One of the most valuable benefits of being a BIA Hawaii member is that it includes membership in NAHB – National Association of Home Builders. This gives you access to opportunities, services, and support on a nationwide scale. NAHB is one of the most important and influential trade associations in the country; our vision statement includes “Building Homes, Enriching Communities, Changing Lives.” Think about that for a moment. Whether you’re a homebuilder, designer, engineer, sub-contractor, in sales & marketing or any other profession that serves the home building industry, you’ve taken on an important and noble assignment. Everybody needs a home and the people who make that dream come true are some of the most passionate and dedicate people you’ll meet.

In February 2024, over 117,000 people attended Design & Construction Week in Last Vegas, which combines NAHB’s International Builder’s Show and KBIS - Kitchen & Bath Industry Show. I was one of them who visited over 2,400 exhibitors spread out over 1 million square feet of indoor and outdoor exhibits. Whew! On the last day with just a couple of hours before closing, I noticed a small booth that had something I didn’t even know existed – fire rated soffit vents - which are used in places like California where wildfires pose significant hazards. With the Lahaina wildfire tragedy, DPP and other agencies are looking very closely at enforcing fire codes and related design requirements. This affected one of our projects, a second floor ADU in Kailua, and we needed to find a solution to get our project approved. If not for BrandGuard Wildfire Defense Solutions our ADU project might’ve gone up in smoke while stuck in DPP!! This company and their patented product line made the entire show worth it for us and for our homeowner.  

This is one small story – and every BIA member has at least one - on why you really need to be part of our great association. Sign up today and let’s work together to make homeownership a reality for more Hawaii families!

Evan Fujimoto

President, Graham Builders

BIA Hawaii 2017 past president