9 Candidates Announced for Special USHBA Board Election

*the US Hemp Building Association will hold special elections this week for two new board members, bringing the total to nine. Courtesy of the US Hemp Building Association*

By US Hemp Building Association

The US Hemp Building Association announced the names of nine candidates running in the upcoming online election for two new at-large members of the board of directors.

Candidates submitted bios, statements and short online videos on the USHBA Elections Page.

Online voting for the special election will take place between Feb. 23-29. active members of the USHBA will receive an emailed online ballot.

“We’re excited and grateful to our candidates for stepping up to throw their heats in the ring,” said secretary Jean Lotus. “We appreciate the involvement of all our membership in USHBA.”

Candidates (in alphabetical order) are:

Douglas Allan, Pullman, MI - A 20+ year carpenter with a lifetime interest in hemp building
Ray DePriest, - Corporate member of USHBA and owner of SunRay Hemp, Alaska
Katherine Desmond, Corinth, VT - A real estate professional and hemp grower
Ingrid Fay, Chicago, IL - Interior designer and operations manager for Texas Healthy Homes
Jason Heidenescher, Columbus, OH - A green Realtor building a hempcrete home outside Columbus
Jose Iturraspe, Riverview, FL - Production homes contractor and purchasing manager for Mattamy Homes
Cody Ley, Jones, MI - Regional Leader for USHBA and a recent college graduate hemp farmer and entrepreneur
Duane Shugars, Hazleton, PA - Corporate member of USHBA and founder of I-Hemp Catalyst/Metai Hemp, an online trading platform for the hemp industry.
Lisa Sundberg, Trinidad, CA - Founder of the Indigenous Habitat Institute working with French hempcrete builders.

New board members will serve 2-year terms on the all-volunteer board.

Homeland Hempcrete

HempStone

Complete Hemp Processing

Verdant Structural Engineers

The USHBA’s mission is to further the use of hemp building materials in the United States, including hemp-lime insulation, hemp batt insulation, hemp wood, resins, paints and varnishes and any other innovations that are developed.

The volunteer board of directors holds events, makes policy decisions and works with members to remove barriers for the US use of hemp building materials.

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Americhanvre

Texas Healthy Homes

South Bend Industrial Hemp

Sativa Building Systems

Whitefield Hemp Partners

Hemp Traders

Hillside Center for Sustainable Living

Gradek Contracting & Designs

8th Fire Innovations

Right Coast Hemp

Tiger Fiber

Plural Office Architects

Recent accomplishments for the board include:

• Adopting hemp-lime insulation into the US building codes through the International Residential Code (to be released by the International Code Council in spring of 2024).

• Removing barriers for commercial specification of hemp-lime in larger US multiunit or commercial projects by publishing an upcoming commercial guide specification for hempcrete with ARCAT.

• Working with the engineering department of North Dakota State University to develop US measurement standards for hemp hurd to help builders and processors.
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