The Building & Realty Institute

What The Building & Realty Institute does

The Building & Realty Institute of Westchester & the Mid-Hudson Region (BRI), legally known as The Building and Realty Institute of Westchester & the Mid-Hudson Region and doing business as "The Builders Institute," is a 501(c)-style nonprofit trade association founded in 1946 and headquartered at 80 Business Park Drive, Suite 309, Armonk, New York. It represents over 1,000 members across 14 New York counties, organized into segment-specific advisory councils covering apartment owners (AOAC), cooperative and condominium boards (CCAC), managing agents (ACMA), home/commercial builders and remodelers (HBAC, CBAC, RAC), and suppliers and service providers (SSPAC). Its BACI division serves as a local affiliate of the National Association of Homebuilders and the New York State Builders Association. BRI is led by CEO Tim Foley and President Michael Murphy (Murphy Brothers Contracting), with a small staff including Communications Director Anika Nahar and Associate Executive Director Jeff Hanley.

BRI's core offerings are membership services rather than a unified product platform: an online member portal for invoicing and benefits access, the IMPACT industry publication, the Building Knowledge podcast (launched 2024 with LMC Media), radio programming across multiple AM stations, fair housing compliance training meeting Section 700.21-a requirements, and four advisory councils providing segment-specific advocacy. The organization also coordinates collective bargaining on behalf of 400+ buildings with Local 32BJ SEIU under a contract expiring September 2026, with participating employers contributing $6 per worker per month to the Joint Industry Advancement Fund (JIAF). Revenue is generated through undisclosed annual membership dues, JIAF contributions, event fees ($30 members/$45 non-members for general meetings), and IMPACT advertising. Distribution is primarily direct via the buildersinstitute.org website and in-person events, with content distribution through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter/X.

BRI's strategic positioning centers on regional advocacy (SEQRA reform, rent stabilization), labor representation, fair housing compliance, and industry networking. The Welcome Home Westchester coalition extends its reach into multi-stakeholder housing policy advocacy. There is no disclosed product roadmap involving technology platforms, no funding rounds, and no parent or subsidiary structure; the association operates as an independent member-governed body sustained by dues and program revenue.

Name

The Building & Realty Institute

Legal name

The Building and Realty Institute of Westchester & the Mid-Hudson Region

Website

https://buildersinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Building & Realty Institute (BRI) is a nonprofit trade association founded in 1946 representing over 1,000 building and realty industry members across 14 New York counties. It provides advocacy, advisory councils, collective bargaining with 32BJ SEIU, and compliance training for apartment owners, co-op/condo boards, builders, and property managers in the Hudson Valley region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Armonk

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Building & Realty Institute (BRI) is a private, member-based trade association serving builders, developers, owners, landlords, property managers, co-op/condo boards, and suppliers across the Hudson Valley region. It delivers advocacy to government bodies, fair housing compliance training, collective bargaining representation with Local 32BJ SEIU, industry publications (IMPACT), the Building Knowledge podcast, radio programming, networking events, and segment-specific advisory council services. The organization is sustained through annual member dues and program fees.

Product overview

The Building & Realty Institute (BRI) operates as a membership-based trade association offering a portfolio of products and services rather than a unified software platform. Core offerings include the Members-Only Portal for invoice payment and exclusive member content access, alongside an IMPACT publication for industry news. The organization provides Fair Housing Training Programs for compliance, Collective Bargaining Group services for labor negotiations, and various advisory councils (AOAC, CCAC, ACMA, SSPAC, BACI) serving different segments of the building and realty industry. Media products include the Building Knowledge Podcast and radio programming. The Welcome Home Westchester Campaign provides advocacy on housing issues. Events programming includes Legislative Breakfasts, General Membership Meetings, networking events, and specialized training sessions. The association's model centers on member engagement, advocacy, and professional development rather than a traditional product-based architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Members-Only Portal Online platform for BRI members to pay invoices and access exclusive benefits, discounts, and content. Targeted at member firms across the Hudson Valley building and realty industry.
• Building Knowledge Podcast Podcast series exploring housing, development, policy, and sustainability topics, featuring expert interviews with industry leaders. Hosted by Jeff Hanley and produced with LMC Media; distributed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
• IMPACT Publication Industry publication delivering news, insights, and analysis to BRI members covering building, realty, and construction topics; also accepts advertising.
• Fair Housing Training Programs Statutory compliance training for housing cooperative and condominium board members, satisfying the Section 700.21-a requirement of at least two hours of fair housing training every two years covering local, state, and federal housing discrimination laws.
• Collective Bargaining Group Services Coordinated labor negotiation and contract administration on behalf of member property owners, co-ops, condos, and managing agents with Local 32BJ SEIU; covers over 400 buildings in Westchester under the 2022-2026 agreement.
• Radio Programming (Constructive Conversations) Radio show programming covering key issues impacting the building, realty, construction, and broader business community; previously aired on AM 970 The Answer, Talk Radio 77WABC, 710 WOR AM, and WVOX 1460 AM.
• Building and Allied Construction Industries (BACI) Local Hudson Valley affiliate of the National Association of Homebuilders and the New York State Builders Association, providing builders and construction firms with access to national industry representation and joint programming with BRI.
• Welcome Home Westchester Campaign Multi-stakeholder advocacy campaign addressing the housing shortage in Westchester County, coordinated by BRI with business, nonprofit, academic, faith, and community partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 members served across Westchester, Rockland, and Putnam counties
• +1 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• LMC MediacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 July 2025LMC Media is the official production company for Building Knowledge podcast series, produced at LMC Media's cutting-edge Podcast Studio inside The Studio on the Avenue at the Mamaroneck Cinemas. The podcast delivers expert insights and in-depth conversations with leaders in housing, development, policy, and sustainability.
• Regional Plan Association (RPA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-panelists on SEQRA reform webinar discussing environmental review modernization and housing development in Westchester County.
• Welcome Home WestchestercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-stakeholder advocacy campaign consisting of business and nonprofit leaders, homebuilders, academics, think tanks, faith leaders, and community advocates working together to address the housing shortage in Westchester County.
• Open New YorkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-panelists on SEQRA reform webinar discussing environmental review modernization and housing development policy.
• Building and Allied Construction Industries (BACI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal affiliate for the National Association of Homebuilders and the New York State Builders Association. Joint membership meetings and events held with BRI.
• 32BJ SEIUmajorOthersBRI coordinates collective bargaining on behalf of property owners, co-ops, condos, and managing agents with Local 32BJ Service Employees International Union. Contract expires end of September 2026.
• Joint Industry Advancement Fund (JIAF)coreOthersJIAF requires BRI collective bargaining group members to pay $6 per month per employee. BRI sends invoices quarterly unless a different schedule is arranged.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Association of REALTORS: The largest U.S. trade association for real estate professionals. Comparable because both NAR and BRI provide advocacy, education, and resources to real estate industry members, though NAR operates nationally with much broader scope while BRI focuses on a regional building-and-realty niche.

Direct peers

• Institute of Real Estate Management: International association for property management professionals offering credentials and education. Comparable because both IREM and BRI's ACMA council serve residential and commercial property managers with overlapping education, certification, and professional-standards programming at different geographic scales.
• National Association of Home Builders: National trade association for home builders, remodelers, and associated industries. Directly comparable because BRI's BACI council operates as a local NAHB affiliate, sharing overlapping membership, advocacy missions, and the same industry-association business model at different geographic scales.
• Building Owners and Managers Association International: International trade association for commercial real estate professionals and building owners/managers. Directly comparable because BRI's Advisory Council of Managing Agents (ACMA) serves the same property-manager member base with overlapping education, advocacy, and professional-standards offerings.
• Building Trades Employers Association: NYC-based trade association representing construction industry employers in collective bargaining. Directly comparable because both BTEA and BRI coordinate multi-employer labor negotiations with building-services unions and provide construction-employer advocacy, though BTEA focuses on NYC commercial construction while BRI covers Hudson Valley operations.
• National Apartment Association: U.S. trade association for apartment owners and managers. Directly comparable because BRI's Apartment Owners Advisory Council (AOAC) serves the same renter-housing member base with parallel advocacy on rent regulation, supplier discounts, and education programming.
• New York State Builders Association: State-level trade association representing home builders across New York. Directly comparable because BRI's BACI council is a local affiliate of NYSBA, with overlapping membership, parallel advocacy on housing development and SEQRA reform, and the same nonprofit trade-association revenue model.
• Community Associations Institute: International trade association for HOA, condominium, and cooperative associations. Directly comparable because BRI's Cooperative and Condominium Advisory Council (CCAC) serves a co-op/condo board member base with overlapping governance education, fair housing compliance training, and board-member resource offerings.
• Real Estate Board of New York: NYC-based trade association representing the New York real estate industry. Comparable as a regional peer serving overlapping real estate professionals in the greater New York metropolitan area, with similar advocacy, transaction services, and member benefit structures — though REBNY focuses on NYC commercial while BRI covers the Hudson Valley.

Regional players

• New York State Association of REALTORS: State-level trade association for real estate professionals in New York. Comparable because both NYSAR and BRI provide advocacy and resources for real estate industry members across New York State, with overlapping member segments in property management and brokerage, though NYSAR focuses on residential brokerage while BRI emphasizes building ownership and operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/briwestchester
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCA9h-s6BtZiMALs_-nxbbwg
• Facebookfacebook.com/buildingandrealtyinstitute
• LinkedInsg.linkedin.com/company/building-and-realty-institute-of-westchester-bri
• Instagraminstagram.com/briwestchester

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Building & Realty Institute