The Northeast Florida Builders Association is preparing to begin operations in its new offices and space for the NEFBA Apprenticeship Program.
Staff began moving Feb. 27 from the NEFBA headquarters at 6747 Southpoint Parkway to the new facility at 4932 Sunbeam Road to start there March 2.
The organization sold its Southpoint offices to Riverside Homes of Jacksonville in August 2025 for about $2.5 million.
NEFBA bought the Sunbeam Road building in January 2025 from Royal Oak Realty Trust, a REIT based in Rochester, New York, for $3.9 million.
NEFBA set a $7.5 million budget to transform the 43,000-square-foot former Gottlieb & Associates call center into its new home. It is four times as large as the former offices.
“If you came to our meeting yesterday, it was standing room only,” said Jessie Spradley, NEFBA executive officer.
“We had people standing in our small break area because there wasn’t enough room in the auditorium for everybody who wanted to come to our general membership meeting.”
The Sunbeam Road complex has a central auditorium that seats nearly 200. Apprentice classes are held in the evening, but Spradley expects labs to be used during workdays as well.
The operating staff offices are on one side of the building and the labs for hands-on construction training are on the other. The auditorium was strategically placed between the two to act as a noise buffer.
NEFBA says it is Florida’s largest builder trade organization and the fourth-largest in the nation, with 1,350 members. The new building reflects NEFBA’s growth.
“There’s only a handful of other homebuilding associations (in the nation) that have a facility like this. We’re not alone, but we will be the only one in the state of Florida,” Spradley said.
He expects builder associations from around the nation to tour the facility when pursuing growth plans.
Auld & White Constructors of Jacksonville was the contractor. Studio 9 Architecture of Jacksonville was the interior architect.
NEFBA is about $2 million shy of its fundraising goal. It is raising money in the community and from NEFBA members.
The association is selling classroom, lab and office naming rights for $10,000 to $500,000.
The apprentice program teaches skills to those new to the carpentry, electrical, plumbing and HVAC trades. The first class in the Sunbeam Road center is scheduled to begin in August with 600 students.
The current class of 508 is being taught at Florida State College at Jacksonville classrooms.
August will be the first time the program, started in 1973, will be housed on a single campus.
Since the first graduating class in 1977, more than 2,500 students have completed the training. Graduates earn an average of $60,000 to $65,000 in Northeast Florida, according to NEFBA.
Apprentices are usually new hires from a list of approved employers. They work a 40-hour shift during the week and attend school two nights a week from August through April.
Employers pay for the training. Students pay no tuition. To qualify for enrollment, prospective students need to complete an application, have a valid Florida driver’s license and have a high school diploma, GED or official transcripts.
The program is registered with the Florida Department of Education. There are 31 part-time instructors.
The build-out is overseen by Dylan Crounse, superintendent in training, who says the project has special meaning since he is a graduate of the apprenticeship program.