News

NCHBA members traveled to Las Vegas, NV in late February for the International Builders’ Show (IBS) and National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) meetings. This year’s event was particularly exciting as Buddy Hughes, a past president of NCHBA and builder member from Lexington, NC, was installed as 2025 NAHB Chairman on Thursday, February 27.

Buddy Hughes Elected NAHB Chairman

Buddy Hughes has been installed as the 2025 Chairman of the National Association of Home Builders. A past president of NCHBA (2005), Hughes is a builder member of the Davidson County HBA. He becomes the fourth NCHBA President to serve as Chairman of NAHB, joining Mark Tipton, David Pressly and Rick Judson.

“Our top priority this year will be to work with the Trump administration and Congress to enact policies to ease the nation’s housing affordability by helping builders to construct more homes and apartments,” said Hughes. “This includes policy changes such as repealing inefficient regulatory rules, speeding up permitting approval times and providing resources for skilled labor training to address the severe worker shortage in the construction industry.”

NCHBA hosted a celebration party at Ole Red Las Vegas following Hughes’ installation on Thursday, February 27.

More Highlights from the International Builders Show

Alma Jacobs Recognized as National Associate Member of the Year

Alma Jacobs was honored with the prestigious National Associate Member of the Year award during The Nationals, NAHB’s largest awards competition.

Jacobs serves on NCHBA’s Executive Committee as a Presidential Appointee and is a member of the Lake Norman HBA and HBA of Greater Charlotte.

Nicole Morrison Named 2025 NAHB Remodelers Chair

Nicole Morrison, a remodeler from Raleigh, is the newly installed chair of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Remodelers Council.

The owner of Red Ladder Residential, Morrison is a member of both the HBA of Raleigh-Wake County and the HBA of Durham, Orange and Chatham Counties.

“With residential remodeling now accounting for nearly 50% of all residential activity, our council’s role has never been more crucial to the industry.” Goolsby Morrison said. “By offering education, advocacy, and a supportive platform to connect and learn from fellow professionals, we provide a significant business advantage. In 2025, I hope to raise awareness among more NAHB members about this invaluable opportunity.”

Buddy Hughes Receives SAFE Award

Buddy Hughes was recognized with the “Leadership in Construction Safety” award during the annual NAHB/Builders Mutual Safety Award for Excellence (SAFE) program.

The awards honor professionals who have made successful efforts to advance safety in the industry.

Pictured: L-R: NCHBA Executive Vice President Tim Minton, President-Elect Dicky Gephart, 2025 NCHBA President Thomas McClain, NAHB CEO Jim Tobin, 2025 NAHB Chairman Buddy Hughes, NCHBA Secretary-Treasurer Charlene Allen and Immediate Past President Cody Byrd.

NC Executive Officers Take on Leadership Roles at National EOC

Executive Officers manage the day-to-day operations of local and state home builder associations. Here in NC, we have incredible EOs who are excellent leaders. Congratulations to Natalie Fryer (pictured) of the HBA of Fayetteville for completing her term as President of the NAHB Executive Officers Council. Kudos to Holly Fraccaro of the HBA of Durham, Orange and Chatham Counties for stepping up to serve as NAHB EOC Secretary. And we can’t forget Cameron Moore of the Wilmington-Cape Fear HBA and Megan Carroll of the Builders Association of the Blue Ridge Mountains, who are serving on the EOC Board of Directors in 2025.

This post was written by NC HBA.