According to a recent survey, only 9% of Americans are serious about achieving their goals. 51% don't have New Year's Resolutions and, of those that do, 79% don't have a plan to achieve them.

The survey was completed by a random group of 104 adults over 18 years of age, and asked respondents to identify the biggest issue that prevents them from achieving their New Year's Resolutions or goals. The top 3 reasons identified were as follows:

• Procrastinating 33%
• Lack of discipline 24%
• No game plan 19%

I am no different.  I sit here thinking about how and what I should do differently.  I don't think that I have REALLY EVER kept a resolution throughout the year.  Heck, I hardly have the time to even think of any really good resolutions.  They all sound so generic and vague.  However, I was reading this article about New Year's Resolutions for your business.  Now these REALLY make sense.  I don’t know if I will accomplish all ten………but I sure am going to try!

10 New Year's Resolutions For Your Business

The year is drawing to close, the perfect time to review what you've accomplished in 2006 and determine your 2007 goals.  Start the New Year off by kicking bad business habits and beginning a few healthy ones.

1. Give Back - Find a non-profit organization that resonates with you and give what you can. Of course most non-profits need funding, but you can also donate your time or expertise. Try sponsoring a local contest or donating your products to a fundraising event. You may be pleasantly surprised to find your charitable giving attracts media exposure.

2. Pick up the Phone - Email is so convenient that many people use it as their primary means of communication.  Although convenient, its impersonal nature may hinder the development of vital business relationships.  This year don't hide behind email - pick up the phone or try a face-to-face meeting.

3. Speak up - One of the best ways to distinguish yourself from your competition is to become the local expert in your field. Volunteer to speak at local business luncheon meetings, be a guest columnist or participate in a panel discussion. Hone your speaking skills while building credibility as an expert.

4. Update Your Website - Many people check out your website before they meet you so make sure your first impression a good one. Content, product information and calendars should all be up to date. Were you featured in your local newspaper? Did you write an article for your association's newsletter? Take the time every month to add new information and delete superfluous content.

5. Utilize Your Employees - Encourage employees to suggest new ideas and offer their input about their company, both good and bad. If you discover something negative, see it as an opportunity to make positive changes and grow your business. Encourage staff members to learn the job responsibilities in another position. Cross-training will ensure that if an employee temporarily needs to fill another position because of maternity leave or illness that the transition will be a smooth one.

6. Make Your Money Count - Businesses incur unnecessary costs every day. Start the year off on the right foot by increasing your cost awareness. Review all your expenses, especially variable expenses that change with the size of your business. Which expenses are helping you grow and which are you losing sight of over time? Find creative ways to cut costs - ask vendors for reduced rates or provide staff with incentives to cut unnecessary waste. Don’t forget to analyze your budget monthly instead of waiting until year end when you might get caught by surprise.

7. Seek Guidance - Small business owners have to wear many hats and can’t be expected to be an expert in all fields. Know where you need help and hire that accountant, sales trainer or marketing guru. Networking groups, industry associations and professional coaches are another source for guidance and support.

8. Get Involved - If you are frustrated with taxes or government legislation, get involved and help government create solutions that will benefit your business. Voting simply isn't enough. Become active in your local Chamber and attend events where you will have the chance to speak to your local representatives. Get involved in Lake County Contractors Association and their committees.  (I added this last sentence)

9. Think Green - Adopt an environmentally friendly approach to business. Simple steps such as recycling ink cartridges and using energy efficient light bulbs will help protect the environment and can generate additional benefits. According to a report from the Environment Agency, there is strong evidence of higher financial returns and investor interest for those businesses that are environmentally conscious.

10. Review Your Business Plan - First determine where your business is now and then decide where you want it to be in the next year. Write down changes you want to make and the steps required to reach those goals. Create a budget for 2007 after evaluating last year's budget. Don't just note the differences between last year's budget and last year's actual numbers - understand them so you can control and manage those variances in your new budget.

After the first of the year, most of you will be receiving an electronic version of the newsletter rather than the printed one you are receiving now. We are doing this for several reasons including to save trees and money. You will not miss anything that is enclosed with the Newsbrief currently. If it is something, like a Legislative Directory that would have been enclosed with the Newsbrief, it will be mailed separately.

We will still publish a newsletter for those who want it on paper. It will be a little simpler but will contain all the information. If you want to continue receiving the Newsbrief in paper form, call Lisa at the LCCA Office at (847) 623-2345 and we will make sure you still get your monthly Newsbrief.

We would like to thank all LCCA Members who have already renewed your membership for 2007. We are getting a great response and we appreciate your support. If you have not renewed yet, we encourage you to do so as soon as possible. We can have the best intentions and want to support significant efforts that will pay dividends for our members, but without the support of members like you, we just cannot do it. Thank you for your support in the past and we look forward to serving you in the future.

Terry Skarbalus has left LCCA. Terry was with us over 2 years starting as a part-time employee and moving into a full time position in 2005. She has been a valuable employee and we wish her the very best in her future endeavors.

Thanks to the efforts of many LCCA members, the Waukegan YMCA will soon complete an 10,000 sq. ft. addition to their facility. The Healthy Lifestyles Center was funded by a generous contribution by the OMC Foundation and includes an expanded fitness center including cardio equipment, weight machines and free weights. On the second level is a new aerobics/program studio.

 Special thanks go to Nate Pickus, Pickus Construction & Equipment, who coordinated the project and brought the construction team together, and Dave Vartanian, Pickus Construction & Equipment, who kept us under budget!

LCCA members involved in the project include:

Air-Con Heating & Refrigeration

Century Automatic Sprinklers

Circle Concrete

H.H. Holmes Testing Laboratories

Illinois Contract Glazing

JAC Masonry

Maximus Painting

Ernie Peterson Plumbing

Pickus Construction

Stauber Hardware

Waukegan Roofing

Waukegan Steel Sales

Thanks to the following LCCA Members who will be advertising in the 2007 LCCA Directory.

Air Con Refrigeration & Heating

Blue Boy Portable Toilets

Bornquist, Inc.

Brydges Risborough

Burris Equipment

Carpenters Local #250

Case Construction Equipment

Chicago Area LECET

City of Waukegan

Columbia Pipe & Supply

Enterprise Fleet Services

Happ Builders

HRH

IBEW Local 150

Lee Jensen Sales

Municipal Marking

McCann Construction Specialties

NorStates Bank

Ogletree, Deakins

W.B. Olson

Osco Oil

Patten Industries

Ernie Peterson Plumbing

Ritchie Brothers Auctioneers

Roofers Union Local #11

Roughneck Concrete Drilling & Sawing

TFW Surveying & Mapping

VanderBloemen Rodrigues & Associates

Waukegan Roofing

The following are meetings and events currently scheduled. To register for any event below, CLICK HERE.

January 5, 2007  Committee Planning Meeting
Noon, LCCA Office

January 16, 2007  Program Committee Meeting
Noon, LCCA Office

January 17, 2007  Construction Quality Management Course
7:00 am, LCCA Office

January 17, 2007  Committee Task Force Meeting
Noon, LCCA Office

January 18, 2007  Governors/Directors Meeting
Noon, LCCA Office

January 24, 2007  Safety Committee Meeting
Noon, LCCA Office

January 25, 2007  Labor Committee Meeting
Noon, LCCA Office

January 25, 2007  Young Leaders Meeting
4:30 pm, The Arboretum Club (prior to Membership Meeting)

LCCA's Annual Trade Show will be Thursday, March 22; at Midlane Golf Resort. This is a new time of year at the request of venders who participated in the last event in October of 2005. Most agreed the late fall time was difficult and a date closer to the start of the construction season would be better.

Information for venders who wish to participate in the event will be sent this month. As in the past, booth space is very limited and will be assigned on a first come, first served basis.

So you have a job covered by the Prevailing Wage Act. What "wages and benefits" are required to be paid by contractors? The union contract rates? Not necessarily! The "prevailing wage" is whatever rates are published by the Illinois Department of Labor when the project is advertised. Most times the wages are included in the project specifications. To check the Prevailing Wages in effect at any particular time, go to www.state.il.us/agency/idol. Then click on "Prevailing Rates," select the month and then the county.

One key difference between some labor agreements and the prevailing wage is in computing overtime. Some agreements permit 4 10-hour days in special situations (like in weeks with a holiday as in the Laborers Agreement.) Unfortunately, this would not apply to prevailing wage work since ALL hours over 8 in a day and 40 in a week are to be paid at the overtime rate. The union contract has no effect on your requirement to pay the listed rates.

Another misconception is the Prevailing Wage is the union rate. There is always a lag between when the wage becomes effective and when it actually is "prevailing." In fact, a quick check of the DECEMBER 2006, Lake County Rates finds Carpenters at $33.25 (rather than $34.85), Electricians at $34.02 (rather than $35.00) and Glaziers at $31.40 (rather than $33.00). There are many other errors in other trades. The reality is a non-union competitor is only required to pay the lower rate, not the rate you must pay. And when a union offers to REDUCE the wages or benefits in negotiations, find another way to get the offered givebacks because the prevailing wage NEVER is reduced!

The new rates for Material Testers in the recently negotiated MARBA Agreement are effective as of January 1. The new rates are:

Material Testing Laborer 1                             $21.55 per hour

(Handcoring and drilling for testing of materials; field inspection of uncured concrete and asphalt)

Material Testing Laborer 2                             $26.55 per hour

(Field inspection of welds, structural steel, fireproofing, masonry, soil, façade, reinforcing steel, formwork, cured concrete, and concrete and asphalt batch plants; adjusting proportions of bituminous mixtures)

All work rules and benefits that apply to Laborers will also apply to these classifications.

Ever wonder if the company with which you are about to sign a subcontract has a valid wage and benefit bond posted with the Carpenter's? We can help by sending you updates so you will know when bonds are cancelled and reinstated.

But why do you need to know this information? According to the Carpenter's Agreement, you are responsible for the payment of all wages and fringe benefits for any subcontractor who does not have a valid bond posted. Every month, the Carpenter's send an updated list to MARBA, who then sends it to us, of contractors who have bonds cancelled or reinstated. Knowing if you have subcontractors working for you who have a bond cancelled will put you on notice that you might be liable if a problem arises. Certainly justification for a call to the sub to see what is happening.

Currently, about 20 members receive the updates. If you are not getting the list, just call Lisa at the LCCA Office.

It is six months since the Bricklayers Agreement was negotiated and still no written contract is available. According to MARBA, "The Bricklayers agreement is near completion."  The contract has been "near completion" for months and in October, the negotiators also agreed to "clean-up" the language. According to MARBA, "As soon as MARBA receives a copy, it will be forwarded to the associations," and then to our members.

There were only two school building referendums on the November ballot. It was a split decision for construction with the Lake Forest proposal passing and the Barrington bond issue defeated. Here are the results:

Lake Forest High School Dist. 115 - $54,000,000 in school building bonds for repairs and additions to both the East and West Campus facilities.  Approved - 65% to 35%

Barrington School District #220 - $87,500,000 in school building bonds to build two new schools and expansions to two existing schools.  Rejected - 57% to 43%

With the results of the Transportation Summit in hand, the LCTA Board of Directors and Advisory Committee met last month to decide how to get the projects funded. Money has always been the final obstacle. And Lake County voters have not been willing to approve a sales tax increase to fund the projects locally. Even though a gas tax increase would be a logical solution, it is not political feasible so the only recourse is to get the money from Springfield and Washington.

According to Sen. Terry Link (D-Vernon Hills) and echoed by other legislators in the room, the Spring Session of the Legislature would be the best opportunity to secure funding. There will be a bond issue on the table, and possibly a new revenue stream from Casino expansion. But every county in the state will be in the fray and Chicago, DuPage and other "big hitters" knocking on doors to make sure they get the lion share of the available revenue. To compete, LCTA needs to retain a lobbyist to make sure that Lake County has the same chance as others.

According to LCCA's representative on the LCTA Board, Steve Dalbec, Jos. J. Henderson & Son, LCTA has voted to retain a lobbyist and interviews are scheduled this week. But this will only happen if LCTA can find a way to pay for the lobbyist! LCCA has already committed $4,500 in our 2007 budget to get the effort going but your help is needed also. This week, those members who pledged support in 2006 will be sent a pledge form for 2007. If you have not made a contribution, the time is now. Enclosed with this Newsbrief you will find a convenient Pledge Form for your use.

What happens in Springfield this spring will set transportation funding priorities for the next 10 years. We cannot afford to wait. We have a good start. Let’s close the deal!

Applications for LCCA's 2006 Safety Awards have been mailed to Contractor Members. If you do not receive yours, just call the LCCA Office and we will get you a copy. Remember, you do not need to be "perfect" to apply. We do expect no fatalities during the year. Since your results are compared with national averages, you are not competing against other members, but rather your results are judged against all contractors across the country, doing the same type of work.

Completed applications are due into the LCCA Office no later than the end of January. Awards will be presented at the February Membership Meeting on February 22 at the Country Squire Banquets in Grayslake.

LCCA will once again have a booth at the 17^th Annual Construction Safety Conference & Expo. The conference will be held February 13-15 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont. Manning the booth will be LCCA Safety Committee Members so if you are going to the conference, be sure to stop by our booth.

Complete conference information can be found on the Chicagoland Construction Safety Council’s website - www.buildsafe.org. And some exhibit space is still available. If you are interested, call Beverlee Carrick at (708) 544-2082 x202.

Last month the trust document establishing the LCCA-Laborers Local 152 Safety & Education Fund was signed. Negotiated into the last Laborers Local 152 Agreement, the fund will permit LCCA to expand the current Safety Fund that was established in the Cement mason Local 11-362 Agreement in 1999. Currently, the Safety Fund subsidizes safety training and provides other safety services for LCCA members. With the addition of the Laborers, we will be able to expand our efforts to provide more safety help for members.

The Board of Directors of the new fund will include: Rick Grabowski, Pickus Construction & Equipment; Mike Lazzaretto, Laborers Local 152; Fred Rodheim, Abbott Laboratories and Gary Dowty, LCCA. The LCCA Safety Committee is already looking for new programs that will help members eliminate injuries on the jobsite. If you have any ideas on how we might help you, just let us know.