The Home Builders Association of Fayetteville (HBAF) hosted real estate professionals from the area at Segra Stadium’s Aevex Veteran’s Lounge on Feb. 6 for the first event in their newly created Industry Insight Series. 

This event titled “Building the Past: Legacy Builders Panel” featured four industry veterans, all of whom once served as president of the HBAF. Murray Duggins, Ralph Huff, Harold Kidd and Billy Wellons took to the stage to share about their experiences, challenges and the evolution of home building in the region over the past 50 years.

Shawn Groover, the creator of the event series, served as the moderator for the event. One of the highlights of this discussion and one of the reasons Groover proposed that the first event in the series feature these real estate veterans was the emphasis on the benefits to having a mentor in the field. Mentorships and partnerships were mentioned frequently throughout the discussion as these four men discussed what helped them achieve success. 

“These guys are all local builders, and part of the Home Builders’ mission is to bring people together in the industry…we’re excited to have everybody here. I see a lot of friendly faces. I see a lot of people that I know from the industry, but the coolest part is I see a lot of people that I don't know, and I think that's exciting for our association,” shared Groover.

The sold out event proved a great success and the association is prepared to build off of this momentum. The next event in the series, “Building the Present: Current Builders Panel,” will take place on May 15. Panelists will include Jamie Godwin from A&G Residential, Adam Furr from Furr Construction, Jay Johnson from JSJ Builders and Pat McKee from McKee Homes. These leaders will discuss contemporary building practices, market trends and their vision for the future of home building. 

For more information about the HBAF go to https://www.fayhba.org/. 

**For a feature length story unpacking some of the insights shared during the event, check out the upcoming print issue of the Journal publishing on Feb. 14.