“unnu can come wid mi”.  While there, I can “bunks Mi Res”, or just the opposite, “me bleach hard lass night”. “like mi a go maas”  Don’t know what I said?  Come with us to Jamaica, man and take part in an ultimate vacation in the sun.   Imagine staying on a 5,000 acre picture perfect all-inclusive hideaway offering a secluded beachfront, complete with an 18-hole championship golf course and a full service spa and a wonderful dining experience. 

This year LCCA has teamed up with ASA of Chicago for our annual conference.  Just when you are getting tired of the nasty weather here in Chicago, we will be basking in the sun at the World Renown Ritz Carlton Rose Hall.  Our fun starts January 11, 2007 returning on the 15th with an unbelievable fee of only $1,895 (double occupancy)! 

This package not only includes the all-inclusive resort but the round trip non-stop air aboard  Air Jamaica, a welcome reception and all transfers, tips and international departure taxes.  This is a great price for an exceptional resort and an opportunity to get to know others in the industry you might not come in contact with on a regular basis.  Rooms are very limited and will be available on a first come first served basis.  Call Heidi at 847-623-2345 for more details or to make your reservations. 

So, “you all can come with me.  While there, you can “catch a rest, take a nap” or just the opposite, “party straight through the night”.  “chill out”.  This is one trip not to miss.  When they talk about this trip and they will, you can say “did deh deh!”  (I was there!) 

ABCO Corporation

12665 W. Townsend Street

Brookfield, WI 53005

Phone: (262) 783-5300

Fax: (262) 783-4215

Contractor

     Mark Jurkowski, President

General Contractors and Carpenters

Sponsor: Mike Temple, Mechanical, Inc.

Vazcom Communications

471 N. Main Street

Antioch, IL 60002

Phone: (847) 838-9074

Fax: (847) 838-9085

Supplier

     Grace Sonntag, Operations Manager

     Jose Vazquez, Owner

     Katrina Smith, Inside Sales

     Troy Rampolla, Sales

     Al Latta, Sales

Nextel, Sprint, Verizon services, IT solutions and custom programming

Sponsor: Pat Kirschhoffer/Micky Day

Crane Construction Company, LLC

343 Wainwright Drive

Northbrook, IL 60062

Phone: (847) 291-3400

Fax: (847) 291-1691

Contractor

     Jeffery Crane, President

     Ralph Grande, Vice President

     Michael Brown, Vice President

     Michael Podgorny, Vice President

General Contractor

Sponsor: Mike Temple, Mechanical, Inc.

It is not to early to be thing about entering a project in the LCCA APEX Awards Program that will recognize a project in Lake County built by LCCA members.

Eligibility - The Project of the Year Award will be presented to a Lake County project completed within the last year. Nominees may be submitted by any LCCA member associated with the project. Any type of construction project is eligible for the award – building, road, utility, etc. – large or small – new construction or rehab.

Judging Criteria - Entries will be judged on:

• Quality of construction
• Design/Engineering
• Impact on the community
• Spirit of cooperation among parties
• Safety record 

It is not too late. You can win a $500 prize by just sponsoring a new member. The LCCA Membership Committee, wants everybody to help with LCCA’s membership efforts and you have a chance to win. The names of everybody who sponsors a new member by September 1 will be put in a hat and one lucky person will leave the September Membership Meeting with a nice prize. Already in the drawing are:  Ken Coslet; Mike DeNinno (2); Chris Dietz, Gerry Dumalski (2); Dee Frost, Graycor Industrial Contractors, Micky Day/Pat Kirschhoffer, Dave Henderson; Joe Henderson; Gary Finigan, Mike Ryan, and Ed Stuckey.

The Summer Outing to Miller Park for the Cubs vs. Brewers was a hit for everybody who attended. Our seats were on the Club Level, just below the Skyboxes. We had the advantage of a beautiful cool evening, outstanding food and a large bar area (with TV’s) for those needing a break.

LCCA once again brought the Cubs some luck and the Cubs won the game! It was a great evening!

Chairman Mike Ryan, H.H. Holmes Testing Laboratories, reports the LCCA’s Annual Conference will be held jointly with the ASA of Chicago in Jamaica next year. But rooms are limited. The details:

Date:  January 11-15, 2007

Location: The Ritz Carlton Rose Hall Resort, Montego Bay, Jamaica

Cost: $1,895 per person double occupancy

The five-star Ritz Carlton Rose Hall is an “all-inclusive” resort and the package includes all meals, premium drinks and much more. Also included in the price is round trip non-stop air aboard Air Jamaica, a welcome reception and all transfers, tips and international departure taxes. We can also price the trip without airfare if you wish to use frequent flier miles to get there! Call Heidi for details.

The Annual Conference would not be complete without a top notch program and that is what is in store for convention travelers. Workshops on legal issues and technology are planned.

This is a great price for an exceptional resort and an opportunity to get to know others in the industry you might not come in contract with on a regular basis. Maybe even find a business partner for a future project.

Rooms are very limited and will be available on a first come first served basis.

According to Rick Grabowski, Pickus Construction & Equipment Co., the Program Committee is working hard to put together an interesting schedule for the 2006-2007 meeting season. The Membership Meetings schedule for 2006-2007 includes:

September 28 - Membership Meeting

     Crowne Plaza Mundelein

November 2 - Annual Meeting

     Crowne Plaza Mundelein

December 1 - Holiday Party

     Crowne Plaza Mundelein

January 25 - Membership Meeting

     Country Squire

February 22 - Membership Meeting

     Safety Awards

     Country Squire

March 22 - Membership Meeting

     LCCA Expo Trade Show

April 26 – Membership Meeting

     LCCPAC Auction

     Country Squire

May 24 – Membership Meeting

     Country Squire

All Membership Meetings will start at 6:00 p.m. The Holiday Party in December starts at 7:00 p.m. Time and location of the LCCA Expo in March are still being worked out.  Please add these dates to your planner so that you do not miss out on any of these events. Programs are still being finalized and will be announced soon. 

The 2006 edition of LCCA’s Holiday Party is scheduled for Friday, December 1, 2006. This year we have changed venues and the party will be held at the Crowne Plaza in Mundelein.  And get ready for some southern partying as we celebrate Marti Gras with all the trimmings. A parade, beads and of course, some Dixieland music will highlight the event. But this is a smaller room than in the past so we expect to sell out early.

If you want to attend one of Lake County’s great parties, put your group together and block out the date. Reservation forms will be in the mail next month. For those who have never attended, this is the best entertainment value in Lake County. Great food, drink, conversation and entertainment fit for a King (and Queen)!!

This is a great opportunity to entertain employees, clients or other special people while leaving the arrangements (and the headaches) to us! Get your tables together soon.

LCCA is pleased to announce that General Nick Halley will be the speaker for the September Membership Meeting. The meeting will be on September 28 at the Country Squire and kick off the 2006-07 Membership Meetings.

General Halley is a recognized expert on leadership, terrorism, change management and integrity. His impressive background as a senior leader in the military, government and corporate worlds include: Commanded thousands of our soldiers in combat in three conflicts – Vietnam, Grenada, and Desert Storm. He is an army paratrooper, army ranger and special operations veteran who has been awarded many significant decorations, including two Silver Stars for bravery in combat actions, four Bronze Stars, and two Purple Hearts for wounds in combat operations.

His final active duty assignment was the Commanding General of the XVIIIth Airborne Corps artillery and rocket forces in Desert Storm, where he commanded tens of thousands of our soldiers in the most challenging leadership environment – combat. Since his retirement from the Army, General Halley has had a distinguished civilian career at the director/vice president/general manager level with several prestigious international electronics firms, including Motorola. Currently, he is the on-air military and terrorism expert for WGN-TV in Chicago, which is seen nationwide on cable.

Mark your calendar and plan to attend this interesting evening. 

Final proofing is underway and final, signed contracts with the Bricklayers and Laborers are expected soon. As soon as contracts are available, signatory contractors will be sent copies. They will also be available on the LCCA website.

Copies of the Cement Masons Contracts were sent last month to signatory contractors. If you did not receive a copy and would like to, just call Terry at the LCCA Office.

An updated copy of the Wage & Fringe Summary is available for all contractors. This includes the current wages and fringe benefit payments for 21 trades in the area. If you did not get a copy or would like additional copies, please contact Terry at the LCCA Office.

Applications for the Construction Industry Service Corporation’s (CISCO) Annual 2006 Award Program are now available.  The Award Program is open to all types and sizes of projects completed during 2005 – 2006.  Enter your project and get recognition for the hard work and dedication of your staff and work force.

Each project will be judged on the following criteria:  quality of construction, design, impact on the community, and safety record. Deadline for entry is Tuesday, August 15.  All materials should be in the hands of CISCO by this date.  For more information go to www.cisco.org/awards, call (630) 472-9411, or email Kim at kim@cisco.org.

Back by popular demand, the LCCA Education Committee is pleased to announce the return of the General Contractor – Sub Contractor Strategic Collaboration seminar. Members who participated last spring were very pleased with what they learned.

“Money well spent! My whole team benefitted from this course!”

– Bruce Diederich, Waukegan Roofing

“Very informative seminar! Ted has a way of getting

everyone to participate – even the quiet ones like me. The day flew by.”

– Tim Staples, Camosy, Inc.

The need for cooperation between general and sub contractors increases with the complexity of the process. Yet, despite the complex nature of construction, the industry finds itself mired in confrontation to everyone’s detriment.

Ted Garrison, a nationally known speaker with more than 25 years of experience in construction, will be the facilitator – and you will be participating in the discussion, not just listening! Ted works extensively with AGC and ABC chapters around the country. When we approached him with this subject, he admitted no one had asked for this particular topic but “This is definitely a topic that needs to be discussed more!” This program, which was developed specially for us, is the result.

The seminar will be held from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the LCCA Office on Thursday, October 5, 2006. The cost is $225 per person and includes all course materials, lunch and breaks. If you learn anything at all, this cost will be recouped in a few months! Registrations will be limited and we will try to keep the participants balanced between General Contractors and Subcontractors to improve the learning experience.

More information on the course is available online at www.lcca-il.org/events.

LCCA’s new Safety Manual is now available and is being sent to customers this week. If you are interested in getting a copy, just call Lisa at the LCCA Office.

As with the 2000 version, the manual will be available in digital format (Word 2003 or Rich Text Format). In this format, you can customize the manual for your company. We also offer, for an additional charge, a completely personalized manual that you can use immediately.

An order form is available online at www.lcca-il.org/store and click on “Order Form” for an order form with all LCCA products for sale.