Did you grow up in the construction industry? Are you a second generation builder? Was your dad a contractor? No? Me neither. 

The reason I ask is that construction is a hard business to learn. Oh sure, you can learn a trade, but to learn the business… that’s a different story.  So how do you get there faster? Do what my mama told me a long time ago. Join your local builders association. 

Not right now. It’s summer. We’re all enjoying family and friends. However, look into your local builders association now and join in September when everyone will be in back-to-school mode. 

Yes, I know that you can learn a lot about the technical side of building via the internet. However, after 18 months of the pandemic, you must be ready to meet with real people rather than faces on a screen. That as much as social media can give you a lot of good virtual info, there really is no comparison to talking face to face with someone. That personal connection offers a whole other level of experience.

So, join your local builders association. An association like the Santa Barbara Contractors Association www.sbcontractors.org  or the Home Builders of the Central Coast www.hbacc.org/ . Or your local chapter of the Associated General Contractors if you’re into the commercial or institutional worlds of construction.

Then go to the meetings. Participate. You’ll be hanging out with other builders and contractors who are looking to further their industry and in turn themselves. If you like the people, volunteer to join a committee. Get on the board. The payoff? You’ll accelerate the growth of your knowledge exponentially which will improve your business dramatically. 

You’ll find that, in these association meetings, your colleagues and even your direct competitors are more willing to share information and experience. By asking and listening, you can find out how they solved tough problems, clients, and financial issues. It will definitely speed up the acquisition of the business knowledge needed to run a successful construction company. How do I know? Well, here’s my experience…

I had to learn nearly everything about construction through OJT or On the Job Training. I’m a proud graduate of the UHK, the University of Hard Knocks.  

I’m also a slow learner. I have to hit my head twice on the low doorway and occasionally a third time before I remember to duck. 

Lastly, I’ve got this annoying belief that just because someone else did something that looks successful, I can figure that out too, on my own. Turns out that ends up being a tough and expensive way to learn the construction business. 

Personally, I like my independence and control. I like change. I like being in charge. Sound familiar? 

So I started my own contracting business, specializing in foundations and framing, at the age of 24. Since I’d been in the trades since I was 17 and had 7 years of experience, I surely thought then that I could run my own construction company.  How little did I know. Sure, I knew a bit about building, but I didn’t understand business at all. 

I soon found that pretty much the only way I could get a job was to be low bidder. For a young builder starting out with nothing, you’re more than halfway there to going broke. Which I nearly did. And the best part was I didn’t even know it until it was almost too late. 

Then Geoff Crane and I formed our partnership in 1986 as Giffin & Crane General Contractors. I was 31 years old and he was 30.  We hustled and got work, mostly smaller jobs. We made a little bit of money, but not really. I won’t say we were struggling, but we certainly weren’t thriving either. 

So after 3 years of being in partnership, I was talking to my mom on the phone one day and I was complaining about our situation. She listened for a while and then stopped me short. 

“Bruce,” she said, “you need to join the local contractors association.”

“What? Why?” I asked.

“Because that’s where you’re going to learn about the business side of contracting,” she replied.

Now I’d already researched our local contractors association. So I replied, “Mama, it’s made up of 27 old guys who chain smoke cigarettes and have their meetings at Josie’s 4 Winds Bar and Grille”

“Well,” Mama said, “that’s exactly who you need to hang out with.”

Inwardly, I groaned, but I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. So I got the number out of the phone book and called it. I got an answering machine and left a message. A day later I got a call back from June Martin, the gravelly voiced old gal who ran the association. 

Soon enough, I found myself down at Josie’s 4 Winds Bar and Grille at the next SBCA monthly dinner meeting. Since I had worked for one of the old boys as an apprentice, he introduced me to the others. Over a drink and then dinner, I got to know them better. 
I had a question about a business problem I was having so I put it out to the table. To my surprise, everyone at the table had been in a similar place at one time or another. All of them were happy to share how they resolved it. Right then, I knew Mama was right. The investment of my time had just been paid. 

After a few months, they asked me to join the Board. So I did. I learned even more by doing that. I got to see how my mentors, colleagues and peers operated, how they promoted ideas, managed others, what worked and what didn’t. Again, a great Return on Investment of Time (ROIT).

The Christmas holidays came and went and then I made a fateful mistake. I did not attend the January Board meeting where they elected officers for the coming year. When I showed up at the January dinner meeting, I asked one of the other Board members who had been elected President. He put his hand on my shoulder and leaned down hard. “Well, Bruce, you were. Congratulations!” 

Those bastards, I thought. They elected me in my absence. So, here’s a lesson for you.  Don’t ever miss the meeting where they’re electing officers or you too could become president.

However, that turned out to be one of the best growing experiences of my life. I was President for 3 years. During that time we grew the association to 275 members. We expanded, not just in membership but in providing benefits in serving our local industry and community too. It was a tremendous learning experience for me, the good kind.

So here are the top 10 reasons to join your local builders association…

1.    Align yourself with others who have common interests.
2.    Expand your network
3.    Become known and create credibility for your company
4.    Learn from others
5.    Meet new vendors
6.    Find new marketing opportunities.
7.    Develop relationships with your competitors,
8.    Gain valuable business knowledge, expertise and insights,
9.    Help move your industry forward,
10.    Gather intel on your local market, customers and competitors,

In September, put it on your calendar. Take Mama’s advice to heart. Go join your local builders association.