PCCA Journal 3rd Quarter 2013 - page 27

PCCA Journal|3
rd
Quarter 2013
27
communication sectors. He reported that 19 RUS employees
took early buyouts, including several general field representa-
tives, and that those positions are “gone forever.” It will be a
“different RUS going forward,” he said. Kuchno said that the
RUS broadband program took “a big hit” in recent congres-
sional budget negotiations with just $39 million to loan in
fiscal 2013 and that the agency’s Community Connect Grant
Program could be a bigger source of broadband funding go-
ing forward.
The roundtable also featured a broadband update from
Dean Mischke of the Association of Communication Engi-
neers and a discussion of issues raised by PCCA’s associate
members, led by Tony Briggs of Vermeer. Jerrod Henschel,
Michels, and John Fluharty, Mears, discussed labor issues
important to PCCA, including outdated Department of Trans-
portation hours-of-service regulations and how association
members can help influence prevailing wage determina-
tions. They said that the Department of Labor has begun a
wage survey of heavy construction (a catchall category that
includes power and communication construction) in Kansas
and that PCCA will be contacting members and nonmem-
bers that do work in the state to urge them to complete the
survey. This is our chance to influence the process and work
toward more accurate wage descriptions and determinations.
PCCA will continue these efforts in all states where surveys
are conducted. Turn to page 54 for more information. LDP
Committee Chairman Heath Sellenriek, Sellenriek Construc-
tion, reported on the new education initiatives
mentioned earlier in this article and on pages
9-13.
The roundtable concluded with two upbeat
market reports, one from Mark Bridgers of the
Continuum Advisory Group and another from
FMI’s Chris Daum. PCCA members have val-
ued Daum’s never-pull-any-punches insights
for more than 12 years now, and this year’s
report left them smiling. “Make hay while
the sun shines,” he said, because, except
for the long-haul boom around 2000, this is
the best our markets have ever been. Bridg-
ers noted the overall economy’s continued
improvement, citing 15 consecutive quarters
of economic growth, settling unemployment
rates, and a stock market that is positive but
volatile. He forecasts slow, steady economic
improvement in 2014, a brief, shallow reces-
sion at the end of 2014/beginning of 2015,
followed by accelerated growth for 2015-2017,
which he called “typical post-recession growth.”
The above paragraphs let you know that PCCA members
are not averse to rolling up their sleeves and getting some
serious work done, however, that’s only part of the Mid-Year
story because those same members are not the least bit shy
about enjoying themselves wholeheartedly once their work
is done. From organized events like President Amerine’s
lovely Welcome Reception overlooking Cheyenne Lake and
the delicious BBQ up in the mountains at Cheyenne Lodge to
evenings (and a few late nights) in the hotel’s bowling alley,
PCCA members love to laugh, swap stories, and enjoy each
others company. The PCCA Golf Tournament was recently
reorganized to better mix young folks with older folks, new
members with veteran members, and contractors with associ-
ates, and the feedback has been nothing but positive. The
feedback on the testy greens at the Broadmoor’s West Course
was not so positive. And the optional events—ziplining, Seg-
waying, and riding a cog railway through the Rocky Moun-
tains—were as spectacular as the mountains themselves.
But don’t take our word for it; check out the photos on the
following pages and see some of the good times for yourself.
Or even better, join us at the 2014 PCCA Convention, March
14-19 at the fantastic Frenchman’s Reef Marriott Beach Resort
on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
6
Tommy Maisonet and Maria Osuna, Bonneville Construction, enjoy
the view at the“America the Beautiful”Monument atop Pikes Peak.
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