The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) elected four senior officers to top leadership positions within the federation during the association's International Builders' Show in Las Vegas last week.

Greg Ugalde, NAHB 2019 Chairman.
Greg Ugalde, NAHB 2019 Chairman.

NAHB's Chairman of the Board this year is Greg Ugalde, a Connecticut builder and developer with extensive experience in the home building industry. Ugalde is president and chief legal officer of Torrington-based T&M Building Co., Inc., one of the state's largest home builders. Since its founding in 1962, T&M has built more than 4,000 new homes in over 45 Connecticut communities for trade-up and first-time buyers. He is also the founder and owner of GFU Investments, LLC, a builder/developer minority-owned business that focuses on urban development and workforce housing.

"A top priority this year will be to address ongoing housing affordability concerns," said Ugalde. "On average, government regulation accounts for nearly 25 percent of the price of building a single-family home and more than 30 percent of the cost of a typical multifamily development. We will urge federal policymakers to take appropriate actions to ease regulatory burdens in order to put families in homes, create jobs and move the economy forward. We will also call on Congress to advance comprehensive housing finance reform and to adopt sensible workforce development and immigration policy that will help our industry fill open jobs."

Dean Mon, a New Jersey-based builder and developer with more than 30 years of experience in the home building industry, was elected First Vice Chairman of the Board. Mon is president of the D.R. Mon Group, Inc., which specializes in the development and construction of green urban living projects throughout New Jersey. Since 1985, the company has created communities in Morris, Hunterdon, Union, Hudson and Monmouth Counties.

John "Chuck" Fowke, a Tampa, Fla-based custom home builder with 40 years of experience in the home building industry, was elected as Second Vice Chairman of the Board. Fowke is founder and president of Homes by John C. Fowke, Inc. His company has built hundreds of luxury homes throughout the Tampa Bay area.

Jerry Konter beccomes Third Vice Chairman of the Board. A Savannah, Ga.-based home builder with 40 years of experience in the home building industry, Konter founded Konter Quality Homes in 1977. His company is one of the largest home building firms in Savannah and has established 17 communities and built more than 2,000 homes throughout the local metro area.

2018 NAHB Chairman Randy Noel, from LaPlace, La., slides to Immediate Past Chairman. Noel is president of Reve Inc., a custom home building firm that has developed more than 1,000 custom homes in the greater New Orleans area.