BY: CLEO WEAVER, ABC KEYSTONE 2021 CHAIR OF THE BOARD
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.
Well, enough of a bad memory. Let’s take our eyes off the rear-view mirror and instead focus on the opportunities that are in our windshield – the future – because that is the only thing we can change. I’m sure you’ve seen a NASCAR race, even if it was only a snippet in a commercial. Did you know that the drivers have rear-view mirrors but use them very little? Instead, they rely on spotters to relay what is going on behind them and around them. These spotters alert them to danger in their blindsides, changes in the traffic around them, and obstacles beyond the next corner. Who wouldn’t want that? ABC is here to be your spotter in 2021! We will alert you to what is going on in government, changes in regulations, and the obstacles to avoid in our construction industry so you can focus on your business plan.
Speaking of a spotter, in February, we had our Economic Breakfast with Dr. Anirban Basu at Spooky Nook Sports, with online and in-person attendance of over 400 total. One of the things we learned from this “spotter,” in addition to economic updates, is that Dr. Basu believes the best two quarters of this year will be the last two. I am sure we all hope he is accurate and will adjust our course to take advantage of this as it happens. Some things our spotter tells us are informational items, and some are action items; I will let you be the judge.
On behalf of the leadership, I want to extend a huge thanks to our membership for your robust renewals! We are ahead of any recent years in percentage renewed – around 85% – and new memberships are tracking ahead of recent years. The board and I believe that this is a testimony to ABC’s solid leadership in this pandemic year, and to the continually-growing participation of our members in ABC training programs. Thank you, everyone!
That said, I’m sure many of you know fine companies that would greatly benefit by becoming members of ABC, and this is a perfect time to bring them in – as you know, membership has its privileges! Many members report easily offsetting the cost of membership with all the benefits, such as training opportunities, national buying programs, and Government Affairs communication, to name a few.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t remind you that March is the month we celebrate the women in our ranks. Our industry offers many excellent opportunities for women. In our family-owned company of Triangle Refrigeration, my wife Linda and daughter Michelle have served as our first and second-generation CFO’s for nearly fifty years! In ABC, we had a female as our Board Chair three times in the past 11 years. I’d like to say thank you to Donna J. Shoff (2017), Owner/President of H.L. Wiker Inc., Vicki E. Craft-Kearns (2011), Owner/CFO of James Craft and Son, Inc., and Denise M. Clelan (2006), Co-Owner of Clelan & Company. Plus, our next generation of female leaders include 14 apprentices, and though we are proud of that ever-increasing number, we can and will do more to increase the opportunities for women in the trades. So, my exciting announcement is that there is plenty of room in our industry for more women. It is a very rewarding place to let your talents shine!
Our success as an organization rests on you, so I am hereby deputizing you as a “spotter” to find new members and more women in construction!
Now, go have a great month!
Cleo Weaver
2021 Chair of the Board
ABC Keystone
Triangle Refrigeration Co.
cweaver@trianglerefrigeration.com
(717) 656-2711
Posted March 1, 2021
