As I sat in front of a blank monitor screen thinking about what to say in this, my last message to you, I couldn’t help but reminisce over my last four years on AWCI’s Executive Committee. It seems like only yesterday that I was asked to sit on the board. After realizing it wasn’t a practical joke, I felt proud to represent our great industry and organization. Experiencing this with my father Jim, who held the position 25 years ago, was most thrilling and humbling. Knowing how much the AWCI meant to him and my mother Jan was very important. Their guidance has shaped who I am and what I do. I am forever grateful to them.
I have enjoyed the special friendships developed with my fellow committee members and I truly appreciate all of their support. The relationships I cultivated will last a lifetime. Special thanks must go to Steve Etkin and his tremendous staff who made our jobs easier.
My visits to the member chapters have allowed me to sing the praises of the AWCI and what it can do to make each of our companies stronger. There is simply no better value that we can receive than being involved in and supporting the AWCI and its programs.
I must thank my co-workers at Mader Construction for their patience during my commitments to AWCI. I was away so much from the office this year, it was always a pleasant surprise to find the lock to my office door hadn’t been changed.
But the people that deserve the most credit over my term are my family: Barb, Kirsten and Jeff. Thanks for giving me the thumbs up and picking up the pieces while I was away.
I leave my term as president knowing that you are in great hands with incoming President Jim Keller and the rest of the executive committee. Being from Kentucky, Jim will see, I’m sure, that his year will go by as fast as Big Brown did last month at Churchill Downs!
