Last week, my son Bill and I attended a one day course called “Business Management for Building Professionals” at the St. Louis Home Builders Association. It is a required course for all those seeking to become Certified Green Professionals. Being a Certified Graduate Remodelor exempted me from having to take the course but Bill needed it for his Green designation. I took it for the continuing education credits and because I thought I just might learn something. The Certified Green Professional course followed the next two consecutive days. I’m proud to say that Bill is the second CGP at RIGGS Company & Design.
There were about 25 people in attendance and only 4 considered themselves remodeling contractors. Others were home builders, educators, real estate associates and a group from Laclede Gas. About half were from out of town because St. Louis was as close as they could find the course. When I took the CGP course a couple of years ago, there were about 75 people in the class and only two were from St. Louis! Some traveled as far as Montana and Washington State to take the course.
Needless to say, I was very surprised not to see more remodeling contractors attending this course! Green construction is not a trend or the “hot” topic that will fade with time. It is here to stay and long overdue. It seems that our area builders and remodelers are way behind the curve when it comes to understanding how important green building has become. Our consumer is certainly aware of its importance because we get asked all the time about how they can incorporate green into their projects. Although the courses are expensive and times are tough, it seems to me that becoming a CPG is an investment in the future of any construction company.
