DISCA News | Sept 2023 - DISCA Cares, Slate of Board Nominations and MORE!

Newsletter I September 2023

The DISCA CARES Program provides financial support to Contractor members of our association in times of financial crisis. DISCA CARES (Caring Action Relief (in) Emergency Situations) is a financial assistance program to help the employees and families of the DISCA member companies who have experienced a major illness, accident or hardship beyond their insurance and financial capabilities.

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DISCA News

2024 Slate of Board Member

Nominees Announced

The Nominating Committee is recommending the following individuals for a three-year term effective January 1, 2024:

Scott Casabona – Sloan and Company

Tom Krug – Shane Construction

Clint Valleau – Marino\WARE

Members may submit the names of additional nominees to the Executive Director up to 30 days prior to the Annual Meeting of the Membership scheduled for November 2, 2023.

The official ballot containing the final slate of nominees will be distributed prior to the Annual Meeting of the Membership.

Industry News

Construction turns college students’ heads from tech sector

Laura Cosgriff gets daily phone calls from local contractors looking for students to employ — and the frequency of those calls has increased in recent years.

The construction technology coordinator for Lorain County Community College in Elyria, Ohio, said the volume of calls is so high she’s developed a canned response and an email format to respond to employers, telling them she’ll share the job posting with her associate’s degree or certificate students and relevant instructors.

Win-Win or No Deal

Many of you are familiar with the work of Stephen R. Covey and his son Stephen M.R. Covey, whose groundbreaking work on management and leadership includes a principle that I like to think encapsulates how I approach business dealings: win-win or no deal.

Converting the attitude of win-win or no deal into reality takes courage and consideration. I remember having the opportunity to spend some time with Jack Welch and about 50 other CEOs at a two-day event centered around his book “Winning.” Welch presented his concept of “deal heat” and how it can fool us into believing that a deal is good. We get caught up in the desire to make the deal happen no matter what, and, in this moment, creative and innovative justifications can trump reality, facts and truth.

6 Sacred Principles of Success

My career didn’t start out with a bang. As a reserve member of the University of Minnesota’s basketball team, I averaged seven points per game. During my senior year, I broke my foot — twice. For a young man who dreamed of a career in the NBA, things didn’t look promising. But just a year later, I made NBA history. After signing with the Dallas Mavericks, I became the first undrafted rookie to start a season-opening game. I went on to play for the Utah Jazz and the Detroit Pistons, scoring 874 points over 157 games.

The Dotted Line: How to avoid skyrocketing dispute costs

It’s no secret that construction has gotten more expensive since the pandemic, with material and labor costs ballooning and supply chain issues complicating project deliveries.

But now, a second wave of increases may be hitting the industry, in the form of rising dispute costs.

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