President’s Message January 2012
President’s Message January 2012
By
Pam Miller, Alchemy Construction
Happy 2012 to you all! The start of a new year brings a few changes within our association: The departure of a Board member, Bob Murnane, and the addition of a couple of new Board members, Callan Voelkel and Ray Lundy. I would like to thank Bob very much for his time and service to RERA last year, and welcome our new members, Callan and Ray.
Another change you’ll notice is the fact that we’ve gone completely online with our monthly newsletter. As is the case with many businesses and associations, the Board needed to make a realistic assessment of our current and projected financial status. It was decided that it was in the best interest of the association to assume a more conservative approach with our finances in order to continue to offer quality educational and other possible opportunities to our membership. This was a very difficult decision to make as it involved the dismissal of someone who has been involved with our newsletter and dinner meeting write ups for many years, Audrey Giroux. We would also like to thank Audrey for her years of service, and we wish her well on her future endeavors.
Speaking of future endeavors, how’s your business going? It seems as though things are picking up a bit. But I still hear that same old story about how there are so many “starving” contractors out there, that just about anyone can name their price for their project. They say that tough times like these can weed out the “flakes” in the industry… Survival of the fittest they say. Well, in my mind, it really opens up the door for a whole new collection of unlicensed, unqualified, unprofessional “low-ballers” that we have to compete for jobs with.
Think of the amount of time and money you have invested in your business. The amount of time you’ve spent on acquiring your knowledge and expertise. The amount of time and money you spend on your continuing education in your field. I may not have an “official” Masters Degree, but I’ve got my time and money spent on one! People want their projects done properly, but too many of them don’t understand or respect what it takes to obtain the amount of information required to see a project through, and to make sure it meets codes and acceptable quality and industry standards. You’re an expert in your profession. And experts charge for their services.
If you’re a General Contractor, think about this the next time you’re meeting with clients, going over their project, preparing a bid request package for all of your subcontractors, doing all the research on the materials needed, pulling the estimate together, writing up a legal and professional proposal and contract. How many hours did it take for you to do all of that? And more importantly, what’s your time and expertise worth?
Let’s stick together on this. Let’s make 2012 the year we turn it around for ourselves.
