I really love hanging out with my homeys in the homebuilding community – and here’s why: they are eternal optimists, and the world needs more of those.

At PCBC last week, I had the privilege of hanging with old and new friends in the building industry, and no one would argue that this group has taken a severe beating over the last two years.  Whatever your opinion, you can agree that their industry has been devastated by severe economic conditions, layoffs, bankruptcies and worse.

Yet there they were, gathered together to celebrate all the good things about the homebuilding community – and realizing in their collective pain that there is still a lot to celebrate.  I saw old friends greet each other with happy smiles and an unspoken understanding that they were intrepid survivors.  I heard many pillars of industry talk in terms of what had crumbled and what would come next.

But mostly, I heard guarded optimism.  I heard people planning for the future.  I saw people striving to learn and become better at what they do.  I witnessed hope and perseverance.  That’s the best word-of-mouth/social media marketing anyone could ask for.

And it made me love them all the more.