In the mid-1950s, Hawaii was still a territory with an agricultural economy. Dwight Eisenhower was President of the United States and Bill Quinn was Hawaii's Governor.
During this time there were visionaries who foresaw the imminence of statehood and recognized the boom it would bring to Hawaii, the importance of building and development to a growing economy, and the value of bonding together in an association to promote the building and construction industry. In 1955, William Blackfield, Bert Kanzaki, Earl Kato, Robert M. Kaya, Ward Kegin, Robert Kuniyuki, James Lai, Melvin Muraoka, Richard Sato and Kenneth Shioi joined to charter the Home Builders Association of Hawaii. Robert M. Kaya sat as it's first President. The association became an affiliate of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and was granted charter number 1220. Based in Washington D.C., NAHB is one of the largest and most influential trade associations in the country today.
Hawaii became the 50th State in the Union, and the Home Builders Association of Hawaii grew and expanded its reach, and became the Building Industry Association of Hawaii (BIA Hawaii) in 1979.
Members of BIA are developers, general contractors, specialty contractors, suppliers, Realtors, architects, financial institutions, and a host of other professionals who serve the building industry. This unique mix enables members to network across their respective sectors and also provides the bridging of diverse interests into a common whole allowing the BIA to address the many challenges facing the industry with a uniquely balanced perspective.
In 2004 Congressman Neil Abercrombie chaired the HIPA Job Summit, bringing together community groups, government agencies, and construction trades to address the need for skilled construction workers. With 30% of the skilled labor force retiring in 5 years and the privatization of military housing, the Study revealed the need for pre-apprentice construction training for retaining apprentices and ongoing training for trade workers.
That year, the BIA Hawaii Board of Directors responded by committing to build the Construction Training Center of the Pacific and established two committees. The Building Committee was chaired by 2004 BIA Hawaii President John Cheung and members of the committee were James Watanabe, Robert Armstrong, Kenneth Choate, Alan Shintani, Kip Kamoto, Paul Silen, and Rodney Yamamoto. They were tasked with the site search and the development of the project. The "Changing Lives Building a Legacy” Capital Campaign Committee was formed and led by 1992 BIA Hawaii President Robert Armstrong and members of the committee were James Watanabe, Kenneth Choate, Mary Flood, John Cheung, Audrey Hidano, Scotty Anderson and Karen Nakamura. The 7.2 million dollar goal for the acquisition of land and construction was met with contributions totaling nearly 8.3 million dollars. BIA Hawaii's Construction Training Center of the Pacific opened in September of 2009 and continues to provide training and education to sustain the skilled workforce for the home building and construction industries.
As the statewide Industry leader in advocacy, member benefits, and consumer reach, BIA Hawaii also hosts award-winning, signature annual events including the BIG Home Building & Remodeling Show, the Building Industry Design + Construction Awards, and the Summer BIG Home Building & Remodeling Show.
