Michael D. Bellaman

President and CEO

Associated Builders and Contractors

Michael D. Bellaman has served as president and chief executive officer of Associated Builders and Contractors, a national trade association representing more than 23,000 members from 68 chapters across the United States, since 2011. In his role, Bellaman leverages the merit shop philosophy to help members develop people, win work and deliver that work safely, ethically and profitably for the betterment of the communities in which they work. He leads the association to deliver on the following long-term strategic goals:

• Establish ABC members as the industry-leading standard for total human health, safety and environment;
• Increase the political influence of ABC;
• Be the leading force for workforce development and education; and
• Continuously grow and deliver value to a diverse and committed membership.

Under his leadership, ABC has deployed a five-year, associationwide strategic planning framework to align all chapters and members which, over the last decade, has led to results including: growing contractor membership by 7%, increasing the number of fair and open competition states by 1,100% and the number of right-to-work states by 22%, and expanding Free Enterprise Alliance fundraising by 200%.  

Bellaman has also launched initiatives that have strengthened ABC members’ value proposition, such as a construction technology and innovation initiative, a grassroots political advocacy app, growing national recognition for the National Craft Championships and Construction Management Competition and deploying an inclusion, diversity and merit strategy.  

Bellaman is dedicated to helping ABC members and the entire construction industry achieve industry-leading safety. He is a co-founder of the Construction Coalition for a Drug- and Alcohol-Free Workplace and has championed a roadmap for companies whose leaders want to transform their safety programs through ABC’s STEP Safety Management System.  

A 1985 graduate of Pennsylvania State University, Bellaman earned a bachelor’s in architectural engineering and spent more than two decades in the construction industry before joining ABC.