Editor's Message: We Are Part of the Solution

What an Exciting Time to be Involved in SBCA!  

This was my first year attending the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development’s (HUD) Innovative Housing Showcase, and it was a fantastic experience! As representatives of SBCA and the components industry, we were front and center at this important event; SBCA staff spoke to and listened to thousands of people about the many benefits of building with trusses and wall panels. Through both co-presenting and exhibiting at HUD’s Innovative Housing Showcase, SBCA contributed advancing attainable housing solutions through innovative, efficient, and affordable methods. It was an invigorating experience and showed just how far we have already come and how far we can and still have to go. 

Over 2,500 people walked through SBCA’s structure on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and almost all of them wanted to learn more about what we do. The most common question we received was, “How did you build this in under eight hours?” The answer is simple: with components. It was awesome to have the opportunity to share SBCA’s mission and purpose with so many people, inform them about structural building components, such as what a truss is, and to show just how efficient, effective, and innovative this way of building is and can be. 

Seeing the reactions of people when they learned we built the house in under eight hours, asking why more people don’t build this way, and exclaiming how it just makes sense to build with offsite components, was reassuring and refreshing. This three-day event was eye-opening for so many people. To be honest, I used to be someone that didn’t know what components were. I had no idea what a truss was before joining SBCA, even with growing up around construction. So, when working in this industry, immersed in it all the time, with understanding the benefits and advantages of building with components, it can be easy to forget that not everyone knows about components, how buildings are framed, or the process of building a home, in general. 

Partaking in events like this, in addition to SBCA’s various activities throughout each year, such as BCMC; participating in education sessions at other events, such as IBS; and advocating for the best way to frame, are crucial to SBCA’s mission. I am proud to be part of that and to work with SBCA’s members and staff to achieve these goals. There is still room to grow as we advocate for components as the primary solution to home building. We are making strides towards achieving awareness beyond our industry; it is an exciting time to be involved with SBCA. Thank you to everyone who helps to make events like this possible and successful, and for all the continued support of SBCA and the best way to frame. 

Check out our timelapse of the two-story house being built in under eight hours and learn more about SBCA’s involvement with HUD’s Innovative Housing Showcase at 
www.sbcacomponents.com/ihs.

Want to get more involved with SBCA outreach? Reach out to us at info@sbcacomponents.com.  

Christine Wagner, Managing Editor