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

PWB Week | Professional Women in Building Council

Sep 15, 2025

The Impact of the Professional Women in Building Leadership Grant

Professional Women in Building's annual scholarhsip programs provide students and emerging professionals with the resources, support and opportunities they need to thrive and lead the housing industry.

Associate Members Committee | Awards

Sep 15, 2025

Associate Award Winners Share Meaning Behind Their Win

NAHB is excited to award two of the association's top Associate contributors each year for their achievements. Two previous winners reflect on their experiences.

View all

Latest Economic News

Economics

Sep 12, 2025

Household Real Estate Asset Values Reach New High

The market value of household real estate assets rose to $49.3 trillion in the second quarter of 2025, according to the most recent release of U.S. Federal Reserve Z.1 Financial Accounts. The value rose by 2.7% from the first quarter and is 1.1% higher than a year ago. This measure of market value estimates the value of all owner-occupied real estate nationwide.

Economics

Sep 11, 2025

Parking Trends in Newly Completed Single-Family Homes, 2024

In 2024, 65% of newly completed single-family homes featured two-car garages, according to NAHB’s analysis of the Census’s Survey of Construction data. The share of new homes with three or more car garages stood at 15%, continuing a downward trend from its peak of 24% in 2015 and decreasing 2 percentage points from 2023.

Economics

Sep 10, 2025

Year-over-Year Building Material Price Growth Advances

Price growth for residential building materials rose for the fourth straight month in August, reaching its highest level since January 2023. Across domestic inputs goods and services into residential construction, service prices decreased in August while goods prices slightly advanced.