www.elpasobuilders.
com
Real Texas Builder Awards night 'smashing'
Panel of expert judges select best of El Paso building industry
By Ray Adauto
After months of waiting the Real
Texas Builder Awards were revealed at
the El Paso Museum of Art on January
17. The event culminated months of
anticipation as to which members
would leave with the coveted awards.
With twenty-nine officially entered
categories on the line the results were
surprising and revealed how
competitive the businesses are.
The list of winners is published in
this months Builders Outlook. There
were about 150 guests who enjoyed
the museum setting and the pace of
the awards. “It was important that a
new award event have a new look and
this year that meant taking it
downtown to a venue we’ve never
used,” said Ted Escobedo, designer
and decorator for the inaugural event.
“We looked at several venues but
consistently the EPMA gave us some
opportunities to do something unique
and rewarding in its own light,” he
continued.
The crowd arrived early on that
Thursday night, enjoying beverages
and some finger foods prior to the
presentation. The presenting partner
was StrucSure Home Warranty who
had offered support from the very
start. “StrucSure Home Warranty was
on board from the inception and I am
very pleased with a first-year turnout
and location,” said Scott Whisenant
from StrucSure Home Warranty. “The
planning shows that the El Paso
Association of Builders does things
right, great location and look,” he
continued.
Entries for the awards began in
August and judging was held in
December. “Nothing would have
gotten done without the work of
volunteer judges who are experts in
their field,” said Ray Adauto. “We were
429
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National, State & Local
Building Industry News
2019: Issue 1
fortunate to have active builders judge
the building entries, while top
professionals in marketing and
advertising design took on entries for
print, video, social media and other
categories.” Those judges all agreed
that the work being done in El Paso is
amazing. When asked why the judges
said that several were surprised at the
quality and look for the price. “Please
tell the builders to keep up the
excellent work,” one judge said.
When the winners were announced
the crowd cheered and wowed at the
selections. In some cases, the award
winners were the most surprised. “I
don’t know what to say that could
convey my surprise and honor given
us tonight,” said Demetrio Jimenez,
president of Tropicana Properties after
winning several categories in the
Multifamily awards. “I’m truly blessed
to have a great staff who makes the
win sweet for all of us,” he continued.
Just as stunned were the Diamond
Home LLC group. “Nothing,
absolutely nothing like this has
happened to us and we’re so honored address the crowd. “We can make
and humbled to get recognized,” this grow and make it an event and an
Valerie Bacquera told the crowd. The award our members will grow to
award for “Best Promotional Video- appreciate,” he said.
Associate” was won by Sarabias and Plans for the 2019 version of the
principal Monica Brown shook as the Real Texas Builder Awards are being
award was handed to her. “It is an done as this goes to press.
honor to be selected for all of our Scott Whisenant told the audience
employee owned company, one that I that StrucSure Home Warranty will
will proudly display,” she said. participate as long as the EPAB does
Tropicana Homes took numerous them. “Tonight, being the first ever
awards home. “I think that we’ll need award night impressed the heck out of
to find a special wall to hang these me, and this is the kind of thing that
up,” Randy Bowling said. “What a will grow and grow,” he said.
night,” he concluded. It was Randy “StrucSure is committed to be
who had suggested several years ago associated with this event!”
that the EPAB do an award, patterned (Continued page 8)
after the Texas Association of Builders See Complete list of winners
STAR awards. He was acknowledged and photos page 8
at the event and had the opportunity to
2 Builders Outlook 2019 Issue 1

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2019 Issue 1
President’s
Message
Sergio Cuartas
President
El Paso Association of Builders
Welcome to 2019! I am really
excited to serve you as President this
year. For those that I haven’t met yet,
I am CEO of BIC Homes, a home
building company I founded in 2002
and now own with my good friend
Antonio Cervantes. I am extremely
grateful to live in El Paso, TX. I truly
love the weather, the food, the
mountains, the low cost of living, the
bi-cultural atmosphere, and more.
As President, I lead a remarkable
group of members in the Executive
Committee. We have worked together
for a while and share extraordinary
enthusiasm and skill to do our best for
all our members. Together with our
Builders Outlook
2019 looks promising for association
incredible Board of Directors, we have
a vision of strengthening our
association. Our goals are meant to
make your experience as a member
better, to make the association robust,
our local EPAB voice louder and to
continue the great work others have
done before us.
To that end, I would like to share
some of our strategic goals for 2019:
Service our members and increase
our membership. It is our goal to not
only retain you as a member by
providing more value, but to ask you to
invite others to join. We need
everyone’s help with this and it’s not
difficult to do if we all contribute. One
member can and will make a
difference. Whether you are a Builder
or an Associate, I’m asking you to do
two things: 1) serve a member and 2),
ask those you know who are not yet
members to join. If we all help a
member feel at home in EPAB, do
business with a member and bring in a
new member, we will quickly and
effectively strengthen our association.
Engage elected officials in and
around the city. Ray and our new
EPAB Secretary, Sal Masoud will lead
the way with getting to know elected
officials in the County, including the
communities of Socorro, Horizon City,
Anthony and Canutillo. We also want
to build new bridges with the elected
officials in the City of El Paso. We will
need an active government affairs
team. Please let Sal or Ray know if
you are interested in participating in
Government Affairs or any other
committee.
Regulation. We want to work on
reducing impact fees, permit fees,
water and sewer hookup fees, and
other regulatory issues in order to
increase affordability for homebuyers
and reduce construction time.
Education & networking. We want
to offer you more education and
networking opportunities. Please let us
know if you have suggestions for
speakers, would like to speak yourself
or have a training in mind. Make sure
to participate in our functions and
events.
We just launched our new EPAB
Business Confidence Survey (idea of
our Active Past President Edgar
Montiel). Each month every member
should receive a short survey from
survey monkey. We will share the raw
results very soon with our members
ONLY. The results from this survey
could be effective leading indicators to
help us all predict future turmoil and
adjust accordingly. Private payrolls
3
have increased locally as of early last
quarter (lagging indicator). Median
home prices have increased while
inventories have remained under
control and closings speed has
increased (coincident indicators). Gas
prices declined while interest rates
have not dramatically increased. The
stock market volatility increased
uncertainty (leading indicator). There is
data, but now we will have our own
and it will be local, industry specific,
raw and leading.
While our list of goals is longer than
this, I think it is best to work on these
priorities as we start the year off. But I
can’t do it myself. I need our members
to do one or more of the following:
attend the meetings, participate in the
events, help a member, join a
committee, advertise in our
publications, sponsor events, and get
to know other members. You get out of
your membership what you put into
your membership. This is a Texas
Legislative year and we have our
hands full, especially now that we are
losing Joe Pickett and his support.
So I’m asking for your help, and your
suggestions. Make it a point to help
us THRIVE.
Together as an association team, we
can do just that.
4
Executive’s
Message
Ray Adauto,
Executive
Vice President
EPAB
First events always surprise
While the talk for the first RTB
awards is gratifying many don’t know
or appreciate the amount of work
something like this takes. It’s one of
the reasons not all associations do it,
it’s simply hard. I had tremendous
assistance from Ted Escobedo,
Margaret, Alexis Ferguson, Melissa
Lerma at WFS frames, and the judges
from Amarillo and Austin. I also had
help from Mike Armstead (DJ), Ruben
Escandon (catering) and of course
Mayela from 915Bartending. The art
museum locale was very cool, a first
time using it. Thanks go to Janette
Nevarez for navigating us through the
maze of renting a city owned facility.
Thanks to all who went. Very cool,
very very cool.
The work on regular stuff like Impact
fees must go on in spite of other
things like the awards or anything
else. I’d like to thank Randy Bowling
and Sal Masoud for taking on the
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Make plans for two big things:
International Builders Show in
February and Rally Day in March. I’ll
report back on IBS in the February
issue, but I want to stress the
importance of attending Rally Day on
March 20 in Austin. To prime the
pump our guest speaker for our
Valentine day general meeting is Joe
Pickett, recently retired legislator
champion for El Paso and supporter of
our industry.
 National
2019 Issue 1 Builders Outlook 5

Builder News

Lower Interest
Rates Stabilize
Builder Confidence

n Buoyed by falling mortgage rates,

builder confidence in the market for
newly-built single-family homes rose
two points to 58 in January on the
National Association of Home
Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market
Index (HMI).
“The gradual decline in mortgage
rates in recent weeks helped to
sustain builder sentiment,” said NAHB
Chairman Randy Noel, a custom home
builder from LaPlace, La. “Low
unemployment, solid job growth and
favorable demographics should
support housing demand in the coming
months.”
“Builders need to continue to
manage rising construction costs to
keep home prices affordable,
particularly for young buyers at the
entry-level of the market,” said NAHB
Chief Economist Robert Dietz. “Lower
interest rates that peaked around 5
percent in mid-November and have
since fallen to just below 4.5 percent
will help the housing market continue
to grow at a modest clip as we enter
the new year.”
Due to the partial government
shutdown, there will be no new
Census figures released tomorrow on
housing starts and permits. NAHB
estimates that the December Census
data would show that single-family
starts ended the year totaling 876,000
units, which would mark a 3 percent
gain over the 2017 total of 848,900.
However, the slowdown in sales during
the fourth quarter of 2018 has left new
home inventories elevated in some
markets.
Derived from a monthly survey that
NAHB has been conducting for 30
years, the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing
Market Index gauges builder
perceptions of current single-family
home sales and sales expectations for
the next six months as “good,” “fair” or
“poor.” The survey also asks builders
to rate traffic of prospective buyers as
“high to very high,” “average” or “low
to very low.” Scores for each
component are then used to calculate
a seasonally adjusted index where any
number over 50 indicates that more
builders view conditions as good than
poor.
All the HMI indices posted gains in
January. The index measuring current
sales conditions rose two points to 63,
the component gauging expectations
in the next six months increased three
points to 64 and the metric charting
buyer traffic edged up one point to 44.
Looking at the three-month moving
averages for regional HMI scores, the
Northeast dropped five points to 45;
the Midwest and South both fell three
points to 52 and 62, respectively; and
the West registered a one-point drop
to 67.
6 Builders Outlook
Mortgage
& Banking
www.homebuyinginstitute.com
A new round of mortgage industry
forecasts and projections suggest that
higher interest rates could lead to a
purchase-dominated mortgage market in
2019. Meanwhile, mortgage qualification
standards have eased, and this could bring
more borrowers into the market next year.
Three Mortgage Trends We Could See
in 2019
As we move into the holiday season,
many home buyers are looking ahead to
2019. And many of them share the same
questions: What will mortgage rates do in
2019? Will it be a good time to buy or
refinance a home? Here are some recent
trends that could carry over into next year.
Prediction #1: Thirty-year mortgage
rates could hover around 5% in 2019.
At the start of 2018, the average rate for a
30-year fixed mortgage was 3.95%. That’s
based on the long-running survey conducted
by Freddie Mac. As of November 8, that
average had risen to 4.94%. So today’s
mortgage rates are about one full percent
higher than they were at the beginning of
this year.
As for forecasts and projections, some
Three Mortgage-Industry Trends to Look for in 2019
analysts expect 30-year loan rates to hover
around 5% for much of 2019. The Mortgage
Bankers Association (MBA) recently
predicted that the average rate for a 30-year
fixed home loan would start 2019 at 5.0%,
and then hover around 5.1% for the rest of
next year.
The economic research team at Freddie
Mac offered a similar prediction for
mortgage rates in 2019. In an October 2018
report, the group stated:
“We anticipate that the 30-year fixed-rate
mortgage will average 4.5 percent in 2018,
rising to 5.1 percent in 2019 and 5.6 percent
in 2020.”
So their long-range outlook mirrors the
forecast issued by the MBA. Analysts from
both organizations expect long-term home
loan rates to hover in the low 5% range for
much of next year.
Did you know? While there are different
types of home loans, the 30-year fixed-rate
mortgage is by far the most popular
financing among borrowers today. That’s
why you see it mentioned so frequently
within news reports, forecasts, etc.
The key takeaway here is that there
appears to be some consensus among
experts that mortgage rates will remain fairly
stable throughout 2019.
Prediction #2: Purchase loans will
dominate the market, as refinancing
activity declines.
When mortgage rates trend upward,
refinancing activity tends to decline. And
we’ve already talked about the steady rise in
rates that has occurred during 2018.
As a result of that trend, the mortgage
market in 2019 will likely be dominated by
purchase loans (i.e., those used by home
buyers). Mortgage refinancing activity, on
the other hand, will likely decline through the
end of 2018 and into 2019.
According to a November 2018 press
release from the analytics firm Black Knight,
almost 1.9 million homeowners across the
country still “have an interest rate incentive
to refinance” their homes. But the window
has closed for many more. The company’s
data revealed that roughly 6.5 million
homeowners “have now missed their
opportunity to refinance their mortgages due
to rising rates.”
Bottom line: Some homeowners in the
U.S. could still benefit from refinancing. But
if rates continue to rise, that number will
shrink. In 2019, the mortgage market will
probably consist primarily of purchase loans,
with a smaller percentage of refinance
loans.
Prediction #3: Mortgage lending
standards will be more relaxed,
compared to previous years.
Mortgage lending criteria have eased over
the past year, and this could have an impact
on the 2019 mortgage market as well. The
short version is that it’s generally easier to
qualify for a home loan today, compared to
previous years.
There are several reasons for this. For
one thing, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae
have eased the criteria they use when
purchasing mortgage loans from lenders.
They’re allowing higher debt-to-income
ratios, and higher loan-to-value ratios. This
means borrowers today can qualify for a
2019 Issue1
mortgage loan with a higher level of
household debt, and with less money down.
Generally speaking.
An October 2018 report by the property
analytics company CoreLogic stated:
“Mortgage credit underwriting eased for
both conventional and Federal Housing
Administration (FHA) home-purchase loans
during the Q2 2018 compared with a year
earlier … In the last few years, GSEs have
expanded their credit box to creditworthy
borrowers by increasing the maximum debt-
to-income (DTI) and loan-to-value (LTV)
ratios.”
Note: The GSEs in the above quote are
the two government-sponsored enterprises,
Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Their
purchasing criteria tend to “trickle down” to
the primary mortgage market, where they
affect borrowers.
We recently reported that mortgage loan
denial rates have declined steadily over the
last seven years or so. This is partly due to
an ongoing “easing” trend within the
industry.
To be honest, it’s fairly easy to “forecast”
this particular trend because it’s already
happening. And it’s something that will
probably carry over into 2019. That’s good
news for borrowers.
Disclaimer: This article includes
predictions and forecasts provided by third
parties outside of our company. We have
presented them here as an educational
service to our readers. The Home Buying
Institute (HBI) makes no claims or
assertions about future economic
conditions.
2019 Issue 1\ Builders Outlook 7
Economic
Forescast

Elliot Eisenberg

Economic Forecast 2019: Good,

Economic & Policy
Blog

But Not as Good as 2018

Despite increasing political
uncertainty, a split Congress, trade
concerns, financial-market volatility,
and slowing global growth, from an
economic perspective, the next 12
months should be decent. The odds
of a recession have roughly doubled
but remain relatively low – about
25% -- despite being just a few
months away from the longest
economic recovery in US history.
While growth is slowing in all major
economies, inflationary pressures
are surprisingly tepid. As a result, the
Fed will have the luxury of raising
rates at a very leisurely pace, and
thus hopefully avoid prematurely
ending the continuing, albeit slowing,
expansion that we will experience in
2019.
A major reason for the slowdown is
the fading of fiscal stimulus from tax
cuts passed in December 2017 and
debt-financed spending increases
totaling $400 billion passed in
February 2018. Collectively, this
should clip GDP by close to half a
point. Add to that global slowing,
trade concerns, a strengthening
dollar, Brexit fears, and other threats
-- and GDP growth during the next
12 months should average 2.3%,
down from 3.0% in 2018.
Despite slowing growth,
unemployment will continue declining
from the current rate of 3.7% to 3.5%
and maybe as low as 3.4%, rates not
seen in more than 50 years! As the
labor market tightens, wage growth
should increase in 2019, from
3%/year last year to 3.3%/year and
maybe 3.5%/year by year end 2019,
a healthy rise. Inflation, as measured
by the PCE, the Fed’s favorite
measure, looks to flatline at 2% in
2019, while core inflation (which
excludes food and energy) will edge
up slightly from 1.9% to 2.1% due to
rising wages.
Because of the very slow rise in
core inflation, the Federal Reserve
will raise the federal funds rate from
2.375%, where it is now, to at most
2.875% by year’s end, with a
quarter-point rate increase in June
and possibly another one in
December. 10-year Treasuries will
end 2018 at 3.35%, up from the
current 2.8%, and the rate on 30-
year mortgages will end 2019 no
higher than 5.1%.
As for housing starts, the
combination of high land costs, rising
worker wages and input costs, and
the reduced benefits of
homeownership resulting from last
year’s tax reform should see them
increase by no more than 2% to 1.28
million. Single-family starts will likely
total 900,000, up from 883,000, while
multifamily starts should flatline at
about 380,000.
New and existing home sales
should both remain largely
unchanged in 2019 and end the year
at 620,000 and 5.3 million
respectively, with mortgage purchase
volume rising by $50 billion due to
higher prices. Refinance activity
should fall by about $60 billion
because of the rise in mortgage
rates. Housing inventories will rise
slightly, but due to the combination of
continued strong household
formation and insufficient new home
building, home prices will still rise by
4%, less than last year.
In summary, growth in 2019 looks
to be slower than what we became
accustomed to in 2018. This is
attributed to slowing global growth,
increasing trade concerns, a growing
worker shortage, higher interest
rates, and substantially less fiscal
stimulus coming from Washington.
Although the Fed may raise rates as
much as two times next year, strong
consumer spending combined with
continued employment growth and
rising wage growth should keep the
economy on track. The chances of a
recession, while meaningfully higher
than in 2018, remain relatively low.

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 BUILDERS OUTLOOK • EPAB ON THE SCENE
Real Texas Builder Awards (Continued from front page)
Our thanks go to our hard-
working judges from Amarillo
and Austin. In each builder
category the judges were very
impressed with the offerings
and the price of the homes. “El
Paso is well represented by the
builders who entered, and truth
be told it was hard to judge,”
said Boyd Johnston. “I think
you guys are doing something
right!” Johnston concluded. A
special thanks to Alexis
Ferguson of Austin who gave
time and energy in the
marketing/video judging and
helping the association
categorize the entries. “These
awards will grow with time and
2019 Issue 1
frankly the quality of materials
submitted were outstanding,”
Ferguson told the Outlook.
Special thanks to Ted
Escobedo who worked on the
whole project from inception to
award night. He designed the
logo, the entry forms, the
concepts for the physical
awards. His work was
translated by The Wholesale
Frame Shop into beautiful one
of a kind awards.
Winners will be able to use
the logo, the award, and slogan
“A winner of the Real Texas
Builder Award 2018.”
10
#Real Texas
builders www.elpasobuilders.com
The El Paso Association of Builders encourages you to work with our members.
Builder members
as of January 30, 2019
Althon Investments, LLC
Jose Luis Martin
Bain Construction
Scott Bain
Bella Vista Custom Homes, Inc.
Edgar Garcia
BIC Homes, LLC
Sergio Cuartas
Blue Sage Homes, LLC
Jamie E. Gonzalez
Blue Star Construction
Carlos Villasana
Bowling Construction
Randy Bowling
Carefree Homes
Richard Aguilar Southwest Land Development Serv.
Casas De Leon, LLC
Nick Bombach
Cisco Homes LLC
Francisco Arroyos III
Classic American Homes
Priscilla Hernandez
Crown Heritage Homes
Lydia Mlouhi
Cullers & Caldwell Builders
John Cullers
Cullers Homes
Jason R. Cullers
D B Innovations, LLC
Dan Berry
Dawco Home Builders
Walter O. Lujan
Deal-2-Deal Homes
Delton Deal
Del Rio Engineering, Inc.
Sal Masoud
Diamond Homes, LLC
Valerie Bacquera
E. Valencia Land Development LLC
Eddie Valencia
Eclat Homes & Design
Veronica Guerra
Edward's Homes, Inc.
Eduardo Fernandez
EPT Bella Custom Dream Homes, LLC
Leti & Javier Navarrete
EPT Land Communities
David Bogas
Everest Homes
Edmundo Dena, Jr.
Fortune Custom Homes
Javier Andrade
Gaddy Construction
Charles Gaddy
GMF Custom Homes, LP
Frank Torres
Guel Construction
Rudy Guel
Hakes Brothers LLC
Chris Hakes
Hanson Asset Management, LP
Russell Hanson
Homes by Design
Leslie Driggers Hoard
Hunt Communities, LLC
Kathy Parry
ICON Custom Home Builder, LLC
Carlos Garcia
Industrial Realty Group Incorporated
Brent D. Harris
JER Custom Homes, LLC
Jorge E. Rodriguez
Kayton Lee Residential, Inc.
Brianna Barnes
Lloyd Hamilton Construction
Lloyd Hamilton, III
LMJ Construction Co., LLC
Mike Lopez Alvarado Plastering & Stucco, LLC
Loyalty Homes
Gustavo Loy
M A Builders & Design, LLC
Mustafa Ali
Maravilla Homes
Victor Robles
Medlock Commercial Contractors, LLC
Steve Medlock
Metro Homes
Judith Arrunada
Millennium Homes
Dan Ruth
Builders Outlook
©
Pacifica Homes, Inc.
Juan Jose Vasquez
Padilla Homes
Misael Navarrete
Palo Verde Homes
Edgar Montiel
Pointe Homes
Carlos Villalobos
R.C. Baeza & Associates
Robert C. Baeza
R.E. Welch Contractor
Gordon Welch
Rassette Homes, Inc.
Donald Rassette
Rosewood Design & Build
Brianna Barnes
Santana Custom Homes
Fernando Santana
Doug Schwartz
Spanish Oaks Custom Homes
Juan R. Saenz
The Heritage Group
David Bingham
Trejo Construction Co.
Juan Trejo
Tropicana Building Corp.
Bobby Bowling IV
Tropicana Development
Greg Bowling
Tropicana Homes
Randy Bowling
Tropicana Properties
Demetrio Jimenez
Rio USA
Freddy Klayel
Valance Construction, LLC
Oswaldo Prieto
Villagi Homes, LLC
Kristi Eddings
Vista Del Sol Architectural Design
Luis J. Lopez
Will Harvey Development
Will S. Harvey
Winton/Flair / Accent Homes Central Texas Metal Roofing Supply Co.,Inc.
Herschel Stringfield
ZIA Homes of El Paso LLC
Preston Brown
Associate members
as of January 30,2019
150 Sunset
Danny Heredia
2-10 Home Buyers Warranty
James Hebert
4 Tech A/C Service
Enrique Hernandez
84 Lumber
Ernie Chavez
915 Siteworks, LLC
Hugo Jasso
A Plus Remodeling & Repairs
Martin Arroyos
ABC Supply Co., Inc.
Larry Eck
A C Refrigeration, LLC
Angel Cabrera
Acme Brick Company
Brent Smith
Adams Moulding & Lumber
Tom Swahlen
Agustin Favela Concrete
Agustin Favela
Alden R & R Services, LLC
Alejandro Dena
Allbrite Electrical
Carlos Nunez
Alpha Asphalt
Gabriel Chavez
Jorge Enrique Alvarado
Amelia's Janitorial Services
Amelia Gomez
Area Iron & Steel Works, Inc.
Fred L. Edmonston Jr.
Atrium Homes
Ricardo Bocardo Jr.
Bank of Texas
Ray Owen
Baron Supply
David Trammell
2019 Issue 1
Barragan & Associates EDLR Plastering
Benito Barragan Eduardo De La Rosa
Barraza Drywall Corp. E.F. Building Materials, Inc
Ignacio Barraza Efren Fraire
Barrett Airworks ERA Sellers & Buyers
Alexandro Castro Karla Rayos
Bassett Woodworks ESS Environmental and Safety Solutions
Danny Murillo Jose L. Garcia Ramirez
Beasley, Mitchell & Co., LLP Eagle Custom Cabinets
Brad Beasley Juan Benabidez
Bella Vista Realty Eagle Roofing Products
Grisel Ortega Scott Aguilar
Belmont's Air Conditioning, Inc. Edgar's Flooring
Rafael Belmonte Edgar Enriquez
Big A Construction Edmund Esper
Thelma Vasquez Edmund Esper
BMC Select El Paso Audio Video by Design
David Quintana Joe Gutierrez
Boise Cascade El Paso Building Materials
Mike Flores Ken Wade
Border Construction Specialties El Paso Disposal
Ricardo Yvellez Irma Parsons
Border Solar El Paso Mortgage Bankers Association
Javier Ruiz Gilbert Pedregon
Bordertown Carpets El Paso Times
Brian M. Abraham Sal Hernandez, Justin Riley
Builders Source Appliance Gallery El Paso Truss
Sandra Lucero Luis Mendiola
Bukaty Financial Companies Group El Paso Winnelson
Ruth Rivera Rene Goldfien
C. D. Lee/Britton Insurance & Bonding Electrolux NA
Anthony Landavazo Adger Colley
CMF Elizardo Garcia Electric
Carlos Munoz Elizardo Garcia
Cabinet Masters EZE-R-DESIGNS
Mike Robles Leticia Mata
Cadence Lending Group Farmers Ins. Mercedes Ruiz Agency
Carolyn De Leon Mercedes Ruiz
Carpet Warehouse Felipe Rocha Construction
Erez Belkin Felipe Rocha
Castillo Electric Ferguson Enterprises Inc.
Jose Del Val Albert Holguin
CEA Engineering Group First American Bank
Jorge L. Azcarate Louis Sauceda
First Light Federal Credit Union
Ben Garza, III Lorenzo Revelez
Centricity First National 1870 exp. 7
Brent R. Morgan Ernesto Avila
Century 21 The Edge Firth, Johnston, Bunn & Kerr
Scott Kesner Jay Kerr
City Bank Texas Forge Factory Strength & Conditioning
Bob Kotarski Edmundo Portillo
City Lights Foxworth Galbraith Lumber
Thomas Brown Dan Villarreal
Citizens Loan Center Franklin Building Materials
Jim Easley Ricardo Aguilar /Cristina Sheldon
Cognent, Inc. Franklin Door and Trim
Martin Paredes Jesse C. Brown
Commercial Insurance Brokers, Inc. G2 Ram Electric
Ken Foster Luis Cano
Conde, Inc. GCC Sun City Materials, LLC
Conrad Conde Antonio "Tony" Chavez
Copenhagen Imports GE Appliances
Flemming Carlsen Christine R. Villanueva
CQC Testing and Engineering, LLC G & G Enterprises Gen. Contractor
Jaime Rojas Juan F. Garcia
David Hernandez Cabinets GECU- Greater El Paso Credit Union
David Hernandez Danny Galindo
David J. Ellis Fee Office for Sierra Title GEPAR-Greater El Paso Assoc. of Realtors
David J. Ellis Jason Sanchez
De La Torre Iron Works Goodman Mfg.
Alfredo de la Torre Jorge Guajardo
Delek US dba 7 Eleven Go Pro Refrigeration
Sonja Scanlan Humberto Diaz
Demcon Disposal Management, LLC Great American Insurance Group
Maria Elena (Nena) Gomez Julie Tomlinson
Desert Quest Plumbing Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce
Hector Gonzalez David Michael Jerome
Designer's Mart H P Roofing & Construction
Valerie Edmiston Heriberto Prieto
Diaz Services, Inc. Harris Real Estate Group
Emmanuel Diaz Lane Harris
Dominguez Insurance Agency Haskins Electric
Victoria Dominguez Charles B. Haskins, Jr.
Garage Doors and More Hector De La Canal Real Estate Group
Miguel Moran Hector De. La Canal
Dorney Security Hector Phillips fee Office for Sierra Title
John Dorney Hector Phillips
Dunn-Edwards Paints Hercules Industries
Nathan Gordon John Chaney
DWS Building Supply Hernandez Roofing
Sabrina Voorhies Concepcion Hernandez
\
2019 Issue 1
Homes of El Paso
Riley Stephens
Home Pros Real Estate Group
Penny Moore
Home Sphere, LLC
Chris Hoag
HUB International
Luis Rosas
Imperial Construction
Alexandro Garcia
IES Residential
Joshua Garnica
Interceramic Tile & Stone Gallery
David Holguin
The Iron Snail Inc.
David Zuniga
J. B. Laminates
Gina Rodriguez
J. C. Balcorta Painting
Cruz Balcorta
J. F. Plastering
Juan Florez
JFM Enterprises, Inc.
Jaime Flores
J & H Concrete & Post Tension
Jorge Herrera
Jack White Building Specialties
Claudia Lardizabal
James L. Ellis, CPA, PC
Jim Ellis
Jimmy Garza Emergency Water Removal
Jimmy Garza
Jobe Materials, LP
Charlie Tellez
Joe Bernal Ins. & Financial Services, Inc.
Joe M. Bernal
Jose Moreno Dry Wall
Jose Moreno
Juan Carlos Perez Grading
Juan Carlos Perez
Keenan Supply
Nancy Rivas
Keller Williams
Susan Flores
Keller Williams
Mo Goodarzi
LOI Engineers
Bernardino Olague
L & P Building Supply
Denise McConnell
Legacy Real Estate Serv./TTI Prop. Man.
Patrick Tuttle
Leon Real Estate
Jorge Leon
Lone Star Title Co. of El Paso
Sam Trimble
Love Engineering, Inc.
Montez Love
Lowes Home Improvement
Johnny Rodriguez
Loyas Shutters
Alfredo Loya
Magicstone
Marco Gomez
Builders Outlook
Majestic Realtors
Patti Musshorn
MAK Roofing & Construction
Felix Vizarreta
Marlo Building Services
Roberto Martinez
Masco Contract Serv dba Gale Insulation
William Homan
Massey Johnson
Josie Ledesma
McCoy's Building Supplies
Doug Danner
Merrill Lynch
Thomas Gabriel
Miguel Sanchez Cano
Miguel Sanchez Cano
Minerva Al-Tabbaa Realtor
Minerva Al-Tabbaa
Mini Concrete Materials
Joe Soto
Moen
Frank Graf
Monster Link Marketing
Raul Mendoza
Moreno Cardenas, Inc.
Roberto Moreno
Morrison Supply
Sam Shallenberger
MTI Ready Mix, Inc.
Tony Mullen
New American Funding
Tania Guzman
New Era Foam
George Tollen
New Start Insulation
Jose Carreon
Oropeza Concrete
Angel Oropeza
Parra's A/C and Heating Service
Aureliano Parra
Pate & Appleby, LLP
Richard De Santos
Patriot Mortgage
Randy Bowling
Pella Windows
Jason Bates
Performance Glass & Aluminum
Hector Hernandez
Commerce Mortgage
Stephen Sepulveda, Gilbert Pedregon
Polar Mechanical LLC
Francisco Amezquita
Post Tension Steel
Dennis Moore
Powerfoam Insulation
Arnie Pedersen
Prewire of El Paso, Inc.
Steven Drury
Prosperus Title & Escrow
Alexandra Jade Hedrick
Q Martins Plumbing
Jose Martinez
Quality Granite
Hector Porras
11
RGR Roofing, LLC Stewart Title of El Paso
Mario Rodriguez Cindy Bilbe
Ramon Romero Painting Stone City Rocks
Ramon Romero Chris Baca
Randall Smith, CPA StrucSure Home Warranty
Randall Smith Scott Whisenant
Rebath of El Paso/Las Cruces Supreme Lending
Lisa Walling Lisa Wren
Remcon Self Storage Su Casa Magazine
Will Harvey Bob Skolnick
Rey Construction Sun City International Doors
Manuel Reyes Jorge Carmona
Richman Group Affordable Housing Corp. Sun City Winnelson
Kevin Hoffman Dean Moore
Rito Magallanes Sun West Windows and Glass
Rito Magallanes Ernie Hernandez
Rocky Mountain Mortgage Company Team Juan Uribe, LLC
Dean Inniss Juan Uribe
Roe, Brad Texas Gas Services
Bradley Roe Maria Ortiz
Rudolph Chevrolet Texas Title Company
Mike Ruffin Steve Raney
SBNG, P.C. TFCU
Tyler Smith Yolie Melendez-Estrada
S & J Drywall, LLC The Dorian Group/Ocean Gallery USA
Yair Jalil & Sergio Jalil Miguel Angel Mercado
Saldivar Electric, Inc. The Home Systems Heating & Cooling, Inc.
Martin A. Saldivar Jesus Chain
Sarabias Blue Sanitation TRE & Associates
Monica Brown Linda Troncoso
Segura Framing Trim Team
Erika Segura Juan & Kris Hernandez
Senercon Border Solar United Site Services
Javier Ruiz Ramon Armendariz
Senpai Training and Development USA General Contractors
Leonardo Corral Javier Olmos
Sergio Herrera Framing VMP Painting
Sergio Herrera Victor Prieto
Serrano's Construction Value Stone
Juan Serrano Isabel Chacon
Service Master Commercial Vantage Bank
Heidi Avedician Josie Cantu
Sherwin Williams Paint Vision Consultants, Inc.
Cruz Lopez Kelly Sorenson
Sierra Title Company W.W. Sales
Angelique Roman, Marielsa Pulido Eric Hoppes
Simpson Strong-Tie Company, Inc. Western Heritage Bank
Ken Donham Kathy Carrillo
Snappy Publishing WestStar Bank
Ted Escobedo David Osborn
Soil Mechanics WestStar Title
Lorenza Escareno Rachel Valles
Solar Smart Living Whirlpool
Larry Perea Gwen Walker
Southwest Décor El Paso Corporation Wolf Air
Chris Matthews Arturo Alcantar
Southwestern Prewire X Construction
Joe Trejo Emmanuel Chavarria
Spectrum Technologies
Miled Daou
St. Mary's Custom Shutters
Dolores Lopez
Startech Heating and Air Conditioning
Luis Procter

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12 Builders Outlook 2019 Issue 1

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6046 Surety Dr. El Paso, TX 79905

915-778-5387 • Fax: 915-772-3038

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 14 Builders Outlook 2019 Issue 1

*
PRINT & INTERNET
City Desk El Paso Association of Builders releases PUBLISHING
local economic outlook survey results

The economy in El Paso, Texas was
the subject of a survey sent out to
over 300 members of the El Paso
Association of Builders. In the survey
of whether business conditions would
be positive, neutral or negative during
the next six months. The survey
showed that 72% of the respondents
*
SOCIAL MEDIA & WEBSITE
“What we find in the first of a series CONTENT MANAGEMENT
of planned member surveys is that
business is good right now, and the
memberships plans for growth are

the members were asked to respond
to business indicators on hiring,
capital expenditures, sales
projections, revenue projections and
the projections
for the El Paso
economy. In
the survey,
sent out to
313 recipients
the results told
an overall
optimistic story
with some
cautions.
The survey was conducted over a
week-long period. The respondent
base showed that over 73 % of them
believe sales of products or services
will increase during the next six
months. Almost 25% of those
surveyed said that they did not see
any changes or remain neutral during
that same time. A small percentage
(3.3%) predicted a decrease in
revenue or sales. In particular the
home building community has been
very busy as the U. S. and local job
market has blossomed. Low
unemployment rates, low mortgage
interest has helped sales.
It was a similar result in the question
were positive, 23% neutral and slightly
less than 5% are concerned that the
business conditions could worsen.
Members were asked if they would
be considering hiring full time
employees in the next six months. The
majority, over 64% said that they were
neutral or had no changes in plans to
hire full time employees. Only a small
(1.54%) said that they would likely
decrease staff. The construction
industry has had a difficult time finding
skilled labor. The situation has roots in
many areas, with experts saying that
not having “shop” class, or training in
the high schools, has caused a void in
skilled labor. “We have talked about
the shortage for years, warning
politicians, school districts, students
and parents that this shortage could
happen. We are there now,” said
Randy Bowling, First vice President of
the Texas Association of Builders.
“We feel that the consumer will
ultimately feel the shortage in many
ways, including new construction as
well as remodeling. Our trades, like
plumbers, electricians, and HVAC
technicians cannot keep up with
demand,” said Sergio Cuartas, 2019
President of the El Paso Association
of Builders.
*
impacted by many outside sources,”
Ray Adauto, Executive Vice President E-MAIL NEWSLETTERS
of the El Paso Association of Builders.
“The survey still shows a conservative
outlook because this industry is
cyclical. We will continue to survey our
members on economic and other COMMUNICATION
business drivers to keep up with the STRATEGY
pulse of home building and its impact
on the local economy,” Adauto
continued.
The El Paso Association of Builders
conducted the Survey Monkey online
poll from January 9, 2019 to January
21, 2019. There were 313 individuals
addressed. The association had a
21% response to the survey. Results
are based on responses received from
a closed group comprising of names
of contacts for the member
companies. The El Paso Association
of Builders is the premiant local trade
association for new home builders,
developers and suppliers with
affiliation with the Texas Association of
Builders and the National Association
of Home Builders. The survey was
taken in mid-January 2019.
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 Builders Outlook 2019 Issue 1 El Paso Disposal
6046 Surety Dr. El Paso, TX 79905
915-778-5387 • Fax: 915-772-3038
■ ExEcutivE OFFicERS
PRESiDENt
Sergio Cuartas
Johnny Rodriguez, Lowe's
Randall Smith, Randall Smith, Cpa
Justin Hahn, Rocky Mountain Mortgage
772-7495
vicE PRESiDENt Angelique Roman, Sierra Title
Edgar Garcia Ted Escobedo, Snappy Publishing
SEcREtARY Patricia Martinez, Stewart Title
Sal Masoud
ExEcutivE vicE PRESiDENt ■ tAB StAtE DiREctORS
Ray Adauto Randy Bowling, Life Director
PASt PRESiDENt
Sam Shallenberger
Edmundo Dena
Edmundo Dena
■ cOMMittEE cHAiRS: Gus Loy
Don Rassette
ASSOciAtES cHAiR
Luis Rosas
Luis Rosas
GOvERNMENt AFFAiRS
■ NAtiONAL DiREctORS
Sal Masoud
Bobby Bowling, IV
GOLF tOuRNAMENtS
Demetrio Jimenez
Sam Shallenberger
FiNANcE cOMMittEE
Kathy Carrillo/Treasurer
cOMMuNitY OutREAcH
Honorary Life Members
Angelique Roman
Rudy Guel
LAND uSE
Brad Roe
Sal Masoud
Wayne Grinnell
EDucAtiON
Don Henderson
Patrick Tuttle
Anna Gill
iNDuStRY PROMOtiONS
Mark Dyer
Ted Escobedo
Sam Shallenberger
■ ADviSORY tO tHE BOARD
Jay Kerr, Firth, Johnston, Bunn & Kerr Past Presidents
committed to Serve
■ BOARD OF DiREctORS Edmundo Dena
Builders: Edgar Montiel
Jaime Gonzalez, Blue Sage Homes Frank Torres
Frank Arroyos
Lee Gillett, Classic American Homes
Greg Bowling
Lydia Mlouhi, Crown Heritage Homes
Randy Bowling
Dan Berry, D B Innovations,LLC
Bobby Bowling IV
Delton Deal, Deal-2-Deal Doug Schwartz
Eder Gallardo, Edwards Homes John Cullers
Leti Navarrete, EPT Bella Custom Dream Homes Robert Baeza
Kathy Parry, Hunt Companies Mark Dyer
Samira Gonzalez, Icon Custom Home Builders Kelly Sorenson
Laura Loy, Loyalty Homes Rudy Guel
JJ Vasquez Pacifica Homes Brad Roe
Trevor Turner, Rassette Homes Herschel Stringfield
Fernie Santana, Santana Homes Bob Bowling III
Jacob Barde, Tropicana Homes Carlos Villalobos

Associates: EPAB Mission Statement:

Sandra Lucero, Builders Source
John Chaney, Hercules Industries
Luis Rosas, HUB International
Jorge Herrera, J & H Post Concrete & Tension
Joe Bernal, Joe Bernal Insurance
Patrick Tuttle, Legacy Real Estate Service
Aaron Rich, Lone Star Title
The El Paso Association of Builders is a federated professional
organization representing the home building industry, committed
to enhancing the quality of life in our community by providing
affordable homes of excellence and value.
The El Paso Association of Builders is a 501C(6) trade
organization.
© 2019 Builder’s Outlook is published and distributed for the
El Paso Association of Builders

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