We often hear or say, “Time flies when you’re having fun,” especially at the beginning of each year.
As I approach my first year as president of ABC Greater Houston, I find myself reflecting on all that the association has accomplished and what work remains for the future.
I took the helm as president of ABC Greater Houston in March 2022, replacing Russell Hamley, who retired in June. Even though Russell left the association on solid footing, our work to advance merit shop principles of fair and open competition in the construction industry is far from done.
As always, I’m thankful to our members for their support of the association and the industry.
To kick off the new year, ABC Greater Houston welcomed our new board chair, Rusty Barnhill, president of LaPorte-based Force Corporation, on January 12. Rusty brings more than 30 years of experience in the construction industry to the table. I’m excited to work with Rusty and to see what new ideas he brings during his tenure.
As excited as I am about 2023 and new beginnings, I’m equally excited about all that ABC Greater Houston accomplished in 2022. It makes for a strong foundation for us going forward during this already busy and still economically uncertain year ahead.
Here are some of ABC Greater Houston’s major accomplishments from 2022:
- During the association’s 2022 Inaugural Celebration, we welcomed our new board of directors and then-chairman John Glaze.
- During our annual Political Action Committee (PAC) luncheon, we began the year’s fundraising drive.
- In February, we launched the HireSMART program. Regina Campbell, ABC Greater Houston’s director of workforce development, and Ana Frank Garvett, our workforce systems coordinator, will oversee this new initiative. One of the goals is to increase membership by 50 in 2023 and to include additional schools in its outreach.
- In March, Bill Brown, chair of our Diversity & Inclusion Committee, was recognized by ABC National with a Beam Award for recruiting 22 new members in 2021.
- Our Spring and Fall Clay PAC Shoots and the October BBQ Cookoff events were the largest and best attended ABC events in over 10 years.
- In October, we welcomed Susana Salgado as our member resources manager.
- Also in October, 33 ABC Greater Houston member construction projects were recognized at ABC National’s 22nd Annual Excellence in Construction Awards.
- In November, we started working with the University of Houston on the relocation of its construction management program.
- In December, we hosted our annual PAC Christmas Party and were joined by several elected officials. This event also raised a significant amount for our PAC fund.
- Also in 2022, we received the ABC National Grassroots Gold Award for having some of the highest political advocacy engagement. This award was only given to two ABC chapters nationwide. We are honored to have been one of the selected chapters for this prestigious award.
As you can see, we’ve been busy working hard and playing hard. And there’s more of that to come. As always, I’m thankful to our members for their support of the association and the industry.
Prior to becoming the president of ABC Greater Houston, Jeffrey Nielsen served as the executive VP for the Houston Contractors Association for 20 years, representing the civil construction industry. Before that, he was the chief of staff for two different Houston City Council members and worked on several regional political campaigns.
For more information, visit abchouston.org, email j.nielsen@abchouston.org or call (713) 523-6222.
