Each election cycle, our Affordable Housing Council (AHC) interviews candidates at the city, county, and state levels to determine their degree of support for housing.

The following candidates have received the AHC endorsement for the 2024 General Election.

Your vote in support of AHC-endorsed candidates will go a long way toward affecting the outcome of these critical races.

For dropbox locations, ballot questions, and more, visit King County Elections or Snohomish County Elections.

Endorsements as of May 30, 2024.

Contact:
Stephanie Giralmo, Public Relations & Media Manager
Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties
p 425.457.7067

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MBAKS Announces 2022 Award Winners

Dec. 1, 2022—The Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS) announced the prestigious 2022 award winners at its annual year-end gala on Thursday, December 1.

Each year, MBAKS recognizes members in various categories, including: Spirit of Service, Emerging Leader, Moving the Market, Associate of the Year, Exceptional Service, Remodeler of the Year, GRIP on Safety Excellence Award, Builder of the Year, and the MBAKS Hall of Fame Award. Winners are decided through an open member nomination and awards committee process. With more than 2,600 member companies, MBAKS is the largest home builders association in the country, making these award winners all the more esteemed.

Here are 2022’s winners:

Trevor Johnson, Blackwood Builders Group

Spirit of Service Award

The Spirit of Service Award recognizes an individual or company in the homebuilding industry that has demonstrated compassion and dedication through service. Volunteering time, talent, or ideas that empower or improve the quality of life of individuals, families, or groups in our community.

Trevor Johnson is a champion for housing, and it shows through his volunteer work with MBAKS and beyond. He has demonstrated his commitment throughout the years by supporting Rampathon and various other community organizations like WELD Seattle, Seattle Children’s Hospital, DwellingsNow and New Beginnings.

Leo Speaks, Integrity Marketing Services

Emerging Leader Award

The Emerging Leader Award recognizes up-and-coming members who have made significant contributions to MBAKS and the homebuilding industry. In addition, they demonstrate tremendous potential for future leadership and service.

Leo Speaks is the 2022 Chair of MBAKS’ Sales and Marketing Council (SMC). His marketing expertise has helped SMC develop valuable content for SMC events, as well as improve the way they are promoted. His energy, enthusiasm, and creativity has made a positive impact on MBAKS.

Vitaliy Gutsalo, Greencity Development LLC

Moving the Market Award, Built Green

The Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties created the Built Green program to provide consumers with an easy-to-understand rating system for identifying projects built using environmentally friendly materials and practices.

The Moving the Market Award recognizes a person, business, or government entity that has taken actions or implemented programs that advance and expand Built Green certification, promote Built Green as a brand, and demonstrate a commitment to environmental stewardship.

Vitaliy Gutsalo and Greencity Development LLC has certified 177 4-star single-family townhomes in Seattle and Shoreline since 2019. Their homes feature energy efficient designs and performance, infill developments in walkable transit-rich neighborhoods, attention to indoor air quality, and locally sourced materials.

George Newman, Barghausen Consulting Engineers, Inc.

Associate of the Year

The Associate of the Year award is dedicated to non-builder MBAKS members who have made an impact on the association and its work.

George Newman has 30 years of experience working in agency management, business development, land use planning and land development consulting. He is the past chair of MBAKS’ Developer Builder Issues Council and regularly participates in the Residential Builders Council meetings and the Housing Policy Committee.

Traci Tenhulzen, Tenhulzen Residential

Exceptional Service Award

The Exceptional Service award is given to an individual who makes an outstanding contribution to the building industry and has a long-term commitment to serving their community.

Traci Tenhulzen is the incoming 2023 MBAKS Board President and has always been incredibly committed to the success of the association and its members. She is equally dedicated to the Building Industry Association of Washington and National Association of Home Builders at the state and national levels.

Melissa Irons, Irons Brothers Construction

Remodeler of the Year

The Remodeler of the Year award is presented to leaders in the remodeling industry, who display an exemplary talent in their work.

Melissa Irons of Irons Brothers Construction has been a trusted remodeling contractor in the Seattle area since 1999. She is an active member of MBAKS and its councils and has held many leadership roles within those councils. Irons Brothers Construction was also the recipient of the 2022 REX Kitchen Excellence, More Than $145,000 Award.

Northstar Electrical

GRIP on Safety Excellence Award - Gold Level

The GRIP on Safety Excellence Award – Gold Level recognizes candidates with following criteria; candidates must have a recordable incident rate of 25% below the state industry average in the current year, have had no L&I workplace serious citations or serious injuries resulting in in-patient hospitalization over the past three years, submit an application form with a self-assessment score of 90% and must objectively demonstrate through employee interviews, site visits and document reviews that their safety program meets or exceeds performance goals identified on application form.

Owner of Northstar Electrical, Rob Kingsley, is actively involved in safety programming, allocating safety resources, conducting onsite job walks-through, and recognizing employees for good safety behaviors. Northstar Electrical currently has a Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) and Days Away, Restricted, Transfer rate (DART) which is 25% below the state industry average, has not had a worker’s comp claim in the last two and a half years and has an Experience Modification Factor (EMR) below the industry average at 0.61. All of these metrics are incredibly impressive and reflective of Northstar Electrical’s commitment to providing a safe workplace.

2022 GRIP on Safety Excellence Award - Silver Level

The GRIP on Safety Excellence Award – Silver Level recognizes candidates with following criteria; candidates must have an Experience Modification Factor (EMR) below 0.8, have had no L&I workplace serious citations or serious injuries resulting in in-patient hospitalization over the past two years, submit an application form with a self-assessment score of 85%+ and must objectively demonstrate through employee interviews, site visits and document reviews that their safety program meets or exceeds performance goals identified on application form.

• Pacific Earth Works WBE
• Plantscapes
• Synapse Construction
• Tenhulzen Residential
• TerraFirma Foundation Systems

Todd Levitt, Murray Franklyn Family of Companies

Builder of the Year

The Builder of the Year award doesn’t just go to members with exceptional building capabilities, but to those members who go beyond and are leaders within the industry.

Todd Levitt of Murray Franklyn Family of Companies has been involved in land acquisitions, entitlements, and developments for more than 20 years. Most recently he has been working closely with our Government Affairs team to tackle tree and property rights issues. In addition to his service to our industry, Todd also volunteers in the community, working with the Boy Scouts of America, Habitat for Humanity and Doxa Housing. He also serves on MBAKS’ Board of Directors, currently ending his tenure as 2022 Immediate Past President.

MBAKS Hall of Fame

The purpose of the MBAKS Hall of Fame award is to honor people who have made significant and lasting contributions to our association.

Paul Bogel

Paul Bogel’s involvement with MBAKS began in 1984. He has been involved in several committees and councils, held the office of Secretary on the Executive Committee for two terms and was the Finance Director on the Board from 2016-2019.

Sandy McAdams

Sandy McAdams was the first female Board President of MBAKS and led the charge to form the Professional Women in Building (PWB) Council. To celebrate her legacy, each year MBAKS recognizes outstanding PWB council members with the Sandy McAdams Woman of the Year award. Sandy remains an inspiration to the next generation of women builders and industry leaders.

For more information on this release, contact Stephanie Giralmo at sgiralmo@mbaks.com

About MBAKS

Founded in 1909 and headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS) is the nation’s oldest and largest local homebuilders association. Like our founders, our members continue to take a leading role in all facets of homebuilding and support the planning for a growing region. From new technology to advances in sustainability, from collaborative public policy efforts to investing in our communities, our commitment to a thriving, inclusive and well-planned region never wavers. We are the professional homebuilders, architects, remodelers, tradespeople (carpenters, framers, roofers, plumbers, electricians), planners and engineers, suppliers, manufacturers, and sales and marketing professionals in your community who believe everyone deserves access to a healthy and productive place to call home.

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Q: I’ve spent a lot of time at home since the pandemic started. Lately, my smallish house feels cluttered and claustrophobic, and it’s affecting my mood and energy level. What can I do to feel better?

A: Your home can profoundly affect your health and well-being, and we’re spending more time in our homes than ever before.

Over the past few decades, science has revealed a strong link between our surroundings and our overall health. It’s become clear that we need to give our home environment a serious health check to ensure our own long-term wellness. Here are a few tips to transform your home into a more positive space.

Let nature in

Despite how we live today, we’re still children of nature. The health benefits of acting on this knowledge are well-studied and undeniable. When we’re close to nature, everything works better. It calms us and reduces stress. In natural settings, we concentrate better and heal faster. When we remove nature from our surroundings, things fall apart.

Bring in nature by minimizing the barriers that separate exterior from interior. If you can increase the size of your windows, or add more, do so. Replace heavy drapery with solar shades that open up the view and admit more natural light. Invite nature in by adding landscaping just outside your windows and bringing plants, herbs and living walls into your home.

Invest in your outdoor space if you’re able. Make your patio or deck more inviting with comfortable furniture, outdoor heaters, rugs and soft fabrics. Replace a solid door with glass, or add a sliding door to improve access to garden paths and outdoor spaces.

Shed stuff

We often have too much stuff. The psychological burden of clutter and chaos is greater than you might think. It might seem counterintuitive, but having too much stuff can result in depression, a sense of isolation and an inability to focus.

Reducing and decluttering are not easy but can be achieved if you tackle rooms and tasks systematically. The hard part is the mental shift required to commit to keeping only things that give us joy or that we truly need.

In terms of decluttering, drawers and containers are the most efficient form of storage. The secret of effective storage is keeping containers visible and “filing” them vertically, as you would with paperwork, to ensure that you can easily see and access what you need. Not knowing where things are is its own source of unhealthy frustration and stress.

Of course, decluttering is of no use if you continue accumulating more stuff. Stores encourage you to buy more, but you can decide what you actually bring into your home.

Light appropriately

Our ancestors’ only source of light was the sun. As a result, natural light is the heart of our circadian rhythms and essential for our overall health. It regulates our metabolism, immune system, blood pressure and cognition. It is easy for artificial lighting to work against our natural cycles.

While we can’t control sunlight, we can control the type of lighting in our homes and the tone and color of the light we are exposed to. Every room should have different types of light — general lighting, task lighting and accent lighting — preferably controlled separately and dimmable. This allows flexibility for different activities at different times of the day and night. Most importantly, it allows you to simulate natural sunlight.

Pay specific attention to the color (also known as temperature) of light bulbs. To increase productivity during the day, set overhead lighting to a bright, blue-white light. In the evening, when you want to relax, you can switch to lamps with soft, warm light placed at eye level.

Improve air quality

We breathe in air continuously, but unless our sense of smell tells us that something is wrong, we hardly ever think about the quality of the air. Many irritants and harmful gases are odorless and can cause serious health problems without our realizing it.

To improve air quality, become mindful of what you bring into your home. Many household products like air fresheners, disinfectants, aerosol sprays, and art materials (paints, solvents) contain harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Choose paint, flooring products and building and furniture materials that are formaldehyde free. Read product labels, ask questions and choose reliable manufacturers for everything you bring into your home.

While we cannot control everything, there is still a lot we can do to ensure that our homes improve the overall health and well-being of ourselves and our loved ones.

Mia Hannom is the owner of In Form Design, a member of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS). If you have a home improvement, remodeling, or residential homebuilding question you’d like answered by one of the MBAKS’s more than 2,600 members, write to homework@mbaks.com