Congratulations to the most recent graduates of the North Carolina Builder Institute.  Since October, the educational arm of the North Carolina Home Builders Association has recognized 16 graduates with designations that set them apart from others in the industry.

Bill Boulia
Accredited Master Builder graduate
Bill Boulia Enterprise Inc.
Newport, N.C.

Bill Boulia has owned and operated Bill Boulia Enterprise, Inc. since May 1987. He is an unlimited general contractor and specializes in residential and commercial construction. He built Boulia Enterprise Inc. from the ground up by maintaining a strong work ethic, attention to detail, accessibility to his customers, quality of workmanship and a desire to give back to his community.

Bill is an active member of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), Carteret County Home Builders Association (CCHBA), Economical Development Council of Carteret County, Carteret County Association of Realtors, Craven County Association of Realtors and the Carteret County Chamber of Commerce.
In addition to his contracting company, Bill owns and operates Boulia Enterprise Real Estate and Development, Inc. He is educated and active with recent wetland issues and is very interested in learning more about green building techniques.

Maynard (Mark) Coats
Accredited Master Builder graduate
Lighthouse Custom Homes
Clayton, N.C.

Mark Coats began his construction career in 1991 and has been President of Lighthouse Custom Homes, Inc. in Clayton since 2000. He is passionate about building a home that his clients will love for many years.
Coats is a member of both the Johnston County Home Builders Association and the Wilson County Home Builders Association. He was twice named Builder of the Year, has won multiple Gold Parade of Homes awards.

Richard Coley
Accredited Master Builder graduate
Hickory Nut Construction Inc.
Lake Lure, N.C.

Richard Coley, a graduate of Princeton University with a civil engineering degree, began his career in the real estate appraisal industry where he gathered extensive experience in market studies and income analysis. He then went on to become a general contractor with an unlimited license, building many homes across Western North Carolina.

Rick is currently the president of Hickory Nut Construction Inc., a construction and development company. He’s also delved into the commercial sector by working on projects related to residential construction such as clubhouses, model homes, gates and other neighborhood amenities.

After more than 25 years in the construction industry and a resident of Rutherford County since 1988, Rick has forged strong relationships with local and regional agencies involved in construction development across Western North Carolina. He previously served as president of the Hickory Nut Gorge Chamber of Commerce.

Kathy Craven-Snodgrass
Accredited Associate graduate
Piedmont Natural Gas
Winston-Salem, N.C.

Kathy Craven-Snodgrass is a residential sales representative for Piedmont Natural Gas in Winston-Salem, where she has worked for more than 20 years.  Craven-Snodgrass is an active HBA member on the local, state and national level, having won the NAHB Associate of the Year award in 2006. She was inducted into the Associate Hall of Fame in 2000. Kathy also has achieved the NAHB Certified Graduate Associate designation.

Joseph Dellinger
Accredited Builder graduate
LC Dellinger Building
Stanley, N.C.

Joseph Dellinger is a third-generation custom builder and works with his father, Linden Conway Dellinger, at LC Dellinger Building. The business recently celebrated its 50th year in business. In addition to being an Accredited Master Builder graduate, Joseph has his certified green professional designation that he earned through the Builder Institute.

George Gilleland
Accredited Master Builder graduate
Gilleland Builders Inc.
Blowign Rock, N.C.

George Gilleland has been an active member of the home building industry for more than 40 years, first receiving his North Carolina general contractor license to do business as Gilleland Builder’s Inc. in 1991. He is an active member of the High Country Home Builders Association, serving as a board member and president in 2008.  He holds several professional designations, including Certified New Homes Sales Professional and Certified Green Professional. Gilleland is a representative for The Hardwood Company, a specialized building supply company with the main office located in Granite Falls, N,C., where he is a  territory sales representative in Watauga and Avery counties with a showroom in Boone.

Eric Hausfeld
Accredited Master Builder graduate

Patrick Mann
Accredited Master Builder graduate
Action Services Construction Inc.
Atlantic Beach, N.C.

Patrick Mann is a licensed general contractor specializing in remodeling.  His firm, Action Services Construction Inc., has served the Crystal Coast in residential and commercial construction for more than 25 years.  Mann is active in NCHBA, currently serving as Region I Vice President. He has also served as Chair for the Vocational Education, Building Codes and Regulatory Affairs committees.  Carteret County HBA has twice named Mann Builder of the Year.  He also has served as a Director and Building Chairman for the Crystal Coast Habitat for Humanity. 

Eugene Martin
Accredited Builder graduate
Wave Development LLC
Southern Shores, N.C.

Gene Martin founded Wave Development LLC in 2005 in Southern Shores, N.C. The company has quickly become one of the Outer Bank’s most widely recognized and highly regarded custom home builders and general contractors. As a third generation builder, Gene has more than 25 years of hands-on experience and virtually grew up building homes with his father and grandfather. Martin is a member of the Outer Banks Home Builders Association and the Remodel Council of OBHBA.

Frank McLawhorn
Accredited Master Builder graduate
Frank McLawhorn Construction Co.
Ayden, N.C.

Frank McLawhorn has been in the construction industry for more than 20 years. His company, Frank McLawhorn Construction Co., specializes in custom homes and provides remodeling services. McLawhorn has been involved with the Greenville-Pitt County Home Builders Association for more than 15 years, serving as the President in 2003. He is also a member of the NAHB Builders 20 Club, a prestigious club that meets regularly to network and share ideas about the home building industry.

Robert M. Mihaljevic
Accredited Master Builder graduate
Mihaljevic Construction
Charlotte, N.C.

Robert Mihaljevic is a custom home builder in the Charlotte area, helping families make their house a home. Mihaljevic is a member of the Charlotte HBA.

Terry Patoka
Accredited Master Builder graduate
Direct Builders LLC
Denver, N.C.

Terry Patoka started his career as a building professional in 1989 right out of college as a sales person in Wisconsin.  In 1996 he moved to the Charlotte area as general manager of the largest modular sales center in the country. He purchased the sales center in January 2006, renaming it Direct Builders, while expanding into the stick-built side of the industry.

Forrest Seal
Accredited Builder graduate
Forrest Seal LLC
Kitty Hawk, N.C.

Ron Smith
Accredited Master Builder graduate
RWS General Builders
Fayetteville, N.C.

Chad Vanne
Accredited Builder graduate
Stillwater Construction Inc.
Hendersonville, N.C.

Chad Vanne has 13 years of construction experience working as a carpenter, construction superintendent and eventually owning and managing Stillwater Construction Inc. After graduating with a BA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1995, Vanne began building homes as an Americorps volunteer for a non-profit housing agency. Since that first year of volunteer service, he has built both affordable and multi-million dollar homes.

Stillwater Construction Inc. is a custom construction company dedicated to the practices of energy resource efficiency when building or renovating residential and commercial projects. Stillwater is experienced in a wide variety of construction methods and techniques used to achieve the same result: a well-designed, high qaulity, fair priced creation that reflects the clients’ personality.

Are you interested in enhancing your professionalism and earning accreditation in your industry?  Plan to attend the Fall 2009 NCBI session scheduled for September 16-18 in conjunction with the 21st Century Building Expo & Conference.  www.21buildingexpo.com