HBI Receives $1 Million Donation from Harper Family Foundation
At the BuildStrong Academy of Orlando, developer Robert Harper recently announced the Harper Family Foundation’s $1 million contribution to Home Builders Institute (HBI), which operates the facility and offers its tuition-free construction training programs.
The foundation’s funds will finance scholarships and programs that expand training opportunities for young people in Orlando, throughout Florida and across the country, according to HBI President and CEO Ed Brady.
In June 2021, HBI opened the BuildStrong Academy where it conducts skill-building classes at no cost to students. The training is designed to take students from beginners, with little or no construction skills, to tradespeople who are sought after by employers. Instructors use HBI’s curriculum, which is one of only three pre-apprenticeship programs recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor. The instruction is customized to meet the employment needs of local building and construction businesses in different communities.
HBI runs similar initiatives at its other BuildStrong Academies around the country, as well as through 624 other programs in 48 states and Puerto Rico.
“Together, we must be doing all we can to provide training and education in the construction trades for young people in Florida,” said Harper.
“HBI’s most recent Construction Labor Market Report found a nationwide shortage of more than 2 million skilled construction workers,” said Brady, “To fill the gap requires the kind of commitment Robert Harper stands for every day.”
Harper said that as a builder and developer he has witnessed the economic and societal implications of schools no longer offering what once was called “shop.”
“Over the past many decades, it has been a failure of our system to let the value of career technical training be forgotten. Generations of young students have not been encouraged to consider the possibility of pursuing rewarding careers in construction,” he said. “Today there’s good news. More young women and men are realizing how rewarding a life in the skilled trades can be. More parents, educators and secondary school students are taking a closer look at the extraordinary opportunities the trades offer.”
Learn more about HBI's training programs at hbi.org.
Latest from NAHBNow
Oct 13, 2025
OBBBA and the Next Chapter of Heat Pump CommercializationThe One Big Beautiful Bill Act is accelerating a shift toward retrofit-ready, installation-friendly systems that builders can leverage to control costs and expand opportunities.
Oct 13, 2025
From Computers to Construction: How NAHB Inspired a Career ChangeDrew Williams had strong success in computer technology, even earning a patent for a motion detection and sound recognition dash camera, but felt his original passion start to slip. That's when he made a career change that brought back old memories.
Latest Economic News
Oct 14, 2025
Custom Home Building Share Declines in 2024In 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).
Oct 13, 2025
Hispanics Comprise Nearly One-Third of the Construction Labor ForceDiversifying 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%.
Oct 10, 2025
Vinyl Surpasses Stucco as Most Used Principal Exterior Wall MaterialIn 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.