Dave Cannistraro's Associated Subcontractors of Mass. president's message: A look back on an eventful 2011

As 2011 draws to a close and we look toward the New Year, I cannot help but reflect on the changes and achievements of the past year at ASM. Though the economy and its effect on the construction industry have been the recurrent topic for the past few years, we believe 2011 is the turning point to rebound and growth. We see signs everywhere that business continues to improve locally - which, for construction, means there is more work in the pipeline, particularly in the academic, medical and biotech sectors. That is good news for the members of ASM, and for ASM itself. As an association, we have also grown and achieved many milestones in 2011, distributing over $1 million in dividends to participants of our group insurance program; implementing major new benefits programs for fleet leasing and wireless services; launching a new weekly enewsletter; and announcing our presence on Twitter and LinkedIn. In addition, we increased our educational programming, and bridged the gap between subcontractors and general contractors through our first open-format GC Showcase. Perhaps most important, we celebrated the one year anniversary of the Massachusetts Prompt Pay Law, which took effect in November 2010, and we filed legislation to address payment of "retainage" - the key missing piece of the Prompt Pay law. In 2012, we hope to become one of the first "health group purchasing cooperatives" in the Commonwealth. ASM is in the final stages of application to be a cooperative, and we look forward to receiving our approval and helping members save on the costs of health care. In short, it has been an exciting time at ASM and we look forward to strengthening our membership and our industry in 2012. Our goal is to be your one-stop business resource. Should you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me at president@associatedsubs.com. Dave Cannistraro is the president of the Associated Subcontractors of Massachusetts, Boston