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In Loudoun County, HBAV leaders mixed humor and hard results as the association installed new officers and closed the book on a record-setting year.
This year’s HBAV Installation of Officers Celebration landed at Lansdowne Resort with the right balance of ceremony and levity. It drew nearly 150 members, partners, friends and family from across the Commonwealth. There were oaths of office, applause and a few surprises, but the throughline of the night was clear: the association has momentum, and leadership intends to use it.
Craig Toalson, CEO of the Home Builders Association of Virginia, opened the program by turning attention to the people who carried that energy through 2025. “One year ago, they stood on stage and they took an oath of office,” he said, before recognizing the outgoing executive board. “These members met with us constantly through 2025. They spent countless hours, often on Zoom, but often in Richmond and at all of our events.”
Sandkuhler outlines focus
When Mike Sandkuhler of Van Metre Homes took the stage to be sworn in as 2026 president, he had a musical introduction more suited to a ballpark than a ballroom. “Thankfully, they cut the music short before they started singing,” he said, drawing laughter, then shifting gears. “It is an incredible honor to stand here tonight as the incoming president of the Home Builders Association of Virginia.”
Sandkuhler traced his involvement from the local level through state and national roles, then laid out priorities that reflect how the association operates day to day. “My number one goal as president is strengthening the federation,” he said. “Too many members still don’t realize that if you’re a member locally, you’re automatically a part of HBAV and a part of NAHB.”
He emphasized execution over slogans. “A plan matters if we use it,” Sandkuhler said of the strategic plan developed under Klinger and association leadership. “It will be our roadmap for the year ahead, actually the next five years. The plan lays out where we need to go as an association – stronger advocacy, better alignment between locals and state, a real commitment to growing our workforce and housing supply in Virginia.”
Finally, Sandkuhler also committed to growing HBAV’s new multifamily council and grounded the work ahead with a simple truth. “Nothing in Virginia happens without rooftops,” he said. “Rooftops bring schools. Rooftops bring business.”
Klinger gets personal
Before the gavel officially passed, outgoing president Hans Klinger of HHHunt reflected on a year that took him across the state and deepened his appreciation for the association and its people. “Most of the past presidents will tell you that they got a lot more out of this role than they thought they ever would,” he said. “The same is true now.”
Klinger spoke candidly about advocacy and uncertainty, and about the behind-the-scenes work that rarely gets airtime. “We as builders need predictability,” he said, describing national and state-level engagement. He also made a point to recognize staff. “Every event we have, there’s so much that goes on behind the scenes that we just don’t see.”
The moment turned quieter when Klinger was presented with a folded Virginia state flag that had flown over the Capitol in his honor, a gesture recognizing his year of service as president. Looking back, he landed on perspective rather than accomplishment.
“I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you actually left them,” Klinger said. “That kind of sums up my year as president.”
Closing out a busy 2025
In many ways, it has been a banner year for HBAV. “We were founded almost 70 years ago based upon advocacy, and it does remain the heart of everything we do,” Toalson said, noting a General Assembly session where nearly 10% of introduced legislation directly affected the industry. He pointed to an emergency building code amendment that preserved the ability to build two-over-two townhomes. Without it, the cost would have skyrocketed by $20,000. “Emergency amendments like this are very rare, and it demonstrates our ability to navigate the regulatory system.”
What’s more, engagement across the association reached a new high. “This year, HBAV staff and leadership participated in 47 meetings and events,” Toalson said. “This is a record-setting level of engagement.” Workforce development followed the same pattern, with nearly $45,000 awarded in grants through the HBAV Education Foundation and $80,000 raised through fundraising initiatives.
“These accomplishments are not just numbers,” Toalson said. “They represent true impact, faster approvals, reducing the approval timeline by 140 days, a strong workforce and more unified industry voices.”
“We’re going to create an environment where builders can build, families can live affordably and communities can thrive.”