Wondering who has it best in Western Washington and the Pacific Northwest? Look no further than our phenomenal membership base. 

Every year, Seattle Business magazine puts out their list of the 100 best companies to work for, based on anonymous employee survey responses as picked from 10 categories: corporate culture, executive leadership, benefits, communication, hiring/retention, performance standards, responsibility/decision making, rewards/recognition, training/education, and workplace environment. 

Response scores are then calculated and averaged out, and companies ranked in four categories: small, midsize, large, and those headquartered outside Washington state. 

Which employees are smiling away at their standup desks flanked by exotic popcorn machines and flashy breakroom games where they can count their 401Ks? We’re proud to announce that 21 MBAKS member companies made the grade for 2018. Full disclosure, we were a little perturbed Seattle Business magazine didn’t expand the list to 3,000 and put all our awesome members on the list, but there’s always next year. 

Check out the extensive list of member companies that raised the bar in 2018. 

Large Companies (150+ Employees)

• Bob’s Heating & Air Conditioning
• Clark Nuber
• Edward Jones
• Evergreen Home Loans
• Exxel Pacific
• Redfin
• Sequoya Electric
• Valley Electric
• Zillow Group

Midsize Companies (50–149 Employees) 

• American Income Life
• Andersen Construction
• Berntson Porter & Company
• Gravity Payments
• Pacific Capital Resource Group
• Pillar Properties 
• Sweeney Conrad

Small Companies (15–49 Employees) 

• Board & Vellum
• Carlisle Classic Homes
• Chermak Construction
• Kalles Group
• Pacific Crest Savings Bank

Congratulations to all 21 of our member companies for going above and beyond! 
See the entire list at seattlebusinessmag.com

By MBAKS Senior Policy Analyst Allison Butcher

According to the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, May was the first time King County had more than a month's supply of homes for sale since September 2017. It was only the third time since October 2016. However, this is still far below the four-to-six month level that many industry analysts consider as an indicator of a healthy market.

The Builders' Bulletin is intended to provide a convenient way to track housing in our market and includes information from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, State of the Cities Data Systems, Office of Financial Management and the Washington State Employment Security Department.

Download this month's report:

The Building Industry Association of Washington has received a 2018 City Champion Award in the Partners for Progress category from the Association of Washington Cities (AWC).

The award was given to BIAW and other partners, including MBAKS and several of its members, for finding common ground to help pass Hirst and Foster “fix” legislation and for efforts to ensure city challenges were expressed throughout the process.

“This award recognizes the unique partnerships created to address the complex water resource issues that faced our state these past few years,” the AWC announced.

BIAW President Kevin Russell says of the award, “We are honored to be an AWC award recipient along with all of the other partners. BIAW is pleased that we were able to find common ground and a mutually agreed to fix for the Hirst and Foster decisions.” 

“The importance of the Hirst Fix cannot be overstated,” adds MBAKS Interim Director of Government Affairs Mike Pattison. “Without the hard work of so many dedicated partners, entire family savings and hopes would have been wiped out.”

Read the full press release

The winners of the 2017 NAHB Association Excellence Awards were recently unveiled and the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties is proud to announce we have been honored with two awards. 

The country’s largest and oldest local homebuilders association won Best HBA Partnership/Coalition in the HBA Operations category, as well as Best Publication (print or electronic) in the Communications category, the latter for Master Builder magazine. 

The Building Industry Association of Washington, our state-level partner association, also won an AEA for Best Regional Government Affairs Effort for their "Fix Hirst" campaign.

The annual AEA Awards recognize HBAs across the country for their outstanding accomplishments at the state and local levels, as well as HBA executive officers in the field of association management. 

Congratulations to all who helped MBAKS win these distinguished awards! View the full list of 2017 AEA winners.

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Q: I love hanging out outside with my family. I want to add lights to my yard so I can spend even more time out there with them. What do I need to know about outdoor lighting?

A: As homeowners expand their living space into the great outdoors, the need for proper outdoor lighting has become increasingly important. Today’s exterior lighting goes well beyond the functionality of safety and security. Here are some things to think about when illuminating outdoor spaces:

Layers of Light

Near your central seating area, add general lighting in a warm hue and a similar brightness to your indoor lighting. For increased functionality, task lighting near a grill or outdoor kitchen is essential during evening hours. To add safety and beauty throughout your yard, highlight walkways using path lighting.

To create even more ambiance, consider using an accent light to highlight landscaping, trees, a fountain or the architecture of your home. Also, consider drawing attention to your favorite botanicals in the evening by creating shadows on an adjacent fence or façade of your home.

Pro tip: If your home is in a Dark Sky-compliant neighborhood—or if you’d just like to opt to minimize light pollution—select fixtures that minimize glare, skyglow, and facilitate better vision at night. There are a wide variety of Dark Sky-compliant outdoor lighting options available that also complement the aesthetic of your exterior spaces. Work with a lighting professional to identify the best options for your project.

Outdoor Lighting Trends

When considering lighting for your outdoor spaces, find ways to take the indoors outside with decorative outdoor lighting. Oversized chandeliers and multi-pendant clusters outdoors are trendy, help provide functional illumination, and bring a sense of warmth and comfort to entertaining areas. Lamps and chandeliers made explicitly for outdoor use add a decorative accent to porches, pools, cabanas, and other covered outdoor spaces.

Popular styles for exterior lighting currently include: seeded or hammered glass; use of an interior candle or globe inside an outer casing; and modern takes on industrial, warehouse, or farmhouse shades. Many of these fixtures can be easily integrated into traditional and transitional home designs.

Practical Considerations

Surprisingly, bulb selection can also have a big impact on comfort. A key benefit of LED lighting, for instance, emits less heat and attracts significantly fewer bugs. LEDs also have a longer lifespan, typically lasting between 25,000 and 50,000 hours. With a nightly usage of 8 hours, exterior LED lights could burn up to 16 years before having to be replaced.

Whatever you buy, make sure your fixtures are suited for outdoor use! Check the details and dimensions tab on packaging or online product descriptions for the phrase "UL Listed for Use in Damp Locations."

Brad Faber is showroom manager for Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery, a member of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS). If you have a home improvement, remodeling, or residential homebuilding question you’d like answered by one of MBAKS’s nearly 3,000 members, write to homework@mbaks.com.

Washington becomes the 11th state to adopt background check reform within the private sector. 

Today, June 7, marks the date the Fair Chance Act goes into effect in effort to ensure applicants are judged by their work and experience qualifications—and not by criminal or arrest histories. The act, HB 1298, is designed to get figurative feet in the door or, in other words, to keep companies from discriminating against potential hires until applicants at least meet minimum requirements for various job types. 

If an employer determines that the applicant is qualified, the law does not restrict the employer from inquiring into or obtaining information about a criminal record.

Maurice Emsellem, program director with the National Employment Law Project, says “HB 1298 represents a major step forward for Washington state’s business community and economy, while providing hope and opportunity to all those qualified workers who have struggled to find work with a conviction record but who are ready to give back to their communities.”

Penalties for not adhering to the act are as follows: 

• First Violation: Notice of violation.
• Second Violation: Penalty of up to $750.
• Third Violation and beyond: Penalty of up to $1,000 for each instance.

HB 1506, Washington's Equal Pay Opportunity Act, also goes into effect today. Learn more about complying with both laws from BIAW.

By MBAKS Senior Policy Analyst Allison Butcher

At the end of the first quarter of 2018, King County is leading the way in building permit activity in the region, with single family permits up 19 percent and multifamily permits up 25 percent compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, single-family permits have dropped 19 percent in Snohomish County and multifamily permits are down 58 percent year-over-year.  For the three-county region as a whole (King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties), permits are up 7 percent and 9 percent, respectively.

The Builders' Bulletin is intended to provide a convenient way to track housing in our market and includes information from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, State of the Cities Data Systems, Office of Financial Management and the Washington State Employment Security Department.

Download this month's report: