Housing First Minnesota’s Ambassador Committee is charged with recruiting new members and retaining current ones by ensuring building professionals take advantage of all their membership has to offer.
With a mission of helping members build their businesses through marketing, advocacy, and industry connections, Housing First Minnesota is constantly striving to expand its network of local professionals who are passionate about the industry.
“The focus of membership is to recruit new members and retain those members,” says Nicole Coon, Housing First Minnesota’s vice president of membership and events. “We want to make sure they’re getting the most value for their membership and getting engaged in a way that makes sense for their business.”
Whether that’s attending events to network and make B2B connections, taking advantage of marketing opportunities like the Parade of Homes and Artisan Home Tour, or being an advocate for the housing industry at local and state government levels, it’s important these new members have someone to support them as they learn the ropes of the association.
Enter: Housing First Minnesota’s Ambassador Committee, a group of volunteers that focuses its energy on recruiting new members and engaging current ones by ensuring they understand the association’s core purpose—advancing the American dream of homeownership for Minnesotans—and the breadth of benefits offered to help their business succeed. Call them a “welcome committee.”
“Any time a new member joins, one of the committee members will become their ambassador, if you will. They’ll call them a couple times a year to check in on them, let them know about upcoming events or deadlines they may not know as a new member, and just be a familiar face,” says Coon of the 11 members currently serving on the Ambassador Committee. “It’s a great testimony to have someone that’s actually leveraging the association to enhance their business, goals, and objectives share their personal story and experience with Housing First Minnesota.”
Here, get to know three of those ambassadors as they share why they are a beneficial resource for members, the value of Housing First Minnesota, and how others can get involved.
Kristin Reinitz
Ambassador Committee Chair
Director of Business Development & Sales, Admit One Home Systems
When Kristin Reinitz graduated from college with a degree in interior design in early 2010, she quickly realized nobody was hiring in her field at the time. Instead, Reinitz—who grew up in the housing industry, watching her dad work as a craftsman and remodeler—took on a slew of selling jobs within the building industry while looking for a community that could support her early on in her career.
“I got involved with Housing First Minnesota because, honestly, I didn’t know where else to go,” says Reinitz, the director of business development and sales for Admit One Home Systems, a custom home integration company specializing in audio and video. “I needed somewhere to network. I needed somewhere to start integrating myself into the community.”
Since joining the association as a member more than a decade ago, Reinitz has served on the board of directors for the Housing First Minnesota Foundation—the nonprofit arm of the organization that provides services to locals experiencing homelessness— as well as multiple committees, including her current position as chair of the Ambassador Committee and committee representative on the board of directors.
“I naturally became an ambassador because I can genuinely say to other people, ‘Hey, getting involved here worked for me. Why don’t you do it too?’ The association fits with what I believe, and I want to help promote it,” says Reinitz, who sees this role as an opportunity to take care of members by staying in the know of everything going on at the association and being “one of your first friends within the industry.”
“I don’t want you to sign up and then not go to anything or not get involved, because then you’re going to drop your membership. You’re not going to get value,” she adds. “If I can get you to come to some events and make even a few introductions for you, it can help you start to get engaged. Then you’re getting your money’s worth, and you see that there’s value in creating a bigger network of people.”
Pat Hegseth
Ambassador Committee
Director of Sales, Scherer Bros. Lumber Co.
For Pat Hegseth, being involved with Housing First Minnesota is a way to give back to the industry he’s been a part of for more than four decades. His first job was in a lumber yard, picking up trash and pushing a broom in the warehouse. Today, he’s the director of sales for Scherer Bros. Lumber Co. and a longtime member of the association.
Before joining the Ambassador Committee this past November, Hegseth has also supported initiatives like education and workforce development in his 20 years with Housing First Minnesota. Now he enjoys engaging with prospective new members and breaking down barriers between competitors in the industry.
“It can be intimidating to come to an event where there could be hundreds of people and you don’t know anybody. As an ambassador, we seek out these people, put our arm around them, have a cup of coffee or a cocktail, and introduce them to other key members,” says Hegseth. “The reality is, we’re all here to garner new business, but what I find most valuable about being a member of Housing First Minnesota is the ability to give back, meet new people, and support the industry where we all make our living.”
His advice for others who want to get more involved in Housing First Minnesota is simple: Make the time. “Like a lot of things in life, you get out of it exactly what you put into it,” says Hegseth
Heather Griffis
Ambassador Committee
Project Coordinator, Custom One Homes
Heather Griffis has always been able to turn tough situations into new opportunities. When the recession pushed her out of real estate in 2007, she became a receptionist for Housing First Minnesota, working her way up to membership manager. Then, when the pandemic hit and she missed being out in the field, Griffis decided to pursue a new job as project coordinator for Custom One Homes—but she never lost her passion for the association.
“Housing First Minnesota has a place in my heart, and I will always push membership to the association,” she says. “There is no better way to spend your dollars and get that engagement.”
Griffis previously ran the Ambassador Committee as an employee of Housing First Minnesota, so it made sense for her to continue as a volunteer committee member, where her number-one goal is to get new members to see the value in their membership and renew the following year. “I’m passionate about being there for others,” says Griffis, who also works to get more young people and women involved in the industry. “I like to be a resource for people, I like to meet people. That’s my thing—helping people get where they need to be or meeting the right people to get there.”
Outside of the opportunities for engagement and connection, Griffis says it’s the advocacy work of Housing First Minnesota that she finds most valuable. “Housing First is fighting for housing affordability— something we are lacking in Minnesota. It’s really expensive to build a home these days, and it’s hard for first-time homebuyers to get into a home. They’re pushing to help young kids get into a home rather than rent forever,” she says. “The association’s advocacy is top notch.”
INTERESTED IN JOINING THE AMBASSADOR COMMITTEE?
You’ll need to be a Housing First Minnesota member for at least one year and attend three events. For more information, contact Kristin Reinitz at Kristin@AdmitOneSystems.com or Nicole Coon at Nicole@HousingFirstMN.org.
