Aimee Bertrand runs one of the largest builders associations in the country, and within the first few minutes of talking with her, I understood why. She has spent her entire career translating one group of people to another, and that skill started long before she ever heard the word zoning.
Aimee grew up with a mother who was deaf, and she became the family translator early on. That role never really left her. She studied journalism, landed an accidental job at the Mississippi state capitol, then moved into city council work in Houston, and eventually found her way to leading the Greater Houston Builders Association.
“I think the through line in my entire career and my life has been helping people to connect. I grew up with a mom that was completely deaf but had hearing support through a cochlear implant, but that also meant that I was often her translator growing up.”
Every stop along the way asked her to do the same thing: take what one side needs and make it make sense to the other side. That is basically her job description today, except now the two sides are builders and the policymakers who regulate them.
We spent a good chunk of this conversation on workforce, and I could tell it is the topic that lights her up the most. Five and a half years into her role, a member called her within her first few days to tell her the trades were in a crisis, plumbers retiring, electricians retiring, nobody left to do drywall.
“When I walked in the door five and a half years ago, I got a call within the first few days from a member of our association who said, ‘Do you know what a crisis we have? Do you know how many plumbers are about to retire? Do you know how many electricians are about to retire? I can’t find anyone to do drywall.'”
That call became the start of a real strategy. GHBA now partners with local school districts, brings the Home Builders Institute curriculum into classrooms, and invites students to their annual expo where they hand out hard hats and let kids talk to people already working in the industry. Texas has also built new technical colleges designed around a simple idea, the state only gets paid back if students actually land jobs and stay in them.
“The great thing about that model for Texas is that they don’t get paid by the state unless those students not only get a job, but stay in that job and truly have a career path.”
That is a funding model built around real outcomes, and Aimee has seen it work.
We also got into the cost of regulation, which she connects directly to affordability. The National Association of Home Builders tracks something called the Priced Out Index, and Houston has held the unfortunate title of one of the most priced out city in the country.
“Every time we add $1,000 to that median home price, we are pricing out 3,000 families from being able to purchase a home in the Houston area.”
That number sticks with you once you hear the math behind it, and it reframes how you think about permitting delays, inspection timelines, and code requirements that sound minor on paper. Aimee broke down what actually sits inside a home’s price tag once you get past the finishes.
“If we’re talking that it’s about $400,000 for a new home construction in Houston, that means that $100,000 of that home is not a beautiful countertop. It’s not a beautiful sink or bathtub. It’s delays in inspection times. It’s permitting costs. It’s increased standards that may or may not apply to that home.”
Aimee also talked about why builders join associations in the first place, and her answer was refreshingly simple. It is about having people in your corner who understand exactly what you are dealing with, whether that is a supply issue, a difficult client, or a policy fight nobody told you was happening.
“When I share those challenges or opportunities with people who are doing what I’m doing, I’m better for it. When I’m able to crib off of someone else’s paper, I am better for it.”
She described builders who walk into a room full of competitors and eventually realize those same people have become their informal board of directors.
One part of this conversation stayed with me after we wrapped. Aimee brought up mental health in construction without me prompting it, and she connected it to something most people outside the trades never think about.
“We see that not just suicide but the threat of addiction is higher and the incidence is higher in people who work in construction than in most other types of professions.”
That is part of why GHBA started a new monthly gathering called In Good Company. It has nothing to do with networking. It exists so builders and remodelers have a place to talk about what is actually weighing on them, personally and professionally, because the pressure of running a small building business can be isolating in ways that rarely get discussed out loud.
“We are for them, we are by them, we are of them. So we are meant to be here as a support.”
We covered a lot of ground here: her path into association leadership, the state of women in the building trades, workforce development at the school level, the real dollar impact of regulation, AI showing up in permitting and plan review, and the community support that keeps builders from carrying everything alone. Aimee brings a perspective that comes from sitting at the intersection of builders, policymakers, and the next generation trying to figure out where they fit into this industry.
I think you’re going to enjoy this one.
About Aimee Bertrand
Aimee Bertrand is a proven leader and team builder who thrives in challenging, high-stakes environments. She has worked for more than 20 years as a government affairs, communications and association professional. Aimee seeks out opportunities to engage key government and community stakeholders to solve problems. At heart, she is a connecter for individuals and issues that matter to her community. She was born and raised in Kingwood, Texas.
Aimee currently serves as Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President for the Greater Houston Builders Association, the largest Home Builders Association in Texas and one of the largest in the United States.
She participates in organizations including: as a Board Member for HomeAid Houston, as a Mayor Appointee to the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority, as a Board Member of the Houston Land Bank Fund, as Past President of the Texas Executive Officers Council, as a member of Texas Society of Association Executives, National Charity League Kingwood Chapter and the Young Mens Service League Kingwood Chapter.
Aimee is the mother of three children. She and her husband, Colin Butler, also have the cutest dog ever, Rufus T. Wiggleton, Esq.
Greater Houston Builders Association: https://ghba.org/
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