By MBAKS Senior Policy Analyst Allison Butcher

The Office of Financial Management’s (OFM) annual population projections have been released, showing strong continued growth in Washington. The 2020 estimates indicate Washington’s population grew to more than 7.6 million people as of April 1. The Puget Sound region’s population, including King, Snohomish, Pierce, and Kitsap counties, grew by more than 60,800. According to OFM, most of the population change occurred before the COVID-19 crisis.

The Builder's Bulletin is intended to provide a convenient way to track housing in our market and includes information from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, State of the Cities Data Systems, Office of Financial Management, and the Washington State Employment Security Department.

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Twenty members of the MBAKS Board of Directors and staff leadership team convened late last week for a two-day retreat at the beautiful Salish Lodge & Spa near Snoqualmie Falls.  The proceedings were facilitated by Donna Franza, Senior Consultant (Advisory Services) at NAHB, who is based in Washington, DC and has deep experience with the Association and our work.

The first day of the retreat began with creating a common understanding of the current state of the Association and of what constitutes good governance.  The team then built awareness of their individual leadership styles, and considered how those can be best leveraged to create a highly functioning Board next year.

Meet the 2025 Board!

After enjoying some evening team building and dinner, the group spent the second day discussing the MBAKS Strategic Plan, the status of its implementation and the extent to which the Association's current structure and activities align with that Plan.

All-in-all, the team left the retreat in a much better place to make home happen, carrying forward MBAKS' Belief, Purpose and Values in the coming year and beyond!

We encourage you to invite your staff, subcontractors, homeowner clients, as well as friends and business partners to enjoy the evening with you. We especially encourage you to make sure your T-REX recipients attend. This is an opportunity for all to show their appreciation and support for the exceptional group of remodelers who are part of the oldest Remodelers Council in the nation.

I look forward to celebrating with you on May 13!

Your 2017 REX/T-REX Chair,

Luellen Smith
Rhino Wine Cellars & Cooling Systems