Meet the 2009 Committee Chairs
We continue to welcome the members who have volunteered to work on your behalf under the direction of the Board of Directors, supported by their committee members and Board and staff liaisons. Your president would like you to know a little more about these important people; therefore, we’ve requested that the chairs introduce themselves. Meet David Sherwood.
David Sherwood, Chapter Relations Committee Chair
I grew up in the Northeast, mainly Massachusetts, Connecticut and western New York State, loving the outdoors. I continue to explore the world and try to experience most things while I have the opportunity. While raising my daughter, I coached her in basketball, and we traveled to most of the states in this beautiful country. While adventuring, we went whitewater rafting, rock climbing, mountain biking, etc. For her college graduation, I took her to South Africa to swim with the great white sharks and go on a six-day, self-guided safari. This is life at its finest: just the elements and us.
Earlier in my life, I started fresh out of trade school as an electrician, wiring homes, factories, restaurants and even a movie theater. This allowed me to attend college, where I earned an electrical engineering degree and studied residential architecture. While working for a utility company, I also designed homes and additions, including my greatest joy, a firehouse in Connecticut.
In 1983, I started doing home inspections in Connecticut. I’ll never forget my first solo home inspection. After working with an engineer on 25 inspections, I scheduled my first inspection with a real estate agent, who was a friend of the family. Now, keep in mind the 25 inspections with the engineer all were on houses built between 1960 and 1980, and neither the buyers nor sellers had been present. He said they were a pain and saw no reason to have them there. He was critical of everything, including cosmetic issues, and never once spoke to the buyer. If he had, he would have charged by the minute for a phone consultation. I’d never seen the information necessary to schedule an inspection, but I knew I wanted my clients there, so I got their name and the address of the house, and was ready to teach them everything.
When I got to the house, I learned it was built in 1762! Well, this was a sobering, humbling experience. Pure survival instincts helped me break down this beast so it made sense to me, then make sense to the buyers. On the spot, I developed a procedure that I still use and teach others today. After the inspection, I typed the report on a manual typewriter at the library. Every period put a hole in the paper. I can’t believe the buyers actually paid me for the inspection.
My journey in the world of home inspections has truly been a great one. I love sharing with other inspectors what I have learned and continue to learn. This is why the Chapter Relations Committee is so important to me. I believe chapters are where the rubber meets the road. Helping others get to where they want to go is where my heart is. Successful, caring and passionate members make ASHI the ultimate association in the home inspection industry. Just the kind of people I love to hang out with.
Yet, I see people in the chapters still having difficulties using this great association to their advantage and to strengthen their chapters and their businesses. So, my vision is to help teach, coach or mentor them to become more successful and have a more rewarding business, which in turn can become a more fulfilling life.
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