08/18/2026
Every builder has a team behind them, trades, suppliers, inspectors, lenders, and somebody has to make sure their voice gets heard in the rooms where the real decisions happen.
On this episode of Builder Straight Talk, Michael sits down with Aimee Bertrand, CEO of the Greater Houston Builders Association, one of the largest builders associations in the country. Aimee grew up translating for her deaf mother, and that instinct for connecting people carried her from journalism school into the Mississippi state capitol, into Houston city council, and eventually into leading one of the most influential voices in home building.
We get into why workforce development has become her biggest passion, how a single phone call from a worried member turned into a real strategy for bringing new talent into the trades, and what it actually costs families when regulation quietly stacks up on the price of a home.
Aimee also opens up about something builders rarely talk about publicly, the pressure that comes with running a business alone, and why GHBA started a new gathering just to give builders a place to talk about what's actually weighing on them.
This one covers a lot of ground, and Aimee brings a perspective shaped by sitting right at the intersection of builders, policymakers, and the next generation of the trades.
Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/oK_LNag2b1c
