The Merit Shop Spokesman Blog

The Latest Chapter News from ABC Keystone

“IT CAN’T HAPPEN TO ME OR MY LOVED ONES.” | September 2023

September is Suicide Prevention month. It’s a topic that we all generally avoid due to the uncomfortable nature of the matter. But suicide is a real threat to our industry and therefore deserves its time in the spotlight.
According to statistics released by the CDC, construction ranks amongst the top for all industries as it relates to suicide. It’s a staggering number that is 4 times higher than the suicide rate of the general population; 45 suicides per 100,000 workers annually; 15 suicides per day. The annual number of construction industry suicides exceeds the work-related deaths fivefold. This is truly a crisis in our industry that we need to STAND UP and address.

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STAND UP FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION | September 2023

September is Suicide Prevention month. It’s a topic that we all generally avoid due to the uncomfortable nature of the matter. But suicide is a real threat to our industry and therefore deserves its time in the spotlight.
According to statistics released by the CDC, construction ranks amongst the top for all industries as it relates to suicide. It’s a staggering number that is 4 times higher than the suicide rate of the general population; 45 suicides per 100,000 workers annually; 15 suicides per day. The annual number of construction industry suicides exceeds the work-related deaths fivefold. This is truly a crisis in our industry that we need to STAND UP and address.

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YP Perspective - ABC Keystone

A Day in the Life of an Estimator

In the last couple of years, almost every company has experienced or is currently struggling to attain and retain talent. Right now, across the United States, there is a labor shortage in which there are about two jobs available for every person looking. Even if you find talent, employees jump from company to company for better pay and benefits. Offering higher wages is a clear first step to finding and keeping talent, but it has limitations to maintaining profit margins attractive and bids competitive. Another solution to this problem is utilizing or starting your company’s retirement plan, especially with the passing of the SECURE Act 2.0.

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ABC Keystone Merit Shop Advocacy Blog

The Merit Shop Advocacy Update

Unfortunately, at the time of publication, there is the perfect storm of increased discussion for Responsible Contractor Ordinances (RCOs), little engagement with the construction community, and a rush to adopt them. While this has been happening in all aspects of local government, it is now happening at the state level with House Bill 1449 seeking to apply a less restrictive RCO on state-level projects, coincidentally sponsored by Representative Josh Siegel (D-Lehigh), who most recently was an Allentown City Council member and saw firsthand the problematic nature of RCOs through Allentown’s turbulent ordinance.

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Message from the President CEO ABC Keystone March 2021

How Do We Mesure Up?

This month we celebrate the July 4th holiday, or as the older generation knows it, “Independence Day.” For some, this is just another day off from work. But to many, it truly celebrates our freedom, freedom from oppression and tyranny to create a more perfect government. This day is recognized yearly in honor of the formal adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Four months following that, our Constitution was produced. Both documents set us on a path to becoming the greatest country on earth…

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A Message from the ABC Keystone Chair of the Board

Mid-Year Update on ABC Keystone

Back in February, I wrote about the growing trend for RCOs (Responsible Contractor Ordinances) that are popping up in municipalities throughout the Central PA region. Though potentially damaging to those municipalities, they have been isolated to date. ABC Keystone continues to track these isolated incidents and respond accordingly by attending public meetings and providing suggested modifications to the RCOs to make it fair for local trades to compete on public works projects in their communities. Our voices are being heard and we will continue to push back against the unfair and unjustifiable requirements…

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Ask an Accountant

Ask an Accountant: The Importance of Monitoring Overhead Rates During Inflation

Over the last couple of years, businesses across all industries – especially contractors – have dealt with rising employee and human capital costs and rapidly increasing input costs. Although inflation data is now below 5% for April 2023 and projected to decrease slightly in May 2023, those figures are still above the norms of the previous two or three decades.

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ABC Keystone YP Blog

Young Professionals Spotlight

Meet Jayne Katherman
Associate Attorney
Barley Snyder: Attorneys At Law

I am an attorney serving York and Lancaster counties in real estate, municipal, construction, and business law industries.

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ABC Keystone Merit Shop Advocacy Blog

The Merit Shop Advocacy Update

Unfortunately, at the time of publication, there is the perfect storm of increased discussion for Responsible Contractor Ordinances (RCOs), little engagement with the construction community, and a rush to adopt them. While this has been happening in all aspects of local government, it is now happening at the state level with House Bill 1449 seeking to apply a less restrictive RCO on state-level projects, coincidentally sponsored by Representative Josh Siegel (D-Lehigh), who most recently was an Allentown City Council member and saw firsthand the problematic nature of RCOs through Allentown’s turbulent ordinance.

Read More »
Message from the President CEO ABC Keystone March 2021

Celebrate Freedom!

This month we celebrate the July 4th holiday, or as the older generation knows it, “Independence Day.” For some, this is just another day off from work. But to many, it truly celebrates our freedom, freedom from oppression and tyranny to create a more perfect government. This day is recognized yearly in honor of the formal adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Four months following that, our Constitution was produced. Both documents set us on a path to becoming the greatest country on earth…

Read More »
A Message from the ABC Keystone Chair of the Board

RCOS 2.0

Back in February, I wrote about the growing trend for RCOs (Responsible Contractor Ordinances) that are popping up in municipalities throughout the Central PA region. Though potentially damaging to those municipalities, they have been isolated to date. ABC Keystone continues to track these isolated incidents and respond accordingly by attending public meetings and providing suggested modifications to the RCOs to make it fair for local trades to compete on public works projects in their communities. Our voices are being heard and we will continue to push back against the unfair and unjustifiable requirements…

Read More »

Meet Greg Goyden

I have been in the construction industry since 2005. Recruiting Caddies was founded to provide the best construction industry recruitment services, as other options are needed to produce desired results.

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Ask an Attorney - ABC Keystone Blog

Ask an Attorney: Your Lawyer as a “Trusted Advisor” – A Guide For Construction Companies to Maximize Their Legal Counsel Investment

As construction is truly a team sport, a contractor’s success hinges on the contributions of all team members—the laborers and tradesman, the project managers and office personnel, c-suite executives, and, yes, the company’s lawyer. Too often, however, construction companies turn to counsel as a necessary expense, not an investment. A contractor’s lawyer, however, can improve a project’s bottom line in three key ways: contract review, project advising, and dispute resolution.

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YP Perspective - ABC Keystone

Young Professionals Perspective

In the last couple of years, almost every company has experienced or is currently struggling to attain and retain talent. Right now, across the United States, there is a labor shortage in which there are about two jobs available for every person looking. Even if you find talent, employees jump from company to company for better pay and benefits. Offering higher wages is a clear first step to finding and keeping talent, but it has limitations to maintaining profit margins attractive and bids competitive. Another solution to this problem is utilizing or starting your company’s retirement plan, especially with the passing of the SECURE Act 2.0.

Read More »

Meet Tricia Paniagua

I have been in the construction industry since 2005. Recruiting Caddies was founded to provide the best construction industry recruitment services, as other options are needed to produce desired results.

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