As is traditionally the case this time of year, we get a slate of evaluations from the Commander in Chief to the Governor of California giving us their estimations of where we are in terms of their highest aspiriations of their respective agendas and how bright the future looks for all of us as constituents.

It’s even required in the Constitution: Article II, Sec. 3, “The President shall from time to time give to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.”

For most of our history presidents delivered what they called “the Annual Message.” Presidents from George Washington through Joseph R. Biden stood before a joint session of Congress, with a smattering of others including Supreme Court justices and foreign dignitaries and explained how they saw things.

All that being said, I’m not going to call you all together for a conference about what’s up with the Engineering Contractors’ Association, but instead will constrain my remarks within the limited boundaries of this column.

In brief, we are in surprisingly good shape considering the shape of both the economy and the construction markets we serve.

We have, as an association, taken steps to, we think, improve our organization’s outreach and representation to other like-minded companies which should strengthen our membership and our influence in the Southern California region.

These improvements are the fruit of months of work at the committee level on our strategic plan and our Bylaws. 

We think that the changes will strengthen our efforts to improve relations with our labor partners and our customers.

Designing for the Future

The essence of strategic planning is continuous improvement and that can’t be done in a vacuum or even a committee room talking only to ourselves, so your feedback as you review these efforts will be deeply appreciated.

Additionally, we will have announcements about significant changes now in development that will provide added value to all ECA members – both contractors and suppliers. We have designed these advancements so that they will bolster each and every member of the association within their respective positions in our industry and provide an even more secure standing in the construction marketplace into the immediate and longterm future – stay tuned!

By Michael Prlich, ECA President Email: [email protected]