{"id":996,"slug":"wrhba-overview-1946-160-members-90pct-claim-leadership","title":"WRHBA: registered 1946 by Braby + Hallman, \"over 160 member companies,\" self-reported \"over 90%\" of new residential builds in Waterloo Region; Chair Matt Ninomiya (WalterFedy) 2025–26, CEO Marie Schroeder","kind":"reference","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","smb-owner","candid-team"],"topics":["gc-vertical","kw-region","regulatory-signals","hba-membership"],"reference_body":"## Founding and history\n\n**Claim:** WRHBA's founding traces directly to the wartime housing crunch in Waterloo Region in 1945–46. **James A. Braby** (S.W. Robb Construction) negotiated the first wartime housing contract with the federal government; he and **Lyle S. Hallman** (Hallman Construction) organized five local builders to deliver 100 homes for first-time buyers.\n\nThe association was formally registered in **1946** as the **Kitchener-Waterloo House Builders Association**. It later operated as **Kitchener-Waterloo Housing and Urban Development Association of Canada (HUDAC)** and was renamed **WRHBA**.\n\n**Source:** wrhba.com/pages/about-wrhba.\n**Confidence:** Verified.\n\n## Scope\n\nCurrent scope covers **Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, and the Townships of North Dumfries, Wellesley, Wilmot, and Woolwich**.\n\n## Membership\n\n- Member count: **\"Over 160 member companies\"** per the WRHBA homepage. **A Crunchbase listing claims 220+, but the WRHBA homepage is the authoritative source.** Use **160+** in published copy.\n- Member mix: **New home builders, renovators, developers, trades, manufacturers, suppliers, lenders, and other professionals.**\n\n**Confidence:** Verified for 160+; Crunchbase 220+ figure noted as conflict.\n\n## The \"over 90%\" claim — important editorial caveat\n\nWRHBA states its members build **\"over 90% of all new residential Housing units\"** in Waterloo Region, supporting *\"over 22,000 jobs, $1.5 billion in wages, and $3 billion in investment value.\"*\n\nThis is a **self-reported claim with no independent audit.** It is plausible given the membership concentration but **should be treated as WRHBA's own number, not a third-party verified fact**.\n\n**Confidence:** Verified that WRHBA makes the claim; the underlying 90% figure is **NOT independently audited** against CMHC starts data for Waterloo Region. Cite as *\"per WRHBA\"* in any client copy.\n\n## Leadership 2025–2026\n\n- **Chair** (the title replaced *\"President\"* effective **June 3, 2025**): **Matt Ninomiya**, Land Development Manager at **WalterFedy**. Previously served as 2nd Vice President and 1st Vice President; on the Board since 2019.\n- **Chief Executive Officer**: **Marie Schroeder**.\n- **Policy Advisor** (appointed 2025): **Larry Masseo**.\n- **Other named directors**: Allissa Bartlett (Stantec Consulting), Carrie Curtis (Killam Apartment REIT), Kevin Fergin (Crozier Consulting Engineers), Steven Harris (Harris).\n\n**Sources:** wrhba.com news release on the 2025–26 Chair; wrhba.com/pages/board-of-directors; walterfedy.com; wrhba.com/blogs/news.\n**Confidence:** Verified.\n\n**Caveat:** WRHBA's site lists Chair, CEO, and four named directors at the time of research. **The full roster may include additional members not surfaced in indexed pages.**","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[{"slug":"bild-gta-awards-and-ohba-aod-2024-2025-trend","title":"BILD Awards (GTA) + OHBA AoD 2024–2025: 2024 OHBA AoD 560+ entries / 49 categories → 2025 \"over 400 submissions\" / 50 categories — drop mirrors market downturn","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"}],"incoming":[{"slug":"research-brief-canadian-hba-stack","title":"Research brief: The Canadian HBA stack — CHBA / OHBA / BILD / WRHBA federated three-tier model, with marketing implications for Ontario builders and renovators (May 24, 2026)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"contractor-owned-trust-signal-stack-vs-homestars-rental-comparison","title":"Contractor owned-trust-signal stack: HCRA / Tarion / RenoMark / WRHBA / OHBA / CHBA / COR / WSIB / Gold Seal / insurance / ENERGY STAR / Net-Zero / LEED AP / GuildQuality / Google Business Profile — verifiable, portable, free-or-low-cost — HomeStars cannot replicate any of these","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"}]},"created_at":"2026-05-24T16:32:33.782Z","updated_at":"2026-05-24T16:32:33.782Z"}