Builders Association of Minnesota

The Builders Association of Minnesota obtained fire death data from the Minnesota State Fire Marshal, a division of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Minnesota has collected data on fire deaths including the street address of the fire and whether or not working smoke alarms were present since 1998. The data show there have been 187 civilian fire deaths from 1998 through 2010. BAM staff obtained the year of construction of all single-family houses in which deaths occurred from county assessors.

See the data here.

BAM's data collection methodology is available here.

The graph below show Minnesota civilian fire deaths 1998-2010 in single-family homes by decade of construction. The second graph is of civilian fire deaths by year of construction overlaid with changes to the Minnesota State Building Code. In 1995 the State Building Code started requiring the installation of smoke alarms that are hardwired with battery back-up. In 2003 the State Building Code began requiring smoke alarms that are hardwired with battery back up and are interconnected, meaning when one detects smoke all alarms are activated.

Click on thumbnail graphs below for full image.

The 2012 BAM Convention is February 24th in Minneapolis and registration is open! The rates have been cut in half this year, so there's no excuse!Get registered today at www.bamn.org/convention

From the awards and keynote speaker, to the food and the band, if you've been to the Convention you know it's the year's biggest event. If you haven't been, what are you waiting for? Go to bamn.org/convention for the schedule and to sign up.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 -- The number of improving housing markets continued to expand for a fourth consecutive month in December, rising from 30 to 41 on the latest National Association of Home Builders/First American Improving Markets Index (IMI), released today. The December list featured 20 new additions, including several major markets such as Washing, D.C.; San Joe, Calif.; and Toledo, Ohio. Meanwhile, nine smaller markets dropped off the list, primarily due to softer house prices.

For more information read the full press release here: http://www.bamn.org/images/documents/nahb-press-release-improving-housing-markets-dec2011.pdf

The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) is moving to an online licensing system and is changing all licensed contractor numbers. This letter was sent to all contractors October 6th.

"Effective October 3, 2011, every license, registration and certification now includes a two-character license class code (such as "BC" for residential building contractor) followed by a six-digit number (123456). This change was necessary to implement the new standardized and simplified license application and online renewal processes for all licenses, certifications and registrations (pursuant to Minnesota Statutes 326B.091 to 326B.098)."

"Your new license or certificate number must be included on all communication with the department and on all contracts, effective immediately."

DLI also states it in the letter that license or certificate numbers on all printed materials and advertisements including website and vehicles need to be changed to the new number "as soon as practicable."

Every license, registration and certification now includes a two-character license class code (such as “BC” for residential building contractor see all new class codes here) followed by a six-digit number (123456). For those who have eight-digit certificate numbers, the six digits, excluding “20” are your current certificate numbers. Contractors with four digits had leading zeros added to their certificate number.

For more information about the licensing changes, check out the CCLD 2011 Summer Newsletter sent in BAM’s This Week the first week of September.

Renewing licenses online can now be done at www.dli.mn.gov/paycenter.asp and clicking on "Renew Your License."

The Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has started enforcing the Lead Renovation Repair and Painting (RRP) rule which affects work on houses built before 1978.

For details on what enforcement is happening, how to ensure you're covered, and the newest requirement visit www.bamn.org/regulation

This morning Governor Mark Dayton signed into law 12 budget and spending bills 57 days after the close of regular session May 23, bringing an end to the 20-day government shutdown that was the longest in state, history.

Tuesday July 19th the Governor called a special session that began at 3:00 p.m. and after 13 hours both the House and the Senate passed all 12 bills including budget bills, a pension bill, a bonding bill and the Legacy bill and adjourned at 4:00 a.m. Wednesday morning. The bills were signed into law by Dayton this morning, officially ending the shutdown.

It will take a day before the appropriated money will officially flow to state agencies and operation will begin to get back online, said Dayton. State workers have been called back, and state parks, he said, could reopen as soon as tomorrow.

Read the full article with links to each of the 12 bills and the Governor's press conference here on BAM's MN Builder Blog.

Governor Mark Dayton called a special session today to begin at 3:00 p.m. this afternoon. The official proclamation was posted summoning members of the Legislature to convene.

Terms of the special session were agreed upon and a document was signed by the Governor, Speaker of the House Kurt Zellers, Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch, Senate Minority Leader Tom Bakk and House Minority Leader Paul Thissen.

The document states the Special Session will place all bills before the senate and house on their third and final reading, which is a suspension of House, Senate and State Constitution rules. No amendments will be permitted, the session will conclude within two session days and the bodies will adjourn. The session will be limited to the following items:

1. Taxes Omnibus Finance Bill 
2. Education Omnibus Finance Bill
3. Capital Investment Bill
4. Health and Human Services Omnibus Finance Bill
5. State Government, Innovations and Veterans Omnibus Finance Bill
6. Transportation Omnibus Finance Bill
7. Judiciary and Public Safety Omnibus Finance Bill
8. Jobs and Economic Growth Omnibus Finance Bill
9. Environment/Energy/Commerce Omnibus Bill
10. Higher Education Omnibus Finance Bill
11. Pensions Bill
12. Legacy Bill

To watch the special session at 3pm visit: http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/htv/schedule.asp and follow the link listed next to "Watch."

Governor Mark Dayton and Minnesota legislative leaders, Senate Majority Leader, Senator Amy Koch and Speaker of the House, Representative Kurt Zellers announced Thursday July 14th they’d reached a budget deal to end the 14-day government shutdown. After more than three hours of meeting behind closed doors the Governor and Republican leaders emerged at about 5:30 p.m. and addressed the press stating they’d agreed upon a framework to close the $1.4 billion gap in their budget plans.

Read a summary with links to the press conference, the Governor's letter submitted to Republican leadership Thursday morning and a Q&A article here on BAM's MN Builder Blog.

Members are beginning to call with concerns about electrical inspections. As you know, all cities must use state electrical inspectors to perform these inspection. However there is an exception in the law (MN Stat. 326B.subd.1) that reads: "except where any political subdivision has by ordinance provided for electrical inspection similar to that herein provided, every new electrical installation in any construction, remodeling, replacement, or repair, except minor repair work as the same is defined by rule, shall be inspected by the commissioner for compliance with accepted standards of construction for safety to life and property."

A number of cities have passed an ordinance to perform these inspections and will continue to provide such a service. In addition, we believe that cities without the authority MAY be able to contract with those cities that do have the authority. We have compiled a list thanks to our local associations and the Minnesota Electrical Association. We will add to this list as information becomes available.

Anoka County
Centerville, Circle Pines, Coon Rapids, Fridley, Ramsey

Benton County
Sartell, St. Cloud

Carver County
Watertown

Crow Wing County
Baxter, Brainerd

Dakota County
Apple Valley (installations after January 17, 2011), Burnsville, Lakeville, Rosemount, South St. Paul, West St. Paul

Hennepin County
Bloomington, Brooklyn Center, Corcoran, Depphaven, Greenwood, Maple Grove, Minnetonka, Minnestrista, Mound, Plymouth, Richfield, Spring Lake Park, St. Louis Park, University of Minnesota, Woodland

Olmstead County
Rochester

Ramsey County
Arden Hills, Gem Lake, Little Canada, New Brighton, North Oaks, North St. Paul, Roseville, Shoreview, St. Paul, State Fair Grounds, White Bear Lake, White Bear Township

Rice County
Faribault

Scott County
Shakopee

St. Louis County
Hoyt Lakes, Duluth

Stearns County
Kimball, Sartell, St. Cloud, Waite Park

Washington County
Oakdale, Woodbury

A new set of federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fall protection rules are being required of all residential contractors as of today, June 16, 2011, yet there has been little education provided on the new requirements. BAM President Todd Bjsertedt commented, “Similar to the EPA lead paint requirements, education for the contractor is a second thought and is lagging far behind while enforcement is racing out front making it difficult to comply with the new rules.”

Federal field staff is being directed to assist the residential construction industry in complying with the new standards and builders are being encouraged to contact OSHA’s free onsite consultation program. In a letter to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), federal OSHA announced a 90-day phase in plan beginning June 16.

If a residential contractor is complying with the previous standard, Dr. David Michaels, Assistant Secretary of OSHA says, “I will be instructing OSHA's field staff that for the first three months that the new directive is in effect, OSHA will refrain from issuing fall protection citations to employers who are using the protective measures in the old directive.” Read the full letter here: http://www.osha.gov/doc/letter_nahb.html

Read the full press release here.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced June 9th a three month phase-in period to allow residential construction employers to come into compliance with the Agency's new directive to provide residential construction workers with fall protection.

"We want to make sure that the residential construction industry has every opportunity to successfully come into compliance with the new directive," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. "I am confident that this phase-in period will provide employers the additional time and flexibility they need to alter their work practices in accordance with the requirements of the new directive."

The three month phase-in period runs June 16 - September 15, 2011. During this time, if the employer is in full compliance with the old directive (STD 03-00-001), OSHA will not issue citations, but will instead issue a hazard alert letter informing the employer of the feasible methods they can use to comply with OSHA's fall protection standard or implement a written fall protection plan. If the employer's practices do not meet the requirements set in the old directive, OSHA will issue appropriate citations.

Read the full article here

BAM published a press release March 3, 2011, below, along with two graphs from data collected by BAM staff.

Read the release below or see the full release complete with graphs here.

Saint Paul, MN, March 3, 2011 -- The Builders Association of Minnesota (BAM) gathered data on fire deaths in Minnesota in single-family homes the past decade and the results reveal newer homes are safer than older homes. The increase in safety is a result of smoke alarms.

BAM researched the fire deaths in Minnesota in single-family homes from 1998-2010 using addresses provided by the State Fire Marshal and contacted county and city assessor staff to determine the original year of construction. BAM categorized the fire deaths from the 12-year period by the year the home was constructed. The data show there are significantly fewer deaths in newer homes versus homes built before the building code required smoke alarms. Of the 187 fire deaths in Minnesota in single-family homes the past decade, 98.4% of the deaths occurred in homes built before 1995.

The Builders Association of Minnesota (BAM) introduced legislation today prohibiting fire sprinklers from becoming a requirement in all new single-family homes. The Minnesota State Building Code does not currently require fire sprinklers to be installed in new single-family homes.

The legislation is in response to a pending provision in the 2012 International Residential Code that will mandate fire sprinklers in all new single-family residences.

2011 BAM President Todd Bjerstedt of McDonald Remodeling Inc. said, "The Minnesota State Building Code has a history of aggressive fire protection and the current code already requires safe and proven fire protections for new single-family residences."

Minnesota began requiring smoke detectors in new construction of single-family residences as early as 1974. In 1994, Minnesota adopted a building code that required hardwired smoke detectors with a battery back up. By 2000, all new homes were built with hardwired, interconnected smoke detectors that require battery back up. An interconnected smoke detector is the most effective safety feature in new homes today. With these systems, if one alarm sounds, they will all sound alerting the whole family to a possible fire, thus providing the opportunity to escape.

Read the full press release

Twin Cities native Todd Bjerstedt, of McDonald Remodeling was sworn in as 2011 President of the Builders Association of Minnesota at the fourth annual Minnesota Builders Convention Saturday, January 29^th, in Minneapolis, MN at the Crowne Plaza Minneapolis North. Bjerstedt is preceded by Mike Gohman of W. Gohman Construction in St. Cloud. Six association members were also elected to serve as the governing body of the association.

As President, Bjerstedt will oversee the activities of the 3,000-member trade association that provides legislative, regulatory and educational guidance for its members, interaction with state and federal governments and the annual statewide Minnesota Builders Convention.

“Mike Gohman has provided strong and steady leadership for BAM throughout 2010. I have been privileged to work closely with him and observe how his involvement has made BAM a more effective organization for its members,” said Bjerstedt of his predecessor.

Bjerstedt has been a builder and developer since 1987 as well as a real estate broker in both Minnesota and Wisconsin. Bjerstedt is a long-time member of the builders association and active in his local association, the Builders Association of the Twin Cities (BATC), serving as president of BATC in 2000 and 2009 president of Minnesota GreenStar which was associated with BATC at that time.

2011 BAM Officers

As a member-run organization, the BAM President and Board of Directors provide critical oversight to the day-to-day operations of the association. The volunteers elected to leadership positions in 2011 include:

President Elect, Keith Kylmala, Kylmala Truss, Arrowhead Builders Association

Builder Vice President, Chad Kompelien, Kompelien Custom Homes, West Central Builders Association

Associate Vice President, Terry Curtis, Anderson Brothers Construction, Mid-Minnesota Builders Association

Secretary, Rick Kot, RA Kot Homes, Builders Association of the Twin Cities

Treasurer, Howie Zetah, Zetah Construction Inc., Headwaters Builders Association

Past President, Mike Gohman, W. Gohman Construction, Central Minnesota Builders Association

January 31, 2011 -- The outstanding accomplishments of nine members of the residential construction industry were recognized by the Builders Association of Minnesota (BAM) with awards Saturday, January 29th, 2011 at the fourth Minnesota Builders Convention in Minneapolis, MN.

The annual BAM awards are presented to recognize the outstanding accomplishments and citizenship of companies and individuals within the industry, association and community. BAM’s mission is to help members excel in the residential construction industry and these awards rally the industry, uplifting those members striving for excellence and provide a model for companies in the Minnesota residential construction industry. The winners will be published online at www.bamn.org.

The 2010 award winners by region are:

Brainerd

Builders Employing Associate Members (BEAM) Award – Warren Anderson, Anderson Construction

Excellence in Service Award – Colleen Faacks, Executive Officer, Mid-Minnesota Builders Association

Grand Rapids

Builder of the Year – Quentin Johnson, Quentin Johnson Construction

Remodeler of the Year – Ron Nesvold, Ron Nesvold Construction

Distinguished Business of the Year – Greater Insurance Services

Rochester

Rising Star Award – Mike Allen, Mike Allen Homes

St. Cloud

Associate of the Year – Mark Traut, Mark J. Traut Wells

Local Association of the Year – Central Minnesota Builders Association

St. Paul

President’s Award – Kathe Ostrom, C.N. Ostrom & Son

Governor Dayton announced his appointment to the position of Minnesota Housing Finance Agency (MHFA) Commissioner, Mary Tingerthal, today.

BAM is intrigued by the Governor's choice and his quote, "Her [Tingerthal's] leadership will propel the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency back into its traditional role as not only our state's premier public housing finance institution, but also a national leader in helping lower- and middle-class families afford to buy homes and stay in them."

The prospect of a traditional agency aiding both middle-income in addition to lower-income families with housing is an exciting change. BAM will seek out the new commissioner and hope to have a meeting with her shortly.

Full announcement here: http://mn.gov/governor/newsroom/pressreleasedetail.jsp?id=9343

At the end of December BAM published its members-only Building Performance Guidelines document which is required as of January 1, 2011 by Minnesota Statute 326B.809 https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=326B.809.

Our guidelines were written by a group of Minnesota builders addressing specific MN issues.  The BAM Guidelines are FREE for members and posted on the members-only site under the Legislation-Legal tab.

Here's what members are saying.

"BAM's guidelines are really helpful. They're thorough, easy to read and will make it clear for my clients who's responsible for what. Glad I'm a member!"

"Thank goodness BAM is there for us. It'd be tough to keep up with how fast things change. The Building Performance Guidelines is a GREAT product."

"What is so great about the guidelines is that they were written by Minnesota builders and remodelers so they deal with the issues we see with our customers."

"This is EXACTLY what the association is for, we don't have to do this alone."

If you're not a member and want a set of the BAM Building Performance Guidelines, they'll cost you a membership with one of 14 local associations.

We'd love to have you on board. Contact your local association for rates.

If you're not registered for the 2011 Minnesota Builders Convention in Minneapolis January 28-30 now's the time! The deadline is January 21st! Get registered online, by fax or by calling us at 651-646-7959.

Friday have a blast gambling with $5,000 in play money to win real awesome prizes like an iPod, Wii, hotels stays and GPS system while enjoying Vegas themed food complete with pink champagne foundation. End the night with food and drink in the hospitality suites.

Saturday rock out with band Killer Hayseeds after the hospitality suite fun, cocktail reception, Silent Auction and Awards and Installation Banquet. It’s going to be a great party!

Come for the whole weekend or come for a day. But don’t forget to register and join us Jan. 28-30 for the best kick-off 2011 could possibly have.

In an article published Friday, November 26, 2010, Jim Buchta, of the Star Tribune, reported that Minnesota GreenStar and the Builders Association of the Twin Cities parted ways.

Full story here: http://www.startribune.com/business/110890504.html?page=1&c=y

If you need builder continuing education credits we have the answer for you. Come to the BAM At Last Builders Symposium happening December 15, 2010 at Edinburgh USA, Brooklyn Park. Registration is now open!

Every year in December BAM hosts the Builders Symposium providing 7-hours of builder credit with energy at a great rate: $100 for member, $125 for non-member. The registration deadline is November 30th, 2010 so reserve your spot and sign up today.

Member Registration (click on “Events” after you log in) Non-member Registration

The Builders Association of Minnesota's 2011 Minnesota Builders Convention is happening January 28-30, 2011 and you're invited. Registration now open. The Convention is in it's fourth year and is the place to be: learn new ideas for your business, have a great time and win a statewide award. Award applications must be in by November 19th.

New this year BAM is offering a full day of NAHB leadership training and reduced prices with more registration options. If you’re in the building industry in Minnesota, it’s time to roll; plan now and get registered for the Minnesota Builders Convention 2011 in the Twin Cities.

February 1, 2010: “Builder Rebate Program Helps Owners Weatherize Homes”

December 21, 2009: “Minnesota Builders Breed Success in State Home Weatherization Effort”

During Minnesota’s 2010 legislative session BAM was able to pass the Home Warranty Task Force consensus bill (SF 2832 / HF 3386) which was signed into law May 13th. BAM also passed a builder continuing education bill streamlining the requirements and adding the ability to take classes online HF3360 (Nelson) / SF 2944 (Tomassoni), which was signed into law April 22nd.

BAM was given a top award from the Midwest Society of Association Executives (MSAE) at their annual meeting for the work done on Project ReEnergize made possible by the MN Department of Commerce, Office of Energy Security.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency pushed back the deadline for the Lead Renovation, Repair & Painting Rule training required for any contractor to work in homes built prior to 1978. The rule went into effect April 22, but now contractors have until October 1st to file for firm certification, until September 30 for workers to register and until December 31 to take the required training course. Contractors will still be required to use lead-safe work practices during this time.