How Young Professionals Can Boost Your Business

As the home building industry continues to struggle through a labor shortage and need for younger talent, it’s more important now than ever to uplift, support and listen to the Federation’s youngest voices. That’s why NAHB is encouraging HBAs across the country to create and foster a Young Professionals (YP) group of members aged 45 and younger.

“Young Professionals bring access to tools and resources that not only me as the executive officer, but our other members who’ve been here for a long time, don’t even know are out there to make them work smarter, more efficiently and effectively,” said Heidi Van Kirk, EO for the South Central Wisconsin Builders Association (SCWBA).

The SCWBA recently started a formal YP group that she hopes will not only lead the HBA for decades to come, but keep it refreshed and relevant to what’s happening in society.

Van Kirk created the group after noticing the generational gap between YPs and older members, including how differently the two groups thought about business and even how to communicate. That’s why she felt it was vital for her younger members to have a space for themselves.

“They’re creating their own mini association within our association,” Van Kirk said. “So, at any of our events, they have their people that no matter what they feel comfortable with. They respect the knowledge that longtime members are sharing with them, but they still feel safe in this bigger sphere.”

Hannah West, the staff liaison to the Young Professional Impact Team at the Builders Association of Greater Indianapolis (BAGI), has also seen the importance of having a YP group at her HBA.

“YP membership is so important so the younger members have a voice and can pick their topics of interest,” West said.

The 25-plus member YP group recently learned about their communication styles and how they want to communicate with others using the Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Conscientiousness (DiSC) assessment. Their hope is that learning more about themselves will help them succeed in networking with not only their peers, but other colleagues as well.

Learn more about how to start a Young Professionals group.