Ground Broken on Larry C. Frace Inspections’ New Northeast Training Institute
Back Row (L-R): Gene Boone, Marr Development; Todd Kern, Marr Development; Ray Haden, Wilkes University Small Business Development Center; David “Otto” Kurecian, Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau; Matt Beltz, Columbia Montour Chamber
Additional information about NETI (pdf)
The Chamber was on hand to participate in a ceremonial groundbreaking for Larry C. Frace Inspections’ new Northeast Training Institute (NETI) on Friday, Aug. 23 at what will be the site of the new facility in the Columbia County Business Park in Lightstreet.
The NETI, which is being built by fellow Chamber member Marr Development, will be a training ground for future building inspectors, which is a profession that is currently projected to lose thousands due to pending retirements in the next decade and needs to develop the next generation. This will be only the third such facility in the country, with the others in Colorado and Florida, and is expected to attract students from up and down the East coast as well as the Midwest. It will also be the only place in the country to offer training for both home inspectors and uniform construction code inspectors. It will feature a “House of Horrors,” an entire house within the building that is built incorrectly with thousands of defects and code violations, and will also offer several different types of classes for aspiring and veteran building inspectors alike.
The NETI is expected to be completed by next spring.