ICBA
ICBA is Canada's largest nonprofit construction association, serving more than 4,500 open-shop member companies across British Columbia and Alberta with group health, dental, retirement, and wellness benefits administration (covering 300,000 Canadians), 800+ training courses, apprenticeship sponsorship, mental-health and HR resources, and open-shop advocacy led by President and CEO Chris Gardner.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1975
- HeadquartersSurrey, Canada
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What ICBA does
ICBA (Independent Contractors and Businesses Association) is a Canadian nonprofit membership association and self-described largest construction association in Canada, founded in the 1980s and headquartered in Surrey, BC, with a regional office in Calgary, Alberta opened in March 2023. It represents open-shop construction contractors, general contractors, trade contractors, and builders of all sizes in British Columbia and Alberta, serving more than 4,500 member companies and clients whose employees comprise roughly 300,000 Canadians on ICBA Benefits plans. Member-facing offerings are organized around three core pillars — ICBA Benefits (group health, dental, retirement, and wellness plans administered through integrated Bridge and Green Shield Canada portals), ICBA Training (an 800+ course catalog covering apprenticeship sponsorship, Red Seal Challenge preparation, safety, leadership, and skills development, delivered via the Arlo LMS), and ICBA Wellness Program (mental-health resources, toolbox talks, supervisor guides, and online materials serving more than 90 companies and approximately 10,000 construction professionals). Adjacent products include the Hour Bank (a pooled benefit-hour administration system), HR Toolkit, Labour Relations Toolkit, and Construction Monitor (a quarterly economic publication), with advocacy representation delivered through content, op-eds, and government-relations work led by President and CEO Chris Gardner and Chief Economist Jock Finlayson.
The business is structured as a member-owned nonprofit, with a wholly owned operating subsidiary (ICBA Benefit Services Ltd.) handling benefits administration. Revenue is generated through recurring annual membership dues across tiered plans (Association Plans, Entrepreneur Plan, Custom Plans for 50+ employees), benefits-administration services on the 300,000 covered lives, training course fees (including apprenticeship sponsorship valued at $1,500 per apprentice), and ancillary services. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Distribution combines a direct field-sales motion with self-service online portals for benefits quoting, member access, and training enrollment.
The technology stack is association-management rather than AI-native: an online member portal, an Arlo-based training LMS, the Bridge benefits-administration platform, a Moodle-based wellness portal, and Green Shield Canada's digital health platform. ICBA holds no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, patents, or proprietary models; it operates through conventional third-party SaaS integrations. The organization is led by Chris Gardner (President & CEO), Jock Finlayson (Chief Economist), Jordan Bateman (VP roles in Advocacy and Communications), Mike Martens (Alberta Advocacy Leader), and Ken Peacock (Consulting Economist), with strategic alliances including Green Shield (tech/integration), Desjardins (insurance/research), Merit Canada (federal advocacy), Skilled Trades BC (certification), and WorkSafeBC (safety programs).
ICBA firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ICBA
- Legal name
- Independent Contractors and Businesses Association
- Website
- https://icba.ca
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1975
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- ICBA is Canada's largest nonprofit construction association, serving more than 4,500 open-shop member companies across British Columbia and Alberta with group health, dental, retirement, and wellness benefits administration (covering 300,000 Canadians), 800+ training courses, apprenticeship sponsorship, mental-health and HR resources, and open-shop advocacy led by President and CEO Chris Gardner.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ICBA industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Construction Trade Association Services
- NAICS
- Business Associations (813910)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Occupational Health & Safety (EHS) Programs & Training (OSHA-style) (EDAEAKAI)
Keywords
Where ICBA is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Surrey
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
ICBA business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Dues: Annual membership fees for construction companies, contractors, and entrepreneurs providing access to advocacy, benefits, training, and other ICBA services
- Benefits Administration Services: Administering group health, dental, retirement, and wellness plans for member companies and their employees
- Training Programs: Revenue from apprenticeship sponsorship, safety courses, leadership training, Red Seal challenge prep, and professional development courses
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Association Plans - Plans designed for construction associations with multiple member companies |
| Subscription | Annual | Entrepreneur Plan - Benefits tailored for individual entrepreneurs and small construction businesses |
| Subscription | Annual | Custom Plans - Customized benefit solutions for companies with 50+ employees |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Training Courses - Individual professional development and safety training courses |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
ICBA product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ICBA is a nonprofit construction trade association that delivers group employee benefits administration (health, dental, retirement, wellness) to construction companies, an 800+ course training and apprenticeship programme, and policy advocacy for open-shop construction in British Columbia and Alberta. Its offerings are organised around ICBA Benefits, ICBA Training, ICBA Wellness, and advocacy services, with 4,500+ member companies and 300,000 Canadians covered on its benefits plans.
Product overview
ICBA (Independent Contractors and Businesses Association) is Canada's largest construction association offering a suite of member services organized around four core pillars: ICBA Benefits (comprehensive health, dental, retirement, and wellness plans serving 4,500+ members and 300,000 Canadians), ICBA Training (800+ courses including apprenticeship, Red Seal prep, safety, and leadership training), ICBA Wellness Program (mental health tools and resources), and advocacy services. The organization operates the Construction Monitor for economic intelligence and provides additional tools including the Hour Bank for benefit administration, HR Toolkit, and Labour Relations Toolkit. Members access services through integrated online portals including Bridge and Green Shield Canada.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ICBA Benefits: Benefits administration services including group health, dental, retirement and wellness plans
- ICBA Training
- ICBA Wellness Program
Products and services
- ICBA Benefits A comprehensive employee benefits program offering flexible health, dental, retirement, and wellness plans designed specifically for construction companies of every size, serving over 300,000 Canadians on their benefits plans.
- ICBA Training An extensive training platform providing over 800 training options including skills development, leadership courses, apprenticeship sponsorship, Red Seal Challenge preparation, and safety certifications available online, on-demand, webinars, and in-person.
- ICBA Wellness Program A mental-health initiative offering practical construction-ready tools including toolbox talks, posters, videos, supervisor guides, and resources to improve well-being, safety, and resilience on job sites. Currently helping more than 90 companies and nearly 10,000 construction professionals.
- Construction Monitor A quarterly economic publication providing analysis and data on the construction industry in BC and Alberta, tracking key metrics and trends affecting the sector.
- Hour Bank A flexible benefit administration system allowing employees to pool and manage benefit hours across employers in the construction industry.
- HR Toolkit Fully customizable hiring, performance, and workplace-policy templates created specifically for construction employers to help teams stay compliant, organized, and confident in everyday HR decisions.
- Labour Relations Toolkit Up-to-date guidance, templates, legal insights, and resources to help open-shop contractors protect their workforce and navigate Canada's evolving labour-relations landscape.
- Member Portal / Benefits Portal Online portal providing members and clients access to benefit plan management, hour banking, claims processing, and wellness program resources through integrated platforms including Bridge (for employers and employees) and Green Shield Canada.
Quantifiable outcome
- 300,000 Canadians covered under ICBA Benefits plans
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use ICBA
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
ICBA technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
ICBA partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Green ShieldcoreGreen Shield provides the digital health platform for ICBA Benefits administration, including the member portal login and benefits management system used by 300,000 Canadians on ICBA benefit plans.
- Merit CanadacoreNational open shop construction advocacy group that ICBA belongs to and collaborates with on policy positions, research (InSites publication), and industry advocacy at the federal level.
- Skilled Trades BCcoreProvincial skilled trades certification authority that ICBA works with for apprenticeship programs, Red Seal challenge prep, and trade certification support.
- Canadian Taxpayers FederationminorICBA President Chris Gardner serves as chair of the CTF board, collaborating on taxpayer advocacy and government accountability initiatives.
- WorkSafeBCminorBC workers' compensation board referenced in labour relations toolkit and safety training programs for construction employers.
- DesjardinscoreInsurance carrier partner providing coverage options through ICBA Benefits, with Desjardins conducting mental health workplace research that informs ICBA Wellness programming.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
ICBA competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- OGCA (Ontario General Contractors Association): Provincial construction association for general contractors in Ontario. Runs a similar member-services model (advocacy, training, networking) but in a different geography than ICBA's BC/Alberta footprint.
Direct peers
- Canadian Construction Association (CCA): National umbrella trade association representing the broader Canadian construction industry. Comparable to ICBA in offering advocacy, training resources, and industry representation across multiple provinces.
- BuildForce Canada: National construction-industry workforce development organization. Comparable to ICBA for its focus on apprenticeship/trades training pipelines, labour-market intelligence, and skills-development programming.
- Merit Canada: National open-shop construction advocacy umbrella organization that ICBA itself belongs to. Provides federal-level policy representation and industry research such as the InSites publication that ICBA co-produces.
- Merit Contractors Association: Open-shop construction association serving BC and Alberta, operating the closest business model to ICBA: open-shop advocacy, benefits administration, and training for non-union contractors in the same western Canadian geographies.
- Canadian Home Builders' Association (CHBA): National association representing the residential construction sector in Canada. Operates a similar member-services and advocacy model aimed at builders and trades across all provinces.
- Alberta Construction Association: Provincial construction trade association serving Alberta. Directly competes with ICBA's 2023 Alberta expansion into the same provincial member base for advocacy, training, and member services.
Broad incumbents
- Greater Vancouver Board of Trade: Broad-based business chamber serving the Greater Vancouver region. Larger and broader in scope than ICBA but overlaps on advocacy, networking, and member benefits for construction-adjacent businesses.
- National Association of Home Builders (NAHB): US national trade association for the residential construction industry. Analogous industry-association model offering advocacy, education, and member benefits at a national scale; relevant for cross-border benchmarking.
Others
- Carpenters' Union / CLAC (Christian Labour Association of Canada): Canadian labour union representing construction and other workers, often operating on the closed-shop side. Not a direct competitor, but represents the alternative employment model that ICBA's open-shop advocacy position is defined against.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ICBA social profiles
Digital presenceICBA compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
ICBA financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ICBA leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
ICBA subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
ICBA funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ICBA M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ICBA
What does ICBA do?
ICBA is a nonprofit construction trade association that delivers group employee benefits administration (health, dental, retirement, wellness) to construction companies, an 800+ course training and apprenticeship programme, and policy advocacy for open-shop construction in British Columbia and Alberta. Its offerings are organised around ICBA Benefits, ICBA Training, ICBA Wellness, and advocacy services, with 4,500+ member companies and 300,000 Canadians covered on its benefits plans.
Is ICBA a public or private company?
ICBA is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was ICBA founded?
ICBA was founded in 1975. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is ICBA based?
ICBA is headquartered in Surrey, Canada, in the North America region.
How does ICBA make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Membership Dues are the primary driver. The others are benefits Administration Services and training Programs.
Who are ICBA's main competitors?
OGCA (Ontario General Contractors Association) is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Canadian Construction Association (CCA), BuildForce Canada, Merit Canada, Merit Contractors Association, Canadian Home Builders' Association (CHBA) and Alberta Construction Association. Broad incumbents are Greater Vancouver Board of Trade and National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Carpenters' Union / CLAC (Christian Labour Association of Canada) is listed as an others.
Does ICBA have an API?
No public API is recorded for ICBA.
What industry is ICBA in?
ICBA's product category is Construction Trade Association Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAEAKAI, Occupational Health & Safety (EHS) Programs & Training (OSHA-style). Its NAICS code is 813910 and its SIC code is 8600.