2 Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. Dear ABC Friends, In the last magazine, I used this space to describe three of seven key areas fundamental to ABC’s purpose: Defend the Merit Shop and promote free enterprise, influence public policy, and engage in employee training. What are the other key goals of the organization? Support overall industry well-being and ethics —The goal of ABC isn’t simply to serve its members, but to strengthen the overall construction industry and promote strong ethical principles in construction. These efforts take many forms. Recently, the Michigan Legislature proposed legislation to allow Michigan-based construction companies to resubmit a bid to match or beat winning bids from out-of-state competitors. Such a provision means well, but undermines the entire purpose of a competitive bidding process. ABC consistently stands up for important principles of fair play and level playing fields. Create safe workspaces — ABC SEMI employs a full-time safety director on staff who can help your company with specialized training—from OSHA 10 and 30 to toolbox talks, site visits, First Aid/CPR/AED classes, and more. ABC can give companies access to free or low-cost training for their employees. In addition, ABC national has created a free proprietary safety program called STEP, which is a self-evaluation tool for business owners who want to put maximum effort on ensuring each employee makes it home safely each night. Promote general employee welfare — ABC recognizes that construction companies are only successful when their employees thrive. Strong pay, good benefits, and employee work satisfaction are critical to company success. ABC offers a variety of programs to encourage employee retention, including benefits like Workers’ Compensation, 401(k), Legal Shield, and others. ABC also offers opportunities for employees to feel appreciated by participating in social events like clay shoots, go-cart racing, Top Golf, professional development courses, Emerging Professionals, and more. Contact us to ask about upcoming events. Enhance member profitability — By vigorously protecting equal opportunity in bidding, providing strong worker training programs, giving tools for employee retention, lowering costs on major business expenses like insurance and workers’ compensation, ABC’s goal is always to make Merit Shop contractors more competitive and profitable in the marketplace. As we celebrate our 50-year anniversary this year, it’s a great time for you to explore all that ABC has to offer. Sincerely, Keith Ledbetter | President and CEO ABC Southeastern Michigan Chapter KEITH LEDBETTER ABC SEMI President President’s Letter
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