Eastern Contractors Association

What Eastern Contractors Association does

Eastern Contractors Association, Inc. (ECA) is a regional, nonprofit trade association founded in 1890 that serves union-signatory general contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, and service firms engaged in commercial, industrial, and institutional construction throughout eastern New York. The association operates from a single headquarters at 6 Airline Drive in Albany, NY, with a small staff (1-10 employees) possessing over 75 years of combined construction industry and contractor-association experience, and is governed by a Board of Directors drawn from member companies. ECA's stated value proposition centers on serving as "the only regional 'full-service' contractor association" in its geography, with services spanning collective bargaining agreement administration, welfare and pension fund coordination, workforce development (apprenticeships and scholarships), safety resources, member networking, and project information access.

ECA's core service technology is the online Planroom — a portal (operated in partnership with onlineplanservice.com) that provides members with public and private access to construction plans, specifications, and project documents, supported by file upload and free-trial onboarding flows. The Member Directory is a searchable database of member firms organized by trade, category, and geography, while MemberClicks powers the underlying membership management and member communications. ECA also publishes Construction Connections, a quarterly magazine (distributed via My Digital Publication), and a Weekly News Bulletin, alongside an event calendar anchored by the Annual Steak Roast and committee-driven programming across Education, Legislative, Membership, Next Generation Leadership Council, Planroom, and Programs/Networking.

The business model is membership-dues-driven and tiered: members pay annual dues based on company type (General Contractor, Subcontractor including Mechanical Trades, Supplier, or Service) with additional charges scaled by full-time and part-time employees, additional associates, additional locations, and assets. Each member must select at least one Collective Bargaining Agreement. Supplementary revenue comes from one-time application fees, optional Planroom upgrade fees, and ancillary programs (scholarships, apprenticeship coordination). Distribution is regional and direct — primarily through the website (ecainc.org), the web member portal, and the in-person Albany office — supplemented by referral-driven member acquisition. The association also markets through digital content, its quarterly magazine, the weekly bulletin, networking events, and a formal member referral program that rewards referring members with LinkedIn advertising and Annual Steak Roast tickets.

Name

Eastern Contractors Association

Legal name

Eastern Contractors Association, Inc.

Website

https://ecainc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1890

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Eastern Contractors Association is a 135-year-old nonprofit trade association based in Albany, NY, serving union-signatory general contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, and service firms in eastern New York's commercial, industrial, and institutional construction market via membership dues, an online Planroom, a member directory, and labor-relations services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Albany

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues charged based on membership type (General Contractor, Subcontractor, Mechanical Trades, Supplier, Service) with additional fees based on full-time employees, part-time employees, hotel/motel rooms, restaurant seats, additional associates, additional locations, and assets. Members must select at least one Collective Bargaining Agreement.
2. Planroom Upgrade Fees: Additional fees for enhanced planroom access and services beyond basic membership benefits.
3. Application Fees: One-time application fee charged to new members upon joining.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Eastern Contractors Association is a regional trade association serving general contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, and service firms in commercial, industrial, and institutional construction throughout eastern New York. Its core offering is membership-based access to labor relations support (collective bargaining agreements), workforce development resources (apprenticeship and scholarship programs), an online planroom for construction plans and specifications, a member directory for networking, welfare and pension fund coordination, and industry publications. Membership dues are scaled by company type and size, with additional planroom and add-on service fees.

Product overview

Eastern Contractors Association (ECA) is a regional trade association serving the construction industry in eastern New York since 1890. Rather than offering a unified software product, ECA provides a portfolio of member services including an online Planroom for accessing construction project documents, a searchable Member Directory for networking, and the Construction Connections Magazine publication. The association facilitates networking through events, supports workforce development via apprenticeship programs and scholarships, and provides access to labor relations resources, welfare and pension fund information, and collective bargaining agreement support. ECA operates primarily through its website and web-based member portal platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ECA Planroom Online planroom portal providing access to construction plans, specifications, and project documents for general contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, and service firms. Includes free trial and private planroom options for members.
• Member Directory Searchable directory of ECA member companies organized by category, city, and trade specialty enabling networking and business connections across the eastern New York construction industry.
• Membership Program Association membership for general contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, and service firms engaged in commercial, industrial, and institutional construction throughout eastern New York, with annual dues scaled by company type and size and mandatory selection of at least one Collective Bargaining Agreement.
• Networking Events Calendar-based networking opportunities for members including the Annual Steak Roast and other industry events for member engagement and business development.
• Construction Connections Magazine ECA's official quarterly magazine featuring industry articles on topics including workforce recruitment, disaster preparedness, jobsite theft prevention, renovation trends, and media relations, distributed digitally via My Digital Publication.
• Scholarship Program Educational scholarships for members and their families in the construction industry, supporting workforce development and member family benefits.
• Apprenticeship Programs Trade apprenticeship programs connecting members with skilled workforce development opportunities in the construction industry.
• Welfare and Pension Fund Resources Information and contacts for welfare and pension fund offices for member benefit administration and coordination with Welfare & Pension Fund Offices partners.
• Weekly News Bulletin Regular electronic newsletter providing weekly industry news and updates to members and subscribers.

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Labor UnionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECA maintains relationships with labor unions through collective bargaining agreements. Members must select at least one CBA as part of membership requirements. The association promotes stable labor relations climate as part of its mission.
• Welfare & Pension Fund OfficescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECA partners with welfare and pension fund offices to provide benefits coordination for member companies and their workers in the construction industry.
• Architects & EngineersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorArchitects and engineers are welcomed as ECA members, providing professional services and design expertise to contractor members. Listed as partner organizations and resource category on ECA website.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Associated General Contractors of America: National trade association for general and specialty contractors. Closest analog to ECA's mission (collective bargaining, workforce development, planroom, advocacy) but at national scope; serves as the parent-tier organization ECA members typically also affiliate with.
• Associated Builders and Contractors: National construction trade association representing merit shop (non-union) contractors. Operates the same association model as ECA but for the open-shop segment; relevant as a model alternative and indirect competitor for member recruitment.
• Building Trades Employers Association of New York: Regional New York construction employer association handling collective bargaining and labor relations for union contractors. Most direct geographic peer to ECA, operating in adjacent parts of New York with overlapping services and member base.
• American Subcontractors Association: National trade association focused on subcontractors in the construction industry. Comparable membership-services model (advocacy, networking, education) and serves a subset of ECA's specialty contractor members at national scope.
• General Building Contractors Association: Regional construction trade association serving the Philadelphia and southeastern Pennsylvania market. Provides same union-affiliated contractor association model with planroom and labor relations services, useful East Coast regional peer benchmark.
• Construction Industry Council of Westchester & Hudson Valley: Regional construction industry trade association serving Westchester and Hudson Valley counties in New York. Mirrors ECA's model in a neighboring geography, providing comparable member services including labor relations, planroom, and networking.
• Associated Construction Contractors of New Jersey: Regional construction trade association serving New Jersey contractors with collective bargaining, planroom, and member services. Direct analog to ECA across the state border, with overlapping Tri-State area member ecosystem.

Others

• National Association of Home Builders: National trade association for the residential construction industry. Adjacent trade-association peer operating the same membership model, but in a different construction segment (residential vs. ECA's commercial/industrial/institutional focus).

Broad incumbents

• ConstructConnect: Construction bid management and project intelligence platform with planroom functionality. Broad incumbent technology provider that competes directly with ECA's Online Planroom for project document distribution and preconstruction workflows.
• Dodge Construction Network: National commercial construction data, analytics, and planroom platform. Broad incumbent that competes with ECA's Online Planroom by offering project intelligence, bidding tools, and market analytics at national scale.

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eca-construction

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Eastern Contractors Association