SBCA Staff and Leadership
SBCA Staff
With the growth of the association, it’s time to highlight the people behind the scenes of SBCA’s many efforts and projects. The SBCA Staff and Board of Directors are diligently working with SBCA members to drive the association’s mission, strategic plan, and goals forward.
Read through the following pages to learn more about the SBCA Staff, SBCA Board of Directors, and all the amazing offerings SBCA provides.
Jess Lohse, Executive Director
Jess has been the Executive Director of SBCA since 2020. Jess spends much of his time connecting with people in the industry, sharing and acting as the voice of the benefits of structural building components, and ensuring that the association is aligning with its strategic plan, mission, and purpose. One of Jess’s goals is for SBCA to be the first and main resource for people in the construction and building industry, whether they’re drawing their plans, deciding on how to build something, or seeking best practices. Outside of SBCA, Jess enjoys coaching his son’s baseball team, grilling, DIY projects, and basketball.
Molly Butz, Managing Director
Molly has been with SBCA since 2003. Molly is responsible for overseeing the association operations and day-to-day activities, maintaining relationships with members, stakeholders, and industry people, and managing various staff and their projects. Molly has spearheaded the implementation of several new technologies and programs the association uses and relies on daily. Molly’s goal is to progress SBCA’s strategic plan forward, showcasing the value the initiatives will bring to Membership. Outside of SBCA, Molly enjoys playing pickleball, paddleboarding, and photography.
Shannon Ambelang, Software Support Specialist
Shannon has been with SBCA since the start of 2024. Shannon is responsible for working with SBCA’s Digital QC program and supporting users through the onboarding process and beyond. Her goals are to be a great reference for members so they feel confident using the software, keep resources up to date, streamline processes, and proactively make the Digital QC experience the best it can be for users. Outside of SBCA, Shannon enjoys mushroom hunting, hiking, making beeswax products, and has been a beekeeper for over six years.
John Arne, General Manager of Audit Services
John has been with SBCA since 2018. John is responsible for managing SBCA’s third-party Quality Assurance program, SBCRI. One of John’s goals is to ensure good quality control is available to plants since good quality control helps a plant produce high quality trusses and wall panels and helps the entire industry by displaying and promoting excellence for both commercial and residential customers. Outside of SBCA, John enjoys taking care of his adopted rescue dog, Zoey, spending time with friends, and teaching a fun exercise class at his gym.
Ashley Baker, Director of Education
Ashley has been with SBCA since early 2024. Ashley is responsible for the education offerings of SBCA, developing learning curriculums, managing SBCA’s learning management system, and planning education sessions. Ashley’s goal is to build upon the value that our current training programs offer, with updated content, a microlearning platform, and streamlined training programs. Outside of SBCA, Ashley enjoys spending quality time with her family, coffee, ‘How-To’ books, and volleyball.
Greg Greenlee, P.E., Technical Director
Greg has been with SBCA since the start of 2024. Greg is responsible for developing and implementing technical plans and reports, overseeing technical operations and issues, reviewing and updating publications, staying up to date with codes, standards, and industry issues, and being a valuable resource to SBCA members and staff. Some of Greg’s goals are to provide a proactive approach to technical issues, working with industry partners to facilitate improvements to the model building codes, and writing new technical documents. Outside of SBCA, Greg enjoys music, exploring new bourbons, downhill skiing, and running.
Jennifer Gustafson, Director of Finance
Jennifer has been with SBCA since 2020. Jennifer is responsible for the financial management of the association, accounting operations, and financial planning. Jennifer works closely with the SBCA Finance Committee and SBCA Treasurer to help maintain the financial strength and health of the association. Jennifer’s goals are to maintain transparency of association finances with the Board and members and to improve upon the timeliness of membership dues’ payments. Outside of SBCA, Jennifer enjoys traveling to new places, reading, and spending time with her kids.
Nikki Hilton, Executive Assistant/Receptionist
Nikki has been with SBCA since early 2024. Nikki is responsible for providing executive level support to SBCA’s executive director, acting as the first point of contact for SBCA inquiries, assisting with SBCA pubs sales, and providing administrative support to a variety of projects and departments. Nikki’s goal is to ensure SBCA staff have everything they need to prioritize membership and devote focus to the betterment of the industry. Outside of SBCA, Nikki enjoys playing video games, reading sci-fi and fantasy novels, and hanging out with her Shih-Tzu, Theodore.
David Kircher, Quality Assurance Auditor
David has been in Quality Assurance within the components industry for 30 years. David is responsible for conducting third-party quality assurance audits for wood and CFS truss and wall panel plants. One of David’s goals is to convey the importance of how good quality assurance helps the plant’s product quality and success. Outside of SBCA, David enjoys playing classic rock guitar, watching IndyCar and F1 racing, and spending time with his golden retrievers.
Abby Langenberg, Director of Business Development
Abby has been with SBCA since early 2024. Abby is responsible for building and maintaining relationships, leading the organization’s sales programs and efforts, identifying innovators within the industry, and cultivating new members. Abby’s goal is to make significant impact and growth within the industry through connections and collaboration. Outside of SBCA, Abby enjoys gardening, participating in her church, paddleboarding, and basketball.
Ali Saladin-Valerio, Director of Events
Ali has been with SBCA since 2021. Ali is responsible for organizing and coordinating each event, from venue selection and logistics to menu selections and creating floor plans, and everything in between. Ali’s goal is to continue making incremental improvements to BCMC to help drive the attendee and exhibitor experience and providing value through these various events to membership. Outside of SBCA, Ali enjoys playing softball, singing and dancing, and spending time with her family.
Sean Shields, Director of Marketing
Sean has been with SBCA since 2004. Sean is responsible for focusing on both internal and external marketing efforts to both SBCA’s membership and the broader construction industry. His goal is to leverage events, like HUD’s Innovative Housing Showcase, to expand the industry’s presence to both tout the advantages structural building components offer to the construction process and highlight the capabilities and expertise of today’s CMs and framers. Outside of SBCA, Sean enjoys spending time with his family, volunteering at his church, and cooking.
Christine Wagner, Director of Communications/Managing Editor
Christine has been with SBCA since 2021. Christine is responsible for the coordination, development, and management of SBCA’s messaging and communications strategies and managing, producing, and editing the SBCA Magazine. Some of Christine’s goals are to enhance communication efforts and to increase awareness of the value and benefits of the structural building components and framing industry through various PR efforts. Outside of SBCA, Christine enjoys photography, hand embroidery, and hiking.
Laura Yasick, Digital Resource Specialist
Laura has been with SBCA since 2018. Laura is responsible for sending out email campaigns, managing and supporting the online academy and publications store, and providing all around digital support. Laura’s goal is to gain more insight into how we can better engage with and support members by using the data and analytics gleaned from Association Analytics. Outside of SBCA, Laura enjoys spending quality time with her family, visiting the zoo, and watching crime show documentaries.
Talia Zanotelli, Membership Coordinator
Talia has been with SBCA since 2021. Talia is responsible for providing guidance and information to new and potential members as they enter into and get involved with SBCA. One of Talia’s goals is to continue building relationships with SBCA and NFC members as SBCA expands its reach and growth in the industry, while providing excellent customer service and developing strategies to engage new and existing members. Outside of SBCA, Talia enjoys paddleboarding, bird watching, and playing trivia.
SBCA Board of Directors
JEFF TAAKE, SBCA President
Length of Involvement: 21 years
SBCA Participation: Board of Directors, Executive Committee, Management Committee, Governance Committee, Finance Committee
Goals: To continue strengthening SBCA’s offerings to component manufacturers (CMs) through
value-added services and deliverables; to expand SBCA’s influence across complementary associations; and to encourage CMs to get involved and contribute to the association.
Favorite Part of SBCA/the Industry: The interaction with other leaders in the industry, learning about what others are experiencing in their business, and listening to the best practices from all around.
LARRY DIX II, SBCA President-Elect/Treasurer
Length of Involvement: 7 years
SBCA Participation: Board of Directors, Executive Committee, Governance Committee, Finance Committee, Membership Committee
Goals: Provide as much value to membership as possible through all SBCA has to offer to its members and the industry.
Favorite Part of SBCA/the Industry: The Open Quarterly Meetings (OQMs), the relationships built through the years, and the knowledge gained.
BJ LOUWS, SBCA Secretary
Length of Involvement: 17 years
SBCA Participation: Board of Directors, Executive Committee, Governance Committee, Marketing Committee
Goals: To maximize value for SBCA’s members.
Favorite Part of SBCA/the Industry: How dynamic it and the industry are, the relationships made through the association, and how everyone comes together to network and learn from people all over on a variety of aspects of the component business.
GENE FROGALE, SBCA Past-President
Length of Involvement: 30 years
SBCA Participation: Board of Directors, Executive Committee, Membership Committee, Governance Committee, Finance Committee, SBCA Foundation Trustees
Goals: To continue growing SBCA membership and for this industry to continue striving towards innovative ideas and new ways of doing things.
Favorite Part of SBCA/the Industry: The people of this industry and of SBCA.
HOWARD GAUGER, Executive Committee Representative
Length of Involvement: Since the early 1990s
SBCA Participation: Board of Directors, Executive Committee, Safety Committee, QC Committee, E&T Committee
Goals: For SBCA to be the go-to source of information for the building industry, acting as a
knowledge base for others to tap into, and for more members to get involved in both the association.
Favorite Part of SBCA/the Industry: The people he’s gotten to know and been mentored by over the years, the friends he’s made, and the wealth of knowledge and experience fellow members provide.
GREG GRIGGS, Executive Committee Representative
Length of Involvement: 28 years
SBCA Participation: Board of Directors, Executive Committee, Governance Committee, BCMC Committee, Past Presidents Council
Goals: To execute the association’s Strategic Plan and continue to develop and provide extremely beneficial services for our industry and membership.
Favorite Part of SBCA/the Industry: Watching how the building industry advances, how technology evolves, and how it consistently adapts and contributes to making the home building process more efficient.
ROGER HELGESON, Executive Committee Representative
Length of Involvement: 13 years
SBCA Participation: Board of Directors, Executive Committee, Management Committee
Goals: To inform, educate, and defend the industry.
Favorite Part of SBCA/the Industry: Watching the staff grow, increasing the value-add of SBCA, furthering the mission of the association, and bettering the broader industry; the friendships formed and having the chance to connect at SBCA events.
JASON HIKEL, At-Large Representative
Length of Involvement: 15 years
SBCA Participation: Board of Directors, IT Committee, Marketing Committee, Governance Committee
Goals: To continue the association’s championship for components in markets that are under-served, while continuing to provide opportunities for CMs to create long-lasting relationships and share knowledge.
Favorite Part of SBCA/the Industry: The unique challenges component manufacturing throws at
him on a daily basis. In SBCA, the relationships and how much he’s learned from members that face similar challenges.
KEN KUCERA, At-Large Representative
Length of Involvement: 4 years
SBCA Participation: Board of Directors
Goals: To support the development of the next generation of leaders through succession planning and training programs, and to increase his and others engagement and involvement with the association.
Favorite Part of SBCA/the Industry: How focused the association is on the future of the industry through setting the agenda and staying relevant, and its Digital QC program.
TOM KUROWSKI, At-Large Representative
Length of Involvement: 7 years
SBCA Participation: Board of Directors
Goals: To continue to drive membership and contribute to industry challenges to the best of his ability and knowledge.
Favorite Part of SBCA/the Industry: The best part of the industry is the people; the camaraderie among the truss industry is unmatched; and how SBCA is able to bring all the different manufacturers together to work on industry issues together.
CHERYL LEWIS, At-Large Representative
Length of Involvement: 3 years
SBCA Participation: Board of Directors, Advocacy Committee, Finance Committee
Goals: To engage members in local, regional, and national efforts to elevate SBCA’s mission through the Advocacy Committee, and to help legislators, regulators, and enforcers understand this industry’s products and the benefits they can bring to all parties.
Favorite Part of SBCA/the Industry: The many avenues offered for learning and keeping abreast on industry issues and news.
SHAWN OVERHOLTZER, At-Large Representative
Length of Involvement: Since the early 1990s
SBCA Participation: Board of Directors, Membership Committee, Management Committee
Goals: Expanding the association to encompass more western state component manufacturers and driving positive change for the industry.
Favorite Part of SBCA/the Industry: Meeting new people in the industry, understanding their approach, and helping to drive change for the better.
RICK PARRINO, At-Large Representative
Length of Involvement: About 24 years
SBCA Participation: Board of Directors, Safety Committee, QC Committee, BCMC Committee, Advocacy Committee, Past Presidents Council
Goals: For members to become more involved in the design of projects with their customers in order to help them build a better product and do it more efficiently.
Favorite Part of SBCA/the Industry: The in-person meetings, the speakers that present at them, meeting new people and hearing about how they got into the industry, sharing past experiences, and being part of an association that is driven to make the industry better tomorrow than it is today.
CHRIS TATGE, NFC Representative
Length of Involvement: Over 10 years
SBCA Participation: Board of Directors, NFC Steering Committee, NFC Safety Committee, BCMC Committee
Goals: To share insights with component manufacturers about the way framers think, what framers need from CMs, and providing help with collaborative opportunities between the two groups to continue progressing this industry forward.
Favorite Part of SBCA/the Industry: The effort that goes into improving the structural building components industry, which in turn helps framers be more successful with the products CMs produce.
JERRY VULGARIS, At-Large Representative
Length of Involvement: 31 years
SBCA Participation: Board of Directors
Goals: To help the association grow membership and to continue fostering and improving the relationships between component manufacturers and framers.
Favorite Part of SBCA/the Industry: The camaraderie, the people that make up the industry, and experiencing the association bringing people together for a unified goal.
GREG DAHLSTROM, Chapter Representative
Length of Involvement: 13 years
SBCA Participation: Board of Directors, IT Committee, BCMC Committee
Goals: For the association to remain engaging for members, providing opportunities to get involved, and to help others learn and improve.
Favorite Part of SBCA/the Industry: How exciting it is, the co-mingling of old and new technologies, and having the opportunity to make positive changes for people.
JOSH HENDRICKSON, Chapter Representative
Length of Involvement: 7 years
SBCA Participation: Board of Directors, Management Committee
Goals: To continue helping with committees and the association as a whole in any way the organization can use it.
Favorite Part of SBCA/the Industry: The people; how they genuinely care about the successes of other propel and their willingness to help others however they can.
JOE HIKEL, Chapter Representative
Length of Involvement: 41 years
SBCA Participation: Board of Directors, Executive Committee, QC Committee, Finance Committee, SBCA Foundation Trustees
Goals: To build an endowment and culture for giving that is sustainable in perpetuity through the SBCA Foundation.
Favorite Part of SBCA/the Industry: The friendships that have formed out of connecting and working with people who are working towards the same goals.
PAUL JOHNSON, P.E., Chapter Representative
Length of Involvement: 36 years
SBCA Participation: Board of Directors
Goals: To keep the industry out in the forefront and show off its technology and leadership in the industry.
Favorite Part of SBCA/the Industry: The great people associated with SBCA and how everyone can come together, have fun, and work collaboratively toward a common goal.
DAVE MITCHELL, Chapter Representative
Length of Involvement: 29 years
SBCA Participation: Board of Directors
Goals: Being a good steward for the industry, making sure all interested companies have a voice and are well-represented, and to make sure the industry stays grounded, while looking out for its membership.
Favorite Part of SBCA/the Industry: The ability to give back to this great industry while making it stronger for future generations, hearing from other experts, talking to and learning from people at SBCA events, and bettering himself and his company with these valuable experiences and takeaways.
STEVE STROM, Chapter Representative
Length of Involvement: 8 years
SBCA Participation: Board of Directors
Goals: To strengthen the SBCA so that the industry has a voice in industry regulations and legislation.
Favorite Part of SBCA/the Industry: That trusses and customers are always changing, making it an interesting industry to be a part of; the people and everything he’s learned from them.
SCOTT WARD, Chapter Representative
Length of Involvement: Over 20 years
SBCA Participation: Board of Directors, QC Committee, BCMC Committee, Past Presidents Council
Goals: To see the continued growth and progress of SBCA’s quality control programs and for it to become an industry staple.
Favorite Part of SBCA/the Industry: Watching something go from an idea drawn on a piece of paper to a very complex work of art that creates a structural masterpiece in the field.
JAVAN YODER, Chapter Representative
Length of Involvement: 27 years
SBCA Participation: Board of Directors, Safety Committee, BCMC Committee
Goals: To help other members and non-members to all speak in one voice and present ourselves in unison to the world.
Favorite Part of SBCA/the Industry: The relationships he has developed through the years and having the encouragement of so many colleagues.
MIKE CALLAHAN, Associate Representative
Length of Involvement: About 10 years
SBCA Participation: Board of Directors
Goals: To continue increasing membership of the association, helping people get more involved with and understanding of the many benefits of SBCA.
Favorite Part of SBCA/the Industry: The people that end up becoming friends, the friendliness and support amongst competitors, and the learning aspect of the association.
JOE HALTEMAN, Associate Representative
Length of Involvement: 13 years
SBCA Participation: Board of Directors, BCMC Committee, LaunchPad
Goals: To grow the market for components throughout North America and the world and to see continued growth in wall panel and floor truss usage.
Favorite Part of SBCA/the Industry: The invaluable experience of the OQMs, talking to the brightest minds in the industry, and making the industry better, safer, and more efficient together.
RACHEL HOOPS, Associate Representative
Length of Involvement: 4 years
SBCA Participation: Board of Directors, Marketing Committee, LaunchPad
Goals: To ensure that the independent voices are heard through shedding unique light on the varied ways that truss manufacturers go to market.
Favorite Part of SBCA/the Industry: The collaboration and open discussion amongst the industry people, all working towards the common goal of creating people’s homes, the opportunity to meet folks from all over the country, and learning about the nuances of each state and region.
TOM VALVO, Associate Representative
Length of Involvement: 32 years
SBCA Participation: Board of Directors
Goals: To see SBCA continue to invest heavily in growing the demand and awareness for components as the best way to build and rebooting SBCA’s Framing the American Dream study to collect usable data to communicate facts about building with components.
Favorite Part of SBCA/the Industry: The genuine, relatable, sharp, and down to earth people in this industry, the opportunities SBCA creates to have those genuine, reliable, and real relationships, and how it brings the industry together.