New Jersey School Buildings & Grounds Association

What New Jersey School Buildings & Grounds Association does

New Jersey School Buildings & Grounds Association (NJSBGA) is a non-profit professional association incorporated in 1987, with origins tracing to the 1950s, headquartered in Newton, New Jersey. It serves over 600 Certified Educational Facilities Managers (CEFMs) statewide through 10 regional chapters (Atlantic, Bergen/Passaic, Burlington, Camden/Gloucester, Central, Essex/Hudson, Hunterdon/Warren, Mercer, Monmouth/Ocean, Northwest) that meet monthly to disseminate information about codes, safety requirements, and best practices for school facilities. Day-to-day operations are run by a 5-person staff under an Executive Board led by President Tom O'Donnell, Vice President Tim McFerren, Treasurer Walt Sosa, Secretary Holley Cheatley, and Executive Director Keith Gourlay.

NJSBGA's core offerings include the CEFM certification program (requiring 20 CEUs every three years since 2013), a Learning Management System delivered via partnership with NJASBO, the annual North/South Facilities Training events, a Job Opportunities Board, a State Scholarship Program, and the CEFM of the Year Award. The association cooperates with the New Jersey Department of Education on educational facility regulations and standards, providing it with regulatory alignment that serves as the foundation of its market position. Its technology stack is utilitarian: North Star Content Manager CMS for the website (managed by Northern Pride, LLC), GlueUp for membership and event registration, and Google Forms for supplementary registration.

Revenue is generated primarily through membership dues (regular, affiliate, and associate/corporate tiers) and paid training events/CEU-bearing sessions. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. As a single-state, vertical-focused non-profit association, NJSBGA's operating model is community-led and event-driven, relying on monthly chapter meetings and annual training events as the principal engagement mechanisms. The addressable market is structurally limited to New Jersey school districts and the facilities management professionals they employ, with no current geographic expansion outside the state.

Name

New Jersey School Buildings & Grounds Association

Legal name

New Jersey School Buildings & Grounds Association

Website

https://njsbga.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NJSBGA is a New Jersey non-profit professional association serving over 600 Certified Educational Facilities Managers statewide through 10 regional chapters, delivering CEFM certification, CEU-bearing training, and a Learning Management System via NJASBO partnership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Project, Program & Portfolio Management Certifications (EDAAANAB)

Keywords

• Professional association services
• Facilities management certification
• Continuing education training
• Membership association
• School facilities management

Headquarters

HQ city

Newton

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees for regular members, affiliate members, and associate/corporate members. Membership is organized through 10 chapters statewide, with different member categories including Buildings and Grounds Supervisors, Facilities Managers, Building Supervisors, and affiliate memberships for member staff.
2. Training Events and CEUs: Revenue generated from training sessions such as the North/South Facilities Training events where participants earn CEUs towards CEFM renewal. Events require pre-registration.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

NJSBGA is a non-profit professional membership association that delivers the Certified Educational Facilities Manager (CEFM) certification program, continuing education training (CEUs), and statewide chapter-based networking to over 600 educational facilities managers across 10 New Jersey chapters. Its core deliverables include CEFM certification and renewal (20 CEUs every 3 years), the North/South Facilities Training events, an LMS for online CEU courses through NJASBO, a job opportunities board, monthly chapter meetings, a state scholarship program, and the annual CEFM of the Year Award.

Product overview

NJSBGA is a non-profit membership association serving over 600 Certified Educational Facilities Managers across 10 New Jersey chapters. The organization operates a unified platform of professional development services centered on the CEFM certification program, which requires 20 CEUs every three years for renewal. The core offerings include a Learning Management System (powered by NJASBO partnership), North/South Facilities Training events offering CEUs, a statewide job opportunities board, monthly chapter meetings in 10 regional chapters, a state scholarship program, and the annual CEFM of the Year Award. The organization focuses on disseminating information about codes, safety requirements, and best practices to keep New Jersey school students and staff safe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Certified Educational Facilities Manager (CEFM) Program A professional certification program for educational facilities managers requiring 20 CEUs every three years to maintain the certificate, delivered in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Education.
• Learning Management System (LMS) An online learning platform provided through partnership with NJASBO (New Jersey Association of School Business Officials) that offers courses eligible for CEFM CEU credits, available to NJSBGA members and non-members.
• North/South Facilities Training Annual four-hour training events held at multiple locations across New Jersey, offering 4.0 CEUs for CEFM renewal and covering topics such as fire code updates, fire door inspection, and AI in the workplace.
• Job Opportunities Board A job posting service for school facilities management positions across New Jersey school districts, including roles such as Directors of Facilities, HVAC Technicians, Custodial Supervisors, and Maintenance Workers.
• Chapter Meetings Network Ten statewide chapters (Atlantic, Bergen/Passaic, Burlington, Camden/Gloucester, Central, Essex/Hudson, Hunterdon/Warren, Mercer, Monmouth/Ocean, Northwest) providing monthly meetings to disseminate information among member districts.
• State Scholarship Program A scholarship program for NJSBGA members, with applications managed through an online portal on the myKaleidoscope platform.
• CEFM of the Year Award An annual award recognizing management and leadership excellence in school buildings and grounds, with nominations through NJSBGA chapters and member school districts.

Quantifiable outcome

• 600+ Certified Educational Facilities Managers trained and certified
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NJASBO (New Jersey Association of School Business Officials)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNJSBGA partners with NJASBO to provide learning and CEU opportunities for members and non-members. NJASBO provides the Learning Management System platform and course catalog. NJSBGA members can register through NJASBO to access courses and earn CEU credits for CEFM renewal.
• New Jersey Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNJSBGA cooperates with the NJDOE in the development and implementation of Educational Facility Regulations and Standards. The NJDOE provides CEFM certification through the association, and NJSBGA helps ensure member districts comply with state requirements.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Council of Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI): International organization focused on educational facility planning, design, and management. Comparable to NJSBGA in providing credentialing, professional development, and best-practice resources to school facilities professionals.
• APPA (formerly Association of Physical Plant Administrators): National professional association for educational facilities managers, offering the APPA Certified Professional (APPA-CP) credential and training programs. Most direct comparable to NJSBGA at a national scale, serving the same educational facilities management persona.
• New Jersey Association of School Business Officials (NJASBO): State-level professional association serving NJ school business officials and already a strategic LMS partner of NJSBGA. Overlaps in serving NJ school district administrative professionals with training, certification, and continuing education.
• Association of School Facility Administrators (ASFA): Professional association specifically for school facility administrators, offering credentialing and education. Closely comparable in serving the same school facilities management persona with certification and training.
• New Jersey Association of School Administrators (NJASA): NJ state association for school administrators. Operates in the same NJ public school ecosystem as NJSBGA, serving overlapping school district personnel with professional development, advocacy, and networking.

Broad incumbents

• National School Boards Association (NSBA): National federation of school board members. Operates in the same K-12 public education ecosystem and provides training/resources at the governance level, overlapping with NJSBGA's regulatory and advocacy role.
• Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO): International association serving school business management professionals, including facilities and operations. Comparable in mission (professional development, certification, advocacy) but broader in scope than NJSBGA's NJ-only facilities focus.

Regional players

• Pennsylvania School Buildings & Grounds Association: Neighboring state chapter providing the same chapter-based membership and training model for K-12 facilities managers in Pennsylvania. Direct structural parallel to NJSBGA, just across state lines.

Emerging players

• SchoolDude (Brightly, a Siemens company): SaaS platform for K-12 facility and maintenance management used by school district facilities teams. Serves the same NJSBGA members with operational tools, representing a potential substitute or complementary channel to NJSBGA's training offerings.
• EduSpec: Vendor of K-12 facilities management software and consulting services, including IAC planning. Adjacent but commercially focused player serving the same school facilities manager buyer with technology and advisory services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/new-jersey-school-buildings-&-grounds-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 New Jersey School Buildings & Grounds Association