Building Talent Foundation Announces Renewed Partnership with Meritage Homes

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Non-profit organization Building Talent Foundation (BTF) announces a renewed partnership with Meritage Homes, the sixth-largest homebuilder in the U.S. to focus on the organizations’ shared goal of driving forward a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the residential construction industry.

As part of Meritage’s DEI strategy, its charitable foundation, Meritage Cares, invested $125,000 to support BTF’s mission to advance the education, training, and career progression of young people and those from underrepresented demographics.

“At Meritage, we seek partners dedicated to empowering underrepresented groups in the homebuilding industry,” said Phillippe Lord, CEO of Meritage Homes. “BTF’s initiatives closely align with Meritage’s efforts to enhance diversity within the company and across the industry.”

Meritage is a founding partner of BTF, which was established in 2019 by the Leading Builders of America (LBA), a coalition of the 20 largest residential construction companies in the U.S. BTF is tasked with addressing the severe and persistent labor shortage across skilled trades by growing the talent pipeline as well as improving training and retention.

“We’re delighted to continue this partnership with Meritage because of their commitment to building a culture of DEI,” said Branka Minic, CEO of BTF. “Meritage has now extended their sponsorship of BTF, and this vote of confidence helps us progress toward our goal to create a sustainable residential construction workforce by 2030.”