A letter from the president

The American Subcontractors Association of Greater Milwaukee is pleased to again take part in this special section of The Daily Reporter. Chartered in 1986, our Greater Milwaukee Chapter represents more than 100 subcontractors, suppliers and service providers. We are one of more than 50 ASA chapters nationwide, and our mission is to promote professionalism, education and fair business practices within the construction industry.

"Time to rev our engines" is this year's theme. While construction has fared better than most, the past two years have been sluggish for Wisconsin and our country. Our sense is that America's creative energies are ready to fuel our economy to new heights.

Here in southeastern Wisconsin, major new projects are ready to move forward — from the Pabst Brewery project and the Park East expansion to the Menomonee Valley and projects for the south beach. The reconstruction of the Marquette Interchange, the expansion of Interstate 94 and We Energies Power the Future will lead to still more construction opportunities.

Subcontractors must be prepared to take advantage of these growth opportunities.

This Subcontractors Today focuses on providing the subcontractor with the basic management tools to succeed. Subs need to know how to control credit risk, and they should understand the basics of project financing, payment procedures and options to protect their right to be paid. And if a bidding error were to occur, the subcontractor should be aware of how to correct the error quickly without making matters worse.

This fall we continue our acclaimed General Contractor Forums and will add a new General Contractor Showcase in March 2004. We will hear from our national leadership as well as local community leaders on new opportunities for our region.

Subcontractors will hear about the latest technology trends, the new tax laws, mold remediation alternatives and prospective lien law changes.

Legislatively, we plan to complete the job of reducing the retainage percentage on public work, which has now been introduced as Assembly Bill 417. Our industry liaison is continuing to reach a consensus on limiting risk-transfer clauses. While the state budget deficit has temporarily delayed work on simplifying the sales tax laws, we know that general contractors and subs alike are working to achieve this goal.

We are proud of our recent accomplishments, yet mindful that much more waits to be done. We know full well that a growing membership is essential to achieving our chapter and industry goals.

As ASA's 2003/2004 chapter president, I encourage you to use the information in this publication and share it with others. Our plans for the upcoming year promise to help our members succeed. If you are not yet an ASA member, take advantage of the wealth of opportunities ASA offers to network, to learn and to grow your business.

Let's rev our engines!
Linda Lucas, Hess Sweitzer Inc.

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