VBS&E Schedule

Over 60 exhibits on display!

Presented by Cindy Davis and Jeff Brown, Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development

Virginia has a Uniform Statewide Building Code (USBC) that is amended as national model codes are adopted. Enforcement of the USBC is the responsibility of the local government's building inspections department. Mandatory compliance of the most recent code changes to Virginia's USBC became effective July 1, 2022. This session will discuss the most recent changes to the USBC and look ahead at changes that will be mandatory in the coming years. Attendees will learn about the current code from the state building official and how to plan for future code changes. 

Presented by: Builders Mutual Insurance Company

Construction sites can be dangerous places to work. This session covers the most common job site accidents and safety rules to keep you and others safe on the job.

Presented by Matthew Cooper, PEG

Effective July 1, 2022, all new homes in Virginia must achieve building envelope tightness of 5 air changes per hour or less. With Blower Door Testing now mandatory, this session will review the process of how to meet the code requirements. in addition, attendees will learn about energy efficiency financial incentives from Dominion Energy and Federal Tax Credits.

Presented by Kerry Mulcrone, Kerry & Co.

For your sales team to hit their numbers, you need strong, fresh, and energetic team leadership. Sales leadership culture is hard to measure - you can't measure its quality like you'd measure your team's monthly revenue, customer satisfaction, or sales - but that doesn't mean it's not important. 

Your organization's sales culture plays a huge role in all those factors - among several others. How much our salespeople sell, how productive they are, and how long they stay with your company are all functions of your sales culture's quality. During this session, we will explore what a leadership sales culture is, what a solid one looks like, what a toxic one looks like, some best practices to refine yours, how to build one at a startup, and how to scale yours as your company grows. 

Presented by Brad Eure, Eure Consulting

Companies grow through 7 distinct stages based on the complexity of the organization. This session will introduce attendees to the 7 Stages of Growth and identify three of key Hidden Agents that, if left alone, can create unnecessary bumps and challenges on the journey to the next Stage of Growth. Participants will walk away with an understanding of the Three Gates of Focus (People, Process, and Profit) and why they are important, an understanding of the importance of the Builder/Protector Ratio for business balance, and an understanding of where you, as the Executive, should be spending your time. 

Presented by Dominion BrightSuite

Buyers have come to expect smart energy home technology like solar, EV charging, and smart home equipment in their home. In this session, BrightSuite by Dominion Energy walks you through everything you need to know to build homes that are solar and EV ready, so you're fully equipped to meet the needs of the smart energy homebuyer.

Presented by Rob Leonard, Build Smart Institute

Build Smart Institute invites you to learn the resources available to work with organizations to recruit, train, retain, and develop their workforce throughout the state of Virginia.

Presented by Bryan Swinehart, Manager, Coaching Services & Executive Business Coach Small Business Growth Partners

A recent study sponsored by Leading Builders of America has projected that there will be a shortage of 2+ million employees in the homebuilding industry over the next 2-3 years. This session will discuss strategies and actions that you can start taking now to help attract, engage, and retain employees. 

Presented by Vince Butler, President of Butler Brothers Corporation, a full-service design-build company, since 1984 and has extensive experience in the design, sales, and production of residential construction and remodeling.

Accurate estimating, purchasing and project management are all essential to achieving a profitable outcome as a small builder or remodeler. But without an effective job costing system, there is no way to identify errors, highlight problem areas or implement changes needed to protect and preserve your profit goals. This session will assist you in understanding the essential elements of an effective job costing system and how to efficiently implement one using small business accounting software such as QuickBooks. Most small builders already have the necessary tools and resources to implement a job costing system - they're just not utilizing them properly. This session will help you understand how to configure your current estimating and accounting systems to better track and report job costs so you can put this powerful tool to work protecting and maximizing profits.

Presented by Andrew Baldwin, President of True Home Review

This session will discuss the necessary steps to streamline and refine quality level of new home delivery. The session will also discuss commonly found construction mistakes and how to track trade performance. The result is a more enjoyable customer and builder experience! 

Presented by Zach Schabot, Zillow

A global pandemic, historic economic change, and an unprecedented shift in the housing market have been hallmarks of the past year. The 2022 Consumer Housing Trends Report (CHTR) provides a snapshot of what housing consumers are thinking and doing in mid-2022. In this session, attendees will learn how to work together with Zillow to meet the demands of today's new home buyer.

Presented by Bryan Swinehart, Manager, Coaching Service & Executive Business Coach Small Business Growth Partners

Employee retention and turnover is a leading workforce management challenge for home builders and contractors. Businesses that fail to prioritize employee retention clearly pay a steep price. However, those that invest in improving employee retention and addressing turnover risks reap significant rewards including sales growth, improved productivity, and work quality, as well as higher employee morale. This session will discuss strategies and processes to help your company keep its top talent and mitigate turnover risks.