|
AGC Contractors—The Owner’s
Advantage
It
was an honor to serve as the 87th president of the Associated
General Contractors of America and the first from the state of South
Carolina.
My
theme for the year was “AGC Contractors - The Owner’s Advantage” and
some of the issues I addressed were: how contractors can provide
value to owners, and how AGC and its resources prepare contractors
to provide that value. I have always believed that a well-educated
and well-intended contractor can be a distinct advantage to an
owner. I believe that AGC members are better skilled, better
informed and better connected and therefore better prepared to
deliver quality and value day in and day out.
In
the course of my career our industry has seen unprecedented change
particularly in the last 10 years. I have always considered Mashburn
Construction a professional organization able to provide
immeasurable service to our clients. I firmly believe that
progressive, well-intended general contractors are becoming more
widely recognized as the professionals that we truly are. We are
seeing more and more the status and methods of engagement of
contractors moving up from the commodity to the professional level;
in other words, contractors are becoming a valued team member along
with the designers. We are increasingly being hired earlier in the
preconstruction process rather than purchased after design work has
been completed for the cheapest price like a load of sand. We are
finally earning our way closer and closer to the role of the master
builder. In the words of Henry David Thoreau, “I know of no more
encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability
of man to elevate his life
by conscious endeavor” and my overriding career goal is to see
Mashburn Construction and my fellow general contractors elevated to
the professional level… but surely it will take continued
conscientious endeavor”
Successful contractors like Mashburn know that they must listen to
the owner’s needs, and in turn provide options and solutions that
fit. Contractors must keep up-to-date with the latest innovations
and technology in our industry and know where and why the market is
moving and most importantly, how this information will impact, not
only us, but our clients as well. We must then take the step of
applying this knowledge to our client’s advantage.
As
change in our industry accelerates, so must Mashburn and other
progressive general contractors as well. I am reminded of the
urgency of this by an African proverb quoted in Tom Friedman’s new
book, The World is Flat:
“Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up.
It
knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be eaten.
Every
morning a lion wakes up.
It
knows it must out run the slowest gazelle or it will starve to
death.
It
does not matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle.
When
the sun comes up, you better start running.”
Throughout the remainder
of my career, I intend to get up each morning and start running to
strengthen Mashburn’s leadership position and enhance the skills of
our company as we aspire to provide ever increasing professional
service to our clients so that we will truly become “the owner’s
advantage”. |