Associated builders and contractors of Alaska: championing the ideals of free enterprise.

• Author: Barbour, Tracy
• Position: Associations

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Founded in 1950, Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) encompasses all specialties within the construction industry. It is comprised mainly of firms that perform work in the industrial and commercial sectors of the industry. The organization's Alaska chapter has 170 member companies that employ about 5,000 workers across the state. The bulk of those members are merit shop construction and construction-related firms that represent general contractors, engineers, architects, interior designers, and labor and corporate services.

ABC was established with a unique mission: to advance the merit shop construction philosophy. That philosophy encourages open competition and a free enterprise approach that awards contracts based solely on merit--regardless of labor affiliation.

"ABC Alaska is not opposed to union organizations," says Suzanne Armstrong, president of the Anchorage-based Alaska chapter. "We believe everybody should have a right to compete in the bidding process and projects should be awarded based on the lowest, qualified bid."

ACTIVITIES AND INITIATIVES

ABC Alaska is involved in a wide array of activities to help its members deal with construction issues on an industry-wide basis. The association provides its members with government representation, legal advocacy, education, work force development, communications, technology, recognition through national and chapter awards programs, employee benefits, information on best practices and business development through an online contractor search directory.

"We're a well-rounded trade association," Armstrong says.

Recently, ABC Alaska has turned to a renewed emphasis on business development and training for its employers. As part of this initiative, the organization has expanded its education and training committee. It has also established a monthly breakfast series that focuses on best practices and topics such as insurance, human resources and legal issues.

"We've looked at it as a proactive approach to educating our members to help them protect themselves and their employees and grow their business," Armstrong says. "We've gotten a lot of positive feedback from our members about the series."

The educational breakfast meetings are an important part of helping ABC members properly prepare themselves to succeed in the construction industry. In a state like Alaska where there is a significant amount of public funding for construction projects, ABC Alaska wants to...