The Merit Shop Spokesman Blog

The Latest Chapter News from ABC Keystone
A Message from the ABC Keystone Chair of the Board

Message from the Chair: Racing Towards the Future

As we are inching our way towards spring and summer, I trust your opportunities are rising in tandem with the temperatures! Seeing March on our calendars likely reminds many of us of March 19, 2020 – that Thursday when our phones blew up with Governor Wolf’s order for all construction to shut down the next day! Initially, we believed it was going to be short term, and we would soon be back to normal. Yet, many of us today are still not sure what normal looks like.

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National Craft Championship

2021 National Craft Competitors Committed to Excellence

The Keystone Chapter has a strong tradition of training Champions, several of which have brought home gold, silver and bronze medals earned at the annual ABC National Craft Championship. Each year, we send a team of top apprentices to this event. Throughout the final three months of 2020, training was once again in full gear. ABC Keystone’s 2021 National Craft Competition (NCC) team put in countless weekend hours preparing for the competition that was to be held concurrently with the ABC National Convention in March 2021. It was certainly a disappointment to all to hear the news in January that although the 2021 convention will go on as planned, the competition had to be canceled again this year due to COVID-19 safety concerns.process of a task or project to help identify waste and eliminate it. While eliminating waste in an organization can sound negative, it is not. Eliminating waste is essential to aid the development of employees and increase organizational efficiency.

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Continuous Improvement ABC Keystone

Continuous Improvement

The world is always changing and always adapting. When we are asked to change and adapt with it, that can be tough. Whether it is a new piece of technology, a new process, or even a new teammate, we are constantly asked to evaluate and implement. At Wohlsen Construction we have five core values, continuous improvement is one of those five. We are taught to reflect on the process of a task or project to help identify waste and eliminate it. While eliminating waste in an organization can sound negative, it is not. Eliminating waste is essential to aid the development of employees and increase organizational efficiency.

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ABC Keystone Merit Shop Advocacy Blog

Advocacy Update: ABC’s Roadmap in 2021

The new year is well undersay, and the government affairs staff has been mapping out an efficient travel guide for the long haul. Though it is a new session with roughly 30 new legislators entering office, ABC’s messaging remains the same – fighting for merit shop principles. The newly installed ABC of Pennsylvania Board of Directors has established our 2021 legislative agenda, which is broken into three categories:

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ABC Keystone Merit Shop Advocacy Blog

Advocacy Update: Anti-Merit Shop Bill Re-Introduced in Congress

During the campaign, then candidate Joe Biden said that he would be the “strongest labor president” if elected. Coming through on that promise, the President is in the process of forming a cabinet level working group made up of union representatives charged with delivering a plan to, “dramatically increase union density and address economic inequality.”

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Workforce Development Update ABC Keystone

Keystone: Locking It All Together

By the time you read this article, you may have figured out February is Career and Technical Education (CTE) month. Though not in the league with other holidays like “National Donut Day” (which is June 4, 2021 – mark your calendars), without CTE your company and the construction industry would not survive.

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Message from the President-CEO ABC Keystone

Message from the President-CEO: Workforce Development…Now More Than Ever

As we enter February, we celebrate Career & Technology Education, or CTE month. Our partners from the various County Career and Technology Centers (CTCs) are the steppingstone and first rung into developing our Craft Professionals for our industry. We have had a long-standing relationship with both Lancaster CTC and Berks CTC. During 2020, we also entered into a formal agreement with Cumberland/Perry CTC and have opened a positive dialog with Dauphin County Technical School. Read more…

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A Message from the ABC Keystone Chair of the Board

Message from the Chair: Entering a Time of Opportunity

Alas it is winter, and we just celebrated – or endured – Groundhog Day. Old Punxsutawney Phil has predicted six more weeks of winter for our 2021 Pennsylvania weather! My purpose in referencing Groundhog Day for this article is taken from the 1993 movie of the same name, when Weatherman Phil repeated Groundhog Day over and over until he learned important life lessons and got it right.

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YP Spotlight ABC Keystone

Young Professionals Spotlight

Meet Tim Myers, Estimating Manager, Wohlsen Construction Company!

What words of advice do you have for your fellow Young Professionals?
It is important to seek out a financial planner early in your career. Get out of debt, stay out of debt, and save for the future. Starting to save early allows you to take full advantage of a friend called “Compound Interest.”

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News Releases ABC Keystone

2021 Officers and Directors Named at ABC Keystone

(MANHEIM, Pa.) The Keystone Chapter of Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC) is pleased to announce that Cleo Weaver (Lancaster), Triangle Refrigeration Co. (Leola), has been named 2021 Chair of the Board. View the entire list of 2021 leadership:

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Career Development ABC Keystone

Carrying Buckets

Are you a leader, manager, supervisor, volunteer, or parent? If you are, keep reading…
How many buckets do you carry every day? Buckets are the actions you take to do your “job.” My guess is, that it’s a lot. Maybe, there are too many buckets. Then again, maybe many of those buckets aren’t even yours. That’s right, we often carry other people’s buckets, too.

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ABC Keystone Merit Shop Advocacy Blog

Advocacy Update: Embarking on a New Direction

Happy New Year! It is safe to say we are all grateful 2020 is behind us. Despite COVID-19, we were able to accomplish a great deal on behalf of our members last year. You can read more about those accomplishments via our annual legislative report found on the abcpa.org website.

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ABC Keystone President Message January 2021

Message from the President-CEO: Where We’ve Been…Where We’re Going

It is hard to believe that 2020 is over. In some ways, it seemed like a long year, in other ways it went very fast. We started the past year extremely strong. Operating in the third year of a very robust strategic plan, ABC Keystone was on its way to breaking attendance records for events and training, and more companies than ever were involved in the Chapter’s apprenticeship program. Read more…

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YP Spotlight ABC Keystone

Young Professionals Spotlight

Meet Brad Lefever, Wohlsen Construction Company!

As a Young Professional, how has your involvement with ABC Keystone helped you?

Being a part of the YP Committee has helped introduce me to new networking opportunities, hone my professional skills, influence our industry with a group of peers, and more. I think the greatest opportunity for me has been to push myself outside my comfort zone with networking. I encourage other YPs and co-workers of mine to get out there and meet other people in the industry, because it helps you grow your people skills while building an industry network that has real benefits.

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