The Merit Shop Spokesman Blog

The Latest Chapter News from ABC Keystone
Message from the President-CEO ABC Keystone

Message from the President-CEO

It’s that time of year when most of you have already renewed your membership. For that we thank you. As such it is our commitment to provide you a value for your investment in your association. Many things ABC can provide may be obvious such as education and training, networking and business development, and workforce development. But there are also the intangibles, the things you can’t touch, such as fighting for your rights at a State and Federal level and promoting free enterprise and the merit shop philosophy.

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Meet Andrew Mobarak, Cassel

Founded in 1945, Cassel is a 3rd generation family owned and operated fleet graphics business based in Manheim, PA. Our Mission is to make vehicle graphics easy and to help businesses drive their brand. What started as a small sign shop focused on truck lettering, through hand painting, is today a multi-site team of design, print, and installation experts using cutting edge tools and technology to serve commercial fleets from all industries.

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ABC Keystone Merit Shop Advocacy Blog

The Merit Shop Advocacy Update

ABC Keystone is excited to welcome Jim Willshier to the position of Director of Advocacy. He is responsible for the development, implementation, and management of the comprehensive government affairs program for ABC. This includes all legislative advocacy, PAC, grassroots, and government affairs activities.

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Message from the President-CEO ABC Keystone

Message from the President-CEO

Yes, another year has passed and so we enter the 64th year of the Keystone Chapter’s existence. In the same way we look to our storied past for inspiration, we look to the future for opportunity and growth. 2023 will be no different than any other year. It will provide us and our members with many challenges, but with challenges come opportunities.

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A Message from the ABC Keystone Chair of the Board

Message from the Chair:

ABC Keystone Members,
Welcome to a New Year, with new goals and a fresh perspective on the clean slate for 2023. As your Chairman for 2023, I want to take a moment to share some of the exciting initiatives that we as a Chapter will be working on throughout the year.

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ABC Keystone Merit Shop Advocacy Blog

The Merit Shop Advocacy Update

Construction backlog in November reached its highest level since the second quarter of 2019, as contractors with under $30 million in revenue landed new jobs faster than expected, according to Associated Builders and Contractors.

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ABC Keystone Merit Shop Advocacy Blog

The Merit Shop Advocacy Update

A Longtime Labor Crunch
The construction industry was already facing a workforce crunch before 2020 due to an aging workforce, more young people being steered toward college and workers who left the industry during the 2008 recession and never returned, says Zachary Fritz, an economist with Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC).

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Apprenticeship Blog ABC Keystone

National Apprenticeship Week

November 13-19, 2022, we celebrated National Apprenticeship Week. During NAW, we celebrate the workers of America — the best in the world — and lift up the importance of apprenticeship programs across America.

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Ask an Accountant

Ask an Accountant: Wire Fraud on the Rise

In 2021, the FBI received 19,954 business email compromise (BEC) complaints with adjusted losses of nearly $2.4 billion, up from $1.8 billion in the prior year – a 33% increase!1 Many of these losses result from wire transfer fraud. Fraudsters have become more sophisticated, and their schemes have evolved to stay ahead of the preventative measures that are developed. Cybercriminals don’t discriminate – both small businesses and public companies are targets and victims of these schemes. In many cases, the wired funds are immediately converted to cryptocurrency by the recipient, making recovery virtually impossible.

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A Message from the ABC Keystone Chair of the Board

Message from the Chair: A Year in Review

What a year we have had. Not only did we get back to business as usual, but we set new milestones and welcomed new friends from the northern part of our State. We hit 92% retainage for the second year in a row, and we hit membership growth in July for the first time. One of the exciting parts of the year was the merger of Keystone and Central regions. We now cover 33 counties in PA. We were able to welcome new businesses into the Keystone family and show the benefits of membership. It was exciting to go to the Nittany Valley region and get to know many of the members, meet some great people and get to know their businesses. There are several new business partners for all of us to get to know and work with.

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Meet Damian Nagle, Royal Square Development & Construction

Founder, Josh Hankey, began renovating buildings in the Central Business District of York, PA in 2009 with a mission to revitalize a focused area of the city. After securing and renovating most of the buildings on the square of Princess, Duke, King, and Queen Streets his efforts spread beyond the “Royal Square”.
Projects became larger and more complex requiring a staff experienced in this type of work.

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