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Contractors on Capitol Hill
The 2010 NUCA Washington Summit
GUCA Scholarship Foundation Awards
NUCA Welcomes 100th
New Member in 2010
New Members
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An old wooden pipe was on display during the Federal Issues Conference as a reminder of our dilapidated infrastructure. |
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Contractors on Capitol Hill
The 2010 NUCA Washington Summit
By Jason Morgan
Day One: The Briefing
The lazy Monday morning rain speckled the Metro car’s window as it skimmed across the Potomac on its way into the Capitol. “Next stop, Judiciary Square. Judiciary Square, next stop.” The masses shuffled out onto the platform and the umbrellas stood up to greet the dark clouds as they emerged from the underground station. It was a couple of blocks to the National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA) Washington Summit host hotel and I was running late. But it wasn’t my fault, as the hotel’s bartender explained later, “Where snow brings some cities to a halt, in D.C. it’s rain.”
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The NUCA of Colorado delegation meets with a
congressional aid during their trip to Capitol Hill. |
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It was a couple minutes after 7:30 a.m. and NUCA’s Federal Issues Conference had already begun. NUCA had enlisted the help of 19 of D.C.’s most impressive minds to give rapid-fire 15-minute presentations on issues ranging from Immigration Reform to U.S. EPA Loans and Grants. It was clear that NUCA’s D.C. connections run deep with the roster of presenters including: Peter Shanaghan, Team Leader, Drinking Water SRF Team, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water, U.S. EPA; Aaron Klein, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy Coordination, U.S. Department of the Treasury; and Chris Braddock, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, to name a few.
The main thrust of the presentations was clear — put the construction industry back to work. The most powerful weapon in NUCA’s arsenal was the push for the passage of the Sustainable Water Infrastructure Investment Act (HR537), which would allow for significant increases in opportunities in private investment by removing state volume caps on private activity bonds (PABs) for water and wastewater projects. Beyond that, the contractor constituency would be pushing for permanent relief from the federal estate tax (Death Tax) and the preservation of the federally-supervised, secret-ballot election in the company unionization process by opposing the Employee Free Choice Act (HR1409), also known as “Card Check.”
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Left: The crowd settles in for NUCA’s first Legislative Issues Conference held at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill.
Right: Andrew Lu of the American Gas Association addresses NUCA Members during the conference. |
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Throw in talking points on a 3 percent withholding repeal and OSHA regulations and the 120 attendees knew they would have their work cut out for them the next day on Capitol Hill. These are hot-button issues that would see opposition from both Democrats (known commonly as “Ds”) and Republicans (known like-wise as “Rs”). The Ds would likely support the Card Check legislation, which was later referred to as the Democrat equivalent to the “Republican Estate Tax” by one legislative assistant.
The gloomy, wet clouds that loomed outside couldn’t damper the growing excitement inside the NUCA briefing room in the Hyatt Regency, situated just a few blocks from the capitol building. By the time NUCA’s government relations staff — Eben Wyman and Ben Gann — took the stage at the end of the day for a crash course in Lobbying 101, the room was filled with chatter and excitement. The old pros were ready to hit the Hill running, while the lobbying freshmen were excited to see their government in action. As intimidating as congressional meetings and politics might be, no one knows the issues affecting utility contractors like the men and women who are in the trenches — either literally if there’s work or metaphorically if they’re trying to claw their way out of the economic sink hole.
Day 2: Legislation and Lobbying
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Left: NUCA’s own Vice President of Safety, George Kennedy, briefs the attendees on all things OSHA.
Right: Bruce Mehlman, Chairman of the Internet Innovation Alliance, talks about federal policy as it relates to communications utility construction. |
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8:45 a.m. The NUCA delegation from Ohio was already talking congressional meeting strategy. There was chatter of flexing idealistic muscle by asking, point blank, how the congress person felt about voting down party lines when it conflicts with his or her constituency.
Al Heckmann, Heckmann Sales and Leasing Inc., Dayton, Ohio, suggested a subtler positive-reinforcement approach by talking about how the Ohio EPA had done a great job at distributing funding already, but that more help is needed. We all knew that both brains and brawn were needed to make our case.
The Ohio House delegation holds 18 Representatives, and with more than 12 confirmed appointments, several at conflicting times, it was going to take two teams to cover all of the congressional ground. The first team was made up of Heckmann, Tavis Riley, Riley Contracting, Norwalk, Ohio, and Rob Krzys, Utility Contractor’s Associate Publisher, Peninsula, Ohio. The second team’s roster was myself, Judd Gleason, Rudolph Libbe, Walbridge, Ohio, and Matt Brannigan, also from Heckman Sales and Leasing Inc.
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Left: NUCA Government Relations Staff Ben Gann (left) and Eben Wyman end the conference with Lobbying 101 to hype up the eager contractors.
Right: NUCA Members storm Capitol Hill — NUCA of Colorado meets with John Salazar. |
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Armed with a bevy of legislative info and to-go cups of coffee, we grabbed a taxi and headed to the Cannon House Office Building for our first meeting of the day. Our appointment with Patrick Tiberi’s (R-12th district) office was at 9:30 a.m. It was 9:22 a.m. and we had just found the underground passage from the Rayburn building (where NUCA was camped out in the cafeteria) to Cannon. We made it just in time to meet with Adam Francis, Tiberi’s Deputy Chief of Staff. He invited us into the congressman’s office, where we sank into the leather chairs and began our pitch.
The talk of idealistic strong arming and positive reinforcement tactics was instantly forgotten as Judd and Matt discussed about the very real issues that threatened to put them out of work — a cap on public assistance bonds (PABs) needs to be lifted, permanent relief from the Death Tax that threatens family businesses (a large percentage of the NUCA membership) and fighting against the Card Check legislation that promises binding arbitration by the government in private company matters. The meeting wasn’t about slaps on the wrist or pats on the back. It was about real people with real problems who need help now. Francis listened intently and carefully explained Representative Tiberi’s stance on each issue.
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Left: NUCA of Nebraska meets with a congressional staffer.
Right: Dan East welcomes the crowd at the NUCA Congressional Reception after a busy day of lobbying. |
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A little more than 20 minutes later, Francis was thanking us for coming and we were out the door. Our smiles widened as we walked into the hallway. The meeting had gone well — the congressman was supportive of the majority of our issues and Francis was open and honest about more conversational issues like voting down party lines and the pressures that the congressmen and women face on a daily basis.
Our team had nine meetings that day — during two of which we met with the congressmen, Steven LaTourette (R-14th district) and Steve Austria (R-7th district). Many of those meetings went as smoothly as the Tiberi meeting, with a few exceptions (a tangent argument about labor with Marcy Kaptur’s Senior Legislative Assistant and a scheduling conflict that was easily ironed out). The issues took center stage and a funny thing happened:
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Contractors and congressional staffers take a moment to socialize and enjoy drinks and Hors d’œuvres at the NUCA Congressional Reception. |
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We never felt like we were being fed lines or rushed out the door. Fear was in the air — the primary elections were starting and word on the D.C. streets was that the incumbents were in trouble (the Ds retired one of the U.S. Senate’s longest-serving senators, Arlen Specter, with the constituency nominating Joe Sestak that very day). The representatives know that we are their constituency and we’re not happy with how Washington is handling these issues. Their bosses were in town and it was time for reviews.
Though our meetings were successful, it was hard to tell if our lobbying efforts made an impact. When you’re in D.C., it’s easy to get wrapped up in the melodrama — who made a deal with who, who’s voting for what, who is in and who is out. It’s exciting, but it has little to do with the issues. Washington, D.C., politics are a game and we were merely players. It should be about the issues. It should be about the ideals. But it’s not. In the end, it’s about the small victories. For many of the NUCA members, it’s about coming to Washington and getting their fair share of face time to let their elected officials know that they are out there and they’re keeping an eye on them. If there was ever a year when the representatives were willing to listen, this was the year, and NUCA members were out in force to make their statements heard.
Jason Morgan is Associate Editor of Utility Contractor.
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Kara Habrock with North Carolina Representative Howard Coble at the NUCA Congressional Reception.
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We Dig America Award Winner, U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), stands with NUCA Past President Lyle Schellenberg after accepting his award. |
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GUCA Scholarship Foundation Awards
The Georgia Utility Contractors Association (GUCA) Scholarship Foundation awarded nine scholarships to GUCA members’ children this year. The Foundation has two scholarship types. One is the industry scholarship awarded to students who are seeking an education degree related to the utility construction industry. The other is a scholarship for graduating high school seniors entering into college to help promote and further their education.
The Foundation gave two industry scholarships to students in construction and/or building construction programs for 2010. The following received $2,000 each: Derek Buffardi, the son of Derek C. and Martha J. Buffardi, Godwin Pumps, Kennesaw, Ga.; and Daren Higginbotham, the son of Grady Higginbotham and Irene Erwin, Archer Western Contractors Ltd., Atlanta.
The Foundation gave seven high school senior scholarships for 2010. The following received $1,000 each: Christen Elise Carroll, the daughter of Clark and Lisa Carroll, Aiken Grading Co., Dallas, Ga.; Sarah Kicklighter, the daughter of Brian and Jennifer Kicklighter, Southern Champion Construction Inc., Savannah, Ga.; Cooper Lowe, the son of Eddie and Suzanne Lowe, McWane Cast Iron Pipe Co., Macon, Ga.; Jacob Lowery, the son of Timothy and Susanne Lowery, City of Senoia, Senoia, Ga.; Cassandra Merrigan, the daughter of James Merrigan and Beth Cusick, Archer Western Contractors Ltd., Atlanta; Caleb Morris, the son of Buddy and Dawn Morris, Lenox Utility Contractors LLC, Lenox, Ga.; and Nicole K. Young, the daughter of Lonnie and Kim Blackstone, Rhino Services LLC, Palmetto, Ga.
NUCA Welcomes 100th
New Member in 2010
The honor of being the 100th new member to join NUCA in 2010 goes to Underground Imaging Technologies (UIT) in Latham, N.Y. UIT is a geophysical services company specializing in 3D subsurface imaging and mapping for projects that require accurate subsurface information before construction excavation begins. Director of Business Development, Dominic Indelicato attended the 2010 Washington Summit in May. To mark the 100th New Member milestone, NUCA is giving the company a $250 NUCA gift certificate, which can be used in the NUCA Store or towards registration at Utility Construction EXPO ’11.
New Members
J.W. Heavrin Inc.
Jimmy W. Heavrin
P.O. Box 190465
Little Rock, AR 72219
Work: (501) 565-5522
Fax: (501) 565-0800
Email: heavrin@netzero.net
Judds Brothers Construction Co.
John R. Judds
3835 North 68th St.
Lincoln, NE 68507
Work: (402) 467-4666
Fax: (402) 467-4782
Email: jjudds@juddsbros.com
Underground Imaging Technologies
Dominic Indelicato
19 British American Blvd. West
Latham, NY 12110
Work: (518) 783-9848
Fax: (518) 783-9634
Email: dindelicato@uit-systems.com
Concrete Concepts Inc.
David Bryan
1095 Thompson Ave.
McKees Rocks, PA 15136
Work: (412) 331-1500
Fax: (412) 331-2950
Email: davidmbryan@verizon.net
Constructors Bonding Inc.
Ron Allison
11636 West Center Rd.
Omaha, NE 68144
Work: (402) 333-3232
Fax: (402) 333-8889
Email: rallison@cbiomaha.com
Harbor Marine
Chad Merkel
1102 Seabreeze Ave.
Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250
Work: (904) 242-8104
Fax: (904) 242-8112
Email: chadmerkel@comcast.net
INSPRO Insurance Inc.
Jeff Jorgensen
12702 Westport Pkwy.
Suite 200
Lavista, NE 68138
Work: (402) 333-5800 Ext. 207
Fax: (402) 333-0633
Email: JJorgensen@insproins.com
Road Builders
Doug Murray
4115 South 90th St.
Omaha, NE 68127
Work: (402) 331-9200
Fax: (402) 339-6620
Email: dmurray@roadbuildersmachinery.com
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