It’s a great honor for me and very humbling to be able to serve as the 2025 ABC Utah Chapter Chair. 2025 is ABC’s 75th anniversary! In 1950, seven contractors in Baltimore, Maryland, created an association based on the shared belief that construction projects should be awarded on merit to the most qualified and responsible low bidders. This purpose is as relevant today as it was back then.

Today ABC has four foundational pillars: political advocacy, workforce development, safety and business development.

I’m guessing that each one of us and the companies that we work for and own all have our different needs, priorities and reasons why we are members of ABC. Hopefully, each of us feels that we are getting value from being members. I have always leaned toward the political advocacy pillar. I learned early in my career, when I moved from St. George to Las Vegas, how important political advocacy was and is.

After attending Dixie College, I moved to Las Vegas and was hired on with Helix Electric. It was there that I was first introduced to ABC. As some of you might know, the work environments in Las Vegas and other markets across the country are much more contentious between union contractors and merit-based companies. Thirty years ago, we learned quickly that in order to compete with the union contractors for really large projects, we needed to step up our game. Improvements to our apprenticeship program, safety culture, health benefits, paid time off for employees, paid holidays, matching 401k programs and more were all implemented. No longer could the big union contractors tell the owners and general contractors that our electricians didn’t compare to union electricians when it came to safety, talent, knowledge and experience. We had the data and awards from ABC’s STEP program to prove it. Our apprenticeship programs are federally recognized. Our pay and benefits are similar. Over the years, we have proven over and over that we are the contractor of choice regardless of union or nonunion affiliation.

I have always been a big proponent of the Merit Shop Philosophy.

One of ABC’s bylaws states, “We believe that work opportunities in this nation should be made available to all our people, regardless of race, color, creed, age, sex, national origin, membership or non-membership in a labor organization, protected veteran status, qualified individuals with disabilities or other protected class, and we support programs towards this end.” 

Doesn’t this sound fair? It’s hard to imagine not everybody agreeing to this. Unfortunately, though, plenty of people and organizations don’t agree with it. They know they can’t compete on a level playing field, so they try different tactics to make it easier for them to win work, including getting laws written to exclude the majority of contractors from participating. Almost 90% of all contractors in America are merit-based shops, and still, we must battle unfair laws like Project Labor Agreements, the Davis Bacon wages and unfair labor and employment laws. Luckily, we have an organization that has been successful in protecting our rights. Many of our members might not know just how much success ABC has had in this last election cycle in defeating candidates that oppose our values. It’s my goal with our board to make sure that our successes are shared with all our members.

For anyone interested in getting more involved in political advocacy on both the state and federal levels, please feel free to join our government affairs committee. With our amazing lobbyist, we have great discussions and input.

Besides just political advocacy, ABC provides great value to its members in other areas. I would encourage each of you to find an area that you have an interest in and get involved.

Our Women in Construction group is amazing and does great work. Our Emerging Leaders group has great classes and content. This is a valuable resource for any company’s young superstars. Enroll them now for great training and experiences.

Additionally, we have an incredible training facility, and the training is top-notch!

I invite each of our members to get involved — even if it is just to network at the golf tournament or holiday party, or joining a committee to help move the needle in our pursuits.