ASHI Officers for 2009

William Richardson, President
Responsive Inspections, Inc.

Albuquerque, N.M.

I’m pleased to be working this year with our new Executive Director, Jeff Arnold. Jeff will have his one-year anniversary in February. Jeff and staff are working on several new projects to bring non-dues revenue into ASHI. They are also working on enhancing member benefits.

All of us in ASHI, members, leaders and staff, have felt the effects of this economic downturn. Your Board of Directors has been working on new programs that are intended to assist our members. With the housing market in the shape it is, we will need to develop new services and to diversify. Home inspection has always been our primary service, but now it is not enough. We must all work together to get through this and be on top when the market returns.

As your president, I will work with the Board to develop additional programs for members — educational and training programs, along with partnerships with affiliated organizations, that will give our members new revenue sources.

“This is not your Daddy’s ASHI” may be the new motto for us. We will have to change the way we have always done things. I encourage all members to let your leadership know what you think would benefit you the most so we can focus with member input.

Thanks for your continued support in the best association there is.

Membership highlights:

• 1990, joined ASHI
• 1994-99, 2004, New Mexico Chapter president
• 1994, 1997-2000, ASHI director
• 1999-2001, Education Committee chair
• 1999, Membership/Education Task Force chair
• 2004-05, ASHI treasurer
• 2007, ASHI vice president
• 2008, ASHI president-elect

David Tamny, President-Elect
Professional Property Inspections

Columbus, Ohio

We are truly at a crossroads, as we must rise to meet new challenges. A major change has taken place with the hiring of Jeff Arnold, our new executive director. He has taken as his charge to help us stabilize and turn around ASHI. We as a board and officer group, must support our new ED and encourage his creative input on how to provide better membership value. When a football team is confronting a challenge, it is often best to return to the fundamentals of the game rather than go for the “Hail Mary” in hopes of a miracle.

In the same manner, ASHI must get back to the fundamentals of strong chapters, technical excellence and quality education. This will enable use to emerge out of the real estate downturn as the strongest association, ready to be the leaders when the market turns upward.

Membership highlights:

• 1993, joined ASHI
• 1998-2000 North Central Ohio Chapter founding president
• 2000-01, council representative
• 2002-04, ASHI director and Finance Committee-Special Task Group
• 2005, ASHI secretary
• 2006, 2007, 2008, ASHI treasurer

Kurt Salomon, Vice President
Advocate Inspections

Midvale, Utah

With today’s economy and real estate climate, the home inspection industry will be under distress. This will impact ASHI’s ability to grow our membership. ASHI needs to stay true to its heritage, its Standards and Ethics. We need to maintain a presence as the voice of the profession and our message to homebuyers/sellers and the real estate community.

The reasons home inspectors join and stay with ASHI include being a better home inspector through continuing education offerings, associating with the best of the best, camaraderie and networking. The ASHI chapters are a critical element of ASHI’s success. We need to find ways to leverage and expand our continuing education offerings.

Another challenge for ASHI is generating non-dues revenue. And this does not mean taking dues from the members’ right pocket and other revenue from their left pocket. It means finding sources of revenue from non-ASHI members.

I have a passion for ASHI. I look forward to serving as your vice president and working with the Board and other ASHI leaders in finding creative programs and solutions in these challenging times that face ASHI.

Membership highlights:

• 1993, joined ASHI
• 1997-2000, Utah Chapter founder and president
• 1999-2000, council representative
• 2001-03, ASHI director
• 2004-06, council representative
• 2005-06, council speaker
• 2007 ASHI secretary

Charles Gifford, Treasurer
AmeriSpec of Northeast Florida, Inc.

Jacksonville, Fla.

As we move into 2009, it certainly appears that the same market conditions that we have all individually experienced over the last two years will continue. As a Society, we have experienced the same type of pressures and will undoubtedly face the same trends into the near future.
As an officer and member of the Board, I believe we will need to ensure that we remain diligent in creating a realistic budget, remain vigilant by ensuring that we spend our members’ resources wisely, and spend those resources only when they provide our membership true value.

We also need to continue to explore opportunities in online educational opportunities, certification, increasing non-dues revenues and finding ways to increase our membership by finding those professional inspectors in licensed states who believe in our mores, business ethics, standards of practice and philosophy.

Membership highlights:

• 1992, joined ASHI
• 1998-2001, FLA-ASHI Chapter president
• 2001-03 council representative
• 2003 council group leader
• 2004-06 ASHI director
• 2008 ASHI vice president

Marvin Goldstein, Secretary
Building Inspection Services

Southhampton, Pa.

As we move forward during challenging times, my goals as an officer are much the same as they have been throughout the 30-plus years since we formed ASHI: First and foremost, preserve ASHI as the “Gold Standard” of the inspection industry. In addition, given the current real estate market, it has become even more important than in the past to develop new revenue streams for the society and its members. One of my goals is to develop  inspections outside our standard inspection described in the ASHI SOP so they contribute more than 30 percent of members and ASHI national’s annual revenue.
We can increase membership by offering programs that will help our members prosper even during this economic downturn.

As the co-chair of the ASHI Legislative Committee. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Randal Pence, ASHI’s federal lobbyist. Recently, Randy and I were successful in convincing HUD to exempt building inspections from the administrative fee limitation in the recent $4 billion dollar CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) funds approved as part of the NSP (National Stabilization Program). These inspection fees will be spent by the CDBG administrators in every state in the union, starting January 2009. I believe our work with Congress and HUD is critical and I will continue to support the activities that are needed to maintain and enhance our presence in the federal arena.

Membership highlights:

• 1976, co-founded ASHI – Charter member
• 2005-06, council representative
• 2006, 2008, chair ASHI Legislative Committee
• 2007-2008, ASHI director