Passions and Priorities for the Year
This article first appeared in the March/April 2025 issue of Pro Builder.
Each year at the International Builders’ Show (IBS), delegate members of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) elect a new leader. In February 2025, after three years of serving as a senior officer of the association, I was honored to accept the office of NAHB chairman. My name is Buddy Hughes, and I'd like to introduce myself to you and share my passions and priorities for residential construction over the coming year.
Like many of you, I got my start in home building on the general contractor side of the business, opening Hughes Construction—a building and development firm out of Lexington, N.C.—in 1984. For more than 40 years, I have been passionate about building, training, and elevating the industry.
A particular building niche that I have a strong passion for is insulated concrete forms. Since the 1990s, I’ve trained hundreds of builders to install poured insulated concrete walls for all types of construction. Today, I continue to serve as a product specialist and consultant to the residential and commercial construction industry for both large and small projects.
NAHB has served as a home away from home and a second family for me for decades. I’ve served at all levels of the federation, and I truly believe in the power of connection. Every meeting I’ve attended, every committee I’ve served on, I have seen value return tenfold in my business and in my community.
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Building homes, enriching communities, and changing lives is not just the mission statement of our association, it has also guided my dedication to this industry throughout my life. I have seen the ways policies and legislation passed at all levels of government have real impacts on families, which is why I am so excited to take on the challenges and opportunities of the year ahead.
Challenges and Opportunities
Looking first at the challenges, newly imposed tariffs, and the potential for much broader tariffs down the road, are a concern. The threat of possibly more than 50% tariffs on lumber by this fall has softened expectations for the residential construction market. Questions of insurance availability and attainability also concern markets.
Looking at opportunities, NAHB is very pleased with the new administration’s emphasis on deregulation. When new Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner addressed NAHB’s Leadership Council during IBS in Las Vegas, he noted the importance of regulatory reform. Turner said HUD would be taking inventory and terminating all cumbersome regulations that make it harder for individuals and families to realize the American dream of homeownership.
NAHB’s connection with public officials is a key component of the association’s value to members and to our success in supporting the strength of the home building industry. The association has an advocacy-focused legal team, a strong group of lobbyists, and issue experts on staff who work to educate and inform public officials on behalf of our members. That work shapes the many rules and regulations that affect our industry. And each year we build on these connections through our political action committee, BUILD-PAC, which seeks to elect more pro-housing, pro-business representatives to Congress.
I’d like to invite you to get involved. If you're not already a member of NAHB, you can easily join today and become part of the effort to support the American dream of homeownership. If you are already a member, I encourage you to find new ways to get involved. One avenue to engagement is through registering to attend NAHB’s annual legislative conference, which is our day on Capitol Hill to advocate for our industry and will be held during the NAHB Spring Leadership Meetings on June 11. I also urge you to connect with other members in your area at PAC events, or to join one of the many committees and councils that make up the national association. There's something for everyone at NAHB. Find out more at nahb.org.
I’m excited for the year ahead. Thank you for joining me on this journey.