Letter from the President, June 13, 2018

The Electrical Work event was held May 24th at Zero Net Energy Center in San Leandro and highlighted upcoming opportunities for SB to bid on Electrical Work contracts. Much of the upcoming work being discussed is funded as a result of Measure RR which was passed by the taxpayers in 2016 to help to repair and replace much of the aging BART system.

May was a great month for us.  Through mentoring and on-going communication, we were able to assist several small contractors in becoming DBE (Disadvantaged Business Enterprise) certified. Through this process and many business planning strategy sessions, we were able to support these companies by aligning their approach with tangible goals that support industry needs.  We are showing small contractors how to build viable businesses through best practices.

We have also spent quite a bit of time working on supporting and providing the public factual information about Proposition 69/SB-1. This has been an uphill battle as there are many perception issues surrounding both the increased revenue’s oversight as well as how much money drivers will actually pay at the pump and DMV.  Please reach out to any of our staff or visit www.rebuildingca.ca.gov for more information on this.

There are many misconceptions about the level of effort it takes to run a profitable small business. Mainly, the notion that at some point everything will fall into place and that your job as an owner will somehow become easier while you make more money.  That you have to stop trying to stay ahead of industry change. Time and time again over the past several years, unfortunately, we have seen many businesses fail because they become overly confident and begin to rely heavily on longstanding professional relationships without continuing to provide value for their clients.

Lastly, our company’s mission statement includes the language that both supports the company’s values as well as our staff’s values.  We support the right for all business owners to be heard and validated.  We will continue to remain responsive to our industry’s needs and support all partners who are working towards bringing us all up together.