I'd like to dip into this thread for a moment...
First, I want to thank everyone that has called, written, pm'd or otherwise contacted me in the last weeks, as well as those who have taken my calls. I know I can be a gusty, long-winded person to speak with, and I appreciate each and every opportunity I have been given by members and others as we work on the UAMCC.
Next, I'd like to thank the folks that have spoken highly of the BOD here. This team has soldiered on through sometimes outlandish opposition and outright accusation to make something better out of the hard work done by the Transition Team. It has been a major undertaking to say the least.
It has been said here, and in other places, that we have had to refound the UAMCC, or to completely rebuild it. This is an overstatement from my point of view, but I can sympathize with the members and Directors who have felt this way. There have been many fundamental challenges.
It is closer to the truth, and I say this as a member of the Transition Team myself, to say that we are trying to finish the job the TT set out to accomplish. This is in no way a criticism of the TT or of any particular member, the accomplishments were there, but the job was unfinished. We are trying to finish the job as we believe will best suit the present members' interests, as well as to preserve the original vision of an association built by, run by, and serving contractors.
Having now been buried up to my neck in the daily operation of this organization, it is easy to look back and see the missteps made by the TT, and to see the weaknesses the UAMCC has suffered from during the trying first months of its existence under the elected leadership. Many have shared in the responsibility for our woes, but more have shared in our successes, and in the hope for a bright and productive future for the UAMCC and the members it serves. I am not going to recriminate, nor will I accuse, I will just say that much of the fine-print work that had to be done, has been done.
The Board of Directors has worked steadily to overcome obstacles that they never could have foreseen, and to meet challenges every day. That work still is not done. We have some serious deficiencies to remedy.
First, we have got to step away, as an organization, from the desire to blame and pick favorites. In hard point of fact, as long as this organization has many members joining because they love one person, or because they hate another, it is doomed to a slow death by inches. As the Bible was paraphrased by Lincoln, "No house divided against itself can stand." This organization needs to be about our shared interests as contractors in the same industry, not about any particular personalities.
Next, we require funds, both to meet our obligations daily, but also to overcome our challenges going forward. I have long maintained that the UAMCC will not prosper without donation by members, and from the outside. Contributions of cash, time, and effort are always welcome, and needed. (an aside here, situations like that of David Vicars currently, present an opportunity for contractors to demonstrate their amazing ability to be generous. Of course I agree that such emergencies surpass the needs of any organization.) We are ready to take your renewals and contributions whenever you may wish.
Last, we have to continue to systematize the way the UAMCC does its business. One of my greatest mentors has always pounded into my head the mantra, "Undercapitalized, and unsystematized is the surest route to failure." I agree, and those have been the points of the Board of Directors' efforts these months since January.
Nobody needs under-the-bus throwing. No member need be removed from the rolls. Contractors need only come together to operate this UAMCC as has always been the intentions of the founders, the Charter Members, and the members at large.
Contractors for Contractors. That's why I am still prouder than ever to be UAMCC.
Look to see more from me here and in your email boxes, but really, feel free to call me or to get in touch some other way. The Directors need to hear from you. We ardently wish to operate in a manner fully compliant with our Bylaws, but we most desperately need people on the board, and in committees. If you have time or suggestions, I want to know, as do all the Directors.
I hope this post will help in the current discussion, and thanks for taking time to read it.