• Fall Parade is live online! Don't forget to download our Backyard BBQ Cookbook for your Labor Day grill out weekend.
   
• The Foundation is looking for build partners for several projects. See details below.
   
• Have you checked out our new website yet? We're working on improving it for our members. See our training selfie below!
   
• The sponsorship luncheon is September 9th. Register today. 
   
• New code courses are coming to BATC-U this fall. Register before classes fill up.
   
• Stay up to date during this years election with our Housing First Facebook page.

Met Council Staffer Tara Beard will present details from the draft Housing Policy Plan put forward by the Met Council. This is the first Housing Policy Plan advanced by the Met Council in almost 30 years. Details:

What:  Met Council Housing Policy Plan Presentation
When:  Wednesday, August 27th at 11am
Where:  BATC

BATC will be providing public comment at the end of September.

Dayton: 49%  Johnson: 40%

Democrat incumbent Gov. Mark Dayton leads Republican challenger Jeff Johnson 49 percent to 40 percent in the first major public poll released in the Governor’s Race. Independence Party candidate Hannah Nicollet is at 3 percent, and another 8 percent favor someone else or are undecided. The poll was conducted over a three-day period from Aug. 19-21 beginning one week after the primary elections. Read more >>

BATC welcomes Katie Eldred, our newly hired Press Secretary! Katie will focus on communicating industry and advocacy news with two key audiences: the public/media/elected officials and you, BATC’s membership.

Katie is at home in front of the video camera and at the controls of social media vehicles. She spent several years as television reporter at ABC-6 in Rochester, and most recently managed the social media efforts for a national fitness company headquartered in MSP. During her reporting tour, Katie covered the MN legislature, economic news, local politics and elections. She’s covered two presidential visits, interviewed Senators Klobuchar, Franken, and a host of legislators, mayors and city council members.

We look forward to having Katie’s communications and story-telling talents to bring BATC’s message to all of our key audiences. She can be reached at Katie@batc.org, by phone at 651.697.7567. Find her on twitter @KatieMarieMN

We're working to bring you a better website! Here's our BATC "Ellen Selfie" taken with our contact at Weblink who is helping us create a more efficient and user friendly batc.org website. 

With the new codes set to be adopted in January 2015, BATC's first code class is nearly sold out. Luckily there are several others available. Don't miss out, classes are filling up fast. Reserve your seat in class today, sign up here.

Build Partners tell us over and over, "this was the most enjoyable project I've done in years," or "best job ever!" It's hard to beat the sense of personal satisfaction that comes of giving your time and talent to help someone else.

The BATC Foundation has several projects planned for 2015 and we're looking for builders and remodelers who are interested in working with us as a Build Partner.

What does it mean to be a Build Partner?  Serve as the general contractor on a charitable building project.  The Foundation will work hard to get materials and labor donated from BATC members.  We cover the cost of anything that we can't get donated.  

We currently have three projects scheduled:

• Homes for Our Troops (HFOT) Partnership - The Foundation will be partnering with HFOT to build an accessible home for PFC Marco Solt and his family.  Marco was serving in Afghanistan when his vehicle hit an IED and he lost both of his legs.  A lot has been purchased in Ramsey, the groundbreaking is scheduled for spring, 2015.

• Blue Bird House (Homeward Bound) - Homeward Bound has served the needs of children and adults with disabilities for more than 40 years.  The BATC Foundation is partnering with Homeward Bound for a second time to help them with remodeling needs for Blue Bird House, one of their group homes.  This is scheduled for some time in 2015.

• Karen's Basement - A former RN who experienced brain damage during a routine surgery.  The injury left Karen unable to go out during the daytime because of extreme light sensitivity.  She received a cash settlement and hired a contractor to finish her basement.  Unfortunately, the contractor was disreputable and eventually walked away, leaving Karen without the resources to hire another contractor.

Interested?

Contact: Perri Graham, BATC Foundation Executive Director.
               Phone: (651) 697-7563
               Email: Perri@BATC.org

July’s home construction rebound mirrored rising home builder confidence. The August NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Index rose two more points to 55, approaching the 2014 high in January of 56.

A key question going forward is the degree to which the mix of buyers may change. The share of first-time home buyers remains weak, with a May NAHB survey showing only a 16% market share, compared to 25% to 28% between 2001 and 2007. Read more >>

While much of the nation still struggles to find homes for sale, Minneapolis is finally showing signs that sellers are back in the game. Inventory in the market was up 6.1 percent in May, according to the latest reading from the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors. The only hitch: Buyer demand is slightly weaker than a year ago. Read more >>

The most and least expensive parts of America, in one map.

The Tax Foundation dug into Bureau of Economic Analysis data to put together a map of where goods and services are cheapest and most expensive. Minnesota fell in the middle. DC is the most expensive, with Hawaii close behind, while Mississippi offers the most savings relative to the national average. Read more >>

Minnesota ranks as the 7th best state for women. WalletHub crunched the numbers to gauge the scope of gender-based disparities in each of the 50 U.S. states. The ranks are based on 10 key metrics, ranging from the gap in the number of female and male executives to the disparity between women’s and men’s life expectancy to the imbalance of their political representation.

September 9
Sponsorship Luncheon [Register]
September 17- December 3
New Building/Energy Code Courses [Register]
September 23
BATC Foundation Golf Open [Register]
October 2014-June 2015
BATC-U Lead Recertification [Register]
October 7
BATC Clay Shoot [Register]
October 11
Builders' Warehouse Sale [Contact Perri]
October 23
BIG Night [more info]
November 4
Election Day - VOTE
November 13
Member Orientation
November 13
Give to the Max Day
November 18
BATC BE Fast Forward Showroom Mixer [register]
December 4
BATC Buck Auction & Holiday Food Drive [more info]

For a complete list of events, visit our website at WWW.BATC.ORG.