Check out three upcoming events in Northeast Wisconsin presented by the Wisconsin Chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc.  Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) is a national trade association for the construction industry, which actively promotes the merit shop form of construction. ABC is an effective force in business development, education, labor relations and industry legislation.

Contractor Lien Rights:

Wednesday, March 21^st  

9:30 am to 12 pm

Appleton (Location TBD)

Fee:  $90 per person

Presenter:  Attorney Brian Mullins

Contractors, subcontractors and suppliers should not have to worry about payment. If you preserve your lien rights, you can have the owner’s property sold to get you paid, even if you do not have a contract directly with the owner, and even if the owner has paid the general contractor. All too often contractors, subcontractors and suppliers lose their lien rights by either failing to properly follow the procedural requirements for preserving their lien rights, or by signing a lien waiver which has not been properly prepared. Did you know that it is illegal in Wisconsin for an owner or a title company to require that you provide a lien waiver before you are paid? Don’t let it happen to you!

During this seminar Attorney Mullins will share with you the lessons learned from representing the general contractor in Wisconsin’s key construction lien law case.  Of the 12 lien claimants in that lawsuit, only his client had properly preserved their lien rights. In addition, Attorney Mullins will discuss.

• How to preserve your lien rights

• Common pitfalls to avoid

• Value of preserving your rights

• Best practices for lien waivers

• Theft by contractor

Membership Networking & Business Development Reception:

Wednesday, March 21^st at 5 to 6:30 pm

Radisson Paper Valley Hotel, 333 W. College Ave, Appleton

Free event (preregistration required 48 hours prior to event)

Join fellow ABC members for a casual networking event for an opportunity to build relationships with area members or strengthen those contacts you already have. Some of the top leaders in ABC-WI will be present. This is a free event, but ABC-WI needs to know if you are attending to be sure to have enough hors d’oeuvres available. Be sure to bring your business cards!

Fundamentals of Crew Leadership:

Tuesdays, March 27^th, April 3^rd, April 10^th, April 17^th, April 24^th

Time: 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm

Manitowoc, Location:  TBD

Instructor: Mike Schumacher, Valders Stone & Marble

Fee:  $125 for each employee of an ABC of WI member; $195 for each non-member invited guest

A $40 book is included in the fee!  15-hour course will teach the skills necessary to be an effective leader. As a crew leader, you need to understand how to manage materials, equipment, and labor in order to work in a cost-effective manner.

Skills covered::

• Communication skills:  verbal, written and visual
• Listening and giving feedback
• Tailoring messages for a particular crew
• Overcoming communication barriers
• Employee motivators
• Team building
• Implementing company policies and procedures
• Gender and minority issues associated with a changing workforce
• Steps in problem solving
• Addressing poor attitudes
• Responsibilities for jobsite safety
• Detecting substance abuse
• Setting daily and weekly work objectives
• Five steps to effective planning
• Writing daily work plans and diaries
• Planning for equipment, tools, and labor
• Estimating quantities of materials
• Using SIPS – Short-Interval Production Scheduling
• Controlling job costs
• Causes/corrections of cost overrides

For more information about these events, or to register, go to http://www.abcwi.org/ or call 1-800-236-2224 or 1-608-244-5883.