Florida Builders Host Spooktacular Workforce Development Event

Workforce Development
Published
Contact: Greg Zick
[email protected]
AVP, Workforce Development
(202) 266-8493

students build haunted house with candy
children coloring
students paint little free library

Members of the Gold Coast Builders Association (GCBA) in West Palm Beach, Fla., are spearheading efforts to introduce students to valuable careers in construction. The association held a fun-filled and educational Halloween-inspired event as part of Build Across America Day on Oct. 29.

Led by NAHB, Build Across America Day is a national workforce development program introducing kindergarten through 6th-grade children to the trades during Careers in Construction Month in October.

To drum up interest and excitement, Marc Kruger, COO of Hierromat Development, was the featured guest on a local ABC news segment promoting Build Across America Day. Kruger encouraged the community to participate in the event and conveyed several reasons why it’s important for students to be introduced to the skilled trades.

“As students go through high school, if they decide that a college route or joining the military is not right for them, they now know that there are other trades out there,” said Kruger. “The building industry is filled with a lot of different jobs.”

The event, held at a local school, kicked off with a live-streamed reading of The House That She Built by Mollie Elkman. As a special treat, the first 40 children who arrived at the event received a copy of the book. Following the reading, students constructed a cookie-and-candy haunted house. In addition, participants had the option to spend time with construction-themed coloring activities.

Participants also had the opportunity to paint a free little library. The libraries will be placed prominently in the local community and filled with construction-themed books.

“The GCBA team demonstrated what is possible when everyone works towards the common goal of helping to build the future of our industry through education for today’s young people,” said K.T. Catlin, GCBA executive officer. “We’re proud to play an integral role in Build Across America.”

GCBA is one of the many HBAs that hosted an event in October to celebrate Careers in Construction Month. If you or someone you know is a workforce development champion, please share your story with NAHB.

Subscribe to NAHBNow

Log in or create account to subscribe to notifications of new posts.

Log in to subscribe

Latest from NAHBNow

Financing

Oct 15, 2025

Refinancing Activity Surges in September

Refinancing activity surged in September, marking the largest monthly increase since the COVID-era of ultra-low interest rates. This increase followed mortgage rates dropping below 6.5% for the first time since October 2024 in anticipation of the Federal Reserve's eventual September rate cuts.

Trends

Oct 14, 2025

Stucco No Longer Most-Used Exterior Wall Material

For the first time since 2018, vinyl siding surpassed stucco as the most used principal exterior wall material. According to the latest annual release of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC), 26% of homes started in 2024 had vinyl or vinyl-covered aluminum siding as their main exterior wall material.

View all

Latest Economic News

Economics

Oct 14, 2025

Custom Home Building Share Declines in 2024

In 2024, 17.5% of all new single-family homes started were custom homes. This share decreased from 18.8% in 2023 and from 20.4% in 2022, according to data tabulated from the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC).

Economics

Oct 13, 2025

Hispanics Comprise Nearly One-Third of the Construction Labor Force

Diversifying the construction labor force remains a key priority amid persistent skilled labor shortages. According to the 2023 American Community Survey, non-Hispanic White workers still account for the majority of the construction industry at 57%. Hispanic workers now represent nearly one-third of the labor force at 32%, followed by non-Hispanic Black workers at 5% and non-Hispanic Asian workers at 1.8%.

Economics

Oct 10, 2025

Vinyl Surpasses Stucco as Most Used Principal Exterior Wall Material

In 2024, vinyl siding was the most used principal exterior wall material for homes started. It holds just over a quarter share of homes, slightly surpassing stucco for the first time since 2018.