Communications Manager

The Building Industry Association/Orange County Chapter is currently seeking an experienced Communications Manager. This position requires excellent oral and written communications skills in addition to being an organized self-starter. The candidate must be a team player and be able to juggle many projects simultaneously without jeopardizing quality.

Daily activities include updating the organization’s website, writing all press materials including news releases, association quotes, and contributing to various magazine articles and the in-house monthly electronic newsletter. The Communications Manager will also represent the Building Industry Association in a number of public speaking forums including panel discussions and public presentations. Developing strong relationships with a variety of media members is also required.

The candidate should have at least two-three years experience in professional associations, non-profit or corporate public relations/communications/community outreach and be interested in the building industry including public policy, government affairs, industry outreach, philanthropy and membership recruitment.

Minimum Requirements:
-Bachelor’s degree in communication, public relations, journalism or political science desired
-Proficient in Microsoft Office (including PowerPoint and Excel) and PhotoShop
-Proven experience in media placement and story pitching
-Familiar with html and WordPress applications

To apply:
Please send a cover letter, résumé and salary history to Bryan Starr bstarr@biaoc.com. Reference need to be available upon request.

Office Receptionist/Manager

Full-time or part-time: Seeking highly organized, responsible, well-spoken office assistant/receptionist for Irvine design agency. Prefer 5 years exp., references, good rapport, proactive, positive disposition, nurturing nature computer skills: Word & Excel required. QuickBooks, Filemaker and Adobe programs a plus. Job description includes answering phones, writing estimates & invoices, keeping office organized, managing project flow when required, filing, opening and sorting mail, errands, ordering supplies.

Experience: Programs: Word and Excel.  Prefer also to have someone with QuickBooks and Filemaker experience and Adobe Creative Suite.  Prefer 5 years exp. in creative agency and/or building industry.
More info at http://www.capstonestudios.com/secure/Administrative_Position102207.doc

Due to the recent wildfires, BIA/OC has several resources listed below to help those affected by this emergency. Our thoughts and prayers go to all those who have lost or have damaged homes, it is an extremely unfortunate situation and we want to help in anyway we can.

BIA/OC Members Offering Assistance To Victims of Wildfires
Many of our members have answered the call for help and agreed to donate time, labor or professional services to help those who lost their home in the fires. BIA Orange County extends its sincerest gratitude to all our members for their considerable generosity. To view the list of supporters please click here.

Orange County Fire Authority has an in depth website with the latest updates and information. www.ocfa.org or call 2-1-1.

Federal Emergency Management Agency
President Bush has issued a major disaster declaration for California and ordered greater federal aid to supplement state and local response activities in the affected areas. Federal resources began mobilizing as early as Sunday, October 21, and authorized federal funds to reimburse the state for certain costs incurred under FEMA’s Fire Management Assistance Grant Program. Under those grants, FEMA pays for 75 percent of the state’s eligible fire-fighting costs. Learn more.

California Homebuilding Foundation
On behalf of our members and our BIAs and HBAs we have established the Fire Rebuilding Fund through our own California Homebuilding Foundation. CBIA is contributing $50,000 to start the fund and has set a goal of raising $250,000 to help those who face the daunting task of starting over. All contributions will be tax deductible and all funds will go to those needing help. Donate Now!

Operation OC is Orange County’s collaborative private/public partnership which has been re-activated to meet the needs of the Evacuees of the Fires Ravaging Southern California, involving more than twenty fires throughout the Counties of Orange, Los Angeles, San Diego, and the Inland Empire. Please visit our website for up-to-date information at www.OperationOC.org

Led by the Orange County Rescue Mission, OperationOC’s non-profit partners including the Volunteer Center of Orange County, Home Aid Orange County and Olive Crest. Additional partners can be found at: www.operationoc.com/partners/partners.htm

Our current needs are non-perishable food items, grocery gift certificates and fast food certificates. Please drop these items off at the Orange County Rescue Mission between 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM Monday through Friday, at One Hope Drive, Tustin, California, 92782. (714) 247-4300.

Once again, it is the intent of OperationOC to challenge Orange County public and private organizations, churches, service clubs and individuals to pool their resources and join them in the effort to respond to the needs of the victims of these Southern California fires. Thank you for serving your neighbor who is in need.

Additional information is available at www.OperationOC.org or by calling (714) 247-4300.

This position is responsible for coordinating all Marketing research for Highland Fairview.

They will also conduct research, compile data, complete data entry, analyze data, summarize and present data including graphs, charts and reports. Office located in Orange County, however, you would be expected to spend adequate time in the Moreno Valley office, estimated to be 30%.

Experience: 3-5 years of Market Research experience in the land development industry.

Please contact Cecilia Lowrie at clowrie@highlandfairview.com

The May 2007 Purchasing Agents Subcontractors and Suppliers (P.A.S.S.) Networking Event took place on the back lawn of the BIA/OC office. This unique venue offered a Mardi Gras theme in a backyard setting! Good food, friends and networking opportunities were readily available!

BIA/OC and HomeAid Host Village of Hope Volunteer Day
(view the photo gallery)

Contact: Sarah Bruckner 949-553-9500

IRVINE, CA – The Village of Hope, located on the Tustin Marine base, will provide housing for a total of 192 homeless men, women and children, with facilities for 36 families and 88 single adults when it opens late this summer. It will include 128 dorm rooms, a child development center, playground, parent education center, vocational training classrooms, health care facility, donation warehouse, and support offices. There will also be a cafeteria with an outdoor dining area, and vegetable gardens.

To make the facility feel more like home, HomeAid Orange County and the BIA/OC’s Philanthropy Committee organized a volunteer day for landscaping, furniture moving and general up-keep of the site. Over 200 volunteers from the State Street, Hall & Foreman, Bank of American, UCI and individuals joined HomeAid and the BIA for this one day event.

Scott Larson, the Executive Director of HomeAid Orange County was extremely impressed by the number of eager volunteers, “it is always amazing to me the spirit of cooperation that is consistent through our industry partners. The Village of Hope exemplifies the kindness and generosity that is the heart of HomeAid and building community.”
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The Orange County Chapter of the Building Industry Association of Southern California (BIA/OC) is a non-profit trade association representing more than 1,000 companies employing over 117,000 people affiliated with the home building industry. The BIA/OC mission is to promote proactive participation in the development of economic and community issues in Orange County. The BIA/OC is affiliated with the California BIA and the National Association of Home Builders.
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Thank you for your interest in the latest version of Protecting Your Home’s Equity.
To download an order form click here

Why should you read and distribute this brochure?

“Most Home Builders build quality Homes and we are proud to stand behind our product and our commitment of quality and service, within the reasonable terms of our warranty and Homeowner maintenance requirements.

Unfortunately many credible Builders of quality Homes are plagued by a small circle of profiteering attorneys who are not focusing on true defects, but any small crack or un-maintained component which might get their foot in the door far enough to grab 40% of a construction defect insurance settlement.

It is important for Homeowners to understand the risks they take by entering into a lawsuit, rather than contacting the Builder to determine if they will resolve valid problems. A recent local case found for the defendant and held the Homeowner plaintiffs responsible for hundreds of thousands of dollars of the defendant’s legal fees which may have been avoided if they had worked with their builder or warranty company.

BIA/OC’s pamphlet is an inexpensive way to assist Homeowners and Community Managers in understanding the costly pitfalls of litigation. My company includes a copy in every Homeowner Manual and we mail a copy to every one of our communities which has been targeted by a construction defect attorney’s advertising campaign. Protecting Your Home’s Equity also provides the Builder with a tool which helps open the lines of communication with Homeowners and Managers to ensure their questions are answered and real problems are resolved with a positive result for all.”

Dixie L. Milberg
Vice President, Home Services
Empire Homes

BIA/OC urges all homebuilders to display and distribute “Protecting Your Homes Equity” at all new home sales centers and provide a copy in new homeowner handbooks. Community Managers are also encouraged to provide their new residents with a copy of the brochure to help prevent unnecessary defect litigation.
To download an order form click here

For more information on the Construction Quality Committee, or
for questions regarding new or existing orders contact Jill Cagle at the BIA/OC office.

In partnership with the Home Builders Council, the Trade Contractors Council, Anaheim Union High School District, and the Regional Occupational Programs, BITA commenced during the 2002-2003 academic year. The intent was to develop a construction program aimed at producing skilled professionals who will be qualified to enter the home-building workforce. The program has been incorporated into the curriculum of four high schools in Anaheim (Katella, Magnolia, Trident and Western) , Valencia High School in Placentia, Brea-Olinda High School and Los Alamitos High School.

The BITA curriculum is a four-year program (Freshman through Senior year) that teaches high school students in-depth construction knowledge and skills training by providing hands-on construction assignments, mentoring, professional presentations and field trips to active construction sites. Students experience every facet of residential construction, including site preparation, framing, electrical, plumbing, and roofing and more.

Members of the BIA/OC have donated over $600,000 in labor and material to convert two Anaheim School workshops into premier, construction academy facilities. To make a donation and improve the chances of students already committed to success please use the following form.

BITA Donations

Donation Materials Wish List

Project Playhouse 2007 View the student’s progress

The students of the Building Industry Technology Academy (BITA) at Katella High School in Anaheim are well into their journey to HomeAid Orange County’s Project Playhouse 2007. With help from BIA/OC members, the playhouse materials and countless volunteer hours from the design team and consultants have been donated to make this entry a true success.

These pint-sized creations built to stand 10 feet wide, 8 feet deep and 10 feet tall are dream houses for playtime, and the BITA students have been constructing their playhouse is called, Lulu’s Diner. As one of the 11 entries, their structure is modeled after traditional 1950’s restaurants and includes state-of-the-art materials, features and aesthetics. The playhouse even is ‘green’, using a solar panel and LED lighting. Instructor John Puckett is extremely pleased with the amount of work and dedication the students have put into this project, “the kids are involved in every step of the process. They are eager to learn and are enjoying the experience of getting all their ducks in a row for completion”.

The school is holding a special summer class to finish the house on deadline for the fall because during the school year, the students only get 45 minutes of actual work time per day. To maximize efficiency, the BITA class is divided into four groups of five-six students who are responsible for a specific section of the structure. Senior Jillian Gonzalez is an integral part of the entire process as she is responsible for checking the materials received against the plans. She is one of the many students participating in the summer session said, “I cannot wait to see the finished product. It will be good to see our work on display at the event”.

BITA and BIA/OC would like to thank Architectural Product Resource, PermLight, KTGY Group, Suntrek, Nordic Structures, Urban Arena, Steel Framing Alliance, CAL PAC Sheet Metal, VanDorpe Chou Associates, DRI, RSI and JPS Surface Solutions for their contribution to the first BITA Project Playhouse entry.