Category: Legislative Updates

The National LICA Executive Committee held their annual meeting in Washington D.C. John Peterson, LICA Government Relations, arranged meetings with the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Department of Interior. National LICA President, Brad McArdle, was able to schedule a tour of the Border Patrol with his son Clint McArdle, Assistant Chief. Clint has worked at the Border Patrol for 11 years.

David Pacheco, NRCS LICA Liaison, and seven of his colleagues, met with the Executive Committee. The requirements for LICA Members to become Technical Service Providers (TSP) was discussed at length. There was also a discussion on bettering relationships with state conservationists as well as the 2018 Farm Bill.

At the Department of Interior the committee met with Scott Cameron, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Management and Budget. There the committee brought up environmental impact statements and the lengthy approval process. They voiced their concerns about the various permits required when doing a job and how they can tie up a project for a long time.

The last stop of the day was the U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the Reagan Building. Clint McArdle met us and gave a detailed presentation about the Border Patrol. He has firsthand experience at the southern and northern borders of the United States.

The Executive Committee met on Saturday morning to get down to LICA business. During the meeting a variety of topics were discussed including the future of The LICA Contractor Magazine and the new publisher Scranton Gillette Communications. There will be two additional issues of the magazine and there are plans to revamp the national website. Scranton Gillette will also be publishing “The History of Farm Drainage” book, which will tell the history of drainage from as early as 200 B.C. to the present. We will research relevant information from every aspect of the industry.

The Residential Septic System Service Program was reviewed, and the different ways that contractors are promoting it. Some contractors are teaming up with septic associations while others are using realtors and home builders.

The overall feeling surrounding the Executive Committee Meeting was positive and all the Regional Vice Presidents and Officers are excited about the direction that LICA is going.

Everyone enjoyed the Summer Meeting in Colorado Springs, Colorado this past July. It was one of the most breathtaking cities LICA has visited. Just beyond the Hotel Elegante was an amazing view of the mountains. Members had so much fun on tours; traveling to the small town of Victor and seeing a real gold mining operation. The Pikes Peak Cog Railway had remarkable views all the way to the top of the mountain. It was so much fun at the rodeo and LICA members had great seats with views of the mountains.

At Associates’ Night there were many exhibitors, great food and so many cowboys! We had additional seminars at this meeting, attendees said they were all informative and diverse. Our committee meetings ran smoothly and were very well-attended. The Convention Committee voted to go to Niagara Falls in the Summer of 2020. In the Onsite Waste Committee the new septic program was discussed in great detail. Our speaker for the Case Lunch, Eric Papp, kept members entertained while conveying his message of leadership. The week was a true success!

No matter what part of the construction industry you’re in, it is critical to know what your people think and feel about your company and about their jobs.

Have you or do you have a friend whose top person left and started their own company and became your competitor? Don’t make this fatal mistake by ignoring this very real possibility or ignoring your people – keep them happy, engaged and truly a part of your business. Below are the top 6 reasons people choose to stay & how to develop talent from inside of your business – oh and your very top people – the ones that a job would slow down and/or stop if they left…we are sharing some proven ideas to keep them with your business and not competing against it…

1. Exciting work and challenge

This is the opposite of boredom – engage your people in helping solve prob lems, ask for help and ideas Set expectations and let people know when they are doing something right – use the “catch people doing things right and tell them” philosophy. Sounds simple right? Amazingly owners forget to do this in the midst of the busy times when your people need it the most.

Engage people in creating your company’s vision and goals. Above all, practice honest and open communication to help build trust and loyalty. People want to be a part of something bigger than themselves and by engaging them in creating the future – they “own” it too. Loyalty, pride in accomplishments, heart, belief in the business and trust by people are the keys to your businesses’ success from the inside.

2. Career growth, learning, and development

Foster a desire among people to want to stay with your company. One of the key elements in an “employee’s intention to leave” is their level of commitment to the business. Commitment is directly related to opportunities for employee development, so offer training whenever you can – something as simple as you or your key people share their expertise to your team.

When appropriate, ask your top performers to represent you at a training, meeting, events, etc. Gives you a break too…and they can come back and educate you.

Always, seek to promote and develop from within. As well as training options think about coaching too. Coaching helps develop high morale and helps improve both efficiency and productivity. Pair up your people with your best supervisors to show them the “why” – an example is to explain the why maintenance on your machines is so important – the bulldozer cost $150,000 and the excavator cost $250,000…not taking care of them and frequent breakdowns equals lost time, lost dollars, which means lost credibility and smaller bonuses – understanding builds commitment.

3. Working with great people

How do you know you work with great people? Simple. Offer opportunities (both inside and outside of work) for your people to get to know one another. As a business owner you must get to know everyone too. Why? Because, as an employee, one of the worst feelings is invisibility; thinking that no one would notice if you didn’t show up one day. Take lunch to the job site, stop in and ask how their day is going and listen.

Ask people if they have the tools they need to do their job. You will find out important information to your operation by knowing your people and your people will feel valued.

4. Fair pay

Think about what fair pay means in terms of both the job and the area in which your business is based. On top of that, depending on what works for your business, you might want to think about also offering incentive pay, retention bonuses, compensation after long projects, a creative benefits plan and flexible work schedules. (see 5 for more ideas)

Don’t forget that non-monetary rewards can be just as important.Think about what might work for your business. You have a cabin – offer it to your people for a getaway. If you’re unsure, ASK.

Your top person/people? What is their motivation to leave and start their own company? Money, retirement, time off, partial ownership – be aware of the signs, talk to them, capitalize on their drive, develop a non-compete that addresses their desires– be proactive and develop plans together. And if all fails to keep them, let them leave on good terms and remember they helped grow your company, solved problems and made your company look good. Alumni talking about your company positively is so much better than someone out there bad mouthing you and your business.

5. Appropriate (for your company) valued employee retention plans

Here comes the foreign language…RSO’s, NSO’s, SRA’s, Phantom Stock Plans, Minority Stock Plans, Deferred Compensation, Bonuses….Before implementing any structured plans, owners should consult the advice of a proven specialist to make certain that compensation strategies are legally and financially viable as well as a good fit for the owners, business, and employees. Compensation plans will need to be proactively communicated to financial statement users, such as sureties, bankers, and other key users, prior to implementing.

6. Supportive management / good boss

Last but certainly not least, the fifth most important reason. Don’t be the reason people leave. Foster their respect and help develop them as people – contrary to the old model “leave your personal life at home” – it doesn’t work that way – people do and want to be free to bring their whole selves to work & by the way, people are much more productive when they do. Don’t underestimate its importance. In summary, be proactive – just like you would carefully bidding a job, getting ready for a job, executing a job and finalizing a job – know what matters, do it well and create genuine loyalty because – every successful business person knows “action speaks louder than words.”

National membership continues to grow at a record pace. Since the National Convention last February, we have over 400 new contractor members. We have also added associate members. We welcome back a chapter in Florida  after a five-year absence. Our benefits are attracting members in states without chapters: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, North Dakota, and Oregon.

LICA Expansion

The Executive Committee meeting was held at the National Office in Lisle, Illinois last October. They reviewed and approved a comprehensive proposal dealing with the restructuring of National LICA moving forward. It is a three-year plan that will address our growth and the future needs of our membership.

Winter Convention

The 2017 Winter Convention is upon us; this year it will be held at Harrah’s in Las Vegas. After the convention LICA has a booth at CONEXPO and there is expected to be a record attendance. Use the link on the national website to get your CONEXPO badge at a discount. Make sure to visit the LICA booth in the Grand Lobby just outside the North Hall.

Benefits

Our association has many valuable benefits that appeal to everyone. Some recent changes and additions include: re-launching LegalShield and the ADP Payroll program has been replaced with BenefitMall which is more comprehensive and better savings to members.