BY: KEITH ELDREDGE, CPA, RKL, ABC KEYSTONE 2022 CHAIR OF THE BOARD

Having been a member since 1989, ABC Keystone has time and again demonstrated that our dues are not just an overhead charge, but an investment in the construction industry. Over the years, I have spent hours at ABC Keystone education events, monthly meetings and political events. ABC has always looked to educating its members not only on construction topics, but also other skills such as management and HR training and has kept us abreast of political activities that impact our businesses.

A core value has been and continues to be “We are passionate about free enterprise advocacy, workforce education and training and business-to business connections, career pathway development and instilling a safety culture – in all sectors of the construction industry.” Our values, mission and vision are listed on our website.

This core value is seen in the issues the staff and volunteers have worked on in the past several months. The staff have made great strides on expanding pre-apprenticeship programs with schools and other partners. The staff and volunteers have worked on Re-entry issues with different workforce development boards to help understand the barriers that need to be addressed. They continue to educate legislators on issues that are important to the construction industry and what needs to done to move those issues forward. And when the government tries to overreach, they protect our rights by challenging those rules in court. But they also work with different departments and agencies to understand and clarify the rules and regulations to make sure our members are compliant.

It is a delicate balancing act to identify and fight the battles where we have a chance of making a difference and finding where we need to work with the regulations and help our members understand those regulations. We have received some pushback from members saying we did not go hard enough after COVID regulations and we should sue the government on COVID mandates. But it was ABC that stood up to the government and was successful with a law suit in the 11th Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals that mandated COVID 19 vaccination and testing emergency standards on employers with more than 100 employees.

Nothing is better than hearing from our members. Our president, David Sload, received an email from one member talking about the benefits their ABC membership over the past couple of years during the COVID and supply chain issues. He also mentioned ABC’s fight against government overreach with COVID mandates and appreciated ABC fighting for contractors.

Your ABC membership comes with things you may not know you receive. Your membership comes with many discounts on everyday items we use in our businesses, such as discounts on trucks, cell phones, FedEx, computer programs and gas. Not only does the business save, but your employees can also take advantage of some programs, as well. They can get discounts on Norton identity and device protection, cell phones, GM Vehicles, hotels and insurance. Check out the ABC Keystone website under the membership benefits tab for a list of discounts.

We are here to serve you, the members. ABC Keystone is a member-driven organization and we want to hear from you on things we are doing well and thoughts of things we should be addressing. Please feel free to reach out to ABC staff about what is on your mind.

Posted November 1, 2022