Next Meeting

The last NCBA meeting was held at the Hideaway Grille in North Tonawanda. We had such a great meeting, program, and dinner that we decided to return in April for our next monthly meeting! (See details below.) Our hats are off to Hideaway Grille owners Lorrie and Ed May, who did a wonderful job.

The guest speaker at the board meeting will be Joe McIvor of the Buffalo Niagara Builders Association.

President's Message

The NCBA is new and improved!

New office: The NCBA is growing and our goal is to become more responsive to our members. We now have an office located in the center of Wheatfield at 2728 Niagara Falls Blvd., Suite 9. Our office hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 am to 2 pm. You may contact the NCBA in person or by phone, fax, or email (see above). As your president, I also urge you to check out our website at www.ncbuilders.com for upcoming activities, past event reviews, member profiles, and much more! Please check out your member listing on our website; if there is no profile listed for your company, we will gladly post one with the details you provide, including company history, staff, photos, products, kids, pets, or whatever you wish. This is YOUR website and we want it accurate, complete, and personalized to meet your needs! We would also like to link to your website if you have one. For member profile ideas, check out Lisa Norman’s profile featured in this newsletter. We would like to feature a member profile in each month’s newsletter; contact the NCBA office for details.

New services: We have upgraded our email and Internet capabilities from BuffNET to Adelphia! Please note our new email address: ncba@adelphia.net. Also, we can now accept credit card payments (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover) for dues, dinner meetings, special events, etc.

New staff: Our new Executive Officer this year is John Ennis, who brings a wealth of knowledge to our association through his experience with the home building industry, land development, and lobbying and legislative efforts in Albany. Our Executive Secretary is Cathy Strassburg, who has vast experience working with various builders and building corporations in Niagara County. Our website is maintained by René Nilsson. Any updates or questions may be directed to her at nilsson@adelphia.net.

Larry Quigliano II
NCBA President

Local News

Parade of Homes: Our 12th annual Parade of Homes this fall will again be a multiple-site show. Letters of interest to the builders and developers have gone out and the preliminary committee will be meeting shortly. Those wishing to be involved, please contact President Larry Quigliano II, any board member, or the NCBA office.

Home and Garden Show: Our Home and Garden Show dates have been reserved for January 2007 at The Summit. Our show this past January, even though it was our first in many years, was a tremendous success. Not only did it allow our members to display their products and services, but it helped us all to become better acquainted with the services and products offered by our fellow members. This show was also a great business boost during the slow season.

Lobby Day: The NCBA is taking part in the 2006 New York State Builders Association’s
Legislative Conference in Albany on March 29, 2006. We will be leaving on March 28th and
returning March 29th. Attending are Larry Quigliano II, Bob Minkiewicz, Bill Burg, and Jim Kuryak. Please refer to the center section of your Empire State Builders January/February
2006 issue for the legislative blueprint containing the issues that your board will be lobbying for on behalf of your industry.

Industry Day: The Buffalo Niagara Builders Association is holding an Industry Day at the new Shanghai Red’s, 2 Templeton Terrace, Buffalo, on Tuesday, April 11. Carl Calabrese will be the emcee and Tony Masiello will also be present. At 4 pm, there is a board of directors meeting open to all attendees. At 5 pm, exhibits and cocktails will be open and at 6:15 pm, dinner will be served. The fee for an exhibit table is $275, which includes a dinner ticket and BNBA advertising. The fee for dinner with speaker Jerry Howard, NAHB CEO, is $50. There is quite a bit of interest in this event; some of our members have signed up already; call the NCBA office for full details and reservations.

Seminar on Energy Efficient Construction: The Rochester Home Builders Association is holding this seminar on April 18th in Rochester. In hot climates or cold, buildings use a lot of energy to keep their occupants comfortable. With the cost of energy rising more rapidly than it has since the
1970’s, this is a good time to update your plans for achieving energy efficiency. This course
reviews the physics of heat transfer in structures and examines potential problems with moisture buildup and air quality in tightlybuilt homes. Call the NCBA office for more information.

NCBA Events

Monthly Meetings: The second Wednesday of every month is your association’s dinner meeting with informative speakers and great fellowship. Your board of directors meets one hour earlier and we always welcome your presence and input.

Home & Garden Show: Our newly revived Home and Garden Show at The Summit is held in January and is a great chance to showcase your business and get to know your fellow NCBA members.

Golf Outing: Every July, the NCBA hosts a fabulous golf outing – great golf, great meals, great
networking! Details to come; don’t miss it!

Builders Picnic: Every August, we have a Builders Picnic. We’ve been told it’s the best and most affordable picnic in Western New York! Watch the website and newsletter for more information.

Parade of Homes: Every September/October, we host our on-site home show, the annual fall Parade of Homes, which has been a tremendous success. Homebuilders are encouraged to take
part and showcase their fine homes. Other NCBA members can also participate by serving as sponsors, showcasing their products and services, and/or advertising in the highly successful Parade of Homes magazine that is published in conjunction with the show. Stay tuned for details as the show approaches.

Holiday Party: Every December, the NCBA hosts a holiday party and installation of officers and
directors. This is a great event and most attendees walk away with a prize basket. See page four of this newsletter for a photo of the new officers and directors taken at our most recent holiday party.

The NCBA strives to provide the best services possible to our members. These events, particularly the on-site home show and the mall home show, keep our office extremely busy for a good part of the year, but the proceeds support your organization as well as the community through our charitable donations. Watch your newsletter and website for all the details on these great events!

Legislative News

Earlier in the month, President Larry Quigliano and Executive Director John Ennis met with Senator George Maziarz at his Wheatfield office to discuss the reform of NYS Labor Laws 240 and 241 to alleviate the extreme burden that these current laws place on our members regarding workman’s compensation. Another issue discussed was the NYSBA opposition to expansion of the authority of the DEC to regulate freshwater wetlands. This bill would change the threshold from 12.4 acres to one acre or more. This proposed legislation also expands the legislative findings to include within the benefits of freshwater wetlands the following: habitat for endangered or threatened species, preservation of plant species that are rare, endangered or exploitable and vulnerable, and also preservation of communities of plants and animals deemed by the DEC commissioners to be rare in the state or region of the state.

The final item discussed at this meeting was NYSBA’s opposition to the General Municipal Law and Tax Law amendment to permit towns or cities to establish community preservation funds and to impose a real estate transfer tax with the proceeds to fund the community preservation fund. This bill provides a carte blanche for every town to use the transfer tax for open space and other acquisition. Dedication of the transfer tax effectively prohibits the use of this tax for fiscal
emergencies and other such necessary applications that might arise.

For more information on these legislative issues, contact the NCBA office. This is just one more example of how your association is fighting for your best interests.

Welcome New Members

The NCBA is proud to welcome our newest member, Lisa Norman, to the association. Lisa serves Western New York as a Risk Management Specialist with the Home Buyers Warranty Corporation (2-10 HBW®). Prior to joining the 2-10 HBW family, Lisa served as Program Assistant for the Buffalo-Niagara Builders Association (BNBA) and has been a part of the builders’ arena for most of her life.

Lisa’s experience brings a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm that will ensure her builders an unprecedented level of service and expertise. She is excited to be a part of her builders’ continued success by helping them provide quality, value and service to their home buyers. Lisa is committed to sharing her experience and customer service values with her builders and helping them achieve
their success goals.

An active member of the BNBA, NYSBA, STBA, and now the NCBA, Lisa plays a vital role in contributing to their membership and associates committees. She also enjoys event planning and is involved with various charity and community events, picnics, etc. Lisa was recently featured as the program speaker at our March meeting.

Your homebuyers trust you to provide them with the best warranty protection available. Superior
service is what 2-10 HBW is all about and Lisa will strive to add yet another level of great
service. Call her today at 1-800-488-8844 to welcome her to the NCBA and find out how she can help you. You can also visit www.2-10.com for more information on the Home Buyers Warranty
Corporation.

Welcome New Members

One of the highlights of the year for the Niagara County Builders Association is the annual
Christmas party and installation of new officers and directors. The festivities were held at
Suzanne’s Fine Dining again this past December. The elegant menu, warm atmosphere and
abundance of theme baskets made for a fun and memorable event. From left are New York State Senator, George Maziarz; NCBA President Larry Quigliano II of L. J. Quigliano II, Inc.; NCBA 1 st Vice President Bob Minkiewicz of 84 Lumber Co.; NCBA Remodelers Council President Stan Swogier of Swogier Construction, Inc.; NCBA Director Jim Kuryak of Niagara National Insurance; NCBA 2nd Vice President and National Director Bill Burg of Alside Supply Center; NCBA Director Lisa Norman of 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty; NCBA Secretary Carl Capolupo of United Rentals; NCBA Director Scott Cottrell of MIG Building Systems; NCBA Director Jim Mordeno of Mordeno Construction Co.; NCBA Director Gary DiMatteo of Rosal Construction Co.; NCBA Director Donna Tisdale of Countrywide Home Loans, Inc.; NCBA Executive Officer and Treasurer John Ennis; and NCBA Director Tom DiMatteo of GT Custom Built Homes, Inc.