A Note from the VP, Jim Greatorex: July 2022
Published in
Home Modifications
on July 27, 2022
We have hit the middle of summer, and here’s hoping you are able to find time to enjoy your family, take in a concert or ballgame, experience a theme or water park, get in a round of golf, go see a great movie, or cook something amazing on your grill like Robert G. from Bestbath does! (Friend him on Facebook if you want to see what I mean). We believe that even when you are very busy, it’s important for everyone to get that mental break, do something fun, and smell the roses.
At Live at Home, we are also having a busy summer with many projects in the works that will bring value to the membership and to the industry as a whole. We will culminate some of these projects with some interactive sessions at our Building Opportunities Summit from November 10-12 in Tampa, FL. Below are highlights from a couple of projects we have.
Apprenticeship Program We have made some great progress in building this program. We are fortunate to have some dedicated members who are helping put the program together. Our goal by the conference is to have some,if not all, of the program ready for preview. The whole program is being designed so it can be recognized by the Department of Labor in your state as a Certified Apprenticeship Program and, in turn, qualify for any cost share that most states offer towards apprenticeships. In Tampa, you will meet Rob Leonard, the Director of the Build Smart Institute, and the volunteer reps from member companies led by Darren Corcoran from Vets Access/Cor Freedom. We are all excited to share the program and how it can be utilized by your company. Your feedback will be necessary and requested during this presentation.
New White Paper Project This is the year that we are working to put in place the infrastructure needed for the industry to be recognized, defined, and professionalized. One area that we see that needs to be addressed is to provide a best practice for how, when, and who should have clinical intervention on home assessments for modifications. Many projects that are funded by a third party require an OT evaluation, but we need to address a best practice of when it’s in the client’s best interest to have clinical oversight. On this project we are fortunate to have Cindi Petito, a well-known and experienced OT lead the clinical side, and we have several member executives who are lending their experience in a very collaborative project. We want both sides to come to the table and put their heads together to come up with common-sense protocols in which the consumer is best served in the most practical way. With the great group we have participating, I think that goal will be accomplished. This project also will have a presentation at our summit in Tampa with all the collaborators in house.
Building Opportunities Summit Besides those two projects previously mentioned, we will have other great tracks and subject matters covered at this conference. Here is a list of just a few more of the session being offered:
- Creating a High-Margin Retail Home Access Sales Program by Jim Bland, CEO, Seniors Home Services
- 5 Common Mistakes We See Small Business Make by Steve Dawson, CEO, Harmar
- A Unique Home Access Business Model in Cincinnati – The Whole Home Innovation Center by Nina Creech, Senior VP, Whole Home Innovation Center
- An Overview of the Workman’s Comp Market by Jill Faurver, Operations Manager, HOMELINK Home Modification Vehicle Lift Program
- An Overview of the Residential Elevator Market by Dylan McConville, Pollock Residential Lifts and Bill Bohmbach, CEO, Home Healthsmith
- How to Build a Profitable Revenue Stream with Overhead Lifts – A Panel Discussion led by James Philpot, Savaria
- Industry Update and How We Build Our Future Together by Jim Greatorex, VP, VGM Live at Home
The Conference starts at 5 p.m. ET on Thursday, November 10 with a reception and vendor preview. Friday night we will have an exhibit hall from 4-6:30, a banquet from 7-9, and then entertainment by America’s Funniest Magician DeWayne Hill. We are finalizing the agenda through this month, and registration is now open! Click here to learn more.
Update on HR 7676 Home Modification for Accessibility Bill We have had a bit of a roller coaster ride with this bill. The original version was loaded with great benefits, but the price and depth of benefits made it un-passable and non-viable. A revision took place, and the bill was re-scored very quickly. The new version brings us a bill that scaled down the benefit and took the cost down by 75%. You can see the revisions here. Industry leaders are meeting with a tax legislation expert to decide next steps and how we proceed from here, so stay tuned!
2022 is an exciting year for home accessibility. Thanks for your membership!
Jim