Conference Program

11:00 AM – 5:00 PM: Conference Registration

Welcome to Collingwood! You’re in for an amazing 3 days and Sunbelt Rentals is thrilled to be part of it!

Location: The Grand Georgian – Hearth Room

Presented by:

11:00 AM – 2:00 PM: Executive Officers’ Meeting

Welcome to all Executive Officers, we will share best practices and discuss issues within locals. OHBA will also show the new platform (guides.co) which is the new information sharing platform that OHBA has partnered with. Stephen Dupuis and David Horton use to say “Have we seen it all yet?”, the answer was always no! We will have a look at what we have seen and what maybe down the road.

Location: Village Conference Centre – Silver Creek Room

2:00 PM – 5:00 PM: OHBA Board of Directors Meeting
Guests: CMHC and WSIB

Setting course for the Association is an important part of OHBA’s annual Conference. At CMHC and WSIB, working together with OHBA members is an important part of what we do!

Location: Village Conference Centre – Petun Room

Presented by:

6:00 PM: Opening Reception
Hosted by the Simcoe County Home Builders’ Association (SCHBA)

You won’t want to miss the GREASE extravaganza. Sandy, Danny, Frenchie, Pink Ladies, T-Birds… the food, the fun! Join us for the Opening Reception as we “strut our stuff”. Delegates & guests are encouraged to “dress the part”. After a sit-down dinner (with all your ‘diner’ favourites) we’ll head into the village to continue the party!

Location: Village Conference Centre – Georgian Bay Ballroom

Presented by:

7:30 AM – 5:00 PM: Conference Registration

“Welcome to day 2!” The location of registration may have changed… but our commitment to OHBA members remains the same.

Location: Village Conference Centre – Atrium

Presented by:

7:30 AM – 7:00 PM: Charity Component 

Redwood Park Communities was founded in 2009 as a charity to build safe, affordable, hopeful housing that supports families and individuals. We are committed to working through partnerships with local agencies serving vulnerable people who require affordable housing, to provide housing options that are wrapped in a fostering and supportive community. A fundamental belief we hold is that the opposite of homelessness is not housing, the opposite is a safe, supportive and nurturing community.

The Need: We believe that safe, affordable, hopeful housing is the first step in breaking the cycle of violence, abuse, and poverty. Our partner social service agencies select families and provide ongoing professional case management.

As we seek to create supportive community we will:

• Strive to treat the families who join our community not as clients, but rather as our friends.
• Not duplicate services, but rather seek to connect people with existing services, and supports.
• Make every effort to listen to the stories of our friends without judgement.
• Treat our team and volunteers with the same care, respect, and value as the families we support.                                                                                    With rent prices in Barrie sitting at the 4^th to 5^th highest in the country, razor-thin vacancy rates, and an up-to-11-year waitlist for affordable housing, the creation of new affordable rental units is very important to Simcoe County.

Together, we will create…

A gift of home,

A gift of hope,

A gift that will make a difference for generations.

Location: Village Conference Centre – Atrium

7:30 AM – 8:30 AM – Breakfast and Industry Learning with Enbridge

Breakfast and Industry “Learning” with Enbridge.

Location: Village Conference Centre – The Courts

8:30 AM – 11:15 AM
OHBA Annual Meeting of Members (AMM)

Location: Village Conference Centre – Petun Room

11:15 AM – 11:55 AM – Refresh Break

WSIB – working together for a safer Ontario.

Location: Village Conference Centre – Atrium

Presented by:

BUILDER/DEVELOPER STREAM – SESSION ONE:

Location: Huron Grand I/II

11:30 AM – 12:15 AM – An Inside Look: Research & Development in the Canadian Housing Industry

Gary Sharp, Director of Renovator Services, Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA)
Stefanie Coleman, Owner, Pretty Smart Homes
Alex Ferguson,  Researcher, Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)

With representatives from CHBA, National Research Council, NRCan and LEEP, this session would provide delegates with an inside look at current research and technology underway for the Canadian Housing Industry. From Home Modification / Aging in Place trends and technology to new gas based HVAC technology, this panel will take a look into the future of housing.

MARKETING/DESIGN STREAM – SESSION ONE:

Location: Huron Grand III/IV

11:30 AM – 12:15 AM – Selection Strategies: Personalizing

Carol Smith, Customer Relations Consultant

Sell more options, get decisions sooner, and avoid selection pitfalls with the insights and tools from this program. One of the reasons home buyers purchase a new home is the opportunity to make choices. It follows that the selection process should be enjoyable and gratifying. At the same time, you need to keep control of this if you are to build the home correctly and on time. Where ever your home buyers make their selections, this seminar will help you take the selections experience to the next level for your home buyers and your company.

12:15 PM – 1:30 PM – Conference Lunch

and Keynote Speaker Ron Tite

We hope you’ll take a moment to get to know Ron Tite. His creative approach to marketing makes him one of the Marketing Magazine’s Top 10 Creative Canadians…

Blueprint Insurance is the proud sponsor of today’s Keynote Speaker Ron Tite. His customized and creative approach to marketing will provide ideas for OHBA members, no matter what their Business.

Location: Village Conference Centre – The Courts

Presented By: 

BUILDER/DEVELOPER STREAM – SESSION TWO:

Location: Huron Grand I/II

1:45 PM – 2:30 PM – Don’t Get Floored: Build it Better and Faster

Cory McCambridge, Engineered Wood Specialist at APA – The Engineered Wood Association

What is the REAL cost advantage to re-engineering the structure of a home today? Do floor/truss/panel designers REALLY take advantage of true cost savings opportunities for builder and framing clients? Take a deep dive with APA value engineering expert Cory McCambridge as he eliminates waste and cost for an Ontario builder (case study) , while addressing “bouncing floors”, over spanned joists and frustrating flush-beam details.. Attendees will understand what questions to ask and what details to look for when working with designers in the field.

MARKETING/DESIGN STREAM – SESSION TWO:

Location: Huron Grand III/IV

1:45 PM – 2:30 PM – Universal Communication Protocols: Managing the Raw Material of the Business Day

Carol Smith, Customer Relations Consultant

Consistency is a vital element in service success. By defining target behaviors for managing all company communication—from phone calls and emails to meetings and documents—you can create a dynamic system and habits for keeping all departments and personnel informed and at the same time ensure that all customers receive predictable attention.

BUILDER/DEVELOPER STREAM – SESSION THREE

Location: Huron Grand I/II

2:45 PM – 3:30 PM – Preparing for Climate Change: Simple and Cost Effective Solutions

David Foster, Director of Communications, Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA)
Doug Tarry, Owner, Doug Tarry Homes
Andy Oding, Vice-President and Director of Building Science, Building Science Canada

As we continue to experience an ever increasing number of extreme weather events due to fire, water and flooding and winds driven by climate change, we need to consider and prepare for the implications this will have on how we construct our buildings, building codes, regulations and insurance.  Doug, David and Andy will share with you their knowledge and experience on construction techniques and application, codes, regulations, insurance and the path forward with this new reality.

MARKETING/DESIGN STREAM – SESSION THREE

Location: Huron Grand III/IV

2:45 PM – 3:30 PM – Public Speaking Is Not a Terminal Disease: Delivering Convincing Presentations

Carol Smith, Customer Relations Consultant

Regardless of your position in the home building industry, your success with customers and your career will benefit from an ability to prepare and deliver a convincing presentation. Organizing ideas and supporting points can be a challenging first step. And for many of us conquering “stage fright” is an even bigger issue. The systematic approach presented in this class can bring these tasks under control and provide you with the tools you need to persuade others, stimulate improvement, foster career growth, and enjoy the gratification of a job well-done.

3:30 PM – 3:45 PM – Refresh Break

So much great information – a refresh is in order. WSIB is pleased to provide it for the Conference delegates & guests.

Location: Atrium

Presented By: 

BUILDER/DEVELOPER STREAM – SESSION FOUR:

Location: Huron Grand I/II

3:45 PM – 4:30 PM – New Energy Star for Multi-Family High-Rise

Shannon Bertuzzi, Vice President – Market Development,  EnerQuality

EnerQuality, together with Natural Resources Canada and the residential building industry, have developed the Energy Star for Multi-Family to support builders in their drive to exceed energy efficiency requirements of the code. Shannon Bertuzzi brings her vast knowledge of the evolving effiviency practices to the table to show how this third-party certification program can work for your business.

MARKETING/DESIGN STREAM – SESSION FOUR

Location: Huron Grand III/IV

3:45 PM – 4:30 PM – I Didn’t Come Here to Lose: Negotiating Skills for Home & Work

Carol Smith, Customer Relations Consultant

Each of us negotiates through our normal days—often without giving the process much notice or thought. Yet in spite of this nearly constant practice, when faced with a formal negotiation, concerns and stress begin to mount. Great negotiators are not born; they have developed the attitudes and learned the skills needed to master this fundamental human behavior. This class offers an overview of those attitudes and skills to prepare you to succeed whether the negotiation you are in is an ordinary daily matter or a high level business transaction.

6:00 PM – 7:00 PM: Presidents’ Gala Pre-Reception

A perfect time for delegates and guests to discuss the day’s events … and anticipate the celebration of this evening’s festivities!

Location: Village Conference Centre – The Courts

Presented by:

7:00 PM – 10:00 PM: Presidents’ Gala Dinner

Join us as we recognize Past Presidents and welcome our new OHBA President Bob Schickedanz of FarSight Homes!

It’s important to know “from whence you come” in order to “set direction for the future.” This Gala is an opportunity to say “Thank you!” to an amazing group of dedicated volunteers.

What a privilege to honour the Presidents (past and present)! Just as each President adds their flavour while moving the Association forward; so too Cogeco believes in service and forward momentum for its customers.

Location: Village Conference Centre – The Courts

Presented by:

10:00 PM – 12:00 AM: Presidents’ Gala Post-Reception

Meet with Association leaders and celebrate “Cottage Life” just outside the room. Listen to the birds, hear the brook and imagine… Enercare is the proud sponsor of this evening’s post-reception.

Location: Village Conference Centre – The Courts

Presented by:

8:30 AM – 5:00 PM: Conference Registration

Welcome to the final day of the 2019 OHBA Conference. Final? Yes… but finished? Never! Equipped with ideas and info – get ready for the future. Today’s program is designed with you in mind!

Location: Village Conference Centre – Atrium

Presented by:

8:30 AM – 9:30 AM: Breakfast 

9:45 AM – 10:30 AM: Cannabis and Our Industry

Location: Huron Grand I/II

Panel Discussion (TBC)

As Cannabis becomes legal and more readily available across Canada, it also come with a slew of other issues maybe not initially realized.  As business owners, we have done our due-diligence updating our employee health and safety standards to include cannabis and many of us have has staff meetings to discuss safe cannabis use.  But what happens when cannabis starts affecting our ability to build and create new communities.  What does legal cannabis mean for condo dwellers?  How do you market your new subdivision that is beside a cannabis distribution plat and/or farm?  This session will look at different perspectives on how to market, build and sell housing as well as potential long and short term affects to development now that Ontario has gone ‘Up in Smoke’.

11:30 AM – 1:00 PM: Lunch in Blue Mountain Village

Vouchers will be provided to conference delegates. 

10:30 PM – 11:15 PM: Chasing Unicorns: Attracting and Retaining Talent in the Skilled Trades

Location: Huron Grand I/II

Skills Ontario

When looking for skilled labor, it often feels like construction business owners are hunting for unicorns—searching for a creature that doesn’t seem to exist. The skills gap has been growing for decades given the Great Recession, Baby Boomer retirement, and a younger generation not encouraged to pursue a career in the trades. This advanced session explores why construction companies must shift from “hiring for skill” to “recruiting for talent” in order to remain relevant in the coming years, and how to develop recruiting, hiring, and training practices that show Millennials a path and create opportunities along the way. Learn how to successfully attract and develop your own skilled labor force and what that means for the companies that don’t.

1:00 PM – 1:15 PM – Refresh Break

Whatever your focus for today, we hope you’ll enjoy the refresh sponsored by WSIB.

Location: Atrium

Presented By:

1:15 PM – 2:00 PM: Virtual and Augmented Reality: Changing the Way We Do Business

Location: Huron Grand I/II

Anson Wang, Founder, Landmark VR

Many builders use models to pre-sell homes, and for good reason. They let people experience and fall in love with their future home. But what if you don’t have models or can’t build one for every floor plan? Potential buyers can do their best to visualize from 2D plans and finish samples, but this often leads to blank stares, confusion and lost sales. Fortunately, you now have virtual reality (VR) at your disposal. With VR, buyers put on VR goggles and are transported inside a virtual version of your home where they can walk around every floor plan, switch finishes, check out different upgrade options—the possibilities are endless.

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES

11:00 AM – 4:00 PM: Additional Activities Run Concurrently with the Tuesday Educational Programming

Please see ‘Activities‘

6:00 PM – 7:00 PM: Awards of Distinction Pre-Reception

Masco is proud to be part of this prestigious event and to celebrate the finalists of this year’s Awards of Distinction! Don’t miss the opportunity to look at the finalists in each category on the screens inside the reception area.

Location: Village Conference Centre – The Courts

Presented by:

7:00 PM – 10:00 PM: Awards of Distinction Dinner and Award Ceremony

Come celebrate the finalists and winners at OHBA’s 2019 Awards of Distinction. Known across Canada for quality in design, construction and marketing, OHBA members are recognized by their peers for their excellence!

Together, Rogers and Federated Insurance invite you to celebrate the winners of this year’s Awards of Distinction. Excellence in product and service is something of which we can all be proud of!

Reliance Home Comfort is proud to provide, for your enjoyment, tonight’s Dinner Wine. Congratulations to the finalists and winners!

Location: Village Conference Centre – The Courts

Presented by:

Dinner Wine Provided By: 

10:00 PM – 12:00 AM: Awards of Distinction Post-Reception

MOEN congratulates all of tonight’s finalists and winners on their achievements! Please join us as we end this event and this conference in style.

Location: Village Conference Centre – The Courts

Presented by: