On December 3, 2009, a small group of past presidents of the Texas Association of Builders (TAB) met at the Stephen F. Austin Hotel in Austin, Texas to form the Texas Builders Foundation. Ron Connally of Amarillo was appointed to serve as the foundation’s first Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Granger MacDonald of Kerrville was named vice president, and Scott Norman as a director. At the foundation’s next meeting, Tommy Ford of Dallas, Jerry Garcia of Corpus Christi, and Walter Pate of Midland were elected as directors to complete the inaugural board.
The foundation received its tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code on February 5, 2010. This public charity, an affiliated entity of the Texas Association of Builders, became TAB’s charitable arm.
The Texas Builders Foundation serves as a resource to students, the residential building industry, and the citizens of the state of Texas. Our mission is to support the future construction workforce while providing information and education to the building community and consumers, and to support the charitable activities of the residential construction industry.
The Texas Builders Foundation is funded primarily through the generosity of individual donors and has been the recipient of several endowments, the first of which came from Kelly-Moore Paint Company, Inc. Over the last decade, the foundation has grown to have assets of over a half million dollars. A scholarship program was established; students in Texas’ technical and trade schools and colleges and universities and who are pursuing a career in the residential construction industry have been awarded thousands of dollars in scholarships.
Additionally, the foundation has been involved in housing-related charity builds for our nation’s wounded warriors and for those who were victims of flooding and other disasters.
A focus of the Texas Builders Foundation has become workforce development. The residential construction industry in Texas – and across the nation – is facing a critical shortage of skilled trades professionals. The foundation partners with other organizations to start or enhance construction trades programs in Texas’ high schools and community colleges so that a pipeline of skilled craftsmen can enter the workforce with a nationally recognized certificate, credential, or license. The foundation also participates in hiring events to ensure that these graduates have an immediate opportunity to find employment in their chosen career.
Your financial support of the Texas Builders Foundation will allow us to continue to provide scholarships, assist our neighbors who need a helping hand, and ensure the future of the residential construction industry through our workforce development efforts.