October 19, 2026
Weekly Tip: Invite your local and state elected officials to visit one of your job sites. This is a great way to educate them about the construction industry and to show them the importance of resilient construction.
How This Helps Your Business: Helps you build relationships with key policymakers, gives you a voice in the legislative process, and can lead to new business opportunities.
How This Helps Make Your Community Resilient: Helps to ensure that policymakers are making informed decisions about issues that affect the construction industry and the resilience of your community.
MORE INFO: Bring Policymakers to the Jobsite and Show Them Why Resilience Matters
Elected officials make decisions that directly affect contractors, homeowners, and the safety of entire communities. From building codes and permitting requirements to disaster recovery funding and insurance-related policies, their decisions influence how homes are built, repaired, and protected.
Yet many policymakers have limited firsthand experience with residential construction. They may understand the goals of stronger building standards without fully appreciating the materials, labor, costs, and practical challenges involved in putting those standards into action.
Contractors can help bridge that gap by inviting elected officials to visit an active jobsite. A short, well-organized visit can provide valuable insight into how resilient construction works and why it matters.
Here are several ways to make a jobsite visit productive:
- Invite the right people. Contact your city council members, county officials, state legislators, or their staff. Focus on officials involved in housing, construction, economic development, or disaster preparedness.
- Choose a project that tells a story. A home with a fortified roof, impact-resistant windows, improved drainage, elevated mechanical equipment, or other resilience features provides an opportunity to demonstrate how stronger construction protects homeowners.
- Show the details. Walk officials through specific materials and installation techniques. Explain how each improvement helps a home withstand severe weather, flooding, wildfire, or other local hazards.
- Explain the costs and benefits. Help policymakers understand the additional labor, materials, training, and inspection requirements involved in resilient construction, along with the potential savings from avoiding future damage.
- Discuss real-world challenges. Share examples of permitting delays, workforce shortages, outdated codes, or other obstacles that make it harder for contractors to deliver stronger homes.
- Connect construction to community recovery. Explain how better-built homes can reduce displacement, limit repair needs, and help neighborhoods recover more quickly after disasters.
- Keep the conversation going. Follow up with a thank-you message, photos, or additional information. Offer to serve as a resource when construction-related issues come before policymakers.
A successful visit does not require an elaborate presentation. A 20- to 30-minute walkthrough and a straightforward conversation about what you are building, why it matters, and what could make the process better can leave a lasting impression.
Always coordinate with the property owner, follow jobsite safety requirements, and make sure visitors have appropriate protective equipment.
Business impact
Building relationships with policymakers gives contractors an opportunity to contribute practical expertise to decisions affecting their industry. Officials who understand your work may seek your perspective on proposed legislation, code updates, permitting reforms, or construction-related programs.
These relationships can also strengthen your professional reputation and help you stay informed about policy developments and potential business opportunities. Participation in public discussions demonstrates leadership and a commitment to improving the construction industry.
Community impact
When policymakers see resilient construction firsthand, they gain a better understanding of which improvements provide meaningful protection and what it takes to implement them.
That knowledge can inform stronger building codes, more practical incentive programs, better disaster mitigation investments, and policies that help homeowners access resilient construction solutions.
Contractors also bring an important perspective to disaster recovery planning. Their experience with damaged homes, rebuilding costs, labor availability, and construction timelines can help officials make decisions that support faster, more effective recovery.
You should know: Fortified Structural Solutions brings experience with the FORTIFIED program and the construction practices that help homes withstand severe weather. Its expertise can help illustrate the practical value of stronger building standards and resilience-focused policies. The Association of Professional Builders provides professional education and industry resources that can help builders strengthen their leadership, communication, and engagement with issues affecting the construction industry.
A practical starting point: Identify one local or state elected official and invite them to visit a project where you are incorporating resilient construction features. Keep your invitation simple:
“We’re working on a project that demonstrates how better construction can help protect homes and families from future disasters. I’d welcome the opportunity to show you what we’re doing and discuss how these practices can benefit our community.”
You don’t need to be a policy expert to make a difference. Your firsthand construction experience is exactly the kind of knowledge policymakers need.
When contractors open their jobsites to policymakers, they open the door to better-informed decisions, stronger homes, and more resilient communities.