This October more than a dozen construction companies will celebrate their anniversaries as members of the Associated Builders and Contractors of Maine.
Take Zachau Construction of Freeport. It signed on as an ABC Maine member on October 15, 1992. As Zachau’s Vice President Maria Berube tells it, the construction industry 29 years ago lacked the educational resources contractors enjoy today. Back then, she says, it was a hazardous frontier with few regulations and minimal information about employee welfare and training practices.
When Zachau discovered ABC Maine, a floodgate of construction industry resources quickly became available: workplace safety training, a national network of more than 21,000 member firms nationwide (including nearly 180 here in Maine), workforce development and apprenticeship opportunities, political advocacy, discount programs covering everything from fuel to phones, education on employment and legal issues, business development resources and more.
“ABC Maine was truly instrumental for us to establish our safety program,” Berube says. “It offered us access to training curriculums and personalized guidance that truly made a difference for our organization.”
Getting the Word Out
The benefits of ABC Maine membership have only become more popular among general contractors, subcontractors, associates and suppliers in the state, with many new members coming on board.
ABC Maine’s Membership Director Tami Staples has been kept busy welcoming new Maine companies into the organization. In addition, she’s enhancing membership offerings, programming and special events—whether it’s sharing a safety checklist for construction sites, apprising members of the latest industry updates highlighted at the annual national ABC Convention or supporting the chapter’s annual golf tournaments for Career & Technical Education.
In that spirit of connection and camaraderie being forged between members, ABC Maine is honored to highlight the following companies celebrating their membership anniversaries in October:
- Zachau Construction Inc. – 29
- Ganneston Construction Corp. – 19
- LaBrecque Construction Inc. – 18
- Station Class Constructors – 18
- Aero Heating & Ventilating Inc. – 15
- Landry/French Construction – 15
- N.S. Giles Foundations Inc. – 15
- Cunningham Security – 13
- Erickson Bonding & Insurance – 13
- Great Falls Construction – 12
- Electrical Solutions Inc. – 9
- Gendron & Gendron – 9
- E.L. Vining – 8
- Hebert Construction – 2
“Joining ABC Maine is a great way for companies to network and meet other members in the construction industry,” Zachau’s Manager of Human Resources and Special Projects Katherine Doughty says. “There’s a lot of benefit to bringing people together.”
Membership Perks
First and foremost, says President and CEO Hope Pollard, ABC Maine serves as the state’s voice on a local and national level for the construction industry—promoting a free enterprise approach to construction based solely on merit, regardless of labor affiliation. The goal is to help companies succeed and become profitable under the merit shop philosophy.
“ABC Maine was exactly the type of support we were looking for and translated into a long-standing relationship that has helped our business flourish over the years.”
Maria Berube, Vice President, Zachau Construction
ABC developed the Safety Training and Evaluation Process (STEP), a world-class safety management system that dramatically improves safety performance among participants regardless of company size or type of work. With STEP, safety processes and policies are measured by evaluating 25 key components through a detailed questionnaire. Based on that information, ABC members can implement or enhance safety programs to reduce job site incidents and establish a solid safety foundation.
ABC Maine also offers its members exclusive discounts and services that assist their companies to operate more efficiently.
“It was exactly the type of support we were looking for and translated into a long-standing relationship that has helped our business flourish over the years,” Berube says.
A bright future, built with camaraderie and assistance, is certainly something to celebrate! ABC Maine congratulates and thanks its members for their support over the years and looks forward to welcoming more companies into the fold—offering them exclusive discounts and services, programming and special events that promote safety and development in the industry.
For more information on ABC Maine membership, Tami Staples can be reached at 207-620-6561 or at tami@abcmaine.org.