Welcome to Spring A time of renewal

After the winter we've had, spring can't come soon enough! Spring is always a time of welcome transition, renewal, and new beginnings - whether in school, business, government, or associations. The same is true at ASM. We started the year with a new board of directors, and the new board is undertaking a strategic planning process for ASM, to chart our course for the next several years. We are using an innovative "lean" process to guide our planning - led by the lean experts of Haley & Aldrich - and it is exciting to see the energy and engagement it brings out in participants. We look forward to sharing the results later this spring - with our new and renewed goals for the future. Also new this spring is ASM's Young Professionals Group, formed to foster camaraderie and professional growth in our next generation of industry leaders. Read more below about the group's successful "tip off" event Feb. 26 - the first of many more to come. On the educational front, we're covering new and different topics in our seminars - from marketing to building backlog - and our members are responding in droves. With the industry rebounding, members are investing again in professional development, which is great to see. On Beacon Hill, we are busier than ever - advocating for retainage relief that is a priority for subcontractors - but also conveying our concerns that proposed "reforms" to our unemployment system would be catastrophic for subcontractors, raising their UI taxes by 36%. So, even as we embrace change and renewal this spring, we remain true to our mission - to protect subcontractor interests and promote professionalism in construction, through education, communication and advocacy. Richard Fisher is the president of Associated Subcontractos of Mass. and Red Wing Const., Beverly, Mass.