Seize The Day

By Ted McIntyre

Refocused and bolstered by staff additions and new technology, OHBA is poised for great things

 It was an unusually warm early December stretch in 2023, with temperatures in Toronto topping out at 13C—bonus times for construction crews. But beyond the weather, there wasn’t much good to talk about within the Ontario Home Builders’ Association circle. In midst of an exhaustive search to replace their CEO, there were just three full-time staff holding down the fort at the North York office. The housing industry had seen better days and OHBA was nursing a strained relationship with their largest member, BILD.

Scott Andison wasn’t entirely oblivious to the situation when a morning email from the association’s headhunter was followed by a 2 p.m. phone call: “Would you like to be our chief executive officer?”

 “I’d previously been CEO of the Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario and had worked on some common policy files with a former CEO at OHBA, Joe Vaccaro, and we were in the same building at the same time,” Andison relates. “I wasn’t sure if I was ready to make a move like this, but the headhunter was quite convincing and said, ‘Just come have a conversation. I think you’ll like what you hear.’”

Andison extensively researched the association to prepare for his interview with OHBA’s search committee. He knew this wasn’t the optimal economic and political environment for new residential construction.

“I’m surprised he didn’t run based on where the organization was at,” laughs OHBA COO Sajida Jiwani. 

To the contrary, Andison walked straight into the flames, fire extinguisher in hand. 

“I like going in and refocusing things, problem-solving and growing new brands for organizations,” Andison says. “And I liked what I heard in that initial interview. They were looking to go in a new direction, which really appealed to me. This is my fifth association role, but I have never seen this type of energy and passion in a group of leaders.”

Although not privy to the inner details, Andison arrived at the first meeting with a plan of attack.

“We spent a whole day interviewing three candidates, but Scott was the clear choice,” shares OHBA Chair Mike Memme. “He had put together a business plan for the association, not knowing who all the players were and the challenges we were working through. Despite all that, it was a plan that could have been executed immediately. It proved to be a great reflection of what we would see within the first 30 days after we hired Scott. He offers a unique value proposition in that he’s probably one of the most operationally strong leaders OHBA has ever had, but he’s also quite happy to get involved in advocacy. He’s good at getting into the weeds, but at the same time he is driving all over the province to talk to people.”

Jiwani missed the original interview with Andison due to Covid but had a one-on-one soon afterward. “We had scheduled a one-hour meet-and-greet but sat there for two hours talking about everything except OHBA,” Jiwani says. “The conversation was so easy.” 

The transition has been just as seamless. “Scott is the fifth CEO I’ve worked with,” Jiwani notes. “He has incredible leadership qualities and an open-door policy. It’s a partnership, as opposed to him throwing down the hammer. He understands the government relations part very well, but that members and chapters also needed to run this organization.”

Step one was getting everyone on the same page. “There was a misalignment within the industry on priorities and direction,” Andison says. 

“The board of directors developed a strategic plan in 2022 that takes us through 2026, but between Covid, replacing our CEO and other challenges, we hadn’t been able to incorporate it into a business plan. But now we have a road map,” says Jiwani. “And people are really impressed with the business plan and all our consultations. If you look at where we were a year ago—comparing the 2023 Annual Conference to the 2024 Conference—it’s a big step up. People are reinvigorated.”

New Hires

Much of that enthusiasm has been fuelled by OHBA’s bolstered ranks. For several months, staff had been whittled down to two full-time employees—Emma Maynard on the events and communications side and Jiwani—before they were joined in the fall of 2023 by Senior Manager of Stakeholder Liaison & Technical Services Miyoko Oikawa. Oikawa, most recently the manager of research and innovation at Doug Tarry Homes and an energy analyst at Building Energy Matters, plugged a critical hole for the association, which had lacked a building code expert for years. 

After Andison’s arrival, the remaining puzzle pieces were quickly fitted into place. OHBA’s full-time staff now stands at 11, one of those being Paul Newman, OHBA’s first-ever employee dedicated to the renovator side of the membership.

“I’ve sat in on some of the renovator council meetings, and the energy has been amazing,” says Andison, who heard of the need for more representation in that realm from day one. “At our Queen’s Park Day, the week before I officially started, Steve Barkhouse, then the chair of OHBA’s Renovators Council, found me in the security line to get into the legislature and started pitching me on the need for more staff support on the renovator side. I now have renovator members at different chapters asking how they can get more involved. Now we can forward them on to new Renovators Council Chair Peter Di Scola and Paul (Newman). This is where our biggest growth potential lies.”

How will OHBA finance all these new hires? “We have a plan that will deliver us there,” Andison assures. “It is part of the multi-year investment the organization is making to improve and expand our capacity. There was never any question that we needed to expand our resources across the board to match both our economic clout within the industry and our impact on building a better future.”

Office Space

More people meant a need for more workspace. And so, after 26 years at its previous 2,400 sq. ft. headquarters at 20 Upjohn Road in North York, OHBA settled into its 6,000 sq. ft. new digs at 251 Consumers Road in September. It was just a 10-minute drive away, but in many respects, a world apart.

“With the staff increase, we had outgrown the other office,” Andison says. “But it was also representative of our change in direction. It was a physical rebrand of a new team, a new way of doing business and a new commitment. When you talk to the team, they’re feeling a sense of energy and optimism. It feels like a brand-new start.”

“Since we moved in, the mood of the longstanding employees has completely changed,” says Jiwani. “The space is beautiful—crisp and well-lit. People have stand-up desks, and there’s a lounge area if you want to work downstairs—the facility provides a great work-life balance. But it’s not just the new offices; it’s the entire working environment, with each staff member being able to hone their leadership qualities.”

As of January 2, staff have been required in-office a common three days of the week, with the other two workdays allocated as optional work-at-home days and with Friday positioned as a “no meetings, work-focus” day. 

New Website

The next box to check was OHBA’s website. “The old website was tired and out of date. It needed a refresh to reflect our approach to more modern solutions going forward,” says Andison. “We’d been putting Band-Aids on the existing website for years because there’d never been a business plan to approve a new one,” adds Jiwani.  

Designed by Rees + Stager, whose portfolio varies from EnerQuality and Building Knowledge Canada to Niagara’s Finest Hotels and Ontario Beef, the new site is currently undergoing extensive beta testing and is expected to launch in the spring. When released, access to member services will require log-in so that not all website information is available to the public.

Beyond the major facelift, a more user-friendly design and improvements to elements such as the search function, it will serve as a vital information hub for OHBA. A big part of that is the addition of iMIS to the site—“the most recognized association management software (AMS),” according to Andison. 

“The organization has never had an AMS before,” Jiwani explains. “We’ve been using our online database to collect and send things to the members. It has always been an organizational challenge with the local chapters since we have often not received sufficient member information to do our job effectively. With the iMIS system, we’ll be able to collect the data we need to service our chapters better. For example, if a Durham member takes a training education course in Haliburton, we need to understand why they went there in order to determine if we need to provide that type of training in Durham as well.

“The new system also includes Chapter Link, which will enable us to support locals who don’t have AMS tools, while offering an alternative to those whose current solution may not offer the broad range of tools and options that iMIS can deliver,” Jiwani notes. “For those that are paying for other solutions, iMIS is being offered to them at no additional cost, thereby helping the bottom line of local associations who could put those funds to other uses. In some cases, this could mean savings of $8,000 or more monthly.” 

This will, in no uncertain terms, be a boon for OHBA chapters and their executive officers. “For example, small or medium-sized locals managing in Excel for their database, distribution and invoices can now access our more modern solutions without paying for it,” says Andison. “It’s a labour-intensive operation they no longer have to perform, giving that executive officer time back to focus on other priorities. We can provide them with better communication tools—how they get information out, register for events, deliver their events and training and on and on. We’ve looked at everything we’re doing at the provincial level through the lens of ‘How do we extend this benefit locally?’ And it’s designed so that they get to choose from an à-la-carte menu of options—every detail of which allows for better integration with our local chapters. It helps our members see that our delivery is more unified, and it shows them the many opportunities OHBA provides that we haven’t consistently communicated in the past. 

“We’re shining a light on the benefits we’re bringing to the table,” Andison continues. “And I’m seeing an increase in the invitations we’re getting from local chapters who want to hear what we have to say. We’re having what I call reboots in chapters such as Grey-Bruce, Windsor and Oxford, where there is a new level of interest in being involved. We have areas like Haldimand-Norfolk who have doubled their membership in the past eight months.” 

Interacting with Locals

It’s not just the technological improvements that will make this interaction more efficient; it’s OHBA’s added manpower. “We’re providing extra services for our chapters,” Jiwani says. “For example, if the local EO doesn’t have expertise in a certain area, such as events or a specific advocacy file, we can do a shared service agreement and have our team at OHBA help them out.” 

Andison’s has encountered a common request during his travels around the province—more opportunities to network and learn. The association now owning 100% of EnerQuality will undoubtedly contribute to the educational side. “Training is a priority for our organization,” Andison says, “and the best way to deliver that cost-effectively is to leverage not just the assets but the experience of an existing organization.” 

The same can be said for OHBA and its largest chapter, the relationship of which has taken a deer-like leap forward. “I have to give a big shoutout to BILD for how they have embraced the changes OHBA is making,” Andison says. “A year ago, the relationship was not in a great state. They didn’t think OHBA was sufficiently engaged, due mostly to our lack of resources, so felt they had to step up on behalf of their GTA membership. Over the last seven months, we have been able to leverage the capacity of both organizations and are now doing monthly integrated staff work with their policy team.”

“For a while, BILD was better staffed and had more seasoned veterans than OHBA,” Memme says. “Now there are some things that we’re better equipped to deal with than BILD is. We’ve relieved some of their burden, allowing them to focus on issues local to the Greater Toronto Area while we take care of the provincial-level issues. I feel like the relationship is as strong as ever, if not better.”

The One-Voice Effect

Just as OHBA is now working with all its large locals—BILD, Ottawa, West End and London—to collaborate on responses to provincial-level matters, so is it better integrating the concerns and positions of every chapter to deliver a one-voice position to Ontario government.

That’s good news for government and residents alike. “We’re seeing lots of positive discussions and potential movement in critical areas that were just not on the table before,” notes Memme. “This could flip the scales for new-home buyers, especially young people. The primary examples are potential HST/GST tax relief and development charges.”

“Government has its limitations,” adds Andison. “It is not designed to be market savvy. They sometimes don’t understand things like the time lags involved from when a new project is conceived to when there’s actually a shovel in the ground. Through conversations and significant effort in the last while, I think they’re starting to arrive at better solutions. I’m hearing phrases like, ‘We know we’re going in this direction, but need your input and advice on this before we pick the path forward.’

“They’re seeing a renewed OHBA that truly represents its membership,” Andison says. “We can advocate strongly on things that are important to the industry, but at the same time put it into a framework that allows government the opportunity to take our input and respond effectively. They need our industry to deliver on the commitments they’ve made publicly—to build 1.5 million new homes by 2031.”

It’s admittedly a work in progress for Andison and company. OHBA is still ironing out the details of how its new board and group of local EOs will function, as well as how staff will interact with local chapters. But the association’s collective foot will remain on the gas pedal.

“We need to be quick and bold and to demonstrate that OHBA is an association that’s worthy of being part of,” Andison says. “And we’re getting validation of our efforts from both members and government.” 

A year after accepting the job, he is feeling the warmth of a new day at OHBA.

 

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