It’s the last thing you want to hear — an important employee announcing that he or she is leaving your firm. Perhaps it’s to join a competitor, or to leave the industry altogether. Whatever the reason, you’re going to lose out.

After this announcement, you may hastily put together some sort of deal to convince the employee to stay. Many times this tactic succeeds but only because the employee is flattered by all of the sudden attention and because the employer has simply thrown money at the problem. But the momentary attention and the money are only short-term satisfiers. If the employee is dissatisfied with other aspects of the job, it is probably just a matter of time before he or she moves on to another contractor or line of work.

Employee retention efforts should start when people are hired, not when they threaten to leave. Contractors need to recognize what their employees want to achieve and figure out what must be done to help them meet those objectives.

Surprisingly, money is not necessarily the most important aspect of a retention strategy. Many employee attitude surveys show that money is not the leading factor in job satisfaction. When trying to retain an important employee, the “bigger picture” often counts the most. Everyone wants more money, of course, but once employees feel relatively secure financially, their needs shift from compensation to enhanced self-esteem and self-actualization. Nonmonetary issues—such as a boss who listens, recognition for good work, being informed of what’s going on in the firm, opportunities for career advancement, and chances to broaden skills—become more important to many employees than their compensation. So, while money is always important, showing employees their value and potential can be more effective in keeping good people.

You can improve your retention of critical employees by following these guidelines:

n Don’t assume anything. Too many managers erroneously assume that they know what motivates their employees. At the beginning of the hiring process, find out what new employees want from their jobs and how they want to grow. Then help them structure a career path.

n The management team should properly evaluate the performance of all employees and set goals and objectives for the performance of key people. Too many employees leave because they feel they never receive proper recognition for what they accomplish.

n Managers must constantly communicate the results of employees’ efforts to the employees. They need to feel like they know what’s going on in the company.

On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, the United States of America suffered a great loss by terrorist acts that were directed towards New York City and Washington, D.C.

After much consideration, it has been agreed that the Southeastern Michigan Roofing Contractors Association on behalf of the SMRCA member contractors will be donating $500.00 to the National Roofing Contractors Association to assist with their program, which is being coordinated by the American Society of Association Executives. The funds will then be donated to the American Red Cross.

In addition to the above donation, the RIPF Trustees felt it was very important that a contribution was made on a local level as well. An additional $2,500.00 will be donated to the New York Firefighters 9-11 Disaster Relief Fund and the New York State Fraternal Order of Police Fund.

These charities have been established to assist the spouses and family members of the New York firefighters and the New York police officers who were the first relief workers on site to assist in helping the victims of the World Trade Center disaster. They extended their best efforts to rescue victims from this disaster and in doing so; they gave their lives in the process.

A special thank you to Stacy Foley from Newton & Crane Inc., Dawn MacLeod (Heather’s sister), and Beth Schmidt from Trumbull Division Owens Corning for volunteering their time and efforts to assist Heather and myself. I don’t know what we would do without them!

The Perpetual Scholarship was presented by George Schena of Schena Roofing & Sheet Metal to Pat, Andrew, and John Crane (Mike’s wife and sons) at the SMRCA Golf Outing in May 2001.

The Joint Apprenticeship Graduation Dinner took place on June 30, 2001 at Carl’s Chophouse. All details for the evenings event were planned by Mr. Robert Drogosch, the full-time instructor for the Joint Apprenticeship School. Once again, Mr. Drogosch did a wonderful job!

On hand to distribute the certificates to the JAC Graduating Apprentices were Bob Peterson, Business Agent for Roofers Union Local #149, and Larry Pronek, Joint Apprentice Committee member from Wright-Brown.

Presentation of the special awards were distributed by Alex Bodnariuk, First International Vice President with the International Roofers & Waterproofers Union and Mr. Mervin Smith, former Executive Secretary for SMRCA (retired).

The special awards were presented to the JAC Apprentice of the December 2000 graduating class. His name is Raymond Andres from Wright-Brown. He is pictured (below) with Alex Bodnariuk and Mervin Smith.

The Co-runner up Apprentices for the December class are Tyler Amman with M.W. Morss Roofing, Inc. and John Casanova with Wright-Brown. There were fifteen apprentice graduates from the December 2000 class.

The special awards were also presented to the JAC Apprentice of the June 2001 graduating class. His name is Daniel Zinser from Dave Pomaville & Sons, Inc. He is pictured (below) with Alex Bodnariuk and Mervin Smith.

The Runner-up Apprentice for the June 2001 class is Lee Cuykendall from Don Smelser Roofing Company. There were twenty-five graduates for the June 2001 class. I believe this has been the largest graduating class since the inception of the JAC school.

On behalf of the Joint Apprenticeship Committee members—Larry Bringard, Ed Doyle, Ted Evans, Ed Farley, Bob Peterson, Bret Pienkosz, Larry Pronek, Dave Thompson and myself—CONGRATULATIONS to all graduating Apprentices!

Serious purchase inquires may be addressed to

J. Michael Woodgate
248-666-4085
248-666-4016 (Fax)

The SMRCA office will be utilizing a new area code. The area code that we currently use is (810); the new area code will be (586). The (586) area code took effect on September 22, 2001. To help ease the transition, there will be an optional dialing period from September 22, 2001 until March 23, 2002 during which both the new and old codes will work. Starting March 23, the (586) area code must be used to complete calls to Macomb County. If this change does affect you, you may want to have your company letterhead, business cards, etc. reprinted utilizing the new (586) area code.

Donations for the JAC Training Center are still being accepted. The JAC Committee would like to thank all contributors that have donated money, materials or who have volunteered their valuable time to this worthwhile project.

Please feel free to contact the SMRCA office if you are in need of any of these items.

Initiated over 16 years ago, the SMRCA/Roofers Union Local #149 Scholarship Program continues to promote continued education and to encourage industry dependents to attend college. The SMRCA was founded in 1957, and through its “Roofing Industry Information Council” is the roofing information center for Michigan. The purpose of the SMRCA is to advance industry standards and provide a source of competent roofing contractors and tradesmen to the commercial construction industry.

Matthew Dennis Cyr was born on April 2, 2001. He weighed 9 lbs. 11 oz. The proud parents are Kathleen and Dennis Cyr. (Schena Roofing & Sheet Metal Co., Inc.)

Harper Hentgen was born on April 3, 2001. She weighed 7 lbs. 3 oz. The proud parents are Laura and Craig Hentgen. (Royal Roofing Company)

Hentges, SMRCA, September 21.
Eric Schultz, Retired, October 3.
Larry Rowe Sr., National Ladder & Scaffold Co., October 10.
Terry Kiciak, TK Roofing Products, October 13.
Mervin Smith, Retired, October 13.
Stacy Foley, Newton & Crane, Inc., October 20.

Energy Legislation – Before recess, the Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE) Act of 2001 (HR 4) passed the House by a wide margin and now all eyes are on the Senate proposal, S 597. Because of the importance of the measure and the impact this legislation will have on the economy, many Republicans are looking to add even more economic stimulants and get it to the President by the end of the month. As the Senate takes up its version of energy legislation, NRCA will continue to promote a comprehensive approach as well as provisions impacting the roofing industry.

Immigration Reform Progress In Congress – On September 6, Mexican President Vicente Fox asked a joint meeting of Congress for greater latitude in allowing Mexican workers to remain permanently in the United States. “The agreement that we seek would establish a higher ceiling for permanent visas awarded to Mexicans coming to this country, and it would also expand opportunities for Mexican workers to obtain temporary work visas so they can enter the United States safely and legally,” Fox told lawmakers. Currently, the Bush administration is pushing a bill and Congress will likely pass an extension of the 245(i) program that allows some illegal immigrants to remain in the United States while their green card applications are processed. The extension of the program will be through April of 2002 or four months after INS establishes regulations for the program. Although this extension is a start, NRCA will continue to push for a comprehensive immigration bill.

NRCA Discusses Immigration with Mexican Officials – On August 9, Craig Brightup and other members of the Essential Worker Immigration Coalition (EWIC) met with Mexico’s Foreign Secretary, Jorge Castaneda, and other Mexican government officials. In conjunction with EWIC, NRCA’s immigration proposals seemed to be well received and the group vowed to work together towards a comprehensive immigration policy. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced at the meeting that on September 19 the National Chamber Foundation will sponsor U.S. Immigration Policy: Mexico and Beyond, an immigration discussion on the current state of U.S. immigration policy and proposals for improving the system to meet both business and economic needs. NRCA is a proud co-sponsor of this event. NRCA’s President, Mike Promen, is a featured speaker at the conference.

Apprenticeship Enhancement Act – The Apprenticeship Enhancement Act of 2001, HR 1950, introduced in May by Representative Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and 24 bipartisan co-sponsors, will bring accountability to the approval process of apprenticeship programs so that they can be registered in a fair and timely manner. The House Regulatory Reform & Oversight Subcommittee has scheduled a hearing, Removing Red Tape From the DOL’s Apprentice Approval Process, for September 13.

Association Health Plans (AHPs) – The next step to passing AHP legislation is when the House and Senate meet in conference to discuss each chamber’s version of the patients’ rights legislation. As you may recall, the Senate’s version, dubbed the Patients’ Bill of Rights, does not include AHPs, but the House’s version does. NRCA is working with a coalition to insure that the final version sent to the President has an AHP provision.

Ergonomics Update – OSHA is still reviewing information collected during the Dept. of Labor’s Ergonomics Forums held in July. After review of the information, OSHA will develop a comprehensive plan for addressing ergonomics complaints in the workplace that could be announced sometime this month.

Recordkeeping Rule – On September 4, NRCA submitted comments on the proposed modifications to OSHA’s final Occupational Injury and Illness Recording and Reporting Requirements, commonly referred to as the “Recordkeeping Rule.” In the comments, NRCA urged the new recordkeeping rule be stayed indefinitely and the rulemaking reopened in its entirety. NRCA comments can be found at www.nrca.net.

Fast Track Superfund Reform For Small Business – Republicans in the House are being pressured to fast track legislation to encourage the cleanup of abandon industrial sites known as “brownfields.” This legislation would be packaged with HR 1831, the Small Business Liability Protection Act. HR 1831 exempts small businesses from superfund liability. The legislation provides that a person is not responsible for the costs associated with cleanup at a superfund site if they disposed, or arranged for disposal of less than 110 gallons for non-hazardous liquid or less than 200 pounds of non-hazardous solid material before April 1, 2001. If a private party files a lawsuit against a small business despite the small business’s exemption under this legislation, the party must pay costs associated with the small business’s defense. This package should be on Bush’s desk some time this month.

The court decisions relating to the rights of a disappointed low bidder got off to an inauspicious start in the late 1800’s when the Michigan Supreme Court held that a low bidder who had been denied an award of the contract was not entitled to an order of the Supreme Court requiring the City of Detroit to award the contract. The Court’s reasoning was that the project had gone forward in the meantime and was completed. The Court suggested an action for damages might be appropriate.

The same bidder/contactor then brought another lawsuit seeking damages from the City of Detroit. The Supreme Court upheld the dismissal of that lawsuit also. Despite recognizing that the City of Detroit violated its charter by not awarding to the lowest responsible bidder, the Court held that the City owed no duty to the contactor, only to the taxpayers. The court suggested that perhaps the contractor should have originally sought an injunction.

In a 1960 case decided by a federal court interpreting Michigan law a low bidder which had been denied a contract on a Wayne County Department of Public Works project sought to enjoin the award of the contract to a higher priced bidder. The invitation to bid included the now common provision that the Board reserved the right to reject any or all bids and to accept the bid that in its opinion was in the best interest of the Board of the County of Wayne. There was no statue requiring an award to the lowest bidder. The court ruled that the low bidder/contractor was not entitled to an injunction and was not entitled to damages. The court stated that competitive bidding is not intended to benefit bidders but designed to protect the taxpaying public from fraud or favoritism.

In several cases, the Michigan Supreme Court has allowed taxpayers to overturn project awards made to a company other than the low bidder on the project. In those cases, there were statues or ordinances in place requiring the project be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder. In addition, in those cases the public entity accepted bids and then negotiated with one of the bidders by changing the project specifications and accepting a lowered price from the non-low bidder pursuant to the new specifications. In each instance, the Supreme Court held that the award was illegal and an injunction was entered prohibiting the signing of the contract.

Some disappointed low bidders have sought to enforce what they consider to be their “rights” by relying upon constitutional claims such as a violation of their due process rights or equal protection rights. Generally, these have been rejected, but there is at least some suggestion from some of the federal courts that such a cause of action might exist under the right circumstances. One federal court applying Michigan law stated that it believed that where a state statue required public works contracts to be awarded to the lowest qualified bidder and where a decision was made to award such a contract bidders have a limited property interest in not having the procedures which regulates the enjoyment of the benefit sought applied in an arbitrary or capricious manner.

From the foregoing it is clear that if you are an unsuccessful low bidder the rights you have to redress the wrong are slim if not nonexistent. Does that mean you should “take your medicine” and give up? Possibly not, but there are factors which must be given very strong consideration before choosing to use your hard earned money to pursue what is usually a futile task.

To the extent there have been successful challenges to awards to non-low bidders, they appear to have been brought by taxpayers as opposed to aggrieved contractors. Further, those cases appear to involve situations where a statute or ordinance required an award to the low responsible bidder and there were no provisions in the contract or bid documents giving discretion to the awarding officials to select the contractor they felt was in the best interest of the public.

The RIEI provides educational seminars that include cities from coast to coast. RIEI addresses a wide variety of seminar topics which are of interest to roofing contractors, consultants, specifiers, plant engineers, and anyone else with a professional interest in roofing design, construction and maintenance.

October 22 Chicago, IL
December 3 Dallas, TX

This class is designed for those new to the roofing industry. Perfect as an orientation to the industry, Introduction to Roofing provides the right blend of information to start employees out with a solid understanding of roofing subjects.

October 4 - 5 Atlanta, GA
November 6 - 7 Orlando, FL

October 23 - 26 Chicago, IL
November 13 - 16 San Antonio, TX
December 11 - 14 Reno, NV

This is a necessary course for anyone who has roofing responsibilities. Discover the advantages and disadvantages of commercial low-slope systems, including new or changing products or application techniques. Learn to evaluate different systems to determine which best meets your roofing needs.

October 16 - 19 Denver, CO

November 1- 2 Denver, CO

This hands-on course is for those interested in taking an active role in managing their roof systems using the Roofer-EMS system. This course teaches the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Roofer and Micro-Roofer, computer-based roof asset management programs. Combined, these two programs comprise a powerful roof asset management tool. In addition to learning the process, students will have hands-on experience using Micro-Roofer.

December 4 Dallas, TX

You will learn the importance of correct system-type selection. Know how single-ply systems can help solve many roofing problems. Discover the differences in single-ply systems. Understand the selection criteria that must be considered when choosing a single-ply system. Learn system applications and detailing. Study the recommended maintenance practices. Learn repair processes for single-ply systems. Investigate and interpret specifications.

December 6 - 7 Dallas, TX

The basis for a reliable roof begins during the design phase, without accurate and complete specifications, the roof system may never perform up to standard. You will learn the three Cs of specification writing: complete, clear and concise.

November 8 - 9 Orlando, FL

Through this course you will understand proper application techniques. Be able to verify compliance with design specifications. Be able to determine actions need to meet specifications. Recognize and enforce industry standards. Receive materials and guidelines for a variety of roofing systems.

October 10, 2001
January 31, 2002

October 24, 2001