As President Brandon Pensick has been discussing in his column in the magazine, the California economy is growing again and so is the Engineering Contractors’ Association “economy,” as measured by increased membership. So far this year we have added 20+ new members to our roster—six companies signatory to one or more trade union agreements, four non-signatory contractors and ten affiliate members—and the year is certainly not over yet.Here’s the list:

Signatory Contractors
AMPCO North, Inc., Jimmy Saldivar; Guzman Grading & Paving Corp., Jesse Guzman; Kordich Construction, Inc., Todd K o r dic h ; Performance Pipeline Technologies , Gene Glassburner; Smith Emery Company, James Partridge; Stater Bros. Development, Inc., Scott Limbacher

Non-signatory Contractors
CJW Construction Inc., Tammy Harvey; KEC Engineering, Steve Stanage; Nor-Cal Pipeline Services, David Jeager; PG Cutting Services, Juan Garcia

Affiliates
Certified Safe Driver, LLC, Patrick Washington; Cushman & Wakefield, Chris Bosley; CWE Corporation, William Young; E R M Insurance Brokers , Joseph Jones ; Ferguson Water Works, Jorge Herrera; Marcum LLP, Warren Hennagin; PDQ Rentals, Todd Turner; Snell & Wilmer LLP, Mark Johnson; Stemar Equipment & Supply Co, Inc., Steve Markonich; Turner Surety and Insurance Brokerage, Inc., Andrew Waterbury

This is one of the best years in terms of increased membership in ECA’s 41-year history. But, it’s not all roses…we lost three contractors (for a widely different set of reasons in each case). Our board of directors has charged staff with reaching out to all members to make sure we are responsive to their current needs and to get a handle on what areas we can improve member benefits.

One of the key measures of membership retention is participation in activities and events. We always tell our new affiliate members that signing the application is not the end of the process, but the beginning. If they want to gain new customers they must put in the additional work of showing up for membership meetings, events and other association activities such as committee assignments.

In truth, this applies equally to contractor members. If a new subcontractor wants to develop a relationship with an ECA general contractor member attending these functions is a proven way of making sure people know who you are and what you do. It works for generals on the flipside as they need additional subs in our growing California economy .

Associations aren’t businesses in the traditional meaning of the word—they are nests of opportunity—providing opportunity for members to work together on industry issues and the prosperity of their businesses.

By Wes May
ECA Executive Director
Email: [email protected]