The Southern Nevada Home Builders Association announces 2016 directors

The Southern Nevada Home Builders Association installed its 2016 slate of officers and directors during the Installation and Awards Luncheon, sponsored by CAMCO, on Thursday at the Four Seasons Hotel.

Effective Jan. 1, Frank Wyatt of Pinnacle Homes is president of the 370-member trade group; Wayne Laska of StoryBook Homes is first vice president; Kent Lay of Woodside Homes is second vice president; Chad Hirschi of Hirschi Masonry is associate vice president; Tom Warden of The Howard Hughes Corp., is treasurer; and Rocky Cochran of Pardee Homes is secretary.

Wyatt has been an active member of the association since 1982 when he was a consulting engineer at then-SEA Engineers. He established Pinnacle Homes in Las Vegas in 1992.

"There have been a lot of transitions at the association in recent years, but our central mission remains largely the same — work hard to keep new homes competitively priced for as many potential homebuyers as possible," Wyatt said during his acceptance speech.

He said the tight supply of local land remains the primary challenge for homebuilders to sell their new homes at competitive prices.

"Land is a major component of the cost of a home, and in Southern Nevada, it's a huge challenge for homebuilders," Wyatt said. "More than 80 percent of the land in Nevada is owned or controlled by the federal government. Contrast that with Texas where the federal government has less than 2 percent.

"This land constraint keeps our land costs high relative to other locations in the region, and that makes new-home affordability more difficult. The processes currently underway to make land more available will take many years. It's critical we be a part of the process as it moves forward."

The builder members on the board of directors for 2016 are: Rick Barron, Century Communities; Bonnie Hernandez, American West Homes; Janet Love, KB Home; Brandon Laughter, Pulte Homes; Brian Plaster, Signature Homes; Dana Rogers, CalAtlantic Homes; Wayne Shumsker, Lennar; Brian Walsh, Richmond American; and Nathan White, Summit Homes.

The associate members on the board are: Greg Combs, Cal Pac Painting; Claire DeJesus, Las Vegas Review-Journal; Scott Donnelly, Cooper Roofing and Solar; Brian Gordon, Applied Analysis/SalesTraq; Bill Ickes, Silver State Specialties; Rebecca Merrihew, Red Rock Installation; and Randy Watkins, CAMCO.

These elected board members, along with the officers, the senior directors and past presidents, constitute the board of directors.

The association also honored its members who are involved in the association-sponsored Southern Nevada chapter of HomeAid, a nonprofit organization that builds and renovates shelter and provides other provisions for homeless men, women, children, families and veterans in metropolitan Las Vegas.

During the event, SNHBA Executive Director Nat Hodgson presented several awards.

The Builder Member of the Year Award went to Wayne Laska of StoryBook Homes and the Associate Member of the Year Award went to Todd Steadham of the Slater Hanifan Group for "outstanding service to the association and the industry."

Hodgson presented Outstanding Member awards to First American Title; Tom Warden of The Howard Hughes Corp.; Scott Donnelly of Cooper Roofing and Solar; and Darren Wilson of Sierra Air Conditioning. A Leadership Award went to Ron Rulof of Team Power Marketing.

Claire DeJesus of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Greg Combs of Cal Pac Painting, and Dan Wright of Toll Brothers received Spike Awards for their outstanding new-member recruiting efforts.

Founded in 1953 by 12 local homebuilders and incorporated with the state of Nevada in 1954, the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association ranks as the oldest and largest local trade organization representing the residential construction industry in Nevada. Its members work in all facets of the homebuilding industry.