Rome Home Builders Association

04/09/2026

Ready for some fun in the sun?! Ready to be seen by contractors and other professionals in the housing industry?!

The annual golf tournament is coming up. Your sponsorship of a team, hole, or other will allow us to continue to fund local projects for families and the building industry as a whole through scholarships, workforce initiatives, etc

Visit rhba.company.site to register a team or sponsor our tournament. It matters!!

03/29/2026

Right on Mike. Right on. Well rounded in all things with interest and engagement …. The best leaders. Solid citizens.

If you haven’t heard, and even if you have, Jimmy Kimmel said this about Markwayne Mullin, former Senator from Oklahoma, and our newest Secretary of Homeland Security:

“We have a plumber now protecting us from terrorism.”

Apparently, there has been some backlash. Plumbers were offended, obviously, as were parents of plumbers, spouses of plumbers, children of plumbers, and millions of people who have had a plumber show up when they needed one. Comedians were also offended, (the funny ones, anyway,) along with a surprising number of terrorists - especially those with access to hot and cold running water. However, in spite of the ensuing kerfuffle, Kimmel doubled down.

“I’m not upset that the head of Homeland Security was a plumber,” he said, “I’m upset that he isn’t still a plumber." He further elucidated by adding, "I wouldn't put a plumber in charge of Homeland Security for the same reason I wouldn't call a five-star general to pull a rat out of my toilet, OK? We all have our areas of expertise.”

Being offended is always a choice, and I don’t choose to be offended by a joke, even one that comes at the expense of the skilled tradespeople my foundation tries to elevate. But I am a tad butt hurt by the suggestion that skilled workers should never evolve into something new, and that competence is somehow limited to one vocation. Obviously, expertise and skill are important. If I need a new kidney, I’d prefer a doctor do the surgery, not a late night talk show host. But if the doctor in question used to host a talk show, why would I hold that against him?

Ten years ago, during one of the presidential debates, Marco Rubio answered a workforce-related question by arguing that America needed to get shop class back into high schools. He concluded by saying, “What our country needs are more welders and fewer philosophers.” A lot of people on this page commented that Rubio and I were singing from the same hymnal, but in fact, we weren’t. At least not entirely. Because I don’t think the current shortage of welders has anything to do with an overabundance of philosophers. In fact, I think it’s a mistake to promote one vocation at the expense of the other. What we really need in this country, are more welders who can talk intelligently about Aristotle, and more philosophers who can run an even bead. More Generals, in other words, who can fix their own toilets, and more plumbers who can hold a powerful government job.

This is what Mullin did. He was a private citizen who mastered an essential skill, and then turned that skill into a multi-million-dollar company that employed a lot of people and served a lot of customers. That gave him the freedom to do other things with his life, including a career in public service which got him into Congress, where he’s spent the last eleven years doing whatever Congressmen do. Now, he has a very consequential position in the Cabinet of the current administration.

Is that not the embodiment of the American Dream? I get that Jimmy Kimmel might have a problem with Mullin’s politics, but what possible objection could he have about the trajectory of his career, or his desire to do more than one thing with his life?

The only sensible thing to do in the wake of a moment this tone deaf, is remind America that the skills gap is wide, and getting wider. The shortage of skilled tradespeople is now headline news, and closing it is nothing less than a matter of national security. This year, my foundation has set aside $10 million dollars to help train the next generation of plumbers, and lots of other essential workers. I'm talking about hundreds of thousands of AI-proof, six figure jobs that don't require a four-year degree, waiting to be filled. The money is currently available to anyone who wants to master a useful skill at mikeroweWORKS.org. Apply today.

As for those of you genuinely offended by Kimmel's comments, consider expressing your disappointment with a modest donation to mikeroweWORKS. Our work ethic scholarship is making a real difference, and your money will be well spent, I promise. The donate button is big and red and hard to miss, at mikeroweWORKS.org.

I’d love to chat but I’ve gotta pull a rat out of my toilet…

12/10/2025

Grab your seat now! Text your rsvp to Connie to grab a seat. James Martin, Chief Building Inspector, will lead the class in the changes you can expect 1-1-2026.

11/28/2025

Calling all local contractors and electricians!

11/28/2025

Calling all local contractors and electricians !!

11/16/2025

Two Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) students have received the fall 2025 Rome Home Builders Association (RHBA) Scholarship.

The RHBA Scholarship rewards academic excellence and provides financial support for students working toward a degree, diploma or certificate in a residential construction-related program, including Air Conditioning Technology, Construction Management, Electrical Systems Technology, Horticulture and Lawn Maintenance on the Floyd, Gordon and Polk County Campuses.

The recipients, Yonatan Gonzalez and Connor Rowell, study Construction Management at GNTC’s Gordon County Campus in Calhoun.

https://www.gntc.edu/111025-rhbascholarship25/

08/16/2025

“My name’s Frank. I’m 64, a retired electrician.
Forty-two years I spent running wires through houses, fixing breakers, making sure people had light in their kitchens and heat in their winters. Never once did anyone ask me where I went to college. Mostly, they just wanted to know if I could get the power back on before their ice cream melted.

Last May, I was at my granddaughter Emily’s school career day. You know the drill — doctors, lawyers, a software guy in a slick suit talking about “scaling startups.” I was the only one there with a tool belt and work boots.

When it was my turn, I told the kids, “I don’t have a degree. I’ve never sat in a lecture hall. But I’ve wired schools, hospitals, and your principal’s house. And when the hospital generator failed during a snowstorm in ’98, I was the one in the basement with a flashlight, keeping the lights on for newborn babies upstairs.”

The kids leaned forward. They had questions — real ones. “How do you fix stuff in the dark?” “Do you make a lot of money?” “Do you ever get zapped?” (Yes, once, and it’ll curl your hair.)

When the bell rang, one boy hung back. Small kid, freckles, hoodie too big for him. He mumbled, “My uncle’s a plumber. People laugh at him ’cause he didn’t finish high school. But… he’s the only one in the family who can fix anything.”

I looked that boy in the eye and said, “Kid, your uncle’s a hero. When your toilet overflows at midnight, Harvard ain’t sending anyone. A plumber is.”

Here’s the thing nobody told me when I was young — the world doesn’t run without tradespeople. You can have all the engineers you want, but if nobody builds the house, wires the power, or lays the pipes, those blueprints just sit in a drawer.

We’ve made it sound like trades are what you do if you can’t go to college, instead of a path you choose because you like working with your hands, solving problems, and seeing your work stand solid for decades.

Four years after high school, some kids walk away with diplomas. Others walk away with zero debt, a union card, and a skill they can take anywhere in the world. And guess what? When your furnace dies in January, it’s not the diploma that saves you.

A few weeks ago, that same freckled kid’s mom stopped me at the grocery store. She said, “You probably don’t remember, but you told my son trades are important. He’s shadowing his uncle this summer. First time I’ve seen him excited about anything in years.”

That’s the part we forget — for some kids, knowing their path is respected changes everything. It’s not about “just” fixing wires or pipes. It’s about pride. Purpose. The kind that sticks with you long after the job’s done.

So next time you meet a teenager, don’t just ask, “Where are you going to college?” Ask, “What’s your plan?” And if they say, “I’m learning to weld,” or “I’m starting an apprenticeship,” smile big and say, “That’s fantastic. We’re going to need you.”

Because we will. More than ever. And when the lights go out, you’ll be glad they showed up.”

08/08/2025

Please make time to attend the ribbon cutting in the Model School District being developed by our member, Sherrell Smith.

04/23/2025

Glad to support students engaged in the construction trades!

Two Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) students have received the spring 2025 Rome Home Builders Association (RHBA) Scholarship.

Keny Ramirez and Francisco Triana received the scholarship, which rewards academic excellence and provides financial support for students working toward a degree, diploma or certificate in residential construction-related programs, including Air Conditioning Technology, Construction Management, Electrical Systems Technology, Horticulture and Lawn Maintenance on the Floyd, Gordon and Polk County Campuses.

Ramirez studies Air Conditioning Technology at GNTC’s Floyd County Campus in Rome; Francisco Triana studies Construction Management at the Gordon County Campus in Calhoun.

Continue reading here: https://www.gntc.edu/042224-rhb

03/13/2025

Need continuing education? Contractors license need to be renewed? We’ve got you covered!

Tuesday March 25th starting w breakfast at 830am at the office of Burkhalter Builders, 1006 N 2nd Ave Rome.

Members attend for free (1 per member company)
Class fee is $150 for all additional attendees.

RSVP required to Connie at 706-766-0079 or email to [email protected]

Sponsored by:

02/11/2025

What a great time we had honoring our Builder of the Year, Larry Maxey….a 50+ yr member who passed recently. What an incredible human he was! His wife Patricia accepted the award in his honor

We also spent time reviewing the NEC changes for residential housing. While they certainly may change, we live and work with them in the meantime. Thank you James Martin, Floyd County Chief Building Inspector, for sharing your wisdom!

Our thanks as well to Blossman Gas and Nolen Sanford for sponsoring the event!