Staff and Leadership
Aaron Hovestadt is a licensed home builder with 20 years of experience in the building industry. He is the CEO of the HBA of Western Michigan and managing partner at LandMark Homes of Michigan. Aaron attended Western Michigan University and Spring Arbor University where he graduated with a degree in management and organizational development. Following graduation, he worked in the advertising and promotions industry but, with encouragement from his wife, ventured out and got his builders license in 2002. Aaron has been an active member of the HBA of Michigan, serving on the Board of Directors since 2022. He also serves on the HBAM Codes Committee, Convention Committee, Skilled to Build Michigan Foundation and is the current chair of the Legislative Committee. Before becoming CEO at the HBA of Western Michigan, he served on the Board of Directors for 8 years. Aaron is married to his wife Krista and they reside in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Karen J. Schroeder is the Vice President and co-founder of Mayberry Homes in East Lansing, Michigan. She was instrumental in chartering and is the past Chair of the Greater Lansing Professional Women in Building council. She is also a past chair of the NAHB PWB Executive Board and the 2019 Past Chair of NAHB 55+ Housing Council. Karen was the first woman (along with her business partner) to be inducted into the Michigan Construction Hall of Fame. They were named the #1 Builder in North America in Customer Service by Avid Ratings (formerly NRS) and continue to be awarded the Gold Award for Customer Experience annually. Karen was named the 2017 Advisory Board Member of the Year by NAHB as a result of her service with Michigan State University. Karen and her business partner were named the 2017 Greater Lansing Business of the Year and in that same year Karen was named the NAHB PWB Woman of the Year. Karen resides in East Lansing, Michigan. She has three grown children and two grandchildren.
Michael Tucker is the president of Kingsley Lumber and Hardware and is an active builder and remodeler in the Northwest Michigan area. Being both an associate and a builder member provides a unique prospective to all our memberships needs. He attended Northwest Michigan College and started his career in the commercial banking industry before entering the construction industry in 2006. He served as the 2021 president of the Grand Traverse Area Home Builders Association and the 2022 president of the Grand Traverse Area Home Builders Association Foundation.Â
Ben Templeton is the Co-President of Templeton Building Company. After obtaining a degree from Lawrence Technological University, Ben joined his father in business. His ability to quickly understand the challenges of both large and small projects while maintaining positive relationships with those around him creates a warm and enjoyable atmosphere.
Ben holds a Michigan Builders License and is a Certified Graduate Builder, Certified Graduate Remodeler, and Certified Green Professional through the National Association of Home Builders. Ben was awarded Professional Remodeler Forty Under 40 in 2012 and served as the HBA of SE MI President in 2021 and 2022.
Michael Tribble has 35 years of public accounting experience after retiring from Yeo & Yeo CPAs in 2018. He has served as a member of the firm’s Tax Services, Construction Services, Death Care Services, and Estate & Trust Groups. His main area of expertise is tax planning and preparation, with emphasis on the construction industry. He is a past president of the Home Builders Association of Saginaw. He currently serves as the Michigan state representative to NAHB and is the Associate Senior Officer for the Home Builders Association of Michigan.Â
Jeff Grantham, owner of Grantham Building and Remodeling, LLC in Petoskey, Michigan, founded his design/build/remodel firm in 1993 after graduating from Kalamazoo College where he studied Political Science and Economics. Since 2005, he's been an active member of HBA Northern Michigan, serving each senior officer role and three terms as local President. Continuing his zeal for learning, Jeff began earning the NAHB designations of Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS), Certified Graduate Remodeler (CGR) and Graduate Master Builder (GMB) in 2007 and achieved Certified Green Professional Builder (CGP) in 2008. He has also served as a State Director and Delegate since 2007 and is a Life Director. Jeff has been involved in numerous HBA and NAHB committees and councils. He chairs the HBAM Remodelers Council and has been a trustee for the NAHB Remodelers Council Board of Trustees since 2012. He previously chaired the Skilled to Build Michigan Foundation Board of Directors as well as the Convention Committee and Legislative Committee, and he continues to serve on the Codes, Membership, Convention, Friends of Housing (FOH) Advisory, and Construction Liability and Risk Management committees. He also serves on the NAHB Leadership Council and the Energy and Green Building Subcommittee, and co-chaired the Next Generation Builder Task Force which was charged with examining HBA of Michigan’s structure and recommending changes that would encourage more engagement by the next generation of members. Jeff has been a member of the FOH Executive Club for over 10 years, a Gold Key contributor to NAHB Build-PAC and is a Membership Ambassador with over 300 Spike Club credits. He is married to Sandy, his wife of 19 years.
Bob Filka is a Hope College graduate and Muskegon native and has served in his current role since 2006. Filka has more than 35 years of government and policy experience in both Washington, D.C. and Lansing. Early in his career, he was a legislative aide to the late Grand Rapids-area Congressman Paul Henry on Capitol Hill. Upon returning to Michigan, he served as a policy advisor to Governor John Engler. He was appointed by Engler as President of the Michigan Strategic Fund and became part of the original executive leadership group that created the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. Bob is active in numerous organizations and has served stints as Chair of the Habitat for Humanity of Michigan Board of Directors and the Michigan Virtual University among others. Bob remarried last year (wife Karen) and has two adult daughters (Elise and Isabel) and a new granddaughter (Lily).