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CityAndStatePA .com
December 2021
Q & A with
Jon O’Brien The Keystone Contractors Association executive director discusses the mission of the KCA and changes needed now in the construction industry.
By Justin Sweitzer
A
S THE executive director of the Keystone Contractors Association, headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Jon O’Brien is one of the most vocal voices in Pennsylvania construction. O’Brien has spent decades advocating for the interests of construction companies throughout Pennsylvania. In the following interview, O’Brien reflects on his work in the industry, examines how the COVID-19 pandemic has permanently changed how business is done, and offers ways that state lawmakers can help construction workers and companies alike in the years to come. This interview has been condensed and edited for length and clarity. Tell me about the mission of the Keystone Contractors Association. The KCA is a commercial construction trade association. We were founded in the 1940s to be a collective bargaining agent on behalf of contractors. We’re the management side of the labor-management relationship in construction. Our original purpose was to help construction companies so they don’t have to go out on their own and negotiate union contracts. We get all the management firms together and negotiate together, and we work with the non-mechanical trades – we negotiate with the carpenters, laborers,
cement masons, operating engineers and bricklayers and millwrights. That was kind of our sole purpose. And probably for the first 20 years, that’s all we focused on; then, we shifted to include safety services. Today, we do a lot of marketing, promotion and worker recruitment – which is huge today. Those are core services that we offer. We kind of bill ourselves and market ourselves as being an extension of a construction company staff. Whatever they need, we’re here to help. From your perspective, what are some of the most pressing issues facing the construction industry?
Tell us about your background. After high school, I was in the Navy for four years, working in supplies – kind of an accounting role. And then I went to college – to Pitt – where I was a sports journalism major. Right after college, I started working for a painting society; I was a technical writer to certified bridge painters. I started out in the early 2000s. Then I worked for the Master Builders Association – a similar group to the KCA – for almost 15 years, which is when this job opened up. I grew up in Mechanicsburg and after college, I spent 20 years in Pittsburgh – and now I’m back.
