John B Gorrie Pta, 705 W De Leon St, Tampa, FL 33606, US

ABC Chapter Staff Associated Builders and Contractors ( ABC ) is a national association with 79 chapters representing 25, 000 merit shop construction and construction-related firms with 2 million employees. ABC's membership represents all specialties within the U.S. construction industry and is comprised primarily of firms that perform work in the industrial and commercial sectors of the industry. In Florida, ABC represents over 2, 500 member companies. Founded in 1969, ABC's Florida Gulf Coast Chapter ( located in Tampa, FL ) is devoted exclusively to representing the interests of 450 member companies from Gainesville down to Naples. ABC is the construction industry's voice with the legislative, executive and judicial branches of the federal government and with state and local governments, as well as with the news media. ABC's mission is the advancement of the merit shop construction philosophy, which encourages open competition and a free-enterprise approach that awards contracts based solely on merit, regardless of labor affiliation. Through its national office and chapters, ABC's objective is to provide its members with an organization to deal with issues on an industry-wide basis.