ASAMW Newsletter April 18

May

Crew Communications
Register Now – April 29^th is just a few days away and you don’t want to miss the opportunity to give your crew members valuable education to empower them to speak up in project situations. We are asking each of our GC Partners to be represented and you do not want to miss out.

Scheduling your foremen, superintendents, APMs and PMs to be out of the field is a commitment, but it will be well worth the investment.

Members should look at this list of GC Partners and ask those you know to be there so that together we can vastly improve job site communication. Learn more about this workshop here.

How Do You Bid to Remain Strong?
As the work picture becomes more unclear, it is important for subcontractors to factor future expected changes into their bids. This article from Construction Pros will raise some thoughts on how to protect your business in this volatile construction environment. For instance, re-evaluating current vendors to make sure you are getting the best prices and looking into the future to see what impact labor, tariffs and other costs will have on your prices.

This AGC Survey indicates that more subcontractors are in distress, or defaulting, compared to a year earlier - at a rate of 70%. This is causing GCs and Owners to look at the financial strength of their subcontractors with a lot of scrutiny.

Economy
RLB's Crane report indicates a decrease in the number of cranes of more than 20 percent in the DC area. Other areas have seen similar decreases, while New York City has seen an increase.

Religious construction is up, according to Anirban Basu: Religious construction spending started to rise in late 2022, ending a 20-year slump. Investment in new religious buildings is up nearly 70% over the past 2.5 years.

Golf Winners
It was cold, windy and damp, but everyone seemed to enjoy the Annual Spring Golf Tournament at Whiskey Creek in Ijamsville. The winners are:

First Place: Blackwood of DC (Clare Connolly, Bennie Kovach, Ricky Beasley, Ryan Whyte)
Second Place: John Moriarty & Associates of Virginia (Mike Leavitt, Will Smith, Justin Henry, John Schroeder)
Third Place: Telligent Masonry (Joel Ackerman, Tranquilino Villegas, AJ Wright, Chris Warner)

The Annual Fall ASAMW Tournament is set for September 4^th at Stonewall Golf Club in Gainesville, VA. Click here for more information.

Exclusive Tour: Award-Winning Excellence at The Bridge District
Mark your calendars for May 1st! Along with HITT Contracting, Inc. we invite you to experience firsthand the Bridge District project—winner of the 2025 Subby Great Team Award!

This achievement celebrates the exceptional collaboration that produced extraordinary results. The Great Team Award honors those rare partnerships where stakeholders unite as a seamless, high-performing force to create something spectacular.

If you were part of this success story, we hope you will share your experiences! Secure your spot for this behind-the-scenes tour. Click here to learn more.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Board President Kimberlee Driggs received a request from the Maryland Washington Minority Contractors Association to join them in a coalition to oppose efforts to eliminate DEI programs. The board did not join the efforts at this time, but encourages members to support MWMCA in these efforts.

Ten Second Survey
Answer this survey about paying a premium to add more days to your project schedule. The Catholic University Civil Engineering Department is seeking input on you paying to add more days to the schedule for your work to decrease your risk of running behind and delaying the project and accomplish your critical path. Both GCs and Subs are invited to respond.

SubExcel
Our national organization of ASA is having its annual conference in Oklahoma City from September 16-18, 2025 this year. I have never been…it looks interesting to me. I think we will have a good group from our Metro Washington Chapter; I highly recommend that you attend. Click here for more information. See you in Oklahoma!

From Brain Dump to Final Draft — Let AI Be Your Thought Partner

Most contractors don't need help knowing what to say. What they need is help saying it clearly, quickly, and without spending an hour at a blank screen. Here's the next practical Blue Collar AI tip: don't type, and don't try to write "perfect" — just talk.

Ramble. Repeat yourself. Forget something and circle back. Give it messy. Give it long. Then let AI turn it into a clear, cohesive, professional message — whether it's a client email, proposal draft, internal update, or project description. This works whether you're giving it a two-minute brain dump or a two-hour transcript. Just get it out. Then let the tool organize it, cut the fluff, and help you find the heart of what you're trying to say — without losing your tone. And even better? You can go back and forth. Add a detail. Ask a follow-up. Reword it for your audience. AI isn't just a writer — it's your sounding board, editor, and translator all rolled into one.

This is what we mean when we say: don't start from scratch. Start with your thoughts, and let AI help you finish strong. We'll show you how to do this — and more — in our upcoming Blue Collar AI session with ASAMW on June 13^th. Learn more here. You bring the boots, we'll bring the tech.

ADVOCACY UPDATES

DC – Council Member Kenyan McDuffie is expected to introduce legislation in May that will allow subcontractors to protect payment for work completed. ASAMW is seeking a grant from its national office to fund our work to get this legislation to become law.

MD – ASA of Metro Washington is working with ASA of Baltimore to secure a grant to fund lobbying efforts to protect subcontractors from unfair contract clauses.

VA – no report.

Federal – ASA National is issuing a CALL TO ACTION on immigration reform. If you are interested in learning more, reply to this email and we will send you the complete paper that explains what YOU can do.