Dave Lemnah Installed as 2024 Home Builders Association Board President

Dave Lemnah of Lokal Homes, was installed as 2024 HBA Board President at the HBA Annual Meeting November 29th.  Below are his inaugural remarks:

"Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for this tremendous honor and the trust you have placed in me by electing me as the president of the Home Builders Association of Metro Denver.

I’m David Lemnah, with Lokal Homes and I stand before you with a profound sense of gratitude and a deep commitment to serve our industry and every one of you as we enter 2024.

First and foremost, I want to express my gratitude to Randy Carpenter, our outgoing president for his dedication and hard work. He has set a high standard, and I am honored to call him a friend, follow in his footsteps, and work with Ted and the HBA staff as we enter 2024. Together, we will continue to build on the foundation he and past leadership have laid, striving for excellence, and continuing to make progress through HBA efforts in advocacy, education, and networking.

As I started thinking about remarks for tonight, I reflected on my first involvement in the HBA which started just over 5 years ago in a conversation with then president-elect Scott Moberg. 

At that time, Lokal was still very much a young, growing company, focused on becoming a respected Denver-based private homebuilder. 

I knew that for us to be successful, it would take deep connections inside the homebuilding industry, and that we needed to be a part of shaping any changes that we wished to see.  And as luck would have it, the very first email I received after our conversation closed with “I appreciate your interest in serving on the board and know we can make some changes together that are much needed”.   

That was an open invitation and huge call to action for me to get involved with the HBA.  While I thought that I had some things to share, I didn’t fully grasp the depth and benefit that the HBA had to offer members like me.  The HBA provides so many resources that I was unaware of – things like sales training, councils, safety programs, workforce development, stormwater education, leadership development, recognition programs, charities, and so many others. 

The standout for me was the introduction of the NAHB’s Builder 20 clubs – which without a doubt has been the single most impactful professional activity that I’ve ever been involved with.  Without the HBA I would not have been aware of that group, the transformation it enabled in our business, and some of the best friendships I could imagine.  

We know that homebuilding is important work because of its economic impact and provides much needed shelter – but it truly provides so much more….It’s where we celebrate so many of the important firsts in our lives – Thanksgiving dinner, its where you bring your newborn home from the hospital, where you watch the Super Bowl, and for many it’s also the single largest contributor to their overall wealth.

So, as I reflect on the importance of homebuilding and the last five years leading up to this moment, I consider the changes and challenges that we’ve experienced here in Colorado. 

I’ll ask you now – has it become easier, more attainable?

Some of the challenges I’d point to are:

• The affordability of buying a home in Colorado is at the lowest point in more than 33 years.
• From June of 2017 to June of 2022, we’ve gone from just under $300K to Just under $600K median home price.
• That’s $1,700 a month to over $4,300, up 250%
• Fights against metro districts
• Unchecked fee increases across our municipalities.
• Disparate adoption of codes across our 38 building jurisdictions
• Anti-growth efforts

I think most would agree it’s probably the hardest it’s ever been for us to accomplish our respective mission.

These challenges are drastically inhibiting our ability to provide homeownership as the centerpiece of the American Dream.

And….. I’ve been to enough HBA events with great speakers to know that Ronald Regan would probably have some words of wisdom to share with us!  He said, “there are no easy answers, but there are simple answers”, and “we must have the courage to do what we know is right”. 

Well… I know that this group possesses the simple answers that address so many of these challenges and we certainly do not lack courage.  

To that end I will work with the HBA staff to define and communicate our approach to address these building and attainability challenges. 

This includes advocating for the following:

• A housing continuum that supports a wide product spectrum and price points
• Construction litigation reform
• The essential role of metro districts
• Smaller lot zoning
• Removing bureaucratic processes and roadblocks
• Responsible fees from municipalities which have a clear nexus to the services they support

It’s important to note that this is not possible without clear leadership and much cooperation throughout our industry.  We will work to increase communication, cooperation, and membership across builders, build-for rent operators, trade partners, suppliers, and the many other essential associates to achieve the HBA’s goals and mission..

In this ever-changing landscape, the HBA stands as a beacon of knowledge, camaraderie, and progress.  Together we are not just builders of homes and communities, we are architects of dreams, creators of communities and contributors to the very fabric of people’s lives.

Here’s to the future of homebuilding and the continued success of the HBA –  I know that we can make some changes that are much needed in our industry in 2024!  

Thank you!"

 

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