Mike Thomas: Looking ahead to a great year for building, remodeling
Greetings and Happy New Year! As the 2024 president of the Building Industry Association of Stark & East Central Ohio, I’ll be writing a column that will appear every Friday in the real estate section. It allows our association to offer helpful advice to readers who have an interest in building or remodeling.
I am sales manager for Holmes Lumber, a division of Carter Lumber. We are a big sponsor and promoter of the Building Industry Association of Stark & East Central Ohio, for many reasons. The BIA provides several great events for consumers who have a building project in mind, including the Stark & Tuscarawas County Home & Garden Shows, The Spring & Fall Circuits of New Homes, and the Parade of Homes.
These events offer members the opportunity to present their products. The BIA also offers educational seminars and presentations to keep our members up to date on the latest regulations and changes to construction methods.
We also are politically active, making sure elected and appointed officials are aware of issues and concerns important to our industry.
Holmes Lumber has been a member of the BIA of Stark & East Central Ohio for more than 30 years. I’ve been participating in our association’s activities for a long time.
This weekly column will provide useful information for consumers to guide them with home improvements and building their dream homes. We have many BIA members who are experts in all fields of building and remodeling, and these members can help you every step of the way. Every now and then I will be asking them to contribute some advice on the subject of my article. Therefore I welcome your questions and comments – especially if there is a way for one of our members to help you.
Be sure to look for our contact information at the end of each column and reach out if you need anything.
What’s ahead in 2024?
I thought I would preview what’s in store for events we have planned in 2024. The Building Industry Association’s consumer events for next year have a variety of attractions that are sure to interest anyone with a home project in mind.
Our calendar starts with Industry Night, from 3 to 6 p.m. Feb. 20 at La Pizzaria in Jackson Township. Associate members will display new products for the coming building season for area builders, designers and architects. Consumers are welcome to attend for $10 admission.
The Stark County Home & Garden Show will run April 19-20 at the Hall of Fame Village Center for Performance in Canton. We are excited to hold our 73rd Home & Garden Show at a first-class venue built with excellent amenities for shows like ours. The building in the heart of Hall of Fame Village and will feature all types of attractions both inside and outside of the show.
This year’s Home and Garden Show also will include the popular 720 Market, featuring food trucks. On April 19, the show will include a Health & Wellness Expo in conjunction with the Aultman Health Foundation. Our goal is to provide expert information, seminars and demonstrations that correlate to all ages and facets of an active, healthy lifestyle. On April 20, the event will include a salute to Earth Day, with programming aimed to help attendees be good stewards of the environment. Of course, the show also is all about building, remodeling and landscaping. For your $5 ticket, you’ll see hundreds of professionals from a multi-county area specializing in home improvements.
The Tuscarawas County Spring Home & Garden Show will be held May 3-5 at the Tuscarawas County Fairgrounds. This annual show will also have many experts on hand to help you with home remodeling, landscaping, pools and any other special home projects you might have in mind.
The Circuit of New Homes and Condominiums will be held in the spring (April 6-7 and April 13-14) and the fall (Sept. 28-29 and Oct. 5-6). These scattered site events feature homes for sale throughout Stark and surrounding counties with special features and incentives from builders. This event is free to attend.
The Parade of Homes will be at The Julian Farms development in Jackson Township. This popular event features beautiful new homes, fully decorated, landscaped and showcasing the latest in home design and technology, all on one street for quick and easy viewing. As of last week, we have three homes and three builders participating. Dates are Aug. 10-18.
Mark your calendar to attend these shows, which will provide ideas and assist you in any home improvement project. We are encouraged with the recent signs that the Federal Reserve is easing up on interest rate increases and expect decreases in 2024. This will help to spur activity in our industry!
Remember, the BIA has qualified professionals in every aspect of construction to assist you. Contact us at 330-494-5700; info@biastark.org; or biastarkeco.com.
Mike Thomas is 2024 president of the Building Industry Association of Stark & East Central Ohio.
This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: Mike Thomas: Looking ahead to a great year for building, remodeling
