Merger unites counties' builders

Pinellas home builders voted Tuesday to merge with builders in Hillsborough to form the Tampa Bay Builders Association.

The new organization, joining the Contractors and Builders Association of Pinellas and the Builders Association of Greater Tampa, will begin operations in November. It will have a joint membership of 863, operating out of the current Tampa builders' association headquarters in Tampa.

The organizations represent the building and development industry.

The Tampa association's board approved the merger June 11. The move will promote a regional approach to homebuilding and development and will increase efficiency and communication, according to the presidents of the existing organizations.

The new association will hold a joint Parade of Homes next spring, showcasing new construction on both sides of Tampa Bay.

The merger maximizes the strengths of each organization. Pinellas has a strong remodelers' council and a well-regarded annual trade show, but the county is running out of large tracts of buildable land, forcing builders to look elsewhere.

Hillsborough has plenty of land for subdivisions and a large Parade of Homes but has not developed a strong remodelers' council, said Don Whyte of Newland Communities, the Tampa president.

The merger will offer new markets to subcontractors and vendors in both counties and reflects the fact that many buyers shop for homes in both counties.

The Contractors and Builders Association of Pinellas, founded in 1946, is the state's oldest builders' association. The Builders Association of Greater Tampa was founded in 1953.

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