ABC of Wisconsin to open Madison training center

A Wisconsin construction association will open a new training facility with space for up to 600 students next year.

The Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin, a widely non-union organization with more than a thousand members across the state, announced it bought a 36,000-square-foot office building at 2810 City View Dr. adjacent to its headquarters in Madison.

On Dec. 10, the organization bought the 403,339-square-foot lot for $3.4 million, state real estate records showed.

The building, formerly an office for the Wisconsin Reinsurance Corporation, will be converted into offices, classrooms and laboratories to primarily train HVAC, electrical and plumbing apprentices.

“Over the last ten years, it’s been evident to us that we’ve outgrown our Madison location space,” said Kelly Tourdot, president of ABC of WI. “When this came for sale, we thought, here’s our opportunity.”

The two-story building will be renovated into classroom space on both the first and second floors, with space for 12 instructors on the second floor, Tourdot said. A large laboratory will be built on the first floor, she added.

Renovations will start in early 2026 and the first classes will begin in fall of 2026, officials said. ABC is working with Spring Green-based Jewell Associates Engineers, a member company, to design the training facility.

“We hope to do a walkthrough and rollout of the bid in the next couple of weeks,” Tourdot said. The organization expects to move in on Aug. 26, 2026.

ABC previously partnered with the Madison Area Technical College for apprenticeship training. Students will finish their spring semester at Madison College, and first- and third-year students will move to the training center in fall 2026.

The college was aware of the new training facility and plans to relocate ABC apprenticeship programming, said Mel Charbonneau, chief marketing and communications officer at Madison College.

“ABC Wisconsin is one of several partners that utilize Madison College facilities,” Charbonneau said in a statement. “We continue to work with a wide range of employers and industry partners across the region to support apprenticeship training.”

ABC officials said the new facility won’t replace other association locations or programs around the state.

“We are excited to provide this space and make the training location more convenient for many of our current apprentices,” said Brandi Davis, the director of apprenticeship at ABC, in a statement. “We are also pleased to have the space we need to grow our program further and provide highly skilled workers for Wisconsin’s commercial construction industry.”

ABC officials said they have the largest apprenticeship program in the state with more than 2,600 active apprentices in 2025.

The current ABC office is located at 5330 Wall St. in Madison.