The OJBA’s mission is to bring together Orthodox members of the construction industry so that they can share ideas and build better businesses. “The OJBA is a focused support and connectivity group for the growing construction business within our community,” Webber says. “We believe that a brother should help a brother” (Photos: Shulim Goldring)

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he entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in the heimish community and nowhere is that more evident than at the recent Orthodox Jewish Builders Association (OJBA) Expo at the Meadowlands Exposition Center. The $1.18 billion construction industry is growing, not just in New York City, but all across the country. According to a CNBC report, by all measures, “a construction boom” is shaping up for 2018, and “optimism among construction contractors is at an all-time high.”

That optimism was clearly self-evident at the OJBA B2B Expo, where an estimated 5,000 attendees browsed among 300 booths at a massive 61,000-square-foot convention center, which has hosted dozens of trade shows over the years, but perhaps none as unusual as this one.

Who knew that the construction industry is a magnet for chassidic entrepreneurs? Apparently, Meilich Webber, the founder of the OJBA, did.

Webber himself once worked as a general contractor in the Sullivan County region and would attend all the big trade shows. “I was blown away with how well they worked,” he said. “A trade show is a significant networking event. There are so many innovations in the field of construction, so many new developments, and the best way to know about all of this is at a trade show.”

The idea of organizing a show for the Orthodox Jewish construction industry was brewing in Webber’s mind for some time, until he decided to formally establish the OJBA. He first organized a regional event for Catskill builders and developers with just 30 booths. That was four years ago. Today Webber and his team run several annual events that continue to grow and grow. “We’ve had a lot of siyata d’Shmaya,” he says. “I constantly see Yad Hashem.”

The OJBA’s mission is to bring together Orthodox members of the construction industry so that they can share ideas and build better businesses. “The OJBA is a focused support and connectivity group for the growing construction business within our community,” Webber says. “We believe that a brother should help a brother.”

When I first arrive at the Expo Center’s huge 5,000-space parking lot, I can barely find a space. While I circle amid the rows of Siennas and Highlanders, I see dozens of people making their way to the venue, mostly young chassidic men.

The construction industry, I learn, includes dozens of categories such as plumbing and electric, roofing and siding, glazing and masonry. Then there are the companies that sell windows, tiles, stone and marble, ironworks, doors, and staircases. Also present at this show are those who install insulation, or offer energy options, fire code safety, and waterproofing. I’m told there’s even someone here who has opened a portable sanitation business, an essential service at any construction site.

Jump In and Make It Happen

Back in the day, if you needed a plumber or a handyman you called Alex or Mario. Today, if you live in the tristate area, you will probably be calling Yoeli or Yiddi instead.

I’m guessing that most of the exhibitors here today have never stepped into a business administration course, yet they are remarkably skilled and savvy.  I meet Yankie, the driving force behind a successful architecture company, despite never having studied architecture. After eight years in business, Yankie says he now oversees a staff of 25 architects and designers. And what does he do? “I’m the business mind behind it all.” (Excerpted from Mishpacha, Issue 714)