Join your fellow members at this year's Fall General Membership Dinner for an evening of timely education and networking. The event will kick off with a fun tabletop tradeshow and cocktail hour followed by a presentation on "How to Survive in a Challenging Market." Todd Britsch, president of New Home Trends will lead off with expert data surrounding the condition of the current market. Bill Hurme, owner of TeamBuilder John L. Scott, will share his perspectives from the realty world. Rob Stewart, President of Greacen Construction, will round out the presentation by sharing his strategies and tips in surviving challenging times in the industry. This is a must-attend for builders, real estate agents and anyone interested in the condition and future of the industry. Advanced registration is strongly suggested. Register now before it's too late.

Learn what you need to know about how the new first-time homebuyer tax credit works and how you can market it.

The findings of a critical areas study can have a significant impact on your proposed development plans. This course will address how and why these studies are often misinterpreted and what the critical areas ordinances and regulations really mean to your development plans.

MBA University has teamed with Sustainable September to bring you this session on low impact development. Learn about how low impact development fits into the sustainability puzzle and see how to integrate LID techniques into your projects.

It's important to recognize the warning signs of a difficult customer at the outset. In this Dealing with Difficult Customer course, you'll learn how to control and manage difficult customers during the formative stages of a project and how to structure your business to protect yourself from the litigious customer.

There will be two luncheons with exceptional speakers at the 2008 Northwest Builders Show. On December 9, the Northwest Trends Luncheon will be headlined by Matt Griffin, Doug Barnes and David Allen. Griffin is the managing partner of Pine Street Group L.L.C and a real estate developer. Doug Barnes is past president of our association, and Executive Vice President for Centex Homes Northwest Region. David Allen is the Vice president of marketing for McKinstry Co. L.L.C., one of the top specialty contractors in the Northwest. Dave Seiders and Matthew Gardner will headline the Economic Forecast Luncheon on December 10. David Seiders is the Chief Economist and senior Staff Vice president for the NAHB and Matthew Gardner is a land use economist and principal at Gardner Johnson. For additional Table Captain Information contact: Lesley Odland.

How will 1.7 million people and 1.2 million new jobs fit in the Puget Sound region? What are the key strategies to removing the barriers to quality growth, stimulating infrastructure investment and promoting livability in the region? Join us at this Quality Growth Alliance event where regional growth strategies will be discussed and a focused set of priorities and specific actions will be unveiled that will inspire development excellence in our region. Registration will be handled by the Urban Land Institute at http://seattle.uli.org or by calling 1-(800)-321-5011. For more information call (206)-224-4500.

Join Seahawk alumni players and the Sea Gals at the Care Foundation's annual trap shoot fundraiser on September 19. This will be a great day of shooting with plenty of surprises and a lot of people to network with during the event. There is room for 40 teams of five shooters, so register as an individual or a team and challenge last year's winners.

The association's Membership Directory is a great advertising vehicle that repeats your message throughout the year. It is available to members only and is used as a search tool by members seeking member services. Key spaces are available on a first-come, first-serve basis and production is on a tight schedule. Advertising sales close on September 26. If you want an ad that will promote your company all year long, call Julie Applegate, Advertising Sales Manager, at (425)-278-0227.