A Message from the President

YOUR WALL

YOUR IDEAS YOUR STORIES WhiteWalls ® Magnetic Dry-Erase Whiteboard Panels

Show What’s

Happening

WhiteWalls.com | 800-624-4154

It feels somewhat like our construction world has stabilized and returned to some level of normal. Back in February, I traveled about 20 days to meetings in a half-dozen cities for the associations that we manage. I had eight to 10 meetings scheduled in March and April in other parts of the state or country, and more activity scheduled for the rest of the year. Frankly, 2020 was looking like a pretty normal year. Our staff was busy, and our members were getting through the typical seasonal slowdown. We were looking forward to a strong construction year.

Then we discovered COVID-19 and our world got upended. While Upstate New York did not reach the peak infection or hospital utilization that the models predicted, the impact on our business and community was deep. Most of us did not know what Zoom was before March, and like many of you, most of my meetings were suddenly on Zoom, WebEx, Google Hangout or Microsoft Teams. Talk about a culture change! It is nice to now have board meetings back in the office! Zoom fatigue is real.

Our kids stayed home from school and we all learned how to be teachers. As we move into the fall, it looks like we will again be part-time teachers. Most districts have adopted hybrid schedules, which means about 60 percent of learning is remote. I doubt that my Common Core math skills have improved in the last few months. Let’s hope that our school officials are able to actually teach this year.

I was particularly pr oud of our members during this crisis. Our construction firms did not miss a beat. We staffed essential projects, developed safe work practices and kept as much of the industry going as we could. Of course, there were some firms that acted poorly, but I can count those examples on one hand. A crisis brings out the best and worst in people. It was heartening to see you rise to the occasion! We have continued that work through the summer and have adapted to our new safety procedures. Those changes are starting to feel normal, which is both good and bad.

The most common question that I am get ting now is, “What does the future market look like?” As you recall from 2008, the lowest employment level and weakest market was not experienced until 2010 and 2011. I expect a similar pattern here. There is a lot of work to complete in 2020 and some of that will move into 2021. Bidding has already slowed though, and New York State’s finances paint a grim picture for future public works. Even before the crisis, there was a slowdown in the private sector. That was likely the natural occurrence of a few strong years. However, the economic fallout of COVID-19 may accelerate the slowdown. Of course, none of us have lived through a pandemic. We don’t really know what will happen, we can just read the signs and plan for scenarios. A federal infrastructure bill looks increasingly unlikely as we move toward the presidential election. That is unfortunate because it would put a floor in an unstable market.

On behalf of the board and staff at Builders Exchange, please work safely and smartly as we strive to complete our 2020 work. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if we can be of any assistance.

Best regards,

Aaron Hilger President & CEO