The newly installed president -- the first woman and first Hispanic to hold the title -- plans to use her position to guide the organization toward a stronger leadership position in the community.
She has plenty of resources from which to enlist help: The area home builders association has grown at a phenomenal rate during the past five years, from 1,055 members in 2002 to 1,452 members currently. Those members represent tens of thousands of construction industry jobs.
"We have the experience and skills to help the schools and other organizations best serve the people, so we want to reach out to offer our assistance," she says.
Home builders, for example, can offer schools their expertise in budgeting, planning and accurately estimating construction costs, she says.
"We are all in this together, so we should work together," says Dominguez.
Originally from Arecibo, Puerto Rico, Dominguez has lived in the Orlando area more than 30 years and is the founder of Homes by Carmen Dominguez, an Orlando-based custom home-building company.
Dominguez credits her emphasis on building relationships for much of the success she has achieved.
"We're fortunate to have such a community leader in our industry. Carmen is very relationship-oriented," says Dixie Goolsby, executive director of the Master Custom Builders Council.
Her luxury homes also have received rave reviews over the years, and her professionalism has earned her respect throughout the industry. Dominguez was named Builder of the Year in 2004, and she was chosen to build the 2007 New American Home to be showcased as part of the 2007 International Builders show in January.
While being a woman was an extra challenge in gaining acceptance after she earned her contractor's license in 1992, Dominguez says it has been a benefit in creating a unique brand in the marketplace and attracting customers.
"As a woman, I always try to relate to my customers by putting myself in their place and creating a home that suits them," she says.
Two ongoing issues Dominguez faces as the new HBA president are skyrocketing homeowner insurance costs and the lack of affordable housing.
To address those, the HBA will continue to work with the state association on ways to control insurance costs and will work locally to find better solutions for affordable housing, Dominguez says.
"We have to be innovative and work with our government officials to get impact fees reduced or waived, and create multi-use developments with low-cost residential units," she says.
Outgoing HBA President Charles Robertson knows all about finding innovative ways to deal with challenges.
During his term, Robertson led a home builder effort to get school impact fee credits and reductions in Osceola County.
"We fight these battles for consumers because ultimately they are the ones that pay the impact fees," Robertson says.
As to her own company's challenges, Dominguez says that while the home-building market is currently flat, she believes that as excess inventory is absorbed over the next six months or so, there will be more demand.
"Already, I see more customers shopping in my market segment. They look a long time before they buy, so I think this is good news for the future," she says.
Whatever challenge she chooses to tackle first, Robertson, for one, believes Dominguez will approach her new role as HBA president with gusto.
"Carmen is a fantastic lady and a credit to our organization. I think she'll serve our membership well in confronting the numerous challenges facing our industry," Robertson says.