By: Douglas M. Dvorchak, 2019 Chair of the Board, ABC Keystone
I think everyone has heard the saying “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” ABC Keystone is not immune to the wisdom of this statement. Every year the Keystone Board, as well as Committee Chairs and any interested members, come together to map out a plan for success. This year we will be meeting on September 19 to review and update our Strategic Plan, and any Keystone member is encouraged to attend. This is the third year of our three-year Strategic Plan which was spearheaded by past Chair Ken Schwebel in 2017 for a 2018 start. Our Strategic Plan focuses on six major initiatives, broken into specific goals, which are tracked by the Board at our monthly meetings.
The first strategic initiative is to Increase Political Influence. Our specific goals in this area are to have Right to Work in place in two counties and to have PLAs banned in six counties. I am proud to report that we are at 50% of our Right to Work target. We have, however, made very little progress toward meeting our PLA goal. We will continue to forge ahead and make inroads with local legislators located in our geographic footprint. The Board, as well as our Legislative Committee, understands the importance of grassroots efforts to further ABC’s mission.
The second initiative is to Continually Grow and Deliver Value. Our first goals revolve around membership retention (April 30 and June 30 retention dates). Keystone’s retention rate currently stands at 87.5% which is an increase over last year’s rate of 86%. Every year the Chapter Board’s goal is to achieve 90% retention. The second goal is to increase contractor engagement. We have maintained our contractor engagement versus last year.
Our third initiative is to Increase Non-Dues Revenue Stream. One goal is to identify our next cornerstone training to generate revenue. ASHE continuing education credits will be offered and will generate significant additional revenue. This goal has already been met for the year. Next is to strive for a 50/50 split between dues and non-dues revenue, not including investment income. It is projected that we will be at 48% dues and 52% non-dues revenue by year end – goal achieved! Through the hard work of staff and member volunteers, we have expanded our course offerings and have held membership driven events that have helped us achieve this goal.
The fourth initiative is to Develop an Endowment Fund. Under the leadership of Tim Kershner, ABC Keystone has identified members to start a task force to research and develop a strategy
for implementation. This group will convene to decide the best course of action moving forward.
The next initiative is to Be the Leading Force in Workforce Development and Training. We currently have 15 school partnerships with three more in the works which exceeds our initial goal of 12. This area has been an emphasis for the Board and staff. We understand the importance of engaging students, as well as educators, and showing them that construction is a family-supporting career, as well as a rewarding one.
Our last initiative is to Provide Offsite Accessible Training. The Safety Committee looked into the feasibility of a Safety Truck that could be used off-site for training. It was concluded that this is not an option at this time, as the cost of maintenance and personnel would make this cost prohibitive. The good news is that ABC Keystone offers incredible safety courses in-house, and we have a full-time Director of Safety Services available to members to help with your safety training needs.
A lot of exciting activity is happening at ABC Keystone! We will continue to work for the members of this organization and defend and promote the merit shop philosophy as well as free enterprise.
September 4, 2019
