New London — David Preka, owner of Advanced Improvements in Mystic, has been named the new president of the Builders Association of Eastern Connecticut, promising to bring the once-thriving professional group back from the lull it hit after the Great Recession.

Preka said the association, which had numbered 250 before the financial crisis nine years ago, has dwindled to 90. But he has plans for it to return to pre-recession levels by working harder to get the word out about the group to homebuyers, doing more with social media, resurrecting annual House of the Year events and perhaps even moving its headquarters out of Salem.

"For many years we suffered. We lost some good people," the 33-year-old Preka said in an interview at Muddy Waters Cafe. "I have a lot of work ahead of me to build it up."

Preka, who started his company from scratch 15 years ago, has built his own business into one of the leading renovation and home construction enterprises in the region. Now with more than 30 employees, Advanced Improvements over the past five years has become a regional force in commercial construction as well as homebuilding and renovation.

But while Preka has been going strong, moving in whichever direction the market seemed to head, others have not been so lucky, and many longtime builders couldn't survive the downtick in new construction after the recession. And as builders went into a tailspin, the local homebuilders association kept losing dues-paying members.

It's been so bad that the association hasn't put on a House of the Year event over the past three years, Preka said. The event involved a builder taking the lead to construct a new spec home from scratch as the public got a chance to see the handiwork of association members.

"My main goal is to bring that back to life," Preka said.

Preka said he has noticed more out-of-town builders doing work locally. The showcase home, he said, demonstrated the quality of what can be accomplished by local builders.

"That's an absolute key for our organization," he said.

Preka said the association has a new opportunity now with thousands of potential homeowners moving to the area over the next few years to pick up work at submarine maker Electric Boat. He wants the homebuilders association to be their "first stop" when deciding on what kind of house to build or renovate, Preka said.

Preka said he also wants to focus on what he expects will be "a huge shortage" of craftsmen in the building trades within the next five to 10 years as older workers retire and few are ready to take their place. He wants to focus on Ella T. Grasso Southeastern Technical High School and other trade schools to try to encourage more young people to take their place.

Preka will be installed as the new association president Dec. 2 at the group's annual dinner. He replaces Andy Gil, owner of The Greensulators.

l.howard@theday.com