This year I’m serving as Associate Vice President of the Wisconsin Builders Association (WBA). Part of that role is visiting local builders associations around the state. I meet their leaders, bring them news from the state level, and listen.
The listening is the best part. Every local works on the same challenges we face up north: growing the next generation of tradespeople, housing the people who work in our communities, and keeping members engaged. Each one solves them a little differently. The WBA puts us in the same room so we can learn from each other.
This fall I visited Door County and La Crosse. Here’s what I brought home.
Door County: A Small Room With Big Conversation
In September I attended the Door County Home Builders Association’s general member meeting in Sturgeon Bay. They were named Local Association of the Year in 2025, and it showed.
They recommended a lodge right on the water, and it was perfect. I walked into town, wandered the shops, and picked up the Door County essentials: cheese, wine, and cherry pie filling. Mostly, I just enjoyed being outside. It was a hot week, and walking at night while it’s still warm outside is one of my favorite things.
The meeting was a small group, and that’s what made it great. I met their president and past president, and we talked openly about the challenges every local faces. The WBA team prepped me with notes so I could bring updates from the state level. I left with just as many notes.
Some of those notes were about housing. The President and CEO of Door County’s Workforce Housing Lending Corporation attended the meeting. It’s a nonprofit run jointly by the Door County Community Foundation and NeighborWorks Green Bay, and it makes below-market loans to developers building workforce rental housing. The fund was built with dollars from WHEDA, the county, and the community foundation. This year it closed its first loan: eight apartments above an existing business in downtown Sturgeon Bay.
He brought along a Fellow placed in Door County through a WEDC pilot program. The program helps rural counties work through exactly this kind of funding.
I passed all of it on to friends on the Oneida County Economic Development team who are working on housing right here. A conversation in Sturgeon Bay can end up helping Rhinelander.
La Crosse: Tools for Schools
In October I drove to La Crosse for the La Crosse Area Builders Association’s Tools for Schools banquet. The program connects local builders directly with high school trades programs. Since 2001, the association has given more than $163,000 in tools to area schools.
This year, 33 schools received new equipment. The room was lined with ladders and stacks of toolboxes, each tagged with a school’s name. The program is funded by the association’s own events.
I sat with two teachers from Luther High School. Both worked in the field for about a decade before they felt called by God to teach. Their program asked for specific tools: a Milwaukee M18 die grinder and a Milwaukee Forge starter kit. That’s exactly what they received. The association buys the tools through Blain’s Farm & Fleet, which gives them a better deal so every dollar goes further.
Closer to Home: The HBA B.O.S.S. Grant
Here at home, the Headwaters Builders Association supports students who are ready to go straight into the trades after graduation.
Our B.O.S.S. grant awards $1,000 to students starting careers in construction, engineering, and related fields. The student must be employed by an HBA member, and the grant is paid jointly to the student and their employer.
We’ve seen it work firsthand. RVI’s very own Blake received the B.O.S.S. grant this May and used it toward tools for his career.
Builders, if you’re hiring a recent graduate this year, make sure they know about it. You can find the application on the HBA website.
Come See for Yourself
Sam serves on the HBA Board of Directors, and I’ve been involved at the state level for years. We do it because strong partnerships are what RVI is built on.
If you’re a builder or trade partner in the Northwoods and you’re not an HBA member yet, I’d love for this to be the year you join. Your HBA membership automatically includes WBA and NAHB, so you’re connected to builders across the state and the country from day one.
If you’re already a member, the best thing you can do is show up. Our general member meetings are where we network, trade ideas, and stay on top of what’s happening in our industry.
Two upcoming events:
- WBA Trends in Housing Conference, November 12. I’ll be attending.
- HBA Christmas Party and Casino Night, Friday, December 4, at Eagle Waters Resort.
I’m grateful for this season of serving, for the people I get to meet, and for an industry full of people who want to leave it better than they found it.
See you on December 4th.
Ashly Hartmann
Co-owner, R-Value Insulators
Associate Vice President, Wisconsin Builders Association
