Annual Report 2006

The Challenges of Success

With all of this work in the pipeline, there are a number of key issues for the industry and our government partners in the coming year and beyond.

For members of our industry, the first is always to build the right way – safely, responsibly and efficiently. “The building community is at its best when its members are actively promoting the highest level of professionalism, responsibility and ethical behavior,” said Building Congress Past Chairman Frank J. Sciame, President/ CEO of Sciame Construction LLC “All sectors of the industry – including management, labor, vendors and suppliers – must deliver the highest quality product for our clients and reward superior performance. And this must be achieved in the most cost-effective and transparent manner possible.”

Another important issue is the enactment and enforcement of increased safety measures. Construction always involves risk. Nowhere is this truer than in New York City, where the geography and built environment pose significantadditional challenges.

“Our contractors and associations must continue to be at the forefront of innovations regarding public and worker safety as well as the establishment of basic minimum professional construction standards, and we must act in partnership with government to ensure these standards are followed by all contractors,” said Louis J. Coletti, President of the Building Trades Employers’ Association.

Added Edward J. Malloy, President of the Building & Construction Trades Council of Greater New York, “There is one construction industry in New York City where responsible developers and contractors work with labor to keep job sites as safe as possible. Another, however, is rapidly growing where unscrupulous firms regularly expose workers and the public to serious hazards. We must work with government to assure that high standards apply to all projects and that those unwilling to meet such standards are subjected to the harshest possible penalties.”