In 1944, as the war was winding down, Jacksonville homebuilders anticipated a surge in business in this military town.
The 13 members of the National Association of Home Builders chapter met in the Seminole Hotel July 7, 1944, and voted to be named the Homebuilders Association of Greater Jacksonville. Joseph Davin was elected president, Walter Crabtree vice president and Charles Commander secretary-treasurer.
Annual membership dues were $35 per year and members contributed $1 for each house built during the year to help defray advertising expenses.
Jacksonville has changed. The industry has changed. But, thanks largely to the man who served as executive officer for nearly half of the association’s 70 years, the mission and purpose of the association have changed little.
Arnold Tritt became the executive officer of NEFBA in 1972. Tritt was honored multiple times throughout his career, and in 1980 received the Seldom Hale Award as the outstanding executive officer in the U.S. from the National Association of Home Builders Executive Officers Council. He was inducted into the Florida Home Builders Association Hall of Fame in 2007.
Through its 70-year history, the Northeast Florida Builders Association has distinguished itself within the industry and the community on local, state and national fronts.
Among the association’s contribution to the community are the Apprenticeship Program (established in 1974), Builders Care (created in 2001 to help eradicate substandard housing), the Charitable Foundation and being selected to participate in the nationally telecast production of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”
Seventy years of service to the industry and the community are the legacy of the Northeast Builders Association and the source of its strength.