Just as AWCI President Ed Sellers said in his message on page 5, our columns are being written just days prior to the start of AWCI’s Convention. So I’ll catch up with you next month regarding convention and expo activities.
I am also writing my message on the day of the first “major” snowstorm for the Washington, D.C., area. (I put “major” in quotes because people in the Northeast and other northern locales laugh at us for shutting down the federal government over 5 inches of snow.) This winter provided us with many chances for snow in this area, but nothing came to fruition—until today.
I like to think I’m prepared for such events. My friends know that if they need the weather report, I’m the one to contact. I’m no meteorologist, just a weatherholic. I often fine that the highly paid meteorologists get it wrong, but all you really have to do is look at the radar to know what’s coming. My pedestrian predictions are quite accurate when the storm is already showing up on radar. I knew what was coming, but what I didn’t do was go all the way to the back of my yard to get to my shed that houses the snow shovel I haven’t used in more than a year and a half. That’s where I failed. It was just too cold, and I couldn’t do it.
But what I did right was that I brought things home from the office that I knew would keep me working from home. I also brought home everything I would need for the convention—just in case. And I’m glad I did. Now there is no need to panic; I just have to decide which outfits to pack. Girl problems.
And that brings me to the management article in this issue. It’s not a stretch. How prepared are you and your company for the future? Do you have a succession plan in place? We all know about the labor shortage—What are you doing to prevent it? If nothing else, what are you doing to make sure your company is fully stocked with knowledgeable employees/workers? Are you prepared?
Those are among the questions we asked AWCI contractors in the article that begins on page 28. The future is unpredictable, but we know that the present requires a plan for getting the work and finding and keeping the people who are going to keep the work going. It also requires a plan to keep the business humming well into the future, and our members tell us what they have up their sleeves. Read it, and learn.
In addition, this issue features the AWCI Contractor Directory that AWCI President Sellers spoke of (page 34). I am proud to say that I know many of these company owners, and they really are among the best of the best. Many don’t know this, but I’ve learned a lot of life lessons from them. It’s amazing how general knowledge about business applies to so many different trades. Only people who are active in their trade associations know this, but it’s a secret they’re willing to share for the good of the industry.
And that’s why we’re all here, right?
