TFG President Marty Fiorentino recently had the honor of serving as the keynote speaker at the 22nd Annual Pile Driving Contractors Association (PDCA) International Conference and Expo. Titled “Legislation and Advocacy in our Industry: Are You At The Table Or On The Menu?”, the presentation delved into the importance of being politically involved as a business or association.
“Governments and regulators are among the stakeholders with the biggest economic impact on companies,” said Fiorentino. “Therefore, companies and industries should engage with governments and regulators proactively and regularly. A strong government relations program can make industry winners and losers. Don’t be on the menu, be at the table when government decision are being made.”
“The construction marketplace is highly competitive with tight margins, especially during strong economic times,” said Frank Peters, Executive Director of the PDCA. “When a company is heavily involved in the bidding and building process, it’s easy to overlook the critical influences that the government can place on the construction industry through actions like municipal ordinances, state-level initiatives and even transformational Federal Acts such as an anticipated transportation re-authorization. Marty Fiorentino gave a thought provoking and eye-opening presentation to our PDCA members about the challenges our businesses face when they don’t pay attention to the policy developments that continuously reshape the playing field for the construction industry. It is clear that his insights made an impact on our members who attended his presentation.”
The PDCA is an organization of pile driving contractors that advocates the increased use of driven piles for deep foundations and earth retention systems. For more information, visit piledrivers.org.