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Yoder earns certified builder status
-Aaron Yoder, President of A M Yoder & Co., Inc. in Harrisonburg has earned Certified Builder status from EarthCraft House Virginia, and the Certified Green Professional status from the National Association of Home Builders.
EarthCraft House is a regional green building program focusing on efficient use of green energy, and green home construction.
Shenandoah Valley Business Journal
January 2009
Feature Articles
Local Still Rules in the Shenandoah Valley
"...The (Shenandoah Valley Builders Association) entered the green building arena this year by forming a green building committee. It is headed by Aaron Yoder, President of A M Yoder & Co., Inc., a very enthusiastic young builder involved with green building.
There was so much interest that the committee was broken down into three manageable subcommittees. They will work on a variety of educational forums, which will include a green building exposition in conjunction with the home and garden show and a web page dedicated to green building in addition to public symposiums..."
Virginia Builder
January/February 2009
EMHS Alums Collaborate on "Green" House
It's not unusual for business people to work with others with similar backgrounds, but what happened in Harrisonburg in the spring and summer of 2008 was extraordinary. Four EMHS alumni collaborated on the very first EarthCraft certified, for sale, single family dwelling in the city of Harrisonburg.
Aaron Yoder (97) first heard of the "green movement" in the winter of 2006 while jogging with a friend who is also in the construction business. Yoder, the owner of A M Yoder & Co., Inc., a general contracting firm in Harrisonburg, next found himself discussing the topic with Derik Trissel (96), who works for Kline May Realty, in Sunday School at Harrisonburg Mennonite Church.
Trissel then introduced Yoder to Randy Seitz (82) of Blue Ridge Design Studio. The three of them met to brainstorm about what is happening in the local housing market, and ideas about how to both enter the fast growing green movement and "get your name out there," as Yoder put it. Seitz explains, "We really appreciated that Aaron wanted to build a well crafted, modest sized house in an existing neighborhood rather than build another McMansion on former farmland."
Yoder's program of choice was EarthCraft House, a point-based, whole-house system of construction with a thrid-party inspector to ensure the house meets proper standards. The major differences from traditional home building are within the heating and cooling systems (HVAC) and insulation in walls and other spaces. "We're really careful with our HVAC and insulation," Yoder explained. "We upgraded our insulation with spray foam to seal the building envelope. We want to be on the leading edge of sustainability."
After Yoder became certified to build EarthCraft houses, he met with Todd Stoltzfus (98), a loan officer with Park View Federal Credit Union, making a case for funding with tight budget numbers and models of the project. PVFCU agreed to the proposal, and Yoder was soon hard at work building. The house was close enough to being finished to enter the (Shenandoah Valley Builder's Association's) Parade of Homes in October of 2008. Potential home owners were able to tour the very first single famly EarthCraft home in Harrisonburg.
From here, Yoder will finish the house, and Trissel will take over the actual selling of the home. Even with the currently depressed home buyers market, Yoder feels that the house will sell, especially with the EarthCraft certification.
These four alumni's initial collaboration may lead to more down the road. Stoltzfus is looking at creating a potential "Green Mortgage" at PVFCU. Yoder is head of the Shenandoah Valley Builder's Association "Green Building" Committee, and is bringing EarthCraft to Harrisonburg for certification classes this winter.
"This project has become a lot about relationships," Yoder said. "It pays to do business with good people. People that share the same values gravitate to each other. [There is] a connective tissue bringing us together."
Eastern Mennonite School "Today" Magazine
Vol. 30 No. 1
