Seventy Years Serving Virginia's Builders
The Home Builders Association of Virginia is the voice of the residential construction industry — advocating, educating, and connecting 3,200+ professionals across the Commonwealth since 1956.
1956
Year Founded
3,200
Members Statewide
13
Local HBAs Across Virginia
70
Years of Advocacy
Mission, Vision & Values
The Home Builders Association of Virginia supports and advances the building industry that provides housing for Virginians.
To be an indispensable resource for housing industry professionals and businesses in Virginia.
HBAV was founded in 1956 to promote and protect the Virginia housing industry. We are a member of the 3-in-1 Home Builders Association Federation that includes the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and 13 local Home Builders Associations in Virginia. Members join to support HBAV’s mission and their livelihood.
HBAV serves the entire home building, development, and remodeling industry. One-third of HBAV’s 2,700 members are home builders, multifamily builders, land developers, and/or remodelers, while the remaining two-thirds are professional businesses and trade partners in related fields such as financing and building products.
Innovation
We embrace forward-thinking ideas and solutions that strengthen our industry and position our members for long-term success.
Member Focused
Our members are at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to understanding their needs, advocating for their interests, and delivering value that supports their growth and success.
Teamwork
Collaboration is essential to our success. We foster mutual respect, support, and cooperation among our staff, members, local associations, and partners to achieve common goals.
Excellence
We pursue the highest standards in all aspects of our work — from advocacy to education to member engagement — with professionalism and effectiveness.
Integrity
We act with honesty, transparency, and accountability. Our decisions are guided by what is right — not just what is easy — earning the trust of our members, stakeholders, and the public.
Seventy Years of Building Virginia
Since our founding in 1956, HBAV has been the constant thread running through Virginia's residential construction industry — through economic cycles, political shifts, and decades of growth.
HBAV Chartered
Virginia's residential builders had been organizing locally throughout the early 1950s. On the belief that unity would bring recognition — from banks, from government, and from the public — twelve builders came together to form the Home Builders Association of Virginia in 1956. The state association was built on the foundation of five existing local chapters: Richmond, Southside, Peninsula, Tidewater, and Roanoke.
Names on the original 1956 charter included: Ernest E. Mayo, Sr. · William E. Witt · Max Shapiro · Stanley Waranch · John P. Yancey, Jr. · Elbert H. Waldron · Herman F. Blake · Gilbert C. Martin · Paul R. Bickford · Earl H. Wicker · John G. Gosnell · Robert S. Rennicks
Old Tax Exempt Form for HBAV from 1966
HBAV's First President – Ernest E. Mayo, Sr.
Ernest E. Mayo, Sr. of Richmond — son of a plastering contractor who built his first house in 1916 — was elected HBAV's first president and reelected to serve a second term. His goal: "To me, one of the great assets of the association was the fact that it provided all of us with the opportunity to become better builders.
Note on Northern Virginia: Although builders in Northern Virginia had been organized since 1936, the first state charter did not include this group as they were operating under a District of Columbia charter.
The office address (per a 1966 IRS filing) was at 615 E. Franklin Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219 | Organization type: 501(c)(6) Trade Association | Year organized: 1956, Virginia
The Building Boom
The 1960s brought a building boom to Virginia. Material shortages had slowed construction through the 1940s; the pace picked up in the 1950s and accelerated through the 1960s. HBAV membership climbed from roughly 1,200 in the mid-1960s to over 2,400 by 1975.
New Local Chapters
The association grew steadily through new local charters:
Danville-Pittsylvania County — 7th member association, 1961
HBA of Suburban Virginia — 1962
Fredericksburg — joined mid-1960s
Blue Ridge (Charlottesville area) — organized 1963 by a half-dozen builders; grown to 50+ members by 1975
Martinsville-Henry County — formed 1967
First National Representative
Paul R. Bickford of Hampton became HBAV's first National Representative to NAHB in 1962, providing liaison between the national association and Virginia's local chapters. Stanley Waranch of Norfolk followed in 1963 and later served as president of NAHB in 1971 — a significant national milestone for Virginia.
HBAV Education Foundation Established
The Virginia Home Builders Educational Foundation, Inc. was established in 1963 to provide scholarship assistance to students studying home building curricula in high schools, colleges, and technical schools. The foundation also donated books and periodicals to school libraries. James M. Couch, Jr. served as its first president.
First NAHB College Chapter
HBAV organized the first Virginia NAHB College Chapter at Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1963, in conjunction with VPI's School of Architecture construction program — an early investment in building the next generation of Virginia's construction professionals.
Virginia Homebuilders Institute Launched
In 1965, HBAV began a series of annual week-long educational sessions known as the Virginia Homebuilders Institute, held first at the School of Commerce at the University of Virginia, then at VPI. Curriculum included taxation, land planning, zoning, mortgage financing, scheduling, merchandising, public relations, estimating, real estate law, accounting, and electronic computers.
General Counsel Retained
In 1965 HBAV retained the firm of Christian, Barton, Parker, Epps and Brent — with Alexander W. Parker as senior partner — as HBAV general counsel. The firm's first task was studying the vandalism law with the goal of amending it to include private property. That same firm (now Christian, Barton, Epps, Brent and Chappell) still represented HBAV as of 1975.
Annual Conventions Take Root
The annual convention became a cornerstone of HBAV life, rotating between venues like the Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, WV and the Cavalier at Virginia Beach. In 1964 the association even held a Bermuda Convention Cruise. Convention booths were the primary early revenue source — in 1961, HBAV needed to sell 67 booths just to meet its annual budget.
Legislative Engagement Deepens
By the mid-1970s, legislative activity had become one of HBAV's most important and time-consuming programs. What had once required attention only during General Assembly sessions now demanded year-round engagement, as state legislative subcommittees and study commissions met continuously and the volume of industry-related legislation grew each year.
Hap Gardner Becomes Executive Vice President
Shockley D. "Hap" Gardner, Jr. assumed the role of Executive Vice President in May 1973, relocating HBAV's headquarters to 518 Ross Building in Richmond. A native Richmonder and University of Richmond law graduate, Gardner had previously served as Deputy Clerk of the Virginia Supreme Court and as a military intelligence officer in Vietnam.
Mini March on Washington
In September 1974, more than 400 Virginia builders and associates traveled to Washington, D.C. for HBAV's "Mini March on Washington" — presenting Virginia's congressional delegation with a hard-hitting review of the housing industry's crisis. The event generated widespread newspaper and TV coverage and heightened attention from both legislators and the public.
Congressional Committee Established
As a direct outgrowth of the Mini March, HBAV established a Congressional Committee to meet periodically with Virginia's Senators and Congressmen on matters of special concern to Virginia members.
Home Owners Warranty Program Established
HBAV became a key partner in launching the Home Owners Warranty (HOW) Program — America's first 10-year nationally insured protection plan for buyers of new homes, created by NAHB. By 1975, the program was already operative in Tidewater and Northern Virginia. President James M. Couch, Jr. set a goal: by January 1, 1976, at least 50% of all new homes built in Virginia by HBAV members should be covered by HOW.
14 Local Associations
By the time of HBAV's 20th anniversary in 1975, the association comprised 14 local chapters representing builders and associates across the Commonwealth, with a combined membership exceeding 2,400.
50th Anniversary Celebration
HBAV marked its 50th anniversary on Friday, March 24, 2006, with a formal banquet at The Rotunda. The evening included an anniversary video, introduction of all living past presidents, a House Joint Resolution from the Virginia General Assembly presented by Lt. Governor Bill Bolling and Delegate Riley Ingram, and an NAHB Commending Resolution. A gift was presented to past presidents by Gary Garczynski and Fred Napolitano, Sr.
HBAV Staff
Mike Sandkuhler
Van Metre Homes
Top of Virginia BA
Mike Sandkuhler has been elected to serve as HBAV’s 2026 President. Mike is senior vice president of supply chain at Van Metre Homes in Northern Virginia, where he oversees large-scale residential construction and development efforts. Recognized early for leadership in the industry, he was named among Professional Builder’s “40 Under 40” and has held key roles within Virginia’s home building associations, including chair of HBAV’s Volume Builders Council. Known for his advocacy of workforce development and modern construction methods, Mike is active in conversations shaping the future of housing supply in Virginia. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Hampden‑Sydney College. Mike enjoys golf, sport shooting, and time with his family, including his wife Rachel and son Andrew.
Executive Committee
Committee Chairs
Local Association Representatives
