For employers in the homebuilding industry, partnering with Building Talent Foundation (BTF) provides them with new sources of talent, focusing on young people and underrepresented groups like veterans, women, and people of color. BTF accomplishes this through deep community engagement, promoting careers in the homebuilding industry and connecting qualified candidates with employers who need talent.
One of those employers is American Builders Supply (ABS) in Florida. As an independent building materials supplier, ABS needs qualified people to help them meet their customers’ demanding construction schedules.
Joe Misiti, Staffing Lead for ABS, says that a partnership with BTF is one of the easiest things an employer can do.
“It’s simple. It’s such an easy relationship to have,” he said. Joe has worked with BTF Engagement Managers like Paola Rivera, to recruit and hire talent for multiple locations in Florida. He said that Paola knows his needs, and that makes hiring easier. “She’s walked the building, she’s toured with us. She knows exactly what I want.”
Because of BTF’s community engagement, Paola and other Engagement Managers find candidates from diverse backgrounds and underrepresented groups. But no matter their background, they’re all ready to be productive on Day One.
Joe said the key to making that happen is his relationship with the BTF Engagement Managers. “We have some service techs that were just hired and they do a great job,” he said. “That comes with Paola paying attention, listening and talking to us.”
He added that Paola will often come to him with candidates that she has pre-screened for specific jobs. “That helps us out a ton,” he said. BTF provides additional assistance by facilitating connections with its education partners like Home Builders Institute, which provides training and education programs for the construction trades.
That additional partnership magnifies Joe’s recruiting capabilities. “[Instead of] two or three people being hired, now it’s like four, six, eight, ten people being hired,” he said.
A partnership is a two-way street, and Joe knows he plays an important part in making it work. He learned quickly that if BTF submits a candidate for a job, he can’t keep that person waiting. “If [BTF] sends me someone on a Monday, and I call them on Wednesday, I’ve lost,” he said. “Time kills deals.”
It all comes down to matching the effort that Paola puts into helping him. He added that BTF Engagement Managers are “100-percent committed” to helping him find people. “Why should I not be 100-percent committed to helping them help me?” Joe said.
As a result of this partnership, Joe has been able to fill his job openings with high-quality people. “They know what they’re doing,” Joe said about the candidates BTF sends him. “They’re almost like plug-and-play. They’re phenomenal.”
Because of the success with ABS, BTF’s relationship is growing. Joe is facilitating a partnership between BTF and ABS’s parent company, Kodiak, which has 92 locations in 22 states.
Joe also said that having BTF on his side also makes finding and hiring people faster and easier. “It definitely saves me time and money, and it’s such an easy relationship to have,” he said, adding that he recommends that any employer in residential construction works with BTF.
“Utilize BTF as much as you can, because [they] have a ton to offer.”