The real Washington

At the D.C. Metropolitan Subcontractors Association (DCMSA) meeting Casino Night, from left, Kevin Glass, Early, Cassidy and Shilling, Inc. (insurance and surety bonds), Bob Houston, director of estimating at Shapiro & Duncan Mechanical, and William A. Hicks, controller, with John Rhee, Project Manager, from PowerMax Inc. Mechanical Contractor.
At right below: Barbi Carter, member services co-ordinator, with Barbara Sanders, director of education and meetings for the DCMSA.

No time wasted yesterday, as I and North Carolina publisher Bob Kruhm spent the day in Washington D.C.'s North Virginia and Maryland suburbs connecting with local construction associations and interviewing potential publishers for Washington Construction News.

The Washington D.C. area, of course, is much more than government -- of course real people with real jobs, challenges, and aspirations live in this community.

Undoubtedly the recession has hit this area -- staff at the Maryland-National Capital Building Industry Association (representing home builders in the District of Columbia and its Maryland have been laid off and builders are struggling to survive. Other contractors in the commercial side are challenged as well by intense competition, project delays and financing challenges.

Yet, undoubtedly, the powerful presence of the federal government here allays some of the market challenges. This region is a wonderful place to work; combining diversity, history and opportunity.

Yesterday evening, we visited a casino night event organized by the D.C. Metropolitan Subcontractors Association (DCMSA). Under association rules, we could not attend the business meeting -- where, under a lawyer's guidance, members share information about the business practices of general contractors.

Strict rules are observed to prevent any violation of anti-competition or Combines laws, while allowing the sub contractors the necessary information about payment and business practices of general contractors and developers; giving them the tools to know if there are warning signs about potential slow or non-payment of their invoices.

Not surprisingly, this type of information is vital in a recession, and DCMSA staff say membership has increased significantly in recent months.

At the Casino Night, I won and lost a pile of funny money, but we all ended the game ahead, knowing the importance of relationships, association participation, and industry support.

The essense of sustainable success

David Allen Company CEO and Chairman Robert Roberson (left) shows his company's offices in Raleigh to Bob Kruhm, publisher of Triangle/Triad Construction News and Charlotte Construction News.

Well, I'm in Raleigh, North Carolina, a little longer than planned. Air Canada cancelled the flight home because of bad weather in Toronto, so instead of being on a plane right now, I'm in a hotel room, blogging.
Somewhat rested, with a room service meal covered by the Amex Flight delay/cancellation insurance, I have a little time to think about the day's visit, especially our visit to the offices of David Allen Company, an incredibly successful marble, granite, terrazzo and tile contractor.
Chairman and CEO Robert Roberson showed me and publisher Bob Kruhm around the company's offices; an astounding demonstration of skill, workmanship, and creativity in stonework.
How, I asked, could this company be so successful -- thriving to become the leading contractor in its field in the southeast. "Because all our employees are 'owners' -- they think and act like they own the business, and they are also taking real ownership of the company," Roberson answered. (This direct quote, I hope, is an accurate paraphrase; I didn't record his words with a tape recorder.) Roberson noted that the company's founders and leaders know and understand the trade and specialized skills necessary for the business, but the up-and-coming employees and managers can do the work better than their predecessors.
There is more to the picture, of course. David Allen Company has taken the lead in community and business organizations, including the founding and support of the Carolinas chapter of the American Subcontractors Association.
The result is the company has outlasted virtually all of its competitors in its 80 years in business room.
Roberson's observations echo the ideals I'm hoping to achieve for our business, and those of Jack Stark. On the flight down -- and after I'm finished this blog entry -- I've been reading his The Great Game of Business -- outlining how he and his employees have been able to unlock the power and profitability ofo open-book management and employee participation/ownership.
I certainly do not purport to know all the answers to successful business practice, but it seems that if anyone wants to build a really great business, we should look at the companies who have succeeded in thriving, adapting, and progressing through generations, to lead their field. For that, I'm thankful to Bob Kruhm for making the introduction today; and for Robert Roberson to show me at least part of the way to success.

A visit to North Carolina

The Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, the 'greenest hotel in America. See the PDF of the special feature in the latest issues of our North Carolina publications here.

Today, as the latest issue of the Construction Marketing Ideas newsletter is distributed, I'll be on a plane to Raleigh, North Carolina to visit with Bob Kruhm and attend a meeting of the Triangle chapter of the American Subcontractors Association.

I'm looking forward to meeting with Bob -- it is the first time in more than a year that I've seen him in person -- and equally looking forward to gaining insights about the state of the industry first-hand.