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

IBS

Sep 02, 2025

NAHB International Builders’ Show Registration Opens for Final Time in Orlando

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) officially opened online registration and housing today for the 2026 NAHB International Builders’ Show@reg; (IBS), the largest annual light construction trade show in the world.

Economics

Sep 02, 2025

Single-Family Construction Down in Large Metros, Up in Rural Areas

In a sign of a soft housing market, single-family construction posted declines in nearly every geographic region in the second quarter of 2025, with the largest percentage drop of 3.8% occurring in large metro, suburban counties where most permit activity occurs. And while multifamily output also fell in large metro core counties, most other markets posted multifamily growth in the second quarter, according to the latest NAHB Home Building Geography Index (HGBI) for the second quarter of 2025 released today.

View all

Latest Economic News

Economics

Aug 29, 2025

Multifamily Absorption Rises in the Second Quarter

The percentage of new apartment units that were absorbed within three months after completion rose in the second quarter, according to the Census Bureau’s latest release of the Survey of Market Absorption of New Multifamily Units (SOMA).

Economics

Aug 28, 2025

Mortgage Rates Move Lower, Hitting 10-Month Low

Average mortgage rates in August continued their steady decline and are now at their lowest rate since last November.

Economics

Aug 27, 2025

Wood-Framed Home Share Increased in 2024

Wood framing continues to dominate the U.S. single-family home construction market, according to NAHB analysis of 2024 Census Bureau data.