A Stronger Association for Members in 2010
These remarks are highlights from the speech given by Zenios Michael Zenios at the BIA Inaugural on December 4, 2009.
I am very excited and honored to serve as your 2010 BIA President. I want to take a moment to thank Gary Libertini, our 2009 President, for all his efforts in navigating our association through some tough times. Leading the organization in a down market was a challenge, and it was with Gary’s guidance and leadership that we managed to do so.
I was born and raised on Cyprus, a Greek island in the Mediterranean which is about the size of the state of Delaware and has a population of approximately 800,000.
For those of you who are wondering why my first and last names are the same, you can blame it on island tradition. It is customary for parents to name their children after their own parents and to use the father’s first name for the child’s middle name. If you are following island tradition and you happen to be the first born, you hit the jackpot!
I was born and raised in homebuilding. My father is still an active builder who infected my sisters, my brothers-in-law and me with the homebuilding bug. Spending quality time with my dad meant visiting jobsites or talking about
development opportunities.
I served in the military for two years after graduating from high school. Military service is mandatory on the island. During my service, I had the opportunity to train in the special forces which is an experience that will always stay with me.
After spending a couple years at a local college, I transferred to Ohio State in August 1994. I received my bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. It was during my first few months in Columbus that I met my wife, Matina. Back
then, I couldn’t wait to graduate and return home to Cyprus. However, Matina changed things for me – in a good way!
After graduation, I was determined to start a career in homebuilding. There I was with a name that looked like someone copied and pasted it twice and a civil engineering degree, applying for anything under the sun in the homebuilding industry. Needless to say, the phone wasn’t ringing. Through some networking and encouragement from my father-in-law, I finally managed to land a position with Trinity Homes as an assistant super.
In 1998, Matina and I started our masters program in business administration at Franklin University. To help pay for tuition, I decided to build a couple homes. In late 1998, I built my first home in Tanglebrook in Grove City.
A couple years later, I was introduced to Tony Dantuono with Metropolitan Bank. He helped me better position my company in southern Delaware County. 3 Pillar Homes is a semi-custom and custom homebuilding company, delivering 15-20 homes a year from the low $300’s to over a million, primarily in the Olentangy and Dublin school districts.
In 2001, Matina and I finally got married. We have two boys – Michael, 6, and Christos, 4. As most of you can relate, life is pretty busy between soccer, swimming and occasional time outs.
Matina is involved in her family business, Artina Promotional Products, a BIA member. Artina has been in business for 43 years. Matina is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the company as well as sales management.
A few years ago, BIA Past President Howard Schottenstein offered me an appointment on the Board of Trustees. I was excited to play an active role in our association, although I had no idea what it would take or what exactly the BIA stood for. The more I learned about the BIA, the more involved I became. Our association represents our members’ interests, fights legislative battles, educates, lobbies and helps us network.
As your 2010 President, I am well aware of the challenges that our members are facing. We are hopeful that, from a market perspective, we have bottomed out and that the market will gradually improve over time. As an association, we are faced with similar challenges. It is my goal to focus on the core items that make the BIA effective including:
Membership: One of our biggest sources of income and value are our members. We recruited 50 new members during the Buckeye Blitz Membership Drive in November 2009. Our goal now is to retain our members by providing more value and more reasons to become involved in the association.
Parade of Homes: In challenging economic times, we need to secure a successful Parade. The 2010 Parade will be held at Ackerly Park in New Albany from July 10-25. We are very excited to work with the Village of New Albany and The New Albany Company. It is my intent to form a Parade Committee to help oversee the successful execution of this year’s Parade.
Legislative/Lobbying: I am very excited that we have several Board members already active on the BIA Developers Council. My goal is to provide Jim Hilz and Malcolm Porter with all the support they need to lobby on our members’ behalf.
Registered Builder Program: In 2009, I got the nod from the Board to explore ways to raise the bar for the Registered Builder Program. A tiered program offering opportunities for further education and recognition will be beneficial for our members and the public.
Education: We will continue to offer quality seminars, providing an education program that is meaningful and beneficial to our members.
Scattered Site New Home Parade: The goal is to showcase more builders with a scattered site show. This concept is not new to the BIA and, given the market condition, will provide our members with more marketing opportunities.
Although some of these initiatives will require time and effort beyond my presidency, it is my intent to work diligently along with the Board of Trustees to pave the way for a stronger association.
I am excited to be your president. I am excited to have a strong Board to help us achieve the goals that we set here today. I am excited to have Jim Hilz and the BIA staff help deliver the vision we are putting into place.