July 2023
Chapter Officer Update
“We hope everyone is enjoying their summer and gearing up for the busy fall ahead of us. Can you believe that KBIS 2024 registration is only a month away and opening on September 1?”
Important Dates
August 7 Self-Nominations Close
August 15 Monthly President Call Register Here
August 31 Election Result form Due Link to Form
August 1 – 30 Hold Elections if Necessary
August 15 Thirty Under 30 Submission Deadline – Nominate now!
Chapters
Chapter Logos and 60th Anniversary Digital Tool kit is available under Resources and here . Thank you for your help to portray the most up to date NKBA Brand!
Self-nominations have been extended until August 7! All active members excluding students are welcome to self-nominate. Please refer to email sent on May 8th to all officers. This is also sent to all members in our NKBA newsletter. Here is a link to become a leader.
You asked to collaborate with other officers all year. Please join the 2023 SLACK channel here to join other fellow officers. Although this is optional, we encourage you to join to share ideas with other officers.
Don’t forget to utilize this program which included some dynamic speakers . Please refer to details here.
Please continue to submit your chapters financial report after every meeting Form Here.
Keep web pages current. It’s time to check the chapter webpages! Remember to keep news relevant and up-to-date. Post events and member spotlights.
Action item for 2023: The Communications Chair should update the chapter officers’ email addresses on the “About Us” pages. Many chapters are using generic email addresses and in this area they can be inputted. Last year’s officers need to be manually removed. This area is optional and should be used only if a different email is desired.. Upcoming chapter meeting notices, local news, pictures and local sponsors all contribute to robust web pages. If you need any assistance navigating your web pages, contact us at chapters@nkba.org.
Refresh your knowledge on your role! The role recordings are available under Resources.
What are other chapters are doing for great meetings..check out their websites! Don’t forget about these ideas:
- Now that we are about half way through the year, it’s a great time to discuss the strategic plan of your chapter – how the chapter is progressing.
- Some additional ideas:
- Celebrate and appreciate your membership, welcome them back as in-person meetings are a reality again.
- Task your members or council to tell at least 5 professionals about the NKBA, have them document! (Perhaps a reward can be arranged)
- Give your local NKBA events exposure via your web pages and/or social media sites. This can be priceless to members.
- Keep members excited about their membership – we recommend sharing this at a meeting or on a post: NKBA Video
- Share the recap of 2022.
- Survey your members, ask them what kind of experiences they would like to be part of in the chapter.
- More meeting Ideas:
- Recycle Ideas! If it brought engagement in the past, bring it back!
- Think outside the box (or screen) for something more ideal. Mix up the topics and speakers. Turn learning into a game (everyone loves trivia!). Have year-long competitions and track points. At the end of the year, the member with the most points wins a prize.
- Engage your hosts — they’re members, too, and they might have some great ideas!
The Chapter Resources page contains information on all chapter programs and provides links to many of the forms used by each officer position. It can be accessed by using your personal ID# to log in to the NKBA website. Click here (or at Find a Chapter/Chapter Officer Resources).
The Chapters team is also a resource to all chapter officers. If you need assistance with understanding your role or responsibilities, please contact us at chapters@nkba.org.
Marketing
This month, as we continue to celebrate 60 years of the NKBA, we continue our trip down memory lane, celebrating the early 1990s – the trends, terms, and accomplishments of the industry, NKBA and culture in general. Don’t miss the articles on iconic kitchens of the 1990s – yep thinking Sienfield and Friend. Check out the 60th Anniversary page here.
August also kicks off our 60th/Chapter event celebrations – these will start in August and continue right up to KBIS. Speaking of KBIS – Free Registration kicks off on SEPTEMBER 1st!
Also, if you missed or want to watch our second annual Design + Tech Tech Conference, our first-ever Independent Showroom Research reveal, and to see our Designing for the Outdoor Kitchen Summit on demand, go here.
Thank you for all of your support in promoting NKBA’s Design + Industry Awards! We are excited to announce that we had a record-breaking number of entries! We cannot wait to share the top ten with you as we count down to KBIS and the awards.
Hall of Fame nominations go live on August 15th! And National Elections start on September 1st. We want to hear from you!
Lastly, please encourage your members to tune in to our weekly NKBA’s Lives that take place every Thursday at 2 pm EST, and don’t miss our weekly Business + Design Webinars. August has some really great programming.
August 3rd @ 2 pm ET: All Together Now: Creating a Design and Tech Strategy that Works for Everyone, replay from our second annual Design + Tech Summit, hosted at Samsung 837. Learn more about today’s smart home integration and how to create partnerships/teams that work for the designer, the integrator and the client and create a realistic budget, timeline, and communication strategy.
August 10th @ 2 pm ET: KB Talks: On the Road with Pamela McNally. Join us as Pam speaks with leading thinkers in the K+B space.
August 17th @2 pm ET: Timely replay from our Outdoor Kitchen Summit, A Deep Dive into the Process: What makes a Project Sing. Nar Bustamante, Principal, Nar Design Group speaks with John Cialone, Partner & Vice President, Tom Stringer Design Partners in a one-on-one discussion on the category and the details that make an outdoor space, ‘sing.’
August 24th @ 2 pm ET: Next Stage Replay: Design Therapy: Collaborations for the Future of Accessible Homes, sponsored by Acquabella. From ‘Aging in Place’ to ‘Living in Place’ to ‘Aging with Grace’ home design has to include solutions for everyone in the home at any point in their lives. This panel discusses a holistic, integrative and collaborative approach to design that offers solutions for aesthetically pleasing, functional and truly universal spaces.
August 31st @ 2 pm ET: Replay from our new Business Series: Maximizing Your Website’s Potential: Tips for Designers. Presented by Kate Stallings, Owner of Kate Creative Media, discover tips on website optimization, how to increase traffic, boost reputation and create targeted content.
Events
Hall of Fame Nominations Open August 15!
Calling all K+B Game Changers! Know someone who has contributed to the industry in an extraordinary way? One who embodies leadership, innovation, integrity, and creativity of the NKBA and the Kitchen and Bath industry as a whole?
Nominations are open for exceptional K&B professionals who have made significant and enduring contributions to the Kitchen & Bath industry and/or to the NKBA.
Nominations open August 15th and close September 30th.
Deadline extended to August 15!
NKBA is looking for the best and boldest young leaders, creators, and thinkers in the K+B industry to join its dynamic Thirty Under 30 community. The class of 2024 joins an elite group of rising leaders across the industry – from designers, remodelers, showroom reps, and manufacturers. If selected they will receive a FREE trip to KBIS 2024 and if nominated by a past Thirty – that thiry will be entered to win 4 FREE tickets to the BASH!
Professional
Development
NKBA’s Kitchen & Bath Planning Guidelines web page provides a general overview about the revisions found within this publication, as well as two webinar recordings highlighting the history of NKBA’s Planning Guidelines and specific topics and practical applications related to the new publication.
NKBA’s Fourth Edition K&B Planning Guidelines (spiral-bound) is available for purchase on the NKBA store.
In an effort to support Certification Candidates and our NKBA Chapters, National continues to develop a new Committee Member position. NKBA’s Learning Pathway Advisor will provide the necessary guidance for NKBA members to successfully earn their Certification as well as support our Student Members and Student Chapters. We will provide more information as the position continues to develop.
NKBA’s CKBD Certification Program
It’s FREE to Apply! The NKBA’s revised Certification Program provides several curriculum tracks for NKBA members in different stages of their professional careers. The Certification Flyer provides candidate eligibility criteria, application checklist and what each candidate receives with purchase. Discover which pathway is right for you and apply for free today by visiting the NKBA’s Certification webpage.
Coming Soon! The NKBA is excited to announce we will be creating two new badge credentials this year. Stay tuned for more information and release dates.
Earn your Specialty Badge Today! Become distinguished from your peers and earn one of NKBA’s eight available badge credentials. Foundational knowledge is key to expanding your toolkit and being well-versed in this ever-changing industry. Participants have one-year to study and complete the exam. The Specialty Badge flyer provides an overview about the benefits and features of the program. For additional information please visit the NKBA’s Specialty Badge Program webpage.
If you have questions or need assistance, please email badge@nkba.org or call our Member Relations team at (800) 843-6522.
Congratulations to our newest NKBA Specialty Badge earners!
Kelley Irvine, Universal Design, Normandy Design Build Remodeling, Chicago MidWest
Sabrina Alonzo-Johnson, Cabinetry, Nicholson Builders, Central Ohio
Emily Holley, Remodeling, Merit Flooring, Kitchen, and Bath, Georgia
Isaac Musket, Lighting, Color, Remodeling, Cabinetry, Universal Design, C&K Custom Remodeling Inc., Columbia River
Bethany Williams, Cabinetry, D R Design & Remodel, California Capital
Jason Weaver, Sales & Marketing, Color, Home Depot #6368, North Florida
Agata Augustine, Sustainability, Kohler Company, Wisconsin/Upper Michigan
Jean Grace, Floor Plans & Specifications, Supply New England, Northern New England
Shilpa Amaram, Cabinetry, Modern Wood Services, Texas Gulf Coast
Joshua Riendeau, Cabinetry, Kent Building Supplies – Dartmouth
Joao Moreira, Floor Plans & Specifications, Kitchen World Distributing, Inc., Central New York
Danielle Schroeder, Lighting, Chief Architect Software, Palouse
Bitsy Littelfield, Cabinetry, Remodeling, MLS Construction, LLC, Tennessee
Shawna Pautsch, Floor Plans & Specifications, K.G. Stevens, Wisconsin/Upper Michigan
Felicia Marte, Color, Home Depot #3487, Northern New England
Kimberly Schuster-Plunkett, Color, Cabinetry, Floor Plans & Specifications, Lowe’s Companies Inc., Carolina
The NKBA Design Webinar Program in June includes five webinars with topics focused on Color Concepts in the K+B industry! In addition, NKBA will offer two new Business Webinars on Partnering with Contractors throughout the design process. Click here to register.
You must attend 80% of the “live” webinar session to earn .1 CEU per webinar. Our Design webinars this month are generously sponsored by Wilsonart. Click here to learn more about our sponsor.
NKBA
Initiatives
Earlier this month, NKBA released its 2023 Kitchen & Bath Market Outlook Update, which revises the forecasts we made in the baseline report released at the beginning of the year. Since then, mortgage rates have remained elevated, but inflation has fallen and the economy and the job market continue to outperform expectations. With that as our framework, here are the key takeaways from the midyear 2023 K&B Market Outlook:
- 2023 forecast is shaping up better than expected. Residential K&B spending is expected to decline by 5 percent to $179 billion in 2023, an improvement from the 14 percent decline initially forecast in January. Although this estimate is below the record highs reached in 2022, it remains higher than pre-pandemic levels.
- New construction driven by lack of existing home inventory. New construction K&B spending is expected to be $111 billion in 2023, higher than on our baseline forecast of $96 billion. This more optimistic forecast is due to an uptick in demand for new homes during the last three to four months.
- Homeowners with lower mortgage rates are incentivized to remodel versus sell. About 80 percent of outstanding mortgages are locked in at rates below 5 percent, which is far lower than current rates and driving them to stay put.
- K&B remodels’ long-term outlook remains strong. Our forecast for repair and remodel spending of $68 billion is an improvement, though slight, from our baseline forecast of $67 billion. Several factors are contributing to this improved remodeling outlook: there are currently 22.4 million homes in their prime remodeling years and that number will grow by an additional 2.2 million in the next five years; homeowners sitting on record levels of home equity; and repair and remodel (R&R) projects being deferred beyond 2023.
- Professional spend forecasted to fall 5 percent, while DIY declines 7 percent. Since the 2023 PRO spend measure includes new home construction, this decline is forecast to be smaller than DIY because of the recent surge in new construction.
Click here to read the 2023 K&B Market Outlook Update report.
As NKBA continues with its NextUp initiatives, we wanted to provide the chapters with some resources. The below article was on the NKBA blog and newsletter and lets members know what is being worked on regarding skilled labor. There is also a template at the end of the article that members can use to send to their legislators.
NKBA + You = Addressing the Skilled Labor Shortage in the Kitchen & Bath Industry
A new one-sheeter is also available for chapters to send to their local schools, use at home shows or other events promoting jobs in the skilled trades as well as the NKBA NextUp program. Click here.
As NKBA continues to celebrate its 60th anniversary, the governance department is working with the Associations Past Presidents/Chairman and Hall of Fame inductees to participate in this historic milestone. Over the last few weeks NKBA has chatted with Hall of Fame Inductee Paco Cosentino and posted about the impressive HOF inductees from 1995-1999.
Nominations for the NKBA Kitchen & Bath Fall of Fame open on August 15th and we are excited to review all the anticipated submissions! If you know of someone who you believe is worthy of consideration for induction, please submit them here. The application opens August 15th so be sure to check back then to start the submission process! For an overview of prior inductees, please check out the impressive list of K&B industry professionals!
Member
Relations
New Membership Is Vital to the NKBA
Please send all prospective member inquiries to noelle@nkba.org and our team will send detailed information on member benefits, membership cost, certification, badges and more. Click here for our Member Benefits Brochure.
The NKBA recently updated our membership applications so that we can streamline the application process as well as gather valuable information. Please make sure you are providing potential NKBA members with the correct version of our member applications. If you need a copy, please send a request to info@nkba.org.
Exciting addition to your member profile! Login to NKBA.org to retrieve your individual member number. We recommend that all NKBA chapter officers take some time to update their member profiles.
If you are a company owner, your company member number will be under your Organization’s Profile. While you are in your member profile, it’s a great time to add photos, your bio, social media links and more. The Member Relations team has a one-page instruction document available for distribution. Please reach out to us at info@nkba.org, and we will send you a copy of the instructions. You can also schedule some time with one of our member relations’ professionals to walk through the process.
Please encourage your members to send any roster, employment, company name changes, etc. to info@nkba.org and the Member Relations Team will be happy to help!
Additionally, we receive inquiries from members asking for chapter officer contact information. In response to these inquiries, we refer members to the About Us link on the chapter’s webpage. Please ensure that this information is complete and up to date.
The Member Relations team is here to assist you with updating your Chapter websites. If you need assistance adding or modifying an event, picture, sponsor etc… Please do not hesitate to email us at info@nkba.org or call us at 800-843-6522. We are always glad to lend a hand.
The NKBA has a revised version of the new membership applications that include updated pricing and additional segments to better identify the services our members provide. Please reach out to the member services department if you need a copy of the new applications and please discard any old versions.
Member Companies should take advantage of another wonderful NKBA member benefit, posting job openings on NKBA.org job portal! This benefit is available to all active members and is included with your membership. Reach out to us for details, (800) 843-6522 or info@nkba.org.
Students
NKBA offers free membership for all higher education students studying in the design and construction fields as well as discounted membership to all recent graduates. For more information, please email info@nkba.org or call our team at (800) 843-6522.
Student members are invited to apply for the Ellen Cheever Award. The Ellen Cheever Award is presented to students pursuing a course of study related to the kitchen and bath industry. Many students are required to utilize NKBA resources for their classes; the Ellen Cheever Award helps provide these resources to deserving students free of charge. For complete information and the award application, visit this page. The deadline to apply is July 31, 2023.
The 2023-2024 Student Design Competition will launch in early August. Visit https://kb.nkba.org/students/student-design-competition/ for more information. This page will be updated as details become available.
We are currently reaching peak season for NKBA membership and certification renewals for a majority of our members. Please remind them that we recently moved our offices to Pennsylvania and to mail their membership or certification dues to our new address: 1 West Broad Street, Ste 300, Bethlehem PA 18018. If any members need assistance with their renewals, please refer them to the Member Relations team. They can call us at 800 843-8522 (the-nkba) or they can send an e-mail to info@nkba.org.
NKBA Chapter Relations Department Contact List
1-800-843-6522
Chapters@nkba.org
(Chapter Officer Inquiries on Responsibilities)
info@nkba.org
(Membership Inquiries)
Julie Figiel, 610-871-8181 x121
Mgr, Chapter Relations, Chapter Growth Advocate
Gerri Klein, 610-871-8181 x104
Sr. Mgr Member Relations and Chapters
Alan Dove,
Senior Director Member Relations
Chapter Leadership Committee – Click Here. Also located on the Resources page of the website.
Did you miss the previous issue of the Chapter Officer Update, or do you have suggestions for future issues? If so, email chapters@nkba.org .
