Holiday Builders Launches Tom Franz Scholarships at Florida Tech
Awards for Students in Construction Management
MELBOURNE, FLA. — Florida Institute of Technology and Holiday Builders are pleased to announce the establishment of the Tom Franz Memorial Scholarship Fund.
The fund is named for the longtime Brevard County resident and 20-year member of the construction industry. He spent his final 14 years at Holiday Builders, where he rose through the ranks to the position of Vice President/Regional Manager.
Franz passed away unexpectedly in late 2013. He is survived by his wife, Betsy Franz, and his Holiday Builders family.
The scholarships will target students in Florida Tech’s construction management program and provide two of them with $3,000 annual awards for three years, for a total value of $18,000.
The inaugural recipients, as chosen by construction management faculty, are Ryen Forry, a senior from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Ethan Samberg, a junior from Jacksonville Beach.
Franz started in construction in 1992, working as a frame carpenter. His experience and dedication to quality construction soon led him to Holiday Builders, the Melbourne-based residential production home-building company. Franz started there as a construction manager and soon had earned his Certified Residential Contractor license. He rose through the ranks, achieving division manager and then vice president regional manager, where he oversaw multiple areas throughout Florida.
As he ascended at Holiday Builders, Franz began focusing on matters beyond the company, as well – on how he and his industry could give back. He served on the board of various organizations, including Home Builders and Contractors Association of Brevard, Florida Homebuilders Association, the Florida Green Building Coalition and the Palm Bay Area Chamber of Commerce. He was later appointed to the statewide Florida Building Commission.
Working with Holiday Builders and their trades and vendor representatives, Franz got involved in building homes for Homes for Our Troops, an organization that finds contractors and builders to participate in building thousands of homes for disabled veterans across the U.S.
For more on Florida Tech’s construction management program, click here. Visit www.tomfranz.com/scholarship.shtml for additional information.
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