I am honored and excited to have the opportunity to serve as your Chair. However, I know that I have some big shoes to fill. Mitch DeBlois has done an excellent job the last couple of years, and his passion for ABC Maine and our members has not gone unnoticed. Thank you, Mitch, for all the time, energy and dedication you brought to ABC Maine as Chair.

When people learn of my involvement with ABC, they’ll ask questions like, “What’s ABC all about?” or “What made you interested in becoming Chair?” My response is that I wholeheartedly believe in the merit shop philosophy and the system of free enterprise and open competition. ABC works diligently to uphold the merit shop principles. We help members develop people, win work, and deliver work safely, ethically and profitably for the betterment of the communities in which we work. I couldn’t be any prouder to be a part of this association.

We have an exciting year ahead of us.

• We will drive efforts to advocate for our industry and showcase to our youth the abundant career opportunities within the construction industry and our member companies.
• We will provide ongoing workforce development opportunities as a resource for members to help their team members learn and grow.
• We will advocate for the STEP Safety Management System to raise awareness of its value to our members, so they can continuously improve their ability to send team members home in as good or better condition than when they arrived to work.
• We will work to ensure our members are aware of political issues and legislation that could directly impact the merit shop philosophy, our companies, and our industry. We will facilitate collaborative action when needed to ensure the merit shop voice is heard.
• We will work to grow our membership, and we need your help! Please spread the word about why you are an ABC member and why it’s important to you. Encourage others to join this significant and valuable association.

These are just a sample of the many initiatives our committees will focus on this year. If you’ve ever considered joining a committee to help us move the needle on these items and more, please reach out. We’d love to have your help. The more members we have pushing in the same direction, the bigger impact we will make.

As part of ABC National Cares, I am happy to announce that ABC Maine’s charitable recipient this year will be the Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine. As we all know, it’s tough out there right now. The cost of living is weighing on people, and families are struggling. The good news, however, is that we can be a part of the solution. I’m excited to see the success we have as an association to help reduce food insecurity in our great state.

In closing, I want to thank our wonderful staff, Hope and Shari, for all their efforts over the last year and their dedication to ABC Maine and our members. I also want to thank our Board of Directors and our committees for volunteering their time and helping us support the association’s mission.

I’m looking forward to getting to know those of you who I’m not as familiar with a lot better over the next couple of years and thank you for the opportunity to serve you and this great association.

I wish you all a healthy, safe and successful year.