harris has more than 40 years of experience in the home building, remodeling and light commercial construction industry.
As co-founder and vice president of the Carl Harris Co., Inc. and managing partner of Harris Homes, Harris has built homes in many communities around the state of Kansas.
“In this key election year, our top priority will be to work with the White House and Congress to enact policies to boost housing output and remove regulatory barriers that harm small businesses and raise housing costs,” said Harris. “Increasing the supply of attainable, affordable housing is the best way to ease growing housing affordability challenges, lower inflation, satisfy unmet demand, and boost homeownership and rental housing opportunities for all Americans.”
Buddy Hughes, a Lexington, North Carolina.-based home builder and developer with more than 45 years of experience in the home building industry was elected as first vice chairman of the board.
Hughes opened his own general contracting business, Hughes Construction, in 1984. The company focused in home building and light commercial construction. Since the 1990s, Hughes has trained hundreds of builders and home owners to install poured, insulated concrete walls for all types of construction. Today, he continues to serve as a product specialist and consultant to the residential and commercial construction industry for both large and small projects.
Bill Owens, a Worthington, Ohio-based, remodeler and home builder with more than 40 years of experience in the residential construction industry, was elected as second vice chairman of the board.
Owens is president of Owens Construction, a residential design and build firm in central Ohio that he established in 1982. The company completes 30 to 40 projects a year with a focus on integrating seamless appearance, energy-efficient technology and creating welcoming home environments.
Bob Peterson joined the NAHB leadership leader with his election as third vice chairman. A Fort Collins, Colo.-based remodeler and home builder with more than 40 years of experience in the construction field, Peterson is the founder of Associates in Building + Design, Ltd. (ABD), a company he started in May 1990 that specializes in custom homes and high-end remodeling. Peterson’s daughters, Heather Schreiner and Alison Johnson, now own and manage ABD, where he serves as a consultant.
2023 NAHB Chairman Alicia Huey remains on the leadership ladder as the 2024 Immediate Past Chairman. A Birmingham-Ala.-based custom home builder with more than 30 years of experience in the home building industry, she founded AGH Homes, Inc. in 2000. In addition to building high-end custom homes for buyers on individual lots, AGH Homes has also built in several golf course communities in Hoover and Vestavia, Alabama.
Rounding out the association’s leadership is NAHB President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Tobin, from Washington, D.C. Tobin heads up a professional staff of more than 240 working out of the National Housing Center in Washington. He was named president and CEO in June 2023 and previously served as NAHB’s executive vice president and chief lobbyist.
The NAHB is a Washington-based trade association representing more than 140,000 members involved in home building, remodeling, multifamily construction, property management, subcontracting, design, housing finance, building product manufacturing and other aspects of residential and light commercial construction.
The association is affiliated with 700 state and local home builders associations around the country.
According to the NAHB, its membership will construct about 80% of the new housing units projected for this year.