All of the above are the perks of the Bryan Patchan Scholarship, which kicked off its third successful year at the June Spring Board meetings.

This year’s scholarships were awarded to Debbie Emmons, CGA, vice-chairman of the FHBA Remodelors Council and Patrick Mahoney, CAPS, chair of the Memphis Area HBA Remodelors Council, both longtime professionals in the remodeling industry.

The Bryan Patchan Scholarship is a $1,000 award given to the chairman or vice-chairman of a local NAHB Remodelers council to defray the cost of bringing those local leaders to NAHB’s Spring Board meetings in Washington, D.C. The application-based award was created in Bryan Patchan’s honor to recognize his commitment and service to NAHB Remodelers.

Besides attending the board meetings, scholarship recipients participate in leadership orientation activities hosted by the NAHB Remodelers national leadership and staff, and get a chance to see the inner workings of the association. Further, they learn more about the relationship between NAHB and NAHB Remodelers and get to take part in legislative action on Capitol Hill.

Participating in the Spring Board meetings for the first time in over 20 years, Mahoney was impressed by the committee members’ openness and dedication. “You could tell the committee members were sincere, and that was encouraging,” he said. “I thought to myself, ‘Why wouldn’t everyone want to be involved?’”

Mahoney also valued the members’ friendliness and warmth. “Remodelers are creative and personable and I found that out by meeting the people on all the different committees,” he said. “I enjoyed sitting and talking to everybody, seeing how everyone does different things. Everyone was more than willing to share experiences and suggestions.”

Like Mahoney, Emmons enjoyed her stay in Washington, appreciating the opportunity to see what she called “the heartbeat of the U.S. building and remodeling industry.” She found the committee members open and receptive to her opinions. “My presence was welcomed and my input encouraged,” she said. Emmons saw the programs as “rich in education and networking opportunities,” and was glad to help “tak[e] a stand in the political arena to protect our interests.”

Calling her scholarship “a great opportunity,” Emmons encourages others to apply and “see our organization, full circle.” She wishes to see a similar scholarship program created on the local level so that more local members can get involved in state and national meetings. [return to top]