What cleveland builds does

Cleveland Builds is a worker-centered, industry-led non-profit founded in 2020 by the Construction Employers Association (CEA) and the Cleveland Building & Construction Trades Council to address skilled labor shortages and workforce diversity gaps in Cleveland's union construction sector. The organization operates from Independence, Ohio with 1–10 employees and a small executive team led by Executive Director Keith Laschinger, serving adult career-seekers and high school students who are funneled toward union apprenticeship placements.

Its core offerings are two training programs and a placement service. The Introduction to Union Construction is a 12-hour foundational program delivered across four sessions, covering workplace expectations, aptitude assessment, and physical fitness screening. The Intensive Apprenticeship-Readiness Program is a 40-hour curriculum co-developed with union tradespeople across 13 trades and offered in weekday, weekend, and evening cohorts to accommodate working adults. Graduates are guided through union selection and application processes with contractor placement support, and a trade career information portal covers 19 construction trades with wage and apprenticeship data.

The business model is non-revenue-generating in the traditional sense: all participant services are free, funded by the City of Cleveland, industry partners, and recurring sponsorship events such as clay shoots. Distribution is direct — career-seekers complete an inquiry form, attend mandatory information sessions, complete training, and are placed via partner unions and JATCs. There is no disclosed technology stack, no proprietary software, no app, and no API; the organization's moat rests entirely on its institutional relationship with both labor and management sides of Cleveland's union construction ecosystem.

Name

cleveland builds

Legal name

Cleveland Builds

Website

https://clevelandbuilds.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cleveland Builds is a worker-centered non-profit founded in 2020 that trains Cleveland-area career-seekers and high school students for union construction apprenticeships through industry-led readiness programs and direct placement services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Workforce Development Services

NAICS

Apprenticeship Training (611513), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

SIC

Construction - Special Trade Contractors (1700)

akta.pro primary industry

Apprenticeships, Pre-Apprenticeships & Work-Based Learning (EDAAAOAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Internship-to-Apprenticeship & Early Talent Pipeline Programs (EDAMAKAL), Career Exploration & Labor Market Readiness (EDAAAKAA)

Keywords

• Workforce development services
• Apprenticeship readiness training
• Construction trade placement
• Union construction careers
• Career training programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Independence

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cleveland Builds is a worker-centered and industry-led non-profit that promotes careers in union construction trades and delivers apprenticeship-readiness training to career-seekers. Its core offerings include a 12-hour Introduction to Union Construction program, a 40-hour Intensive Apprenticeship-Readiness Program developed with 13 trades, and career placement services that guide qualified candidates through union selection and application processes to place them in local union apprenticeships.

Product overview

Cleveland Builds is a non-profit workforce development organization offering a unified portfolio of training and placement services for the union construction trades. The core offerings include the Introduction to Union Construction (12-hour foundational program) and the Intensive Apprenticeship-Readiness Program (40-hour program), both providing instruction led by experienced union tradespeople. These programs are complemented by career placement services that guide graduates through union apprenticeship application processes. The organization also provides a comprehensive trade career information portal covering 19 different construction trades with associated wage data. All services are designed to place participants in union apprenticeships after successfully completing programming, with the organization operated as a single integrated service rather than a modular platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Introduction to Union Construction A foundational 12-hour program delivered in four three-hour sessions that introduces adult career-seekers and high school students to the expectations and realities of working in union construction, covering punctuality, attitude, coachability, reading and math aptitude, measurement and manual skills, physical fitness and safety awareness, and comfort with heights and jobsite conditions.
• Intensive Apprenticeship-Readiness Program (ARP) A 40-hour program developed in partnership with union tradespeople representing 13 different trades that equips participants with skills and knowledge for day-one success on the jobsite, including real-world training, guidance on available trades and career pathways, and collaboration with unions, contractors, and Joint Apprenticeship Training Committees (JATCs). Offered in weekday, weekend, and evening cohorts.
• Career Placement Services Service that guides qualified workers through the selection and application processes for all local union construction trades, connecting Cleveland Builds graduates with contractors signatory to union trades.
• Trade Career Information Portal Online information portal providing comprehensive details about 19 union construction trades — including Boilermakers, Bricklayers, Carpenters, Cement Masons, Drywall Finishers, Electricians, Floor Coverers, Glaziers, Heat & Frost Insulators, Ironworkers, Laborers, Millwrights, Operating Engineers, Painters, Pile Drivers, Pipefitters, Plumbers, Roofers, and Sheet Metal Workers — with job descriptions, wage rates, and apprenticeship requirements.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered founding/core, notable, core and community partner.

• Construction Employers Association (CEA)founding/coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Cleveland Builds was founded in 2020 by the Construction Employers Association (CEA). CEA provides active involvement ensuring the organization is industry-led and efforts result in participants being placed in union apprenticeships. Tim Linville serves as Co-Chair on the Industry-Led Board.
• Cleveland Building & Construction Trades Councilfounding/coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Cleveland Builds was founded in 2020 by the Cleveland Building & Construction Trades Council. Dave Wondolowski represents the Council on the Industry-Led Board, contributing to the worker-centered approach and apprenticeship connections.
• The Whiting-Turner Contracting CompanynotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Whiting-Turner Contracting Company serves as the general contractor for the Global Peak Performance Center jobsite, where five graduates of Cleveland Builds' program are currently working. This represents an active employment pathway for program graduates.
• Joint Apprenticeship Training Committees (JATCs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCleveland Builds collaborates with Joint Apprenticeship Training Committees (JATCs) as part of its Intensive Apprenticeship-Readiness Program, helping participants gain increased opportunities for apprenticeship placement.
• Spanish-American Committeecommunity partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerKenny Torres from KT & Company represents the Spanish-American Committee on Cleveland Builds' Industry-Led Board, supporting diversity and inclusion in workforce development.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Building Pathways: Boston-based pre-apprenticeship program that prepares women and people of color for careers in the union building trades. Operates the same model as Cleveland Builds — multi-trade pre-apprenticeship training co-sponsored by labor and management, with placement into union apprenticeships — but in the Greater Boston market.
• Helmet to Hardhats: National non-profit that connects transitioning military veterans to apprenticeship and career opportunities in the union building and construction trades. Most directly comparable to Cleveland Builds in mission (pre-apprenticeship readiness and placement into union construction trades) but operates at national scale and focuses on veterans rather than general career-seekers.
• Oregon Tradeswomen: Portland-based non-profit providing pre-apprenticeship training and placement for women entering the skilled construction trades. Directly comparable to Cleveland Builds on program structure (pre-apprenticeship → trade school / apprenticeship placement), target population (women and underrepresented groups), and union-trade focus, but with a single-state geographic footprint.
• Chicago Women in Trades (CWIT): Chicago-based non-profit providing technical training and placement services to women entering skilled construction trades and other nontraditional occupations. Directly comparable to Cleveland Builds in mission, target demographic, and pre-apprenticeship-plus-placement service model, serving the Chicago metro market.
• Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW): New York City-based non-profit preparing women for careers in the skilled construction trades, with pre-apprenticeship training and direct placement into union apprenticeship programs. Operates the same union-construction placement model as Cleveland Builds with a similar target demographic.

Broad incumbents

• YouthBuild USA: National non-profit network that provides construction training and education to opportunity youth as a pathway to careers and post-secondary education. Comparable in workforce development mission and youth-population focus, but broader in scope (construction is one of several industries) and not union-specific.
• National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER): Industry-wide credentialing body that develops standardized construction craft curricula and certifications used across union and open-shop training programs. Not a direct peer in placement services, but adjacent because NCCER credentials are widely used in the same apprenticeship pipeline that Cleveland Builds graduates enter.

Regional players

• Milwaukee Building Trades Council: Regional labor body coordinating union construction apprenticeship programs across the Milwaukee metro, comparable in mission (union construction workforce pipeline) to the Cleveland Building & Construction Trades Council that co-founded Cleveland Builds. Operates upstream of placement rather than running a standalone readiness program.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cleveland-builds

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 cleveland builds