Mike Kruse was installed as the new president of the Home Builders Association of Midwest Georgia at the association’s annual officers installation held recently at RCS in Fayetteville, which also sponsored the event.
In taking the association reins for the next year, Kruse said his goals include working to have the association maintain more than 600 members and continue to grow; starting a chapter of the association in one of the other member counties, possibly in the Pike and Upson area; having a monthly new member breakfast in the association office; and getting the organization’s grass roots Governmental Affairs Program into effect.
Outgoing President Mac McKinney spoke briefly of the association’s major accomplishments during his year in the office. He mentioned the building of the Street of Dreams home in River Oaks subdivision in Tyrone; bringing the membership to 600, making it the third largest home builders association in Georgia; initiating a Government Affairs committee to work closely with the building departments throughout the association’s service area; having a record number of 360 attendees at the membership meeting featuring Neal Boortz as speaker; and broadening the association’s Community Outreach Program to include giving scholarships to the GED program at Griffin Tech and providing camping scholarships to the Flint River Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
Installing the new officers was Bob Barnard, current vice president of the Home Builders Association of Georgia. Barnard is a past president and still an active member of the Midwest Georgia association. Also on hand for the occasion were Roger Festa with Landbank Development Corporation, current vice president/treasurer of the state association; and Kelly Lass, senior vice president/member services of the state association.
The other new officers of the Midwest Georgia association include Jeff Waddle, vice president; Greg Lewis, associate vice president; Mike Daughtry, secretary/treasurer; and McKinney, immediate past president.
Directors include John Cox, Bill Daprano, Daughtry, Kruse, Dan Petry and Waddle, builder directors; Gene Barber, Bob Barnard, Jeff Betsill, Chad Floyd, Dennis Floyd, John Hayes, Randy Hayes, Kenny Johnson, Edeie Lusher, McKinney, Richard Simms and Jerry Tedder, past president directors; Dennis Floyd, Randy Hayes, Johnson and Barnard, national directors; Lusher, alternate national director; Barber and Tedder, life national directors; Patsy Dunagan, Gary Lawson, Jerry Neese, Eric Smith, Liz Taylor, and Lang Thompson, associate directors; Barnard, Betsill, Chad Floyd, Dennis Floyd, Randy Hayes, Johnson, Lusher and Tedder, state directors; and Kevin Elrod, Sales & Marketing Council director.
Kevin Elrod, the new chairperson of the association’s Sales & Marketing Council, told the group in attendance that the SMC would be presenting continuing education classes to include Realtors not only from Coweta, Spalding and Fayette Counties, but also to those in Butts, Jasper, Lamar, Pike, Upson, Meriwether and Heard counties. He said the SMC is restructuring its board and will be holding monthly membership meetings on the second Tuesday of each month.
Other new officers of the SMC are Judy Lewis, vice chair, and Pamela Renschen, secretary.
The Home Builders Association of Midwest Georgia serves builders in Fayette, Coweta, Spalding, Meriwether, Heard, Pike, Upson, Lamar, Butts and Jasper counties. More information about the group can be obtained by calling Sandy Boda, the executive officer, at the association office at 770-716-7109.
