Associated Builders & Contractors Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter held a ribbon cutting Thursday night at its new Lehigh Valley regional office and construction training center on Marcon Boulevard in Hanover Township, Lehigh County.
The organization supports the construction trade in the region with a merit shop philosophy.
The chapter represents 14,000 merit construction employees who work for more than 450 member companies.
The Lehigh Valley formerly had its own chapter, but that merged with the Eastern Pennsylvania chapter several years ago and the office was moved to the Delaware Valley area.
Joe Perpiglia, president and CEO of the ABC Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter, said there had been significant post-recession growth in membership in the Lehigh Valley region.
“It made sense to re-establish our footprint here,” he said.
He noted that the training center will offer construction-related courses both for craft – in areas such as electric, carpentry and heating, ventilation and air conditioning – and in management, for issues such as safety, administration and human resources.
The new office will complement its existing office in East Norriton. Combined, the offices support members in Philadelphia, Delaware, Chester, Bucks, Montgomery, Berks, Lehigh, Northampton, Monroe, Carbon, Schuylkill, Pike, Luzerne, Lackawanna, Wayne, Wyoming and Susquehanna counties.
