The Home Builders Association of Northwest Indiana (HBA) is a trade association representing more than 275 members involved in home building, remodeling, multifamily construction, property management, subcontracting, design, housing finance, building products manufacturing and other aspects of residential and light commercial construction.
The result of a consolidation in January 2011 of the Building Industries Association of Northwest Indiana (BIA) and the Porter County Builders Association (PCBA), the HBA’s noteworthy history is reflected in the tradition of leadership which includes top builders and developers in Northwest Indiana, along with the outstanding participation and support of associate members representing various trades and businesses.
For over 50 years, members of the HBA have worked locally, statewide, and nationally to enhance the building industry in Northwest Indiana. The BIA was chartered in Lake County as an affiliate of the National Association of Home Builders as well as the Indiana Builders Association in 1954, and the PCBA was chartered in Porter County in 1976.
“Members benefit from a lot of the educational materials and resources provided through the association both here and down state,” Immediate Past President Todd Olthof of Olthof Homes said. “We are very fortunate to be able to provide people in Northwest Indiana – and throughout the state for that matter – with a great variety of housing types that are very affordable, especially when compared with Illinois. That’s thanks to the foresight of our legislators who believe residents of Indiana should have access to the type of home they want as well as what they want in a home.”
Just as with any professional association, networking is also important at the HBA.
“We’re all working hard for our customers and sometimes we have the same customers, but at the end of the day we have true friendships that reach beyond a working relationship,” Olthof added. “There’s a solid cohesiveness that keeps us unified as a group. We’re people in the same business who reach out to one another when there are challenges.”
In addition, the HBA has a number special interest committees that oversee public events such as the Home & Lifestyle Shows and Parade of Homes, as well as the Northwest Indiana Green Building Alliance.
“We often receive inquiries through the HBA website from people looking for green builders,” Committee Chair Sarah Oudman of Treasure Homes said. “Indiana’s new building codes have brought homes up the point where they are now making a consistent impact. For builders who have been doing their job well for a number of years, it’s hard to change their perspective, and the way they do things. But, the local community is certainly becoming more interested in specifically building green.”
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