Issue 2 2022 S O U T H E A S T MICHIGAN CONTRACTORS Me r i t S hop New s f r om t h e Sou t h e a s t e r n M i c h i g a n Ch a p t e r o f A s s o c i a t ed Bu i l de r s a nd Con t r a c t o r s ABC Long-Time Members Mark Milestone Get Into Politics or Get Out of Business SEMCA Hosts South Lake High School ABC SEMI CELEBRATES 50 YEARS
Contents ABC SEMI STAFF PRESIDENT/CEO Keith Ledbetter [email protected] COO Mickey Mortimer [email protected] VP OF EDUCATION Deanna Morley [email protected] DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION Grace Bonventre [email protected] COMPTROLLER Dave Staudt [email protected] DIRECTOR OF SAFETY Drew Maltese [email protected] DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP John Manor [email protected] DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION Marissa Downs [email protected] EDUCATION SERVICES AND EVENTS COORDINATOR Kaylee Cohen [email protected] OPERATIONS MANAGER Michelle Wood [email protected] COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER Kelly Forrester [email protected] 2022 BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHAIRWOMAN Chris Scott, Paul C Scott & Sons Plumbing, Inc. TREASURER Bridget Kewin, O’Donnell Electric LLC SECRETARY Debbie Starke, LaFemina Trucking CHAPTER ATTORNEY Frank Mamat, Dinsmore Shohl, LLP DIRECTORS Mark Angellotti, Expert Heating & Cooling Thomas Campbell, Campbell Industrial Contractors, Inc. Robert Clancy, Robert Clancy Contracting, Inc. Stacy Demers, Assured Partners Frank DiPonio, DiPonio Contracting, Inc. Eric Flessland, Butzel Long Chris Holsbeke Sr, Holsbeke Construction, Inc. Matt McConnell, Architectural Hardware and Supply Perry Merlo, Merlo Construction Company, Inc. Dave Pytlowany, AIS Construction Equipment Corporation STATE BOARD MEMBERS Luke Beach, Independence Commercial Construction Robert Clancy, Robert Clancy Contracting, Inc. Perry Merlo, Merlo Construction Company, Inc. Jim Struble, RCI Electric NATIONAL BOARD MEMBERS Robert Clancy, Robert Clancy Contracting, Inc. Frank DiPonio, DiPonio Contracting, Inc. CET BOARD OF TRUSTEES CHAIRMAN Tad Martin, Martin Outdoor Services TREASURER Jim Struble, RCI Electric MEMBERS Sean Fisher, Third Coast Electric Jacqueline Kaltz, KaltzCoulombe, PLLC Paige Levy, Douglas Electric Co. Contact Information ABC SEMI Office (248) 298-3600 31800 Sherman Avenue Madison Heights, MI 48071 SEMCA Office (248) 298-3600 31800 Sherman Avenue Madison Heights, MI 48071 06 10 08 Get Into Politics or Get Out of Business 10 High School Seniors Explore Skilled Trades as a Career 12 Progress on the ABC Office Construction 02 President’s Letter 04 ABC SEMI Marks its 50th Anniversary 06 ABC SEMI Launches Member Legacy Committee 12 Advertising & Design Sales Representative Ronnie Jacko (503) 445-2234 [email protected] LLM PUBLICATIONS (503) 445-2220 | (800) 647-1511 www.llmpubs.com
2 Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. Dear ABC Friends, Every once in a while, it’s important for an organization to contemplate the values and long-term goals on which it was created. This year, I’ve spent a lot of time reading and contemplating ABC’s bylaws so that we are focused on the most important things. There are seven key areas that are fundamental to ABC’s purpose. I am going to highlight three here: Defend Merit Shop Philosophy and Promote Free Enterprise — In today’s world, there’s a push to reward success not based on work performance, but on membership in preferred groups chosen by the political elites. ABC doesn’t seek special treatment for our companies. We believe the same rules should apply to everyone. ABC is unapologetically patriotic and pro-America, and promotes the values of our nation’s founding fathers. Influence Public Policy — You’ve personally witnessed how free market principles are under attack today among our elected leaders. Who is fighting for your company’s right to do work when you often find yourself among the non-preferred groups? ABC does. Other construction associations focus on industry services. And we do too, but ABC also fights for the values essential to your long-term success and the promotion of the free enterprise system. Our organization is highly respected in political circles; ABC is among the most coveted endorsements of candidates for elective office. We’ve already hosted four gubernatorial candidates at ABC this election cycle, as well as a variety of state and local officials. Engage in Employee Training — Employee training can take many forms. ABC Southeastern Michigan has full-time staff on hand that can provide your company safety services including our proprietary STEP contractor evaluation, job site analyses, toolbox talks, FirstAid/CPR, and OSHA certifications. ABC also has over 500 apprentices currently enrolled in a variety of formalized skilled trades training programs through SEMCA. In addition, we create specialty trades classes individualized for member companies when they have specific training needs. And finally, this fall we are launching a Business Leadership Academy designed to teach business owners and key managers how to better manage their people and projects. These are just three reasons why ABC exists. We encourage you to explore these areas and find ways where you can fully take advantage of your association. Sincerely, Keith Ledbetter | President and CEO ABC Southeastern Michigan Chapter KEITH LEDBETTER ABC SEMI President President’s Letter
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4 Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. History Has Its Eyes on Southeast Michigan ABC SEMI MARKS ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY A belief in 1950 that construction projects should be awarded based on merit to the most qualified and responsible low bidder had great momentum behind it and spread rapidly across the United States. This created various local chapters of the Associated Builders and Contractors. In 1972, the Renaissance Center was not a part of the Detroit skyline, the Detroit Tigers won the America League East, and the Merit Shop Philosophy was on the mind of a few southeast Michigan contractors. Six southeast Michigan contractors decided to accept the ABC responsibility in 1972 to fight towards equal opportunities for work. They were granted a chapter-in-formation status by the ABC National Board and, within a year, the Metropolitan Detroit chapter grew to 30 members strong. The Metropolitan Detroit chapter expanded to become the Eastern Michigan chapter, which encompassed all counties in metro Detroit, along the Lake Huron coast, and up into the thumb. At that time, there were five chapters in Michigan: Eastern, Central, Saginaw Valley, Western, and Northern. “I can’t believe how quick they grew the first membership of the chapter,” said Pat Acciavatti, founder of Pamar Enterprises, Inc. who joined ABC in 1981. In 1979, the chapter had 90% membership retention, which was their best year yet. Carrying that momentum, the board and staff knew they wanted to provide training to their members, and worked to lay the foundation for what is now one of the most sought-out craft training schools in the area. ABC Southeastern Michigan Merit Award for outstanding safety in 1985 with the old ABC logo 1985 2022
Southeast Michigan Contractors Issue 2 2022 5 50 YEAR ANNI VERSARY “We thought we had a deal in Detroit with a trade school on the west side during the initial planning process,” said Doug Cryderman, founder of Douglas Electric. “We were having really good conversations with them, but then someone tipped them off about who we were, and we couldn’t get them to return another phone call.” Cryderman continued saying they were in Oakland County evaluating next steps to provide training and found out the Oakland County supervisor had an injunction filed because the organization wasn’t a legitimate training organization. He noted that the politics were all stacked against ABC and the county just didn’t want them training because that was competition. “Somehow that injunction just went away. We followed the process to legitimize our training, but they took back the injunction, so we started training,” Cryderman said. Seven years later, in 1986, the Construction Education Trust, today known as the Southeast Michigan Construction Academy, started training a new generation of skilled workers and attracting new membership. ABC member efforts had paid off. “Everything was carrying on as planned,” said Acciavatti. “But then all our hard work almost disappeared.” Local government and finances posed a challenge for the chapter that halted growth and lead to a difficult conversation. “The Eastern Michigan chapter faced numerous challenges and pushback in 1980, and there was a conversation to disaffiliate as a chapter,” said Doug Curtis, vice president of chapter services at ABC National. “Fortunately, that didn’t last long.” Also at that time, the Saginaw Valley chapter requested the annexation of three counties in the thumb: Huron, Tuscola, and Sanilac. The restructured chapter filed with the Michigan Department of Commerce on November 5, 1981 and became ABC Southeastern Michigan. They had almost 150 members. From there, they chugged along helping promote the Merit Shop Philosophy until the recession began affecting the industry and the chapter in 2010. “Even ABC wasn’t immune from those tough economic times,” said Keith Ledbetter, president and CEO of ABC SEMI. “At one point, they thought to give the building back to the bank and call it quits.” The chapter was experiencing hardships due to increasing costs from the school that required chapter staff to make severe cuts, including lower monthly payments on the office and school building. According to past ABC SEMI Board minutes, several options were pursued to overcome these economic challenges, but as the days went on, the bills continued to pile up and bankruptcy was explored. “It’s not a glamourous history, but it’s our history,” Ledbetter said. “We were motivated hearing about the struggles, and it inspired today’s leadership to stay on top of the chapter to ensure its success for the sake of our members.” Ledbetter continued saying today the ABC building is fully paid off and the chapter has expanded exponentially since that board meeting. He also mentioned that ABC Southeastern Michigan is one of very few states that have achieved the labor reform trifecta: Prevailing Wage repeal, elimination of Project Labor Agreements on public projects, and Right to Work. “The values of ABC have allowed free enterprise and entrepreneurship to flourish as the backbone of our state and country,” Ledbetter said. Today, ABC Southeastern Michigan has 272 members in our community and counting, continuing the mission put before us by the six contractors who came together 50 years ago. “I am confident in where this chapter is at and where it’s headed,” said Chris Scott, president of Paul C. Scott Plumbing and current ABC Board chair. “The 50th anniversary is the perfect time to re-engage with the chapter and see how it can grow your business’s footprint.” A capture fromABC SEMI 1985 newsletter with Electrical I students being taught by Andy Radtke A capture fromABC SEMI 1985 newsletter with Carpentry I students being taught by Marty Inman
6 Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. With the 50th anniversary celebration in full swing, members who were there for the early years of formation visited the ABC Southeastern Michigan office to reconnect and share stories about the beginning moments. ABC COO Mickey Mortimer was the enthusiastic leader behind forming the committee to recognize the ones who laid the foundation. “In construction, your building is only as good as your foundation,” Mortimer said. “The same goes for this chapter. These guys faced trials and tribulations, and risked so much starting this chapter in the 70s.” Some of those trials included the picket lines at every job site and office. “There were so many pickets even when I joined ABC in 1985,” said Frank Mamat, the ABC chapter attorney. “That was 13 years after the chapter formed, I couldn’t imagine what it looked like in ’72.” Committee members reflected further on the political climate when they began forming and Pat Acciavatti recalled his heavy equipment being targeted. He told the others how the gas tanks were filled with sugar and the machines were ruined, but that just determined the group to keep pushing forward as a chapter and build a lasting legacy. The start of this committee was thought of out of inspiration of the 50th anniversary, but Mortimer sees it sticking around beyond 2022. “The short-term goal here is to remember and honor the vital members that created our chapter,” Mortimer continued. “Our long-term goal is to have a committee MEMBERSHIP ABC SEMI Launches MEMBER LEGACY COMMITTEE JimStuble (left) and Frank Mamat (right) enjoy hearing tales of the start of ABC SEMI
Southeast Michigan Contractors Issue 2 2022 7 that allows retired members or former board members to remain connected to the chapter and the connections they built here.” The Legacy Committee will bridge the gap between the past and the future. Mortimer noted that we can’t move forward without knowing where we’ve been. “It’s important to know the amount of blood, sweat, and tears that the founding members went through so we as a chapter appreciate our purpose, mission, and values more,” Mortimer said. ABC will continue to host gatherings for the Legacy Committee and learn more about their journey over the past 50 years. “It’s important to know the amount of blood, sweat, and tears that the founding members went through so we as a chapter appreciate our purpose, mission, and values more,” Mortimer said. Pat Accaivatti (left) and Doug Cryderman (right) discuss the timeline of events of ABC SEMI forming
8 Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. Get Into Politics or Get Out of Business The Voice of the Merit Shop is ABC’s Mission POL I T ICAL ADVOCAC Y Every time a presidential election happens, our economy turns into a major point of interest. Among the essential signals of the United States economic climate is the construction market, which in turn causes political figures to have a wide range of pledges to triumph office. However, just how much do state policies truly impact the building business? According to ABC SEMI President and CEO, Keith Ledbetter, the building and construction sector typically gets thrown all-around just like a political soccer ball to try to aid political figures in looking more attractive as well as answer challenges. “The Associated Builders and Contractors are the voice of construction,” said Ledbetter. “For the past 50 years, we advocated exclusively for free and open construction markets where companies win work based on the MERIT of their experience and capabilities, not due simply to labor affiliation. ABC is not anti-union; rather we are pro-choice. Owners should be free to choose and hire whichever company offers the best value. Every project which uses public tax dollars should maximize competitive bidding rather than reducing it based solely upon labor affiliation.” Did you know that over 86% of the construction industry is merit shop? Statistics show that less than 14% of all construction is performed by union contractors. Merit shop is not union vs. non-union. It’s simply a way of doing business, built on free enterprise. ABC of Michigan President Jimmy Greene believes those numbers speak for themselves and prove that merit shop works for everyone. “Everyone is evaluated, judged, awarded, and rewarded according to the ‘merit’ of his/her work,” said Greene. “It is this belief in quality-based results that governs the organization and members of Associated Builders and Contractors. You have the right to talk to your employees about what it means to be a merit shop contractor in the construction industry. That is why it is everyone’s job to build and sustain relationships with lawmakers to defend and advance federal, state, and local merit shop policies impacting ABC membership and the construction industry.” When ABC was founded in 1950 by seven contractors in Baltimore, it was with the sole purpose of political advocacy in mind. These companies (two union and five merit shop) wanted the right to work together on projects regardless of their union or non-union affiliation. It was from that free enterprise thinking that ABC came to political prominence in the late 1960s where they worked hard to level the playing field for their members and work to ensure they could compete and win work. It was a time of tight labor markets, war-induced inflation, and successful union demands for higher wages. Many big businesses found that they were forced to work with unions or miss out on large, lucrative projects. “It is a fight that we continue to battle to this day,” said former ABC Michigan Chairman Robert Clancy of Robert Clancy Contracting. “We have made strides in Michigan to improve the construction climate with the repeal of Prevailing Wage and establishing Michigan as a Right to Work state, but these gains continue to be challenged and we as an association must be vigilant to ensure our hard work is not undone.” There are a number of areas where public policy impact ABC members and create challenges and actual obstacles to competing and winning business in the construction industry: » Project Planning Plus Development is impacted by public policy in mostly large-scale jobs where the need of authorization from the local government is required to go forward. When the local government chooses to alter zoning policies over a specific parcel of land, then that brings a task to a stop. Simply by
Southeast Michigan Contractors Issue 2 2022 9 a similar token, in case the federal government is not going to consent to modify housing code rules to aid a building business acquire task management ongoing, subsequently that job will not carry on. » Security Rules. Local, state, as well as federal safety rules can be political vehicles which impact the building and construction industry. This covers all safety concerns within the construction, the building itself, and real estate where the project is going to be built. This also includes the use of equipment from large to small tools. » Economic Aspects. A roundabout approach that politics influences the building industry is by means of political adjustments that lead to the country-wide or worldwide overall economy to change. The building and construction business is incredibly vulnerable to variations in the economic climate, and these imbalances can be due to political selections. Whenever politicians would like to try to “kick start” our economy, they will create regulations that devote in general public works building and construction plans. Yet when people in politics create devastating economical faults, the building market generally senses the end results harder compared to some other organization sector. “ABC members stand up for their belief that projects should be awarded based on merit,” said Clancy. “Yet regulatory tactics and backroom political deals continue to threaten non-union construction businesses. ABC is our ally so that no contractor has to deal with its problems alone, whether it’s recruiting and training craft professionals, improving safety performance, advancing local competition legislation, or educating other business owners that merit shop contractors are the preferred source of construction services.” ABCmembers with former Gov. Rick Snyder themoment House Bill 4465was signed amending Public Act 205 in 2009
10 Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. NEWS High School Seniors Explore Skilled Trades as a Career More than 20 seniors from South Lake High School in St. Clair Shores visited the Southeast Michigan Construction Academy in February to learn about alternative career options instead of the typical four years at college. The Construction Exposure field trip was the first of its kind at SEMCA, and aimed to encourage students to consider training and career opportunities in the skilled trades. These students got an up-close look at electrical and carpentry tools, and what can be expected on a job site. Another important part of the day was the emphasis on safety while in the workshop. “We made sure to plan for a safety briefing upon the students’ arrival before setting foot in the shop,” said Mickey Mortimer, COO of ABC SEMI/SEMCA. “For most, this was their first time around the equipment, and we wanted to make sure no one injured themselves and they left feeling good about this experience.” From there, the group divided into three and had break-out sessions to learn even more about the construction industry as a whole. “I felt it was important to make this an educational day for the students while also keeping it fun,” said SEMCA Director of Education Marissa Downs. “We arranged for current SEMCA instructors to be here and give the students a hands-on opportunity for learning.” Electrical instructors George Collar and John Danic had a station to engage students with basic electrical tasks they would learn as a foundation to becoming an electrician. Students learned how a switchboard operates and how to bend conduit for electrical lines to run through. “We wanted to showcase some of the things that don’t come to mind for people when they think about what an electrician may do,” said Collar. Another station for students was with SEMCA instructor Dallas Gamache, who teaches the introduction to construction class. Gamache demonstrated various power tools that are common to a job site. They then got to practice drilling on wood and metal studs. The group wrapped up their day hearing from a panel of skilled trade professionals. Danic was joined by fellow electrician, Jim Struble and carpenter, Duane Lindensmith to answer questions from students about going into the trades, and how it is a viable career option. “The Construction Exposure Field Trip provided an opportunity for students to envision themselves as part of the next generation of skilled trades professionals,” Downs said. “Our hope is that students recognize the vast opportunities available to them in construction, and that SEMCA can provide a path for them to reach their goals.” The staff at SEMCA would like to thank Sarah Strohbeck, the career readiness and counselor consultant at Macomb Intermediate School District, for facilitating the school partnership needed for this successful event. “I felt it was important to make this an educational day for the students while also keeping it fun,” said SEMCA Director of Education Marissa Downs. “We arranged for current SEMCA instructors to be here and give the students a hands-on opportunity for learning.” A South Lake Senior learns to use power drill on metal stud S MCA
Southeast Michigan Contractors Issue 2 2022 11 Mickey Mortimer gives students a safety briefing before going into the workshop Students learn about electrical basics from SEMCA Instructor George Collar SEMCA Instructor John Danic demonstrates how to bend conduit Students play a trivia game on switchboard Mickey Mortimer answers one-on-one questions with a South Lake Senior (Left to right) Keith Ledbetter, Jim Struble, John Danic, and Duane Lindensmith answer questions on the trade professional panel
12 Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. CONSTRUC T ION PROGRESS Keith Ledbetter (left) and Dominic Maltese of D.J. Maltese Construction Corp. (right) stand proudly in the middle of the construction at the ABC office 1 Crews work to install new footings 2 (Left to right) Keith Ledbetter, Chris Scott, Perry Merlo, and Debbie Starke of the ABC board get a look at the construction progress 3 Dry wall goes up in the new staff offices in early March 4 PROGRESS ON THE ABC Office Construction
Southeast Michigan Contractors Issue 2 2022 13 The framework for the bar is complete 5
ABC SEMI Office 31800 Sherman Ave. Madison Heights, MI 48071 (248) 298-3600
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