Three construction industry experts from southern New Jersey were honored for their career-long commitment to housing industry issues with induction into the Builders League of South Jersey Hall of Fame at an awards ceremony at The Mansion on Main Street in Voorhees.
  Peter J. Hovnanian of J.S. Hovnanian and Sons in Mount Laurel, James Stevens, president of Taylor Wiseman & Taylor Engineers in Mount Laurel, and Michael Kurpiel, Director of Trade Relations and Government Affairs at ProBuild, were honored by the Builders League of South Jersey for their work in promoting the housing industry in New Jersey.
  The BLSJ Hall of Fame was established in 2005 to recognize association members for their service and commitment to housing industry in New Jersey.
  Mr. Hovnanian, who served as Builders League President in 1995 and the New Jersey Builders Association president in 2003, has long recognized the importance of being involved in industry wide issues and staying politically active in the regulatory process. He has chaired the League’s political action committee and organized numerous fundraising efforts.  He is a member of the Ambassadors for Housing program, a public affairs outreach program that engages employees on broader construction industry issues. A resident of Moorestown, Mr. Hovnanian has been recognized previously for his contributions to the housing industry with induction into the New Jersey Builders Hall of Fame and awarded Builder of the Year and Outstanding Political Action.
  Mr. Kurpiel has been widely recognized for developing an Association Maximization program that has helped homebuilding associations inform and retain membership by teaching new members the best methods for investing their time into the membership. The Builders League has used the program for the last five years to maintain one of the best member retention rates of any homebuilding association in the country.
  A member since 1998, Mr. Kurpiel has served on nearly every committee in the Builders League. He has served in a leadership capacity as the League’s vice president of Associate members from 2005 to 2009 and has served in the same role for the NJBA. He has worked as an advocate on public affairs issues through the Ambassadors for Housing program, bringing a voice to how regulations and legislation that impact housing affect numerous other business, jobs and the economy in New Jersey.  He was previously honored for his industry work with the League’s Joseph S. VanOsten Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.
  He is currently representing the industry on a national level as National Associates Chairman for the National Association of Homebuilders. Last month, the NAHB honored Kurpiel with its prestigious Associate of the Year Award at the International Builders Show in Las Vegas. Kurpiel is a resident of Ocean Township in Monmouth County.
  Mr. Stevens has provided engineering and planning expertise on several of the Builders League’s public affairs committees for years. His guidance helped the League develop its Smart Growth platform and the Growth Fit Management Plan, which analyzed regional population growth versus the planning and development processes in New Jersey.  
  Stevens and Taylor Wiseman and Taylor, which has been a League member since 1957, have been dedicated to numerous community service projects and charitable efforts that improve the way residents live in southern New Jersey. He is a member of the League’s Board of Directors and an Ambassadors for Housing program member. Stevens was honored as Associate of the Year in 2005. He resides in Beach Haven.
 
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Pictured: Builders League of South Jersey Pres. Winfield Ziegenfuss of Daniel Gregory Inc. with Peter J. Hovnanian, J.S. Hovnanian and Sons.