As I begin my second term as president, I can report without hesitation that it has been an all-positive year for the Rhode Island Builders Association! We have had successes on all fronts: at the State House, the annual Home Show, our Builders Helping Heroes charity, our membership statistics, our educational program, with Professional Women in Building, and much more.
I'm proud to be RIBA's president, not just because of our trade association's great history and prominent standing in our industry and our state, but because we can all feel the new energy in this organization. We are over the hump, we're in the black, and we're headed for greater successes in 2014!
There are so many members I want to single out, who have helped RIBA get to this point. I especially want to thank Ron Smith, Cheryl Boyd, Lou Cotoia, Carol O'Donnell and the entire Home Show committee for their untiring efforts to improve that biggest of RIBA's annual events. Our gratitude also goes to Bob Baldwin, Dave Caldwell Jr., and Vin Marcantonio Sr. for their tremendous job on getting it done at the Builders Helping Heroes construction site in Burrillville.
To our hard working legislative team, especially Ed Ladouceur, Steve Carlino, Bob Baldwin, Joe Walsh, Gayle Wolf and Tom Hanley, thank you for all you do for our industry through legislative advocacy! And to our legal team - general counsel Chris Engustian, along with Mike Kelly and Joelle Sylvia, who constantly work behind the scenes, thank you.
I also thank my fellow officers, Roland Fiore, Steve Gianlorenzo and Dave Caldwell Jr., and our hard-working board. You have all pulled together to help these good things happen!
Certainly, we all owe our thanks to our hard working executive director, John Marcantonio, who has so successfully led this charge on a day-to-day basis since he came to us in 2011. To our director of operations, Elizabeth Carpenter, and our staffers Elise Geddes, Robin Barlow and Sheila McCarthy, thanks for all that you do for our members!
Now we begin another year. Let's keep that energy and member involvement going, and let's be sure that it includes bringing in new, young members! These young contractors and other members of our industry are the future of RIBA, and the time to bring them into our ranks and our leadership is now.
Thanks once again to all of you, and let's keep the progress going!
Felix Carlone is the president of the Rhode Island Builders Assn.