What Construction Forum does

Construction Forum is a nonprofit industry backbone organization founded in 2013 and headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. It provides the connective tissue for stakeholders in the regional built environment, convening, communicating, and building collaborations across construction employers, workforce entrants, academic institutions, and government agencies. The organization operates a free-participation model across its core offerings, with revenue derived from corporate sponsorships, individual/organizational donations, and fee-for-service or memorandum-of-understanding partnerships.

The organization's product surface spans four strategic focus areas—Leadership Institute (communication tools and events), Digital Hub (information aggregation and metrics), Coordinating Council (workforce stakeholder convening), and Knowledge Lab (research and pilot projects)—alongside flagship programs including the 'Yeah I Built That' career portal, Emerging Leaders networking group, USDOL-Registered Certified Survey Technician Apprenticeship, M/W/DBE Spotlight Seven Q's initiative, the twice-weekly newsletter reaching 8,000+ subscribers, and the annual KIDstruction Week fundraising campaign. The underlying technology is conventional web infrastructure (WordPress-based website at constructforstl.org); there are no proprietary software products or AI/ML capabilities. KIDstruction Week 2026 engaged 210 participating companies and 2,303 employee donors to raise a record $1 million for St. Louis Children's Hospital.

Construction Forum generates revenue through a mix of recurring corporate sponsorships (50+ sponsors displayed on the website, including Clayco, Burns & McDonnell, McCarthy, and others), donations, and a smaller fee-for-service/MOU partnership stream. The go-to-market is community-led and mission-driven, with no fee charged to participants for events, newsletter, website access, or workforce initiatives. Operations are run by 11-50 staff, with Executive Director Tom Finan having led the organization for more than 12 years; a 2026 announcement indicated a forthcoming leadership transition and 'next chapter' for the Forum.

Name

Construction Forum

Legal name

Construction Forum

Website

https://constructforstl.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Construction Forum is a St. Louis-based nonprofit backbone organization founded in 2013 that convenes, communicates, and builds collaborations across the regional built environment, serving construction employers, workforce entrants, academic institutions, and government partners through free events, a twice-weekly newsletter reaching 8,000+ subscribers, apprenticeship programs, and workforce development initiatives funded by corporate sponsorships and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

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. Sponsorships: Construction Forum generates revenue through corporate sponsorships. The organization states that sponsors make their free programming possible and that strong engagement on their offerings gives Forum sponsorships a strong return on investment.
2. Donations: Individual and organizational donations support the mission. Contact information provided for Tom Finan at [email protected] for additional donation opportunities.
3. Fee-for-Service and MOU Partnerships: The Forum has successfully facilitated efforts for other organizations both on a fee-for-service basis and through memorandum of understanding partnerships.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Construction Forum is a St. Louis-based nonprofit industry backbone organization for the construction industry. It operates three strategic pillars — the Coordination Council, the Leadership Institute, and the Digital Hub — to deliver workforce development, community building, and convening services for construction employers, the construction workforce, and built environment stakeholders.

Product overview

Construction Forum is a mission-focused, industry nonprofit that operates primarily as a digital content and networking platform rather than a traditional software product. The organization serves as a connective tissue for the St. Louis built environment through four strategic focus areas: Leadership Institute (communication tools and events), Digital Hub (information aggregation and metrics), Coordinating Council (workforce stakeholder convening), and Knowledge Lab (research and pilot projects). Key programs include the 'Yeah I Built That' career portal, Emerging Leaders networking group, Certified Survey Technician USDOL Registered Apprenticeship Program, M/W/DBE Spotlight Seven Q's initiative, KIDstruction Week fundraising campaign, and a twice-weekly newsletter reaching over 8,000 subscribers. The platform also provides job listings and event management services for the regional construction community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Yeah I Built That: Career portal providing career profiles, contact information, and resources for students and job seekers to start careers in construction.
• Emerging Leaders
• Leadership Institute
• Digital Hub
• Coordinating Council
• Knowledge Lab

Quantifiable outcome

• KIDstruction Week raised record $1 million for St. Louis Children's Hospital with 210 participating companies and 2,303 employee donors
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ClaycocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost of Emerging Leaders networking events at Clayco's Russell Burns Building. Sponsorship and leadership support for Forum initiatives.
• NAWIC (National Association of Women in Construction)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of Hard Hats & Headshots events promoting women in construction careers.
• St. Louis Regional Green Business ChallengeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Green Building Break TRUE Certification webinar series.
• U.S. Green Building CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for TRUE Zero Waste Certification educational programs.
• St. Louis Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner for Certified Survey Technician Apprenticeship program providing college credit courses.
• Electrical Board of Missouri & Illinois (EBMI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoverage of Electrical Expo events and industry news through the Forum platform.
• Greater St. Louis Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership for regional development and downtown building initiatives.
• St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkforce development partner supporting career pathways and employment initiatives.
• Missouri S&TminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner for engineering education and workforce development.
• University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngineering summer camps and workforce development partnership.
• Job Shadowing (Sofa)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorShadowing opportunities connecting students with industry professionals.
• Concrete Council of St. LouisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of annual Professional Engineers Seminar.
• St. Louis Children's Hospital FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeneficiary of KIDstruction Week fundraising campaign that raised over $7.8 million total, with 2026 record of $1 million.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• SkillsUSA: National nonprofit serving middle school, high school, and college students preparing for skilled trades careers. Comparable as a workforce-development organization addressing the same construction-industry talent pipeline that Construction Forum serves through its apprenticeship programs.
• ConstructConnect: Commercial construction industry platform providing project data, networking, and marketing services. Comparable as an enabler of construction-industry information flow and stakeholder connectivity, overlapping with the Forum's Digital Hub function.
• Job Shadowing (Sofa): Construction-industry job shadowing platform explicitly partnered with Construction Forum to connect students with industry professionals. Comparable as a workforce-pipeline enabler in the same regional ecosystem.

Direct peers

• National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC): NAWIC is explicitly a Construction Forum partner (co-host of Hard Hats & Headshots events). It is the most directly comparable peer — a national construction industry association focused on workforce development, networking, and inclusion, sharing mission alignment with the Forum.

Regional players

• St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE): St. Louis workforce development agency and explicit Construction Forum partner supporting career pathways and employment initiatives. Comparable as a regional workforce-development intermediary serving overlapping construction-industry employers.
• Greater St. Louis Inc. Regional economic development organization and explicit Construction Forum partner for regional development and downtown initiatives. Comparable as a regional civic/industry convener serving overlapping St. Louis stakeholders.

Broad incumbents

• Urban Land Institute (ULI): Global research and education organization supporting the built environment, including real estate and land use. Comparable as a broader built-environment convening body covering many of Construction Forum's stakeholders (architects, engineers, developers).
• National Association of Home Builders (NAHB): National trade association for the residential construction industry. Comparable as a construction-industry convener with workforce development and member services, though focused on residential building rather than commercial/institutional construction.
• Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC): National construction industry trade association representing merit-shop contractors. Comparable as a construction-industry convener providing workforce development, training, and networking — overlapping with Construction Forum's mission at a national scale.
• Associated General Contractors of America (AGC): National trade association for general contractors and the construction industry. Comparable as a broad construction-industry convener and advocacy body, though AGC operates nationally and as a membership association rather than a free nonprofit backbone.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ConstructforSTL
• Facebookfacebook.com/constructforstl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/construction-forum-stl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Construction Forum