The Connection
June 6, 2023
 
Association News
We have a run-off election with the top two candidates for the position of National Vice President. The new ballots will go out to ONLY the members who voted in the recent general election. The run-off ballots went out on Monday, June 5 and will be live through Sunday, June 11 at 11:59pm central time. The ballot consists of the following Vice President candidates: Rita Brown and Raven Hoffman, CIT.
 
Please look for another email with a link to vote from Association Voting, which must be submitted no later than Sunday, June 11.
 
For the first time ever, NAWIC is taking the party off-site to Portland Public House for a night of networking, drinks, appetizers, and more! You won't want to miss this special event, where we will premier our special collaboration with Deschutes Brewery, Dovetail Workwear, and Pink Boots Society- our very own, limited-edition NAWIC Brew!
 
Host Angela Highland sits down with NAWIC National President Lauline Mitchell, ESP. In addition to being the 2022-2023 NAWIC President, Lauline is the Director of PreConstruction at BBI Construction in Oakland, California. Lauline discusses her vision for women in construction, leadership and the power of NAWIC on women's lives and careers. This is a great conversation that you do not want to miss.
 
NAWIC is excited to announce its new book donation program in collaboration with MiTek and The House That She Built! Chapters are now able to order copies of The House That She Built to give away at educational programs for students free of charge. The House that She Built was inspired by the team of real women who came together from around the country to build a one-of-a-kind home. It aims to educate young readers about all the people and skills that go into building a home.
 
Chapters must meet certain criteria and pay for shipping. Please contact media@nawic.org with questions.
 
Commerce Bank
Education / Training
  
The question I get asked a lot is, how can I find good people? “I can’t find anyone!” “There’s just no one good out there!” And while it might feel that way, it’s not true. You’re not looking in the right places. You need to start thinking about attracting people to your business.
Join us for Emerging Professionals upcoming webinar - Implementing an Apprenticeship Program: View from the Trenches on June 22nd at 3pm CST.
 
Sign up for this webinar today to learn more about this innovative new platform and how you and your company can get involved!
 
NAWIC Benefits Spotlight
I have been around for a while.  Long enough to have witnessed and experienced a wide range of changes in approaches, technology, and attitudes.  Long enough that I smile when I hear someone refer to “old school” thinking.  Generally, not meant as a compliment.  It connotes an unwillingness to acknowledge change or accept progress.  Post-pandemic, some managers can’t reconcile that employees can be as efficient when working from home.  “Can” being the operative word.  There are plenty of cases where that is not the case.
From a personal perspective, “old school” is a return to fundamentals.  Considering what was successful in the past.  Openness to approaches that might have been more efficient (and less sexy) before the wholesale introduction of technology.  A client recently shared that her team was overly reliant on computers for presentations and analyzing the data included.  The team could not reconcile that a presentation was just the means of communication.  The slide deck was not the purpose but a tool to help communicate the message.  They were also taken aback when the calculations were challenged.  Her “something does not look right” approach was met with an incredulous look.
 
When you use code NAWIC at checkout, you will get 25% off your purchase.
 
How 92-Vehicle HVAC fleet is streamlining operations with a smarter fuel card
K-Dimensional Holdings Inc. / CoastPay®
Texas-based Gillette Air Conditioning struggled with inefficiencies caused by an old station-specific fuel card that was hard to manage and use. Switching to Coast fuel cards allowed them to streamline fleet ops and improve card security across a fleet of 90+ vehicles. Watch to find out how.

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Industry Update
From February 2020 to February 2022, Google searches for same-day mental health services and centers for workplace mental health each grew by 1,300% and searches for “how to ask for a mental health day” grew by 1,000%, according to marketing platform Semrush. Searches for mental health strategy increased by 133%, mental wellness by 52% and emotional well-being, 23% during this same pandemic period.
(From Construction Dive)
About one in five construction workers is 55 or older. Failing to recruit and retain labor soon could mean a sudden dearth of experienced workers.
(From Construction Dive)
Labor continues to be an issue for subcontractors. Billd found that 49% of respondents said lack of availability of skilled, affordable construction labor will be the biggest risk to their business this year. Part of that is financial: Labor costs have gone up 15% since 2022, according to the report.
(From Construction Dive)
Caterpillar, Inc.
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