The IBS Scholarship Program offers NAHB members between the ages of 21-35 with the opportunity to attend the building industry’s biggest event. This is part 1 of a 3-part series.
Twenty-one ambitious young professionals have been awarded a scholarship to attend the 2019 NAHB International Builders’ Show® (IBS) in Las Vegas this coming February. Many have never attended before, and all are eager to learn more about the building industry by exploring new products, connecting with other industry pros and attending the many education sessions available. Here are their stories.
Amanda Nadia Abdelsayed | Metropolitan BCA of New Jersey
Amanda currently works at at Keller Williams, Metropolitan NJ, but her passion for real estate began at the age of 19 when she purchased her first investment property. During her first full year as a real estate agent, she successfully closed over $20 million in real estate transactions. Amanda attended IBS 2018 and was “blown away” by the amount of knowledge and expertise available in one place. “I believe in the power of proximity, and at IBS 2019, I look forward to being surrounded by like-minded individuals who are also passionate about the industry.”
Emily Adams | HBA of West Florida
Emily works as a New Home Consultant for Holiday Builders in Melbourne, Florida. Holiday is an employee-owned home builder that has been in business for 35 years. Emily started her career in general real estate in 2014, but immediately found herself drawn to new construction. When the opportunity arose to work for Holiday Builders, she jumped on it. She is a firm believer in continuing education and has three goals while at IBS 2019: “I want to take advantage of the education opportunities, network with others in the industry, especially women and young professionals, and spend time with the Holiday management team and learn from them.”
Brittni Audirsch |HBA of Northwest Louisiana
Brittni is an Outside Sales Consultant for the Kitchen & Bath Cottage in Shreveport, Louisiana. Brittni’s primary focus is marketing windows and doors to architects, general contractors and homeowners, but her role also includes estimating and project management. This will be her first opportunity to attend IBS, and she’s looking forward to “gaining knowledge of trends and changes to the market so I can share them with architects, contractors and designers.”
Brenton Bellomy | AHB of Greater Birmingham
Brenton is a Lighting Specialist with Inline Lighting, an employee-owned electrical and lighting company in Birmingham, Alabama. He has been in the lighting industry for two years, working as both an inside and outside sales representative for Inline Lighting’s showroom. Brenton says he loves to learn about lighting design because it’s an aspect of the industry that is constantly changing. “I look forward to attending the International Builders’ Show and meeting people from all over. I want to see the newest products out there and bring them back to my showroom.”
Adam Breen | Salt Lake HBA
Over the past decade, Adam and Breen Homes have built everything from track housing to high-end custom homes valued at over $5,000,000. His passion not only shows in the quality of his work, but also in his contributions to the community through his involvement in the Salt Lake City Home Builder Association (SLCHBA) and local construction industry. He noted that there are three industry-wide reasons he is attending IBS in 2019: “I really hope this year at IBS we can focus on labor shortages, the building materials increase and the over-government regulation that is causing our costs to skyrocket—all while being told that more affordable housing is needed.”
Trevor Brown | BIA Bay Area
Trevor is a project coordinator in the entitlement department of Trumark Homes in Oakland, California. Trumark is an award-winning builder/developer with 30 years of development experience. Trevor has really enjoyed being involved in the entitlement department, where he gets to experience the projects at the beginning stages, and work alongside the project managers and other departments in helping to push them forward. In addition to looking forward to seeing new products, Trever noted that he’s most excited to make new connections. “I see [IBS] as a good opportunity to see how others in the industry approach all aspects of building.”
Brian Dulay | Wayne Pike BA
Brian is a second-generation builder who is versed in all facets of residential construction from sales to site preparation and completion. Specializing in modular construction, David Dulay Homes of Honesdale, Pennsylvania, has built hundreds of homes since the 1980s. Brian has attended IBS before and says, “Every year, I try to bring back one or two products to apply to our building process.” He has also taken many NAHB pre-show courses over the years and has earned several designations, including Certified New Home Sales Professional (CSP), Certified Aging-In-Place Specialist (CAPS), Certified Graduate Builder (CGB) and Certified Green Professional (CGP). He plans to continue working on his industry designations at IBS 2019.
Learn more about the IBS 2019 scholarship recipients and the program here.