ABC chairman’s message: Focusing on collaboration

Having chaired the Gould Construction Institute (GCI) Board prior to taking on the role of ABC MA chair, I appreciate and understand firsthand the growing collaboration between the two organizations and their forward-moving evolution. In several forms, this has been the story of the past year.

At the end of October, ABC MA, GCI and Building Mass Careers, our nonprofit that focuses on workforce development, held the “Trade of Treat” event at Gould’s new state- of-the-art Billerica training facility, which focused on helping high school students understand the dynamic career paths available for them in the trades. Students got to meet instructors and trade professionals while touring the facility and discovering how a career in trades is rewarding, fun and safe.

Afterward, Lowell High School Counselor Dianne Mccarthy, who brought around 30 students to the event, said, “I couldn’t get them to leave. And when I finally did, their question was ‘when can we go back?”

A month earlier in September, we held a joint ABC/GCI board meeting that featured ABC National President and CEO Mike Bellaman. Whether the focus was on addressing external challenges like the construction labor shortage or creating an organization in which the various facets work together with innovative synergies to better serve member companies, we are pleased that 2025 has been a year marked by enhanced collaboration to make us a more effective organization.

We have no doubt that moving forward, we will continue to see rewards from our collaborative approach and with ongoing forward-thinking initiatives, especially in a climate that is too often divisive.

In my roles on the ABC and GCI boards, I have seen how fortunate we are to have many great collaborators in our organizations. I want to thank our board members, Chapter staff and you, our valued members. Without the great team at ABC MA, we could never have had such a successful year. On behalf of myself and the chapters, we wish all of you Happy Holidays and a healthy and prosperous New Year.

Luiza Mills is the chairman of Associated Builders and Contractors Inc.-Mass. Chapter and is a senior vice president at Interstate Electrical Services Corp., North Billerica, Mass.