NIAGARA FALLS, Ontario, Sept. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Ontario Home Builders’ Association (OHBA), the voice of the residential construction industry in Ontario, is pleased to announce the election of Mike Memme as the 56^th Chair of the OHBA Board of Directors for the 2024-2025 term.

Mike is the Co-Owner and Operations Manager of Mountainview Building Group, which has operated in the Niagara area for over 40 years, providing family homes, urban condos, and commercial spaces for communities across the region.

A man of many passions, Mike considered careers in programming, game design, music, and law before choosing to stay with his primary passion of building communities. With more than 30 years in the industry, Mike started as a construction labourer when he was a teenager and moved up through the ranks of Mountainview Building Group – a company started by his father and two uncles. He became co-owner in 1994 and has seen the business grow to provide more than 250 homes every year for families across the Niagara region.

“It was in construction that I thought I could make the biggest difference,” said Memme in his Chair’s address. “I wanted to build communities and provide places for families to grow and thrive.”

Mike is a strong advocate for OHBA’s mission and has volunteered his time and resources to the association for more than 25 years. He most recently served as 1^st Vice President of the OHBA Board of Directors, holding numerous positions and on different committees over the years. His greatest impact, however, has been through his work guiding building code, Tarion, and HRCA policies. “When I saw how the decisions were being made, I had no choice. I had to be involved,” Memme explained.

In his Chair’s address, Mike Memme expanded on the theme of needing to be involved; with government officials removed from the ramifications of their decisions, he believes they need to hear from the experts in the industry who understand the impacts and can help advise on effective regulations. He called upon OHBA and its members, as the industry experts, to provide reasonable, thoughtful and timely advice to the government. “You are the leading experts in Ontario, Canada, and North America,” he stated. “You need to be involved.”

The Chair’s Gala (formerly the President’s Gala) also provided an opportunity to recognize industry leadership through the Ontario Home Builders’ Association Awards. The new chair had the honour of presenting three prestigious annual awards:

David Horton Leadership Award: Fred DeCator
Fred DeCator has been the Executive Officer of the Brantford Home Builders’ Association for more than 35 years. Fred has always gone above and beyond to support his members and the industry. For example, when a neighbouring chapter did not have an EO, Fred stepped up and supported the Haldimand-Norfolk HBA in addition to his other duties. When Fred passes the torch and heads into retirement later this year, he will leave a solid legacy of service to his association, the OHBA and builders across the province.

Member of the Year: Pierre Dufresne
Pierre Dufresne has a long history of advocating on behalf of the industry in his area and across the province. He is the Past President of the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association and has a long history with the OHBA, serving as President in 2017-2018. He has also served on the board of directors in several positions, most recently as the Eastern Ontario Regional Committee Co-Chair. Pierre is currently the Chair of the Lanark Leeds Home Builders’ Association and has been working to grow their membership and connection to the provincial and national associations. As an active member of the HBA network, Pierre is continuously advocating for the needs of members and industry across the province.

Chapter of the Year: Niagara Home Builders’ Association
The Niagara Home Builders’ Association has long been a respected voice in the industry, representing their members in many different ways. They are changing the lives of individuals within our community through their funding from the Skills Development Fund. A partnership between the Niagara HBA, Niagara College and the Government of Ontario, this program is providing much-needed skilled workers for our industry as well as providing training opportunities for individuals. CEO Chuck McShane and EO Alicia Dimitrov-Lawrence received the award on behalf of the NHBA membership.

The OHBA Conference is an annual three-day event which brings together a diverse group of delegates from across Ontario’s home building industry to connect, collaborate, and celebrate. This year’s conference is being held at Fallsview Casino Resort Conference Center in Niagara Falls from September 22-24, 2024.

Please click here to learn more about new OHBA Chair, Mike Memme.

About OHBA

The Ontario Home Builders’ Association is the voice of the building, land development and professional renovation industry in Ontario, representing 4,000 member companies organized into 28 local associations across the province. OHBA collects, analyzes and distributes information to its members and the general public, advocates on behalf of the industry to the key stakeholders, promotes innovation, professionalism, and affordability within the industry and provides group benefit plans and other membership services.

Since 2007, OHBA members have built more than 700,000 homes in more than 500 Ontario communities. The residential construction industry employs more than 500,000 people across the province and contributes more than $66.6 billion dollars to Ontario’s economy.

Contact:
Andres F. Ibarguen
Senior Manager, Communications
aibarguen@ohba.ca
(647) 217-6790