Fall 2019 ASAM Newsletter
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Tenth Annual MCOY: One Night, One Award, One Decade
October 17 marked ASAM’s ten-year anniversary of Michigan Contractor of the Year (MCOY). The amazing evening was a true celebration of ASAM’s mission and founders, CM/GC partners and the Michigan construction industry as a whole. A big thank you to everyone who attended and to our generous sponsors who continue to support ASAM year after year.
Congratulations to Dan Vos Construction Company for taking home the coveted award, and to Pioneer Construction, first runner up; Elzinga & Volkers, second runner up; and to all the 2019 nominees—these companies share ASAM’s vision of trade partnerships and exemplify this vision every day on worksites across the state.
The 2019 MCOY Award also welcomed TV star and skilled trades advocate, John Ratzenberger, as keynote speaker. Mr. Ratzenberger hit the nail on the head with his message focused on the need for more skilled trades training and development, and his explanation of “essential” jobs (skilled trades) throughout the entire country.
A very special thank you to the MCOY Committee for all the time, effort and energy to host this year’s 10th anniversary celebration! Planning for the 2020 MCOY Awards will begin next month, so please reach out if you are interested in helping us plan!
James Bockheim
MCOY Chair / ASAM Vice President
Alternative Mechanical LLC
PRESIDENT’S CORNER
Understanding and Applying Industry Insights
Understanding business from multiple perspectives provides greater understanding and elevation of business strategies, personal careers and the future of our entire industry. As business owners, leaders and valued team members, we understand that goals and strategies take time to develop, let alone execute. Moving our companies and personal careers in the right direction is imperative as we consider long-range implications.
Recent interactions with several associations and companies have brought to the surface a few common threads, which I’ve recapped below.
What we have:
Industries across the board seem to have a handle on training and career entry points. In fact, there seems to be an abundance of certifications and higher education programs. The needle is finally moving back to the value proposition of apprenticeship and skills-based training. Across the country, businesses are throwing dollars at recruiting and training—no experience necessary. This wasn’t the case in the early 2000s.
What we need:
You can have the best recruitment team and company culture, but if our industry as a whole does not have the right cultural mindset and mentoring behaviors—who would want to join our ranks? The truth is, Key Performance Indicators are not headed in the right direction. Balancing reality (what is) and believing in what’s POSSIBLE (growing a healthy construction industry) is key to our success.
Wrap-up and challenge:
I attended the National Tile Council Association Fall Conference. Event topics ranged from bidding strategies to understanding the Four Disciplines of Execution as presented by author Chris McChesney. Statistics tell us that driving morale and engagement is not fed by higher wages, but by how we approach (frame and reframe) critical topics, and our willingness to change behaviors and embrace new mindsets.
As companies and individuals, what are we doing to prepare for a predominately millennial-populated workforce? What are we doing to elevate construction as a whole?
IMAGINE if construction was actually fun again.
Steven Coates
ASAM President
Welch Tile & Marble Company
Join Us March 4 for the Sixth Annual CWDA Rally
The Construction Workforce Development Alliance (CWDA) was created to solve the skilled trades shortage—a real problem in our industry. The alliance is made up of organizations like Associated Builders and Contractors of West Michigan, American Subcontractors Association of Michigan, Home Builders Association and trade companies like yours.
The CWDA Rally brings together commercial and residential construction industry professionals to compete in fun and hilarious construction-themed games. But that’s not all! The CWDA Rally raises funds to attract students and young people to our industry so we can train and develop the next generation of craft specialists. It takes all roles to make this event happen—craft professionals, technicians, project managers, superintendents, office specialists, owners and more!
We’re all in this together—working together, playing together and solving the skilled trades shortage together—so, please join us March 4, 2020 at GRCC Leslie E Tassell M-TEC for the sixth annual rally! Sponsorships, team and individual registration is now open. Register at webuildmi.com/rally.
Dan Hall
ASAM Director
Architectural Glass and Metal
Carrie Osborn
ASAM Director
Pleune Service Company
Registration Now Open for SUBExcel 2020.
More images from the Tenth Annual MCOY awards, held Oct. 17 at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. Clockwise from top left: James Bockheim, MCOY Chair, presents the scholarship to Matthew Holsworth; members of Pioneer Construction, first runner up; members of Elzinga & Volkers, second runner up; Steven Coates, ASAM President, with keynote speaker John Ratzenberger and MCOY Chair James Bockheim. For more photos, visit the gallery at asamichigan.net/mcoy-awards-photo-gallery.
Special Thank you to the MCOY Top Sponsors
