It’s time to check the webpages!  Remember to keep news relevant and up-to-date. Post those events and member spotlights. 

The Communications Chair is responsible for maintaining your chapter’s webpages. Upcoming chapter meeting notices, local news, pictures and local sponsors all contribute to robust web pages. And, don’t forget to repost articles from the National Newsfeed to remind members of events and some great topics. 

Additionally, your chapter officers’ email addresses on the “About Us” page should be populated by you. Many chapters are using generic email addresses and we are now allowing you to populate this area. If you need any assistance navigating your web pages, contact us at chapters@nkba.org.

It’s great to see many chapters moving the meetings outside! Ball games, yard games, architecture tours (in and out), barbecues and cruises.  Keep the great ideas flowing!

Here are some thoughts about membership retention and growth.

At your next council meeting:

• Review the Membership Growth plan outlined in Strategic Plan
• Discuss if it is achievable and how is the chapter progressing.

Some additional ideas: 

• Celebrate and appreciate your membership, welcome them back as in-person meetings are a reality again.
• Task your members or council to tell at least 5 professionals about the NKBA, have them document! (Perhaps a reward can be arranged)
• Give your local NKBA events exposure via your webpages and/or social media sites. This can be priceless to members.
• Keep members excited about their membership – we recommend sharing this at a meeting or on a post:  NKBA Video 
• Survey your members, ask them what kind of experiences they would like to be part of in the chapter. 

More meeting Ideas: 

• Recycle Ideas!  If it brought engagement in the past, bring it back!
• Think outside the box (or screen) for something more ideal. Mix up the topics and speakers. Turn learning into a game (everyone loves trivia!). Have year-long competitions and track points. At the end of the year, the member with the most points wins a prize. 
• Engage your hosts — they’re members, too, and they might have some great ideas!
• For all the Programs Chairs – check out this article on improving meeting attendance. Click here for some helpful tips.

The Chapter Resources page contains information on all chapter programs and provides links to many of the forms used by each officer position. It can be accessed by using your personal ID# to log in to the NKBA website. Click here (or at Find a Chapter/Chapter Officer Resources).

The Chapters team is also a resource to all chapter officers. If you need assistance with understanding your role or responsibilities, please contact us at chapters@nkba.org.

Help us increase the number of collaborators. There are already connections being made. – Join the Slack channel today. Click here.

CEU Reminder! We’ve extended the current CEU cycle that ended June 30, 2022. All NKBA-certified members are required to have 20 CEU hours approved no later than August 31, 2022.If you miss a CEU program due to budget or travel constraints, the NKBA Free Webinar Series is a great way to expand your industry knowledge and collect CEUs! Click here to register.

As a reminder, NKBA Chapter Meetings and events, vendor training and NKBA CEU Provider Programs count toward CEUs. Log onto nkba.org using your computer or smartphone to check your CEU total and submit your CEUs today.  Also, chapter officers can self-report .3 CEUs per year for your leadership as an officer. Click here for more information in the CEU Handbook.

Congratulations to our newest Certified Kitchen and Bath Designers!  

Caleb Mire, CKBD
LA/MS/AR, Mireworks, LLC

Samantha Redman, CKBD
Virginia State, Lightpoint Designs

Heath Fesenmeyer, CKBD
Rocky Mountain, Don’s Custom Cabinets, Inc

Annie Martin, CKBD
Rocky Mountain, Andrea Schumacher Interiors

Emily Culley, CKBD
Eastern Carolinas, Kitchen & Bath Galleries Of North Hills

Nicole Lynch, CKBD
Carolina, DesignLoft

Complete Your NKBA Specialty Badge! Have you started the process to earn an NKBA Specialty Badge but have yet to take the test? We’d like to encourage those of you to take the online exam and earn your badge today! If you’re ready to proceed to the exam, please fill out the NKBA Badge Exam Form. 

The Specialty Badge flyer and informational webinar is available to all Chapters. If you have any questions or need assistance, please email badge@nkba.org or call our Member Relations team at (800) 843-6522.

Congratulations to our newest NKBA Specialty Badge earners! 

Meagan Davison, Remodeling
Ohio State, Cabinet-S-Top, Inc.

Willesa Cummins, Remodeling
Ohio State, Cabinet-S-Top, Inc.

Stephanie Samuel, Lighting, Universal Design, Floor Plans & Specifications
Central New York, S. Michele Design Studio

Andy Tarlton-Hernandez, Remodeling
Georgia, Distinctive Remodeling Solutions, Inc

Stephanie Ferguson, Remodeling
Eastern Carolinas, Distinctive Remodeling Solutions, Inc

Michelle Bonds, Remodeling
Georgia, Distinctive Remodeling Solutions, Inc

Karen Harris, Remodeling
Ohio State, Cabinet-S-Top, Inc.

Katelyn Shaffer, Sales & Marketing
Indiana, Great Kitchens & Baths By United Home Supply Inc

Simone Angelique Murillo, Sales & Marketing
Maine, Kohler Company

Lindsey Andres, Cabinetry
West Michigan, Direct Supply Inc

Alissa McCullough, Color
Palouse, Gargoyle Granite

Hanna Piarfilava, Remodeling
Northern New England, IHS Building & Remodeling

Leah Morgan, Floor Plans & Specifications
Chicago MidWest, JD Custom Cabinets, LLC

Colin Ackerman, Remodeling
Columbia River, Neil Kelly Company

Taylor Ferrell, Remodeling
Central Coast and Valleys, Kepler Design Group

Aiden Hooper, Color
Prairie Provinces, Peto Woodwork

The NKBA Design Webinar Program will feature Cabinetry + Remodeling webinars in August. Each webinar will have a different focus with include content on the following: designing, selling and installation of cabinets; illumination and cabinet combinations; European design;  and convertible spaces for hybrid lifestyles.

You must attend 80% of the “live” webinar session to earn .1 CEU per webinar. All webinars in August  are generously sponsored by Fenix. Click here to learn more about our sponsor.

NKBA currently has 26 national volunteers who give their time and energy to the committees that assist in running our Association. These committees include the Board of Directions, Chapter Leadership Committee, Leadership Recruitment Committee, and KBIS Exhibitor Committee. Seeking to elevate and spotlight these volunteers, NKBA is running 5 questions with blog posts to highlight their dedication to NKBA and the industry. This month we launched this initiative and plan on showcasing one volunteer a week through the National Elections cycle, which opens September 1st and closes September 30th. To see the July posts click the below links! 

Board Member Ken Williams

Leadership Recruitment Committee Member Katie Brockman 

KBIS Exhibitor Committee Member Amy Switzer

Chapter Leadership Committee Member Sandee Mann

For more than 30 years, NKBA’s Kitchen & Bath Hall of Fame has honored individuals who not only embody the spirit of our dynamic industry, but also contribute to its growth. Each year, NKBA asks its members to nominate someone they believe has made a significant difference in our industry. If you know someone who fits the criteria, please consider submitting them for consideration! NKBA’s Kitchen and Bath Hall of Fame nominations open August 15th, and as a member of the Association, you have the distinct honor to submit a nominee. Before submitting a nominee for consideration, please read the criteria carefully to ensure your nominee meets the Hall of Fame standards.

Please note: SELF-NOMINATIONS are NOT ACCEPTED and will not be considered.

NKBA recently released its Market Outlook midyear update report that includes its final industry forecast for 2022. The report provides a thorough assessment of the U.S. residential kitchen & bath industry, including a gauge of current market size and full year projections.  Various economic, housing and other industry sources were combined to arrive at the results. Among the highlights:

Resilient Revenues – Full year revenues are expected to reach $189 billion, 16 percent higher than last year following a 19 percent gain the previous year.

New Construction Strength – Driven by a record number of new homes currently being built, new construction is expected to grow by 21 percent over last year, unchanged from the initial forecast.

Larger Projects Gaining Momentum – While mid-range projects are expected to register the biggest gain over last year at +20 percent, growth for both that group and lower-end have been revised downward since the initial release, while larger projects, initially forecast to grow by 10.5 percent, are now expected to climb by 15 percent.

Numerous Remodel Drivers – With nearly 3 in 4 homeowners locked in to mortgages below 4 percent, it’s more effective to remodel than to move. That, along with record-high homeowner equity per household and a high number of homes at prime ages for remodeling should bode well for the remainder of 2022.

The report provides further detail on these items and more. Click here to read it in its entirety. Access to all our reports are included in the cost of NKBA membership. Cost for non-members is $1995. 

As NKBA continues with its NextUp initiatives, we wanted to provide the chapters with some resources.  The below article was on the NKBA blog and newsletter and lets members know what is being worked on regarding skilled labor.  There is also a template at the end of the article that members can use to send to their legislators.  

NKBA + You = Addressing the Skilled Labor Shortage in the Kitchen & Bath Industry 

A new one-sheeter is also available for chapters to send to their local schools, use at home shows or other events promoting jobs in the skilled trades as well as the NKBA NextUp program.  Click here.

There’s still time to submit for the Thirty Under 30 program! Nominate a rockstar today! Our Thirty Under 30 Program is designed to celebrate the future talent of the industry. You can nominate a colleague or enter directly with a few easy steps. Complete the nomination or application form below by Monday, August 1, 2022. Click here for more information.

Exciting addition to your member profile! Login to NKBA.org to retrieve your individual member number. If you are a company owner, your company member number will be under your Organization’s Profile. While you are in your member profile, it’s a great time to add photos, your bio, social media links and more. The Member Relations team has a one-page instruction document available for distribution. Please reach out to us at info@nkba.org, and we will send you a copy of the instructions.

We recommend that all NKBA chapter officers take some time to update their member profiles. As mentioned above, the NKBA member relations team can share a one page instructional document that we can share with you to assist in populating your company and personal member profiles. You can also schedule some time with one of our member relations’ professionals to walk through the process.  

The Member Relations team is here to assist you with updating your Chapter websites. If you need assistance adding or modifying an event, picture, sponsor etc… please do not hesitate to email us at info@nkba.org or pick up the phone and call us at 800-843-6522. We are always glad to lend a hand. 

NKBA offers free membership for all higher education students studying in the design and construction fields as well as discounted membership to all recent graduates. For more information, please email info@nkba.org or call our team at (800) 843-6522.

The NKBA is constantly encouraging students and young adults to consider a career in the Kitchen and Bath industry. This is due in part to the overwhelming Skilled Labor shortage that the industry is facing today. We developed a flyer promoting our NextUp program, and it is available to all of our chapters. Please help us promote this great initiative with all of your chapter members. If you need a copy of the flyer, please contact the Member Relations team. 

Please encourage your members to send any roster, employment, company name changes, etc. to info@nkba.org and the Member Relations Team will be happy to help!

Member Companies should take advantage of another wonderful NKBA member benefit,  posting job openings on NKBA.org job portal! This benefit is available to all active members, and is a complimentary service.  Reach out to us for details, (800) 843-6522 or info@nkba.org.