WALTHAM, MA – The Builders and Remodelers Association of Greater Boston (BRAGB), recently hosted its annual Economic Forecast Dinner on January 7th, 2016, at the Marriott in Newton, MA. The organization also announced its new leadership team for 2016.
The sold-out event was well-attended by BRAGB members and industry professionals, and featured research and analysis regarding the Massachusetts housing market. David Crowe, Ph.D., National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Chief Economist and Senior Vice President, gave the keynote address and included his outlook for the economy as a whole and the Massachusetts housing market moving forward.
“It’s been a long and slow recovery since the crash of 2008, but if you think of the early 2000’s as the last “normal”, the single-family home market in Massachusetts is in a similar place to the rest of the US at about 53 percent of the way back to normal, and should be about 87% back by the end of 2017,” said Crowe. “Boston, in particular, was 81 percent of the way back in 2015 and should be all the way back in 2017. That has a lot to do with the fact that employment has been growing faster here than in the rest of the country and so has income. On the multi-family side, that market is completely back and well over the levels we saw in the early 2000’s.”
In addition to providing expert insight from industry leaders, the event also served as a platform for BRAGB to announce its new leadership team for 2016. Association officers and directors were sworn in by Massachusetts Public Safety Commissioner, Matt Carlin, who subsequently wished them a successful term in the new year.
The following BRAGB members were named as officers or directors for 2016:
Executive Committee
Robert Ernst – FBN Construction…………………………………………………. President
Scott Colwell – Colwell Homes ………………………………………………….. Immediate Past President
Charles Aggouras – GFC Development…………………………………………. 1st Vice-President
Paul Guitard – Woodmeister Master Builders……………………………….. 2nd Vice-President
Greg Spier – Maystar Realty ……………………………………………………. 3rd Vice President
Guy Corricelli – Peabody Properties………………………………………………. Secretary/Treasurer
Andrea Goldman – Goldman Law Group……………………………………… General Counsel
Brian McSharry – Closet & Storage Concepts………………………………… Associate Vice-President
Robert Fasanella – Rubin & Rudman……………………………………………… Assistant General Counsel
Paul Moriarty – Moriarty Associates………………………………………………. General Counsel Emeritus
Ted Mahoney – Fairview Millwork/Windjammer Construction…….. NAHB Liaison
Builder Directors
Nicholas Falkoff – Auburndale Builders
Peter Griffin – FBN Construction
Tim Porter – Whitman Homes
Michael C. Resteghini – FH Perry Builder
Associate Directors
Eileen Caplan – Ferguson Enterprises
Bryan Dempsey – Metropolitan Cabinets & Countertops
Karl Ivester – New England Shutter Mills
Matt Pelrine – NorthStar Insurance Services
John Perten – Sheehan Phinney Bass + Green
Larry Pitman – Needham Bank
Max Shapiro – Bank of New England
Britt Shellington – Allstate Glass
Mitch Zucker – ConnectPay Payroll Services
“The 2016 Economic Forecast Dinner is an outstanding event for BRAGB because it allows us to share expert analysis and insight into market trends with our members,” said Lorraine DeVaux, Chief Executive Officer of BRAGB. “It also serves as a way for us to start the new year by introducing our new leadership team, who will provide guidance for BRAGB and help us grow and incorporate even more members of the building and remodeling industry.”
BRAGB President, Bob Ernst, of FBN Construction, concluded the night with a brief address to the new leaders. Ernst will continue his role as President, having being elected in January of 2015.
