ABC's YPG Power Play Event Was a Hit! Find Out What's Next!
Ask a Professional: Todd Henry, Oles Morrison Rinker & Baker LLP
2010 ABC Member Marketing Opportunities
ABC Announces New Board Members
Green Bites: ABC National's Guide to Green Practices
ABC’s Young Professionals Group hosted its first-ever Power Play Game Night on May 6th at Lucky Strike in Bellevue. Attendees had a blast networking and playing games. Some arcade favorites were the car racing game with to-scale Ferrari rear-ends, a ‘Mission Impossible’-like Laser Maze, and several sporting games allowing you to shoot and throw balls. To see pictures, click here.
Thank you to our event sponsor Amanda Smith with Sprint. Amanda gave a great presentation on technology and how Sprint can provide industry-specific applications that can help reduce your operating costs (payroll expenses) and improve your field productivity…even streamline and eliminate paper from the field. It was a very interesting presentation that got people thinking of how they can save money!
ABC’s next Young Professional event is a free networking social on June 16th from 5:00 – 7:00 pm at the Spot Off Main in Bellevue. Come network, share concerns and solutions within the industry, and have a good time in a fun atmosphere with other ABC members. Members of all ages attend the YPG events, so come check it out for yourself! There will be complimentary appetizers and a cash bar. There is no cost to attend, but we do appreciate pre-registration so we can make appropriate arrangements.
For more information or to register, please contact Amy Gegoux at 800.640.7789.
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I have always taken care of liens in-house with the help of a lien service. Do the latest court decisions mean I need to have my attorney do those things now?
That question is a little loaded to ask a lawyer. While most construction lawyers prefer to have their clients allow them prepare liens, the reality is that contractors and materialmen have successfully used lien services for many years.
But, the recent decision by the Washington Court of Appeals in Williams v. Athletic Field requires anyone preparing a mechanic’s lien to be more careful in doing so. Washington liens must be executed by the lien “claimant or some person authorized to act on his or her behalf.” In Williams, a contractor’s lien was ostensibly executed by the claimant’s agent, an incorporated lien service. However, the Williams lien failed to include the required corporate attestation of the lien service, and instead was executed by an employee of the lien service in her individual capacity. The court ruled that the failure to have included a corporate attestation rendered the lien invalid.
The analysis the Williams court undertook is a circuitous route through several laws, which when read in concert (as they must be, in order to give meaning to each), requires that any business entity executing a mechanic’s lien must include a proper corporate attestation. That means both a corporation that is the lien claimant, or a corporation that is executing the lien as the agent for the claimant (including not only lien services, but law firms, too). Presumably, all those who prepare mechanic’s liens for others now understand Williams and its implications. Williams (and some other recent cases dealing with lien issues) does not mean you must use a lawyer to prepare liens. Rather, a decision of whom to use ought to be based on your level of confidence with that person’s/entity’s ability to get it right and protect your interests.
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There may not be a more critical time than now to do a little marketing for your company. Let ABC/WW show you a few ways to market your to fellow ABC members and beyond.
- ABC offers a free Member-2-Member Discount Program for members who offer ABC members discounts on their goods and services. Some benefits of the program include listings on all Member-2-Member Discount Program flyers, inclusion in an ad in the ABC Member Directory and listings on the ABC Member 2 Member Discount Program Webpage, including a copy of their company logo and link to their Webpage. Guarantee ABC members savings, and guarantee yourself more ABC business!
- Are you an industry professional or supplier who would like to get your name out in front of the membership? Each month we run an “Ask a Professional” section in our monthly eNewsline. This is a free opportunity for members. All we need from you is a question and answer on a topic in your field of expertise that you think would be helpful for the ABC membership, plus a one-sentence bio.
- Promote your company or a special project with ABC in a front page 4”x 5”ad in the Daily Journal of Commerce. With DJC co-op advertising, ABC shares the cost and the workload to make advertising easier for you. All we need is a picture, promotional 40-word caption, and logo. The DJC has a circulation of over half a million readers in the areas of construction, architecture, engineering, consulting and commercial real estate – what a great way to promote your business! Because you’re sharing this ad with ABC, your cost is only $250. That is about half what you would pay to produce and run an ad your self, and we do most of the work for you.
For more information on any of these programs, please contact Member Services Manager Kim Trautman at (800) 640-7789 or (425) 646-8000. All ABC/WW marketing opportunities can be found at our website www.abcwestwa.org and click on “Promote Your Company” in the left blue box.
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ABC of Western Washington has new members on its leadership team starting July 1st! The board has four new members and others are moving up to new positions. Erin VerHoeven (Corstone Contractors LLC) will assume the chair and Steve Klimek (Redhawk Group, LLC) will assume the chair-elect spot. Newly elected to the board are Mark VanWell (VanWell Masonry) as secretary-treasurer, Jamie Creek (Synergy Construction, Inc.), Richard Malowney (HUB International NW, LLC) and Jim Stockburger (Davis Schueller, Inc.) as directors. Congratulations to Erin, Steve, Mark, Jamie, Richard and Jim on their new positions. They, along with the existing board members, will begin their work on the plan for the coming year at the annual retreat at the Semi-ah-moo Resort in early June.
The Nominating Committee put forth an uncontested slate this year. Since there were no additional nominations from the membership, no election was necessary, according to the policy set forth in the ABC/WW bylaws.
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ABC National has developed a company green practices guide for ABC members. A business culture impacts operations, employees, and the environment. A company’s green culture and acceptance of sustainable principals impacts both a company’s projects and the way the business operates. This roadmap will guide ABC members and their employees as they start to incorporate sustainable practices within their company culture. To download a PDF of the roadmap, click the image below. For more on sustainable building information, please visit www.greenconstructionatwork.com.
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