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Mountain Council for Accountable Development (MCAD)
37 Montford Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801
mbutrum@abr-nc.com

MCAD Developer Certification Course

After months of planning and preparation, the first-ever MCAD Developer Certification course occurred on Tuesday and Wednesday, October 28-29, 2008. 17 students and 15 instructors participated in the event.    The course was a huge success.  Novice and experienced builders alike felt it was worthwhile.  Everyone agreed that the program should continue.  As a result, the Developer Certification was offered again in February and July 2009. 
***Our 4th certification course will take place on February 2-3, 2010.   Click here for the agenda for the February course.  For more information or to register, contact Mike Butrum at mbutrum@abr-nc.com or call him at 828.255.8505.***

 “We appreciate that MCAD took the lead in developing their Developer Certification course, to address the many issues related to developing responsibly and sensitively in the mountain environment.  One of the needs identified in the recently completed Mountain Ridge and Steep Slope Protection Strategies study and report was the need to educate developers and those in the “development community” about the various issues and nuances related to developing in the mountains, including best practices for siting, grading, road design, landscaping and related practices.  The course provides a good base set of information and resources and is taught by experienced professionals.” --Bill Eaker, Environmental Program Manager, and Linda Giltz, AICP, Regional Planner for Land-of-Sky Regional Council

“Years of professional knowledge presented in two days! This MCAD Course is excellent for anyone serving the public. The spectrum of topics is exceptional. An excellent opportunity. To ignore the opportunity of MCAD is to ignore growth and professionalism.” --Fran McCaskill, Realtor®

 “As an "education junkie" and one of the co-chairs of the Education Committee of the Asheville Board of Realtors for the last 3 years, I found MCAD’s Developer Certification to be very informative and timely.  But more importantly, it gave me the opportunity to get to know some of the people I have heard about in my business for years!! MCAD brings together the right people to instruct in their area of expertise. It is totally worth your time. Stay learning-based, take the class! You'll be glad you did.” -- Donna Prinz, Realtor®

“MCAD, with the help of many members of our community, has created a dynamic and comprehensive program. Once again, we are demonstrating our commitment to the health and sustainability of our community.” -- David West, CEO, Asheville Board of Realtors® 

“Why attend MCAD? First and foremost: Part of the transition from a good Realtor to a Great Realtor is understanding the total level of service the public [and the NCREC] expects us to have AND provide to our clients.
What is the statute of limitations on a client filing a complaint against a Realtor? NONE!! Education is your cheapest defense. MCAD gives you a big jump on what Realtors must have in today’s real estate market and provides additional levels of awareness to help us better serve our clients. 
As an example: Before MCAD, I would not have thought to utilize a geotechnical engineer **.  Now, I always include “Geotechnical Engineer” as a write-in on my Professional Services Disclosure form. I may not need it, but I will not “overlook” it in the future.
As one exceptionally wise Realtor told me, “Finding the property is only one-third of the process. The other two-thirds is finishing the process to a successful close.” MCAD gives you the information you need for the other two-thirds of the transaction. There are so many MORE resources out there than I realized – and MCAD shows us where to find – and how to utilize – these resources for a successful transaction in today’s real estate environment.
Invest in yourself and your future. Take a step to go from good to GREAT – take MCAD.
**If you don’t know what a geotechnical engineer is, or how to utilize one, this is just one of the reasons you need MCAD. --Alexandria Lord, Realtor®

July 2009 Presenters:  

• Site Plans and Regulations (2 separate modules): Gerald Green, GreenPlan
• Septic and Sewer Systems: Stan Crownover and Eric Barnes, Buncombe County Environmental Health
• Building Permits: Mark Case and Susannah Carver, City of Asheville
• Foundations and Footings: Rod Johnston, Author and Independent Consultant, and Matthew Fogleman, ECS Carolinas
• Low Impact Development (LID): Rod Johnston, Author and Independent Consultant
• Steep Slope Regulations: Jason Gilliland of LandDesign, LLC, and Jessee Scarborough of Bunnell-Lammons Engineering
• Erosion and Storm Water Control (2 separate modules): Melanie Brethauer, WNC Professional Engineers & Surveyors
• Wetlands: Jennifer Robertson, Wetlands and Natural Resource Consultants
• WNC HealthyBuilt Homes Program: Matt Siegel, WNC Green Building Council
• Financing: Christine Dozier. Home Trust Bank.
• Insurance and Liability: Chad McKinney, McKinney Insurance Agency

July 2009 Participants:

• Julie Ball, Realtor®
• Sandra Brooks, Realtor®
• Curtis Burge, Realtor®
• Todd Dunnuck, Realtor®
• Luke Edwards, Developer
• Woody Fender, Realtor®
• Jan Gay, Environmental Consultant
• Peggy Guy, Realtor®
• Jennifer Keleher, Realtor®
• Michael Keleher, Realtor®
• Debbie Lane, Realtor®
• Fran McCaskill, Realtor®
• John Mueller, Home Inspector
• Richard Smith, Realtor® / Appraiser
• David Wall, Realtor®

February 2009 Presenters:  

• Site Plans and Regulations (2 separate modules): Gerald Green, GreenPlan
• Septic and Sewer Systems: Stan Crownover and Eric Barnes, Buncombe County Environmental Health
• Building Permits: Mark Case and Susannah Carver, City of Asheville
• Foundations and Footings: Rod Johnston, Mountain Air
• Low Impact Development (LID): Greg Hoffman, LandDesign
• Steep Slope Regulations: Jason Gilliland of LandDesign, LLC, and Jessee Scarborough of Bunnell-Lammons Engineering
• Erosion and Storm Water Control (2 separate modules): Melanie Brethauer, WNC Professional Engineers & Surveyors
• Wetlands: Jennifer Robertson, Wetlands and Natural Resource Consultants
• WNC HealthyBuilt Homes Program: Matt Siegel, WNC Green Building Council
• Community Relationships: Kendra Turner, Sustainable Development, LLC
• Insurance and Liability: Greg Spicer, MATH Insurance

February 2009 Participants:

• Josh Abrams, Operations, MoreSpacePlace
• Kathy Begley, Realtor®
• Don Bell, Realtor®
• Blake Boyd, Realtor®
• Mary Ellen Brown, Realtor®
• Scott Browne, Realtor®
• Karen Cernek, Realtor®
• Joe Chandler, Realtor®
• Tim Dearman, Builder/Developer
• Mary Duffy, Realtor®
• Mitch Gonzalez, Builder/Developer
• Bill Goodman, Realtor®
• Jeremy Jordan, Realtor®
• Duane Liming, Builder/Developer
• Alex Lord, Realtor®
• Martha Lowe, Realtor®
• Adam Lurie, Realtor®
• Art Mayfield, Realtor®
• Donna Prinz, Realtor®
• John Stuart Ray, Jr., Builder/Developer
• Monique Rundell, Realtor®
• Brad Wood, Manager, Progress Energy

October 2008 Presenters:  

• Site Plans and Regulations (2 separate modules): Gerald Green, GreenPlan
• Septic and Sewer Systems: Stan Crownover and Eric Barnes, Buncombe County Environmental Health
• Building Permits: Mark Case and Susannah Carver, City of Asheville
• Foundations and Footings: Rod Johnston, Mountain Air
• Low Impact Development (LID): Greg Hoffman and Marty Kocot, LandDesign
• Steep Slope Regulations: Jason Gilliland of LandDesign, LLC, and Jessee Scarborough of Bunnell-Lammons Engineering
• Erosion and Storm Water Control (2 separate modules): Melanie Brethauer, WNC Professional Engineers & Surveyors
• Wetlands: Jennifer Robertson, Wetlands and Natural Resource Consultants
• WNC HealthyBuilt Homes Program: Matt Siegel, WNC Green Building Council
• Affordable Housing: John Isgrig, Isgrig Financial Services Inc.

October 2008 Participants:

• Al Braddock-Developer
• Brandon Bryant-Builder/Developer
• Mike Butrum-Realtor and MCAD Staff
• Larry Carver-Builder/Developer
• Melissa Chapman-Interior Designer
• Bill Eaker-Land of Sky Director
• Sami Forrest-Builder/Developer and Realtor
• Linda Giltz-Land of Sky Director
• Greg Homolka-Builder/Developer
• Tom Israel-Builder/Developer
• David King-Realtor
• Art Myers-Realtor
• Bob Pike-Developer
• Peter Pollay-Realtor
• Beth Rytz- Builder/Developer
• Richard Soderquist-Builder/Developer
• Sean Sullivan-Builder/Developer and MCAD Member