Building Industry Association names Joe Wilson a Defender of Housing

Joe Wilson, Member of Congress for the Second Congressional District of South Carolina (R), will be honored onOctober 11, 2016, by the Building Industry Association (BIA) of Central South Carolina with the “Defender of Housing” award, acknowledging him as a forward-thinking federal legislator who recognizes housing’s significant role within the U.S. economy.

“Congressman Wilson understands the key national issues facing builders, developers, and remodelers here in the Midlands,” said BIA President Eddie Yandle, a home builder in Columbia. “The unfortunate effect of too much legislation and regulation is that it drives up the cost of housing, making it more difficult for families to afford a home.”

“Home building, by its very nature, is a series of productive partnerships: between the home builder and his or her client, trade contractor, banker and/or architect,” said Ed Brady, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), and a home builder in Bloomington, Ill.  “The Defender of Housing award honors another very important partnership: our ongoing work with the lawmakers who, in many ways, create the blueprint for our businesses with their votes on legislation that define how our industry operates.”

NAHB created the Defender of Housing Award on behalf of the more than 700 state and local building associations across the country that make up the NAHB Federation. These associations chose their nominees, and a panel of NAHB elected leaders chose the finalists. The awards will be presented throughout this month to recipients nationwide.

“No matter how an association chooses to present this award, each recipient demonstrates a strong commitment to affordable housing, consumer choice and most importantly, the significant contribution that home building makes to the economy,” Yandle said. “Homeownership is the engine that drives this nation, and the Defender of Housing award goes to those men and women that enable more homes to be built.”