The Associated Builders & Contractors is a national construction association, organized in 1950 to represent the interest of the open-shop/merit shop construction companies in the Baltimore, Maryland region. Since that time, ABC has expanded with 78 chapters and 23,000 members. While the initial philosophy remains the same - preservation of the American free enterprise system and open competition - the focus of ABC has expanded to include construction industry education, safety training, an aggressive government affairs program at the local, state and national levels, and providing our members with a wide array of programs and services.
ABC-National is governed by an Executive Committee, comprised of the national chair, chair-elect, past chair and regional vice-chairs, and a Board of Directors, comprised of representatives from each of the chapters. ABC-National, located in Arlington, Virginia (across the Potomac from Washington, D.C.) has a staff of 75 in Finance/Administration, Insurance, Member Services/Chapter Development, Workforce Development, Public Affairs, and Government Affairs.
ABC is divided in to seven regions, each with a regional vice-chair who serves on the ABC-National Executive Committee. Texas is part of Region 3, which is comprised of 12 chapters from Arkansas (1), Louisiana (2), Oklahoma (1) and Texas (8). Most chapters provide construction industry education and training programs, government affairs programs and advocacy, safety training, special events (networking opportunities), and various members services, depending on each chapter´s members needs and demands. The construction market determines if there is more focus on industrial construction, such as the Texas chapters along the Gulf Coast, or commercial construction.
ABC-Texas is comprised of the eight chapters in Texas - North Texas (Dallas/Ft. Worth area), Greater Houston, South Texas (primarily San Antonio), Central Texas (Austin), Gulf Coast (Freeport area), Southeast (Beaumont/Port Arthur area), Coastal Bend (Corpus Christi) and Mid-Coast (Victoria). ABC-Texas´ main emphasis is state legislative matters, working to address the concerns and needs of the construction industry in Texas. ABC-Texas also provides a forum for the chapters to meet, exchange ideas, and discuss items of mutual concern, on a quarterly basis.