Hello Friends,

Welcome to 2025 – may your business thrive this year! One of the many ways to make that happen is to get involved with your VBRA. Join a committee or attend meetings and mixers – you’ll meet your peers, get acquainted and know who you can call when you need materials or subcontractors and who to refer potential clients to if you’re too busy to help them yourself.

If you attended the Annual Meeting on 1/14/25, thank you! And if you weren’t there, please know we missed you. Old friends and new gathered to vote in our officers and attend to the business of the VBRA. Many thanks to Senator Kesha Ram Hinsdale for being our highlight speaker and to Rachel Cloutier of Peregrine Design/Build for arranging our event at Butter Bar and Café in Burlington.

Please welcome and thank your new Board of Directors: Officers: VP of Finance - Leslie Bourbeau, Bourbeau Custom Homes, VP of Education – Lew Castle, Gaines Insurance Co. Directors: Grace Amao, VT Gas Systems, Denis Bourbeau, Bourbeau Custom Homes, Elizabeth Simak, Sterling Homes and Steve Spatz, Efficiency VT. We couldn’t run this organization without their steadfast dedication and support. Thank you Team VBRA!

The legislature is open for business – keep watch for weekly email updates. We’re making progress - we’re being asked to testify; we’re being asked to join legislative work groups and committees and the legislators are listening to us and accept us for the professionals we are. If there is an issue you’d like to get involved in, please email me and we’ll add you to our legislative committee – info@homebuildersvt.com. In the year ahead we will plan the popular Beer with Builders events and we’ll add some Wine with Women Wednesdays to the mixer rotation. The Remodelers Council will continue with regular meetings and we’ll bring back the Better Homes Award program. Start taking photos of your best projects now so that you’ll be ready for the event this fall. Be on the lookout for educational opportunities with both the VBRA and NAHB. There are a whole lot of ways to make use of your membership!

As we start 2025, I thank you for your membership and your contributions to the Association whether it’s financial support or volunteering for the board or a committee, thank you!

As always, I welcome your comments and ideas, your help and support to grow this Association so that we truly are The Association for every building professional in Vermont.

Warmly,

Dixie

Dixie F. O’Connor, President