Northwest Builders Show | December 8-10, 2008 - Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue, WASponsored by Master Builders Association and National Association of Home Builders Master Builders Association NAHB Return Home

LEARN: Show Education Sessions


Make an impact on your bottom line by learning from the nation’s top experts in economics, sales and marketing, building science, green and environmental building and the world of finance. Your full registration provides you with access to ALL education sessions on Tuesday, December 9 and Wednesday, December 10.

More sessions will be added. Watch out for topics that focus on:

  • Technology - demonstrations of the latest builder software
  • Legislative Affairs in-depth panels discussing current legislative issues in the Northwest region
  • E-Marketing - helping you build a better online presence for your business and helping you gain understanding of social media

Education Sessions are listed by day and then by time. For your convenience we’ve added the Education-at-a-Glance chart.


Education-at-a-Glance

Monday, December 8 - Pre-Show Education

8 am - 5 pm

Visit the Pre-Show Education section for detailed information on these pre-show education classes.

All pre-show education classes require separate registration and include a networking lunch. Click here to register.


Tuesday, December 9

8 am - 9:30 am Soil and Site Strategies for Storm Water Compliance and Landscape Success
9 am - 10 am Why Green Builders Stay Busy in a Questionable Economy
9 am - 11 am Design & Build for Life: Provocative Designs to Build it Right the First Time
9 am - 11 am Impact of Government Regulation on House Prices: McMansionomics
10 am - 11 am The New Economic Power Source: Exploring the Opportunity in Multicultural Markets
1 pm - 2 pm Irresistible Marketing Ideas for Buyers in Today’s Market
1 pm - 2:30 pm Master Builders Construction Industry Solutions Overview
1 pm - 2:30 pm Wedi Waterproof Tile Backer and Shower System
2 pm - 3:30 pm Preparing for the Up Swing
3 pm - 5 pm Bilingual Challenges in Residential Construction

Wednesday, December 10

8 am - 9 am The New Mortgage Market – Where’s the Money
8 am - 9:30 am Getting to Zero Energy: The Future of Energy-Efficient Homes
8 am - 9:30 am Leaders Growing Leaders
9 am - 10:30 am Get a New Plan Stan! Smart Development with Transportation Choices
10 am - 11 am Permitting – Negotiating the Maze, Things To Do, Not Do, Shortcuts and Why You Fail
10 am - 11 am Theft Proof Your Jobsite!
1 pm - 2 pm Breaking News – Legislative Update



Detailed Session Descriptions

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Soil and Site Strategies for Storm Water Compliance and Landscape Success
Speakers: David McDonald and Jim Berger
8 am - 9:30 am

New storm water regulations are taking effect around Western Washington that require soil "best management practices," including preserving site topsoil and vegetation where possible, reducing compaction and amending disturbed soils with compost to restore healthy soil and storm water functions. Learn why and how these requirements are being adopted and how to comply in a cost-effective way. Includes specifications, construction sequencing and practical methods for a variety of sites.

Audience: Builders, developers, project managers, erosion control, storm water and landscape design professionals

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Why Green Builders Stay Busy in a Questionable Economy
Speakers: David Johnston
9 am - 10 am

Learn how to market yourself, your firm and your products and services with relevance to today’s green marketplace. Learn the latest trends in green building and remodeling to improve building quality and increase the bottom line. You’ll also gain greater credibility and visibility in the community, increase sales, improve staff morale and create satisfied customers. Johnston’s new book, Green from the Ground Up will be available for purchase with author autograph.

Audience: Builders, remodelers, suppliers, vendors, real estate professionals

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Design & Build for Life, provocative designs to build it right the first time.
Speakers: Dr. Sandra Hartje, Tom Minty, Emory Baldwin and Mike Vowels
9 am - 11 am

This panel discussion examines the length of time a home can meet a family's needs. It discusses how combining sustainability with creature comforts makes the home safer and healthier, while helping owners avoid tortuous and wasteful future remodels. Their design ideas reflect the European flair for extended family usage and show how incorporating small changes can have a significant lifestyle impact and yield a generous cost savings over the life of the home.

Audience: Architects, designers, builders, remodelers and real estate professionals

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Impact of Government Regulation on House Prices: McMansionomics
Speakers: Elliott Eisenberg
9 am - 11 am

The session looks at neighborhood appeal regulations (McMansion ordinances), affordable housing (zoning) and life saving (fire sprinklers). Learn why housing regulations have unintended consequences and why objectives are rarely met while house prices always rise. Discover why these sorts of regulations often increase sprawl, raise housing prices and reduce school budgets unnecessarily.

Audience: Builders and remodelers

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The New Economic Power Source: Exploring the Opportunity in Multicultural Markets
Speaker: Oscar Gonzales
10 am - 11 am

With an overview of demographics and the changing homebuyer profile in the Northwest, Gonzales gives step-by-step instruction to increase market share and profitability in any economic condition. Learn the fundamental cultural competency skills to improve effectiveness in working with multicultural customers with crucial tips to unlocking the potential of this market and leveraging vendor and affiliate partners.

Audience: Builders, remodelers and other building industry professionals

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Irresistible Marketing Ideas for Buyers in Today's Market
Speaker: Dave Porter
1 pm - 2 pm

Buyers today visit an average of 17 homes and spend less than nine minutes in each house. Dave Porter, MIRM (Member of the Institute of Residential Marketing) will reveal the latest and best ways to make your home or community stand out. This fast paced session includes plug and play ideas you can deploy immediately and shows you how to set your home or community apart from the rest.

Audience: Real estate sales professionals, site agents, marketing personnel

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Master Builders Construction Industry Solutions Overview
Speaker: Jeff Serling
1 pm - 2:30 pm

Become adept at sending and retrieving critical information using handsets, PDA's, notebooks and other wireless tools. Course covers streamlined paperwork processing, scheduling, sub-contractor management and collaboration, safety and compliance, customer satisfaction, the warranty process, GPS 101 and how it can benefit you.

Audience: All builders and remodelers

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Wedi Waterproof Tile Backer and Shower System
Speaker: Brian Wright
1 pm - 2:30 pm

Learn why Wedi Building Solutions is transforming the tile industry and why builders prefer Wedi under their tile in wet areas. Wedi is a 100% watertight shower pan and wallboard system that installs in just a few hours and is ready for installation. This German technology enjoys an impressive 60% market share. Course shows how to reduce liability by constructing with this proven shower system that is mold and mildew free.

Audience: Architects, contractors, risk management departments, quality assurance and warranty departments, insurance professionals and labor force

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Preparing for the Up Swing
Speaker: Charles C. Shinn, Jr., PhD
2 pm - 3:30 pm

It may look bleak now but according to the experts, the upswing is coming and it will create a lot of opportunity. This session will help you recognize the indicators, triggers and strategies that will propel you ahead of the competition. Prepare for action as the housing recovery begins with strategies to capitalize on opportunities and establish trigger points to set those strategies into action.

Audience: All business owners and key management personnel

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Bilingual Challenges in Residential Construction
Speakers: Dr. Sonia G. Morales Osegueda and Manolo Zaldivar
3 pm - 5 pm

Language, culture and conflict resolution are the focus of this session. Participants will learn how bringing cultural understanding and fluency to conflicts can help their staff grow and make more intentional and adaptive choices. You will learn how to develop skills necessary to comprehend and appreciate how cultural differences impact language, values, customs, behavior and expectations.

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Wednesday, December 10, 2008

The New Mortgage Market – Where’s the Money
Speaker: Terence Taylor
8 am - 9 am

Prepare yourself to educate your clients about both short-term and long-term financing goals with emphasis on qualifying, property types, common sense underwriting, how to rate credit requirements and answering the question, "where is the new money?" Taylor explains how the industry has not changed, but rather readjusted itself and how to take advantage of today's more streamlined financial products.

Audience: All builders, remodelers, sub-contractors, real estate professionals and suppliers

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Getting to Zero Energy: The Future of Energy-Efficient Homes
Speakers: Pam Worner and Mike Nelson
8 am - 9:30 am

This session explores practical ways to reduce energy use, evaluate on-site power generation options and educate consumers on the value of an energy-efficient home as well as examine the tools and stepping-stones needed to reach zero energy. Examples used will include the Shirey Contracting Incorporated’s Zero Energy Idea House and other demonstration projects including the Built Green™ Home at Suncadia and Going Green at the Beach, which was named NAHB's Green Custom Home of the Year for 2007.

Audience: Builders, remodelers, architects, designers and real estate professionals

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Leaders Growing Leaders
Speaker: Clay Nelson
8 am - 9:30 am

Backed by 30 years of experience and leadership in the home building industry and as a business coach, Nelson looks at what is stopping companies from achieving greater success and helps them create action plans that work by creating leaders and not just workers. This captivating session "nails" the building blocks of successful business growth.

Audience: All business owners, superintendents and supervisory staff

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Get a New Plan Stan! Smart Development with Transportation Choices
Speaker: Linda Pruitt, Carolyn Hope, Jay Larson, Keith Maw , and Jennifer Hass
9 am - 10:30 am

This session details the future of Transportation Demand Management (TDM) in King and Snohomish Counties, reviewing new policies that affect traffic and growth. The panel will discuss how TDM can help alleviate traffic problems where transit is not available and describe how to incorporate TDM techniques into developments, including transit-oriented developments, as well as single-family detached homes.

Audience: Builders, developers, transportation and land use planners, engineers and designers

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Permitting – Negotiating the Maze, Things To Do, Not Do, Shortcuts and Why You Fail
Speaker: Tom Miller and Robert Thorpe
10 am - 11 am

Improve your timelines in today's very challenging market. Learn how to negotiate the process of land use and building permits amidst conflicting codes between jurisdictions and agencies and reduce the time, energy, and financial expense of incomplete applications and other drains on production associated with permitting. These experts will share the skills developed from many years experience to help improve your approval rate.

Audience: Developers, builders, remodelers

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Theft Proof Your Jobsite!
Speaker: Detective Michael Chiu
10 am - 11 am

An invaluable, information-packed hour detailing how to protect your jobsite. Topics include understanding the role of the police, how to make fences, gates and locks work for you, jobsite security systems, protecting your jobsite from tool and copper theft, security through landscaping, value-added design features and construction methods that enhance security, pre-employment screening and more.

Audience: Builders, remodelers, project managers, front line superintendents

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Breaking News – Legislative Update
Speaker: Scott Hildebrand
1 pm - 2 pm

Whether it is the budget, growth management, the Puget Sound Partnership, vesting or contractor licensing, the 2009 legislative session will be an exciting and possibly frightening 105-day roller coaster ride. This session will be an overview of what is likely to come up in the next legislative session and the issues directly affecting the homebuilding industry.

Audience: All building-industry professionals with an interest in Northwest region legislative issues

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Register Now!