Leading Builders of America

What Leading Builders of America does

Leading Builders of America (LBA) is a Washington, DC-based trade association founded in 2009 that serves as the CEO-led advocacy body for 22 of the largest U.S. homebuilding companies. Its stated purpose is to preserve home affordability for American families by engaging federal and state policymakers on regulatory barriers that the association argues add thousands of dollars to new home prices. LBA member companies collectively build over 50% of all new homes sold in the United States annually, producing nearly 350,000 homes, more than $160 billion in revenue, and over one million jobs through direct employment and engagement of tens of thousands of skilled trade contractors. Members span the residential spectrum from entry-level first-time buyer through move-up, luxury, active-adult, urban multi-family, and suburban neo-traditional communities, and include NYSE-listed public companies as well as privately held builders.

LBA's core deliverable is policy advocacy services — federal and state government relations, legislative analysis, and coalition-based lobbying — supplemented by member-only resources. The association does not operate a technology platform. Its technical footprint is indirect: member companies actively participate in the EPA's ENERGY STAR Program and the DOE's Zero Energy Ready Home program, developing and deploying construction techniques, materials, and products focused on decarbonization, energy efficiency, and water efficiency. LBA coordinates collective advocacy through coalitions including the Fix House First Coalition, the Homes for America Alliance, and the High Production Home Builders Council Government Affairs Committee. A March 2026 statement endorsing executive orders on housing affordability illustrates its active, ongoing public engagement on regulatory matters.

The business model is a subscription-style recurring membership-fee model: 22 large enterprise homebuilder members pay dues to fund the association's operations, advocacy, and member resources. With a five-person professional staff in Washington, DC led by CEO Ken Gear and VP of State & Regulatory Affairs Phil Crone, LBA reaches members and policymakers through direct engagement rather than traditional sales channels. Pricing and aggregate dues revenue are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Leading Builders of America

Legal name

Leading Builders of America

Website

https://leadingbuilders.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Leading Builders of America is a Washington, DC-based trade association founded in 2009 representing 22 of the largest U.S. homebuilders. It advocates for federal and state policies to preserve home affordability for member companies building over 50% of new U.S. homes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Association / Housing Policy Advocacy

NAICS

New Housing For-Sale Builders (236117), Residential Building Construction (2361)

SIC

Operative Builders (1531), General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520)

akta.pro primary industry

Spec Home / Production Homebuilding (Tract & Volume Builders) (IMAFABAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Residential Land Development & Subdivision Homebuilding (Build-to-Sell Communities) (IMAFABAL), Residential Green / High-Performance Home Construction (Net-Zero, Passive House) (IMAFABAH)

Keywords

• Homebuilder trade association
• Housing policy advocacy
• Regulatory advocacy
• Home affordability
• Construction industry coalition

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: LBA operates as a trade association funded by membership dues from 22 of the largest homebuilding companies in the U.S. Revenue supports advocacy activities, policy analysis, and organizational operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Leading Builders of America is a CEO-led trade association founded in 2009 that represents 22 of the largest U.S. homebuilding companies. The organization conducts federal and state policy advocacy to preserve home affordability, while providing member companies with resources, research, and coalition support on regulatory, building code, and housing finance issues. Its members collectively build more than half of all new homes sold in the U.S.

Product overview

Leading Builders of America is a CEO-led trade association formed in 2009 that does not offer a unified product platform. Instead, it provides advocacy services and member resources to its 22 member homebuilding companies. The organization focuses on federal and state government relations to preserve home affordability, offering policy analysis, legislative advocacy, and member-only resources. The portfolio consists of core advocacy services and member resources, with no technology products or modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Policy Advocacy Services
• Member Resources

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50% of all new homes sold in the U.S. are built by LBA members
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• EPA ENERGY STAR ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLBA member companies actively participate in the EPA's ENERGY STAR Program for residential construction, developing energy-efficient building practices and products.
• DOE Zero Energy Ready Home ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLBA member companies participate in the Department of Energy's Zero Energy Ready Home program, developing and deploying new construction techniques, materials and products.
• Fix House First CoalitionmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerLBA CEO Ken Gear helped lead successful lobbying campaigns for the Fix House First Coalition, an advocacy coalition focused on housing policy.
• Homes for America AlliancemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerLBA CEO Ken Gear helped lead successful lobbying campaigns for the Homes for America Alliance, a coalition advocating for housing affordability policies.
• High Production Home Builders Council, Government Affairs CommitteemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry-wide lobbying committee managed by LBA member companies (including Pulte Homes) for coordinated advocacy efforts.
• Skilled Trade ContractorscoreOthersLBA members partner with tens of thousands of skilled trade contractors across the country to build homes.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Building Industry Association of Southern California: Regional homebuilder trade association representing builders and associates in Southern California. Comparable as a local homebuilder advocacy body but focused on a specific regional market where LBA also has member presence.
• Texas Association of Builders: State-level homebuilder trade association representing builders in Texas. Comparable as a homebuilder advocacy body but operates regionally at the state level rather than nationally, with some LBA members active in both organizations.

Others

• Building Talent Foundation: Industry foundation linked to LBA focused on developing the residential construction workforce. Comparable as a housing-industry affiliated organization addressing skilled trade labor, a topic LBA identifies as critical given its members' reliance on tens of thousands of trade contractors.

Direct peers

• National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC): Trade association for the multifamily rental housing industry, representing apartment builders, owners, and developers. Comparable as a focused industry advocacy organization where LBA members are also active in urban multifamily development.
• National Association of Home Builders (NAHB): The largest U.S. trade association representing the home building industry, with tens of thousands of members across builders, remodelers, and associates. Directly comparable as a homebuilder trade association advocating on federal and state housing policy, though much larger and more established than LBA.

Broad incumbents

• Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC): National construction industry trade association representing commercial and industrial contractors. Comparable as a construction sector advocacy body, though focused primarily on commercial construction rather than residential homebuilding.
• Associated General Contractors of America (AGC): One of the leading construction industry trade associations representing general contractors, specialty contractors, and service providers. Comparable as a construction industry advocate but oriented toward commercial and heavy construction rather than LBA's residential focus.
• NAIOP: Trade association for commercial real estate developers, owners, and investors. Comparable as a real estate development industry advocacy organization but focused on office, industrial, and retail rather than residential.
• National Association of REALTORS (NAR): The largest U.S. trade association for real estate professionals, with over 1 million members. Comparable as a real estate industry advocacy body but operates at broader scope encompassing brokerage, not just new construction, and is substantially larger than LBA.
• Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA): National trade association representing the real estate finance industry, including mortgage bankers, lenders, and servicers. Comparable as a housing-finance advocacy organization that LBA members interact with on mortgage policy issues.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lbofa

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Leading Builders of America