2012 brought subtle signs of improvement everywhere

As the year draws to a close, much of what will be remembered of 2012 is a blur of campaign slogans and lamenting over the impending "fiscal cliff," but behind the scenes the construction industry was slowly turning the corner toward rebound and growth. We saw subtle signs of improvement everywhere, from the number of cranes across the state to media coverage of highly visible projects coming back to life. This also means that there is more work in the pipeline from private to public work - good news for the members of ASM, and for ASM itself. As an association, we also experienced positive signs of growth, further indicative of growth in the industry as a whole. ASM welcomed 20 new members in recent months, including six in October alone from varying trades across the state. In addition to expansion of our membership we have also made several impressive advancements with legislative initiatives including progress on our bill to cap retainage at 5% on private work - advancing it to one step short of passage in the Massachusetts House. This was a rare achievement on the heels of our Prompt Pay victory, and it paves the way for even better results in the coming year. We also took action to protect subcontractor payment rights on public work, persuading the state's highest court to rule that a subcontractor's payment bond rights are like lien rights and cannot be waived. And, we were one of just three associations to be approved by the state to form a "group health purchasing cooperative," which will launch in the spring and help ASM members save on the costs of health insurance. In addition, our Acadia insurance program paid over $300,000 in dividends to participating members. Lastly, our Enterprise program saved members thousands of dollars on new vehicles; and our legal hotline saved thousands in legal fees. Perhaps most valuable of all was the knowledge members gained from ASM's educational programs and publications - and the business opportunities from events like our Golf Outing and GC Showcase - and it's impossible to put a price tag on that. In short, it was a busy and productive year for ASM and we look forward to strengthening our membership and our industry in 2013. Our goal is to be your expert business resource. Should you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me at president@associatedsubs.com. David Cannistraro is president of the Associated Subcontractors of Mass., Boston and is president of J.C. Cannistraro, LLC, Watertown, Mass.