The Merit Shop Spokesman Blog

The Latest Chapter News from ABC Keystone
ABC Keystone Merit Shop Advocacy Blog

The Merit Shop Advocacy Update

This weekend will be the 140th time America will celebrate Labor Day. While we mark the long weekend as the “unofficial end of summer,” the day was created to recognize the work, contributions, and achievements of American labor, particularly the trades. As an association consisting of the trades and businesses affiliated with the construction industry, we want to say THANK YOU for your contributions to this great nation and for helping to train the next generation of tradespeople.

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News Releases ABC Keystone

Area Contractors Recognized for Achieving World-Class Safety Standards Through ABC STEP Program

(MANHEIM, Pa.) The Keystone Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors announced the 2022 ABC STEP Safety Management System participants on Tuesday, August 16, during ABC Keystone’s Safety Recognition Breakfast presented by Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman PC. During the recognition event, representatives from Keystone Chapter member companies had the opportunity to hear remarks from Kevin Chambers, Area Director, U.S. Department of Labor OSHA – Harrisburg Area Office.

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ABC Keystone YP Blog

Young Professionals Spotlight

Meet Brent Droege, Financial Director & Vice President, Cedar Run Construction! With being in the early stages of my involvement with ABC I am excited to see what doors it will help open for me and the company for which I work. So far, I have met some informative people that have helped the way I look at the business and how I interact with our stakeholders. It has also opened another world of networking that I was unaware of before being a part of the construction industry and a part of ABC Keystone. I enjoyed meeting new people at the mixer in August.

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Member Spotlight: Meet Kurt Twiford, Conexus!

Tell Us About You and Your Company!
Conexus was formed in July 2005 through the purchase of an existing building automation system contractor. Since 2005, Conexus has grown an average of 7% per year and to 33 total team members. Leveraging open protocol technologies, Conexus migrated from a traditional building controls contractor to a smart building technology system integrator, leveraging technology to transform our client’s environments to optimize the comfort, safety and efficiency of their facilities. In order to meet our client’s critical service needs, most customers are within a two-hour radius of our office in Middletown, PA, but some relationships do take us to western PA, Virginia and southern Maryland as well.

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President Message

Message from the President-CEO

It is hard to believe that over half of 2022 has gone by. With this, ABC Keystone needs to look at how we are doing in terms of the strategic initiatives we set forth at the beginning of the year. The four areas we review are Political Influence, Continuous Growth & Value, Safety & Health, and Being the Leading Force in Workforce Development Education & Training.

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ABC Keystone Merit Shop Advocacy Blog

The Merit Shop Advocacy Update

You may have heard the term “August recess” from our advocacy team, but it’s not like the recess you remember from grade school. It is a time when legislative sessions are on break in Harrisburg and Washington, D.C. to allow lawmakers to travel their districts. In an election year, politicians maximize this time to meet with constituents and talk about issues important to them. ABC will use this time to meet with as many of our elected officials as possible to let them know what is impacting your business.

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Member Spotlight:
Nicole Behn, Edwards Business Systems

Tell Us About Your Company!
Edwards Business Systems (EBS) began as a typewriter repair and exchange company in 1954 in West Reading, PA and has constantly been adapting in every one of our 68+ years in business. By responding to our clients’ needs and recognizing the constant changes in our industry, we have grown from a single storefront providing office supplies and typewriters to one of the largest independent office technology companies in North America with 14 locations throughout the mid-Atlantic.

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ABC Keystone Merit Shop Advocacy Blog

The Merit Shop Advocacy Update

The summer is upon us. The legislature completed their work on a $44 billion state budget, along with accompanying “code bills” that specify how taxpayer dollars are to be allocated. The budget represents an 11 percent increase over last year, largely due to unspent federal stimulus and increases in public education spending. The budget deposited $2.1 billion into the Rainy Day Fund, bringing the total to about $5 billion. Lawmakers believe the fund will help shield Pennsylvanians from tax increases if the economy slips into a recession and/or revenues decrease.

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ABC Keystone YP Blog

Young Professionals Spotlight

Meet Donald Stahlnecker! My role is Project Manager at Warfel Construction Company in our Operations Department. Internally, I manage our construction teams on the individual projects on which I’m working, and externally, I coordinate with our clients and design teams on project schedules, costs, and constructability.

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President Message 22.07.01

Message from the President-CEO

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 is truly the celebration of 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.

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Member Spotlight: Quarry View Building Group

In 2008, Quarry View Building Group came about as a result of Ben, Levi, and Chris King following their dreams. The brothers desired to build projects utilizing old-world building techniques. Their foundation of a rich Amish heritage in craftsmanship led the way for Quarry View to become a builder of custom timber frame, commercial, residential, and equestrian buildings. Like the first artisan builders of America, our focus goes beyond functionality and durability to timeless design.

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