Ken
Since you are the only one answering any questions .......How come the membership listing is still not public?
How come a interested client has to call or email for a contractor?
(Personally I see this as open door for favoritism)
Please don't say Web first hasn't had time to fix it....I have had 2 websites built in the past 2 months from web first. Not to mention it would only take a few hours to do it......
Being that this org is going to be ran by mobile contractors....What plan is in place to prevent the people representing the org at national trade shows (boma, Cai) from conducting shady deals for themselves? Before you say that stuff doesn't go on don't .........Reference JITB Russ Spence.....Thanks Russ for calling them out!
Financial statements........
Member list..........
private or non profit.......
National trade show........
I was accused of bashing this org..........I am really not! I just won't turn a blind eye to something that involves pressure washing contractors.
IMO We need a org. to represent us on education, benefits, guidance on the law, and buying power....When you bring in rfps and referrals you bring in the opportunity for shady dealings........
Lou, I agree with all of your questions and a desire for answers. Unfortunately, I am not qualified to answer any of them. I'm too far removed from daily operations. I was a ditch digger for the org helping to set up a foundation upon which things could be built. My tenure expired 7 months ago. My "answers" to questions are based on solely my viewpoint.
While I still believe the core of the organization is on firm ground, I'd be kidding myself to say that the foundation does not have any cracks. That was to be expected. Go into your local law library and look at the hundreds of volumes of challenges and amendments to your local laws. The first charters and constitutions for PA were written 300 years ago and in my county courthouse alone there is 3500 s/f of shelves of precedence and statute.
The UAMCC Does React
We built things the best we could based on what was in front of us. The JITB issue was not something we could foresee. The org has since recognized that service company membership is a big hole and they closed that hole. Service companies are currently not accepted into membership. That was the responsible thing to do. They acted on behalf of the membership. If Carlos is the guy some people are accusing him of being, he would have made back door deals with TWS and kept that revenue stream alive and well. Carlos has recently said they will not even return his calls. Its not a fiasco or embarassment any more than you getting a bad check from a customer is. You would be acting in good faith and if you got burnt you would check your policies to make sure it did not happen again.
All of this calling out and posturing is over the top but ultimately it is a blessing in disguise. Better to force the org early on into getting all of its ducks lined up correctly before it becomes a business league of 2000 members. Try to keep an open mind Lou. The org is either going to help contractors or it is going to fail attempting to do so. I am here speaking my thoughts on it because I believe it can benefit my business. No, it does not speak for the entire industry but it can help all of us.. members or not.
How Can The UAMCC Benefit The Industry or Non Members?
A classic example of the UAMCC working for nonmembers is the Charlotte BMP's. I am not saying the UAMCC was solely responsible for changing things. Maybe they were or maybe they weren't. But the bottom line is that the UAMCC took an active stance and now instead of tens of thousands of dollars being spent on reclaim equipment and acquiring Hazmat licenses, PW'ing companies can operate in the city for a reasonable business expense. Is that not what an industry organization is supposed to do?
Lou, do you believe that if you, me and the next Joe Blow walked into a city council meeting demanding changes be made to a BMP that we would get anywhere? That is one reason why I desire a pressure washing organization to count on and which is why I participate in these discussions. There is power in numbers. I don't know what your favorite truck is but how cool would it be to have an org be able to negotiate discounts with major manufacturers for exclusive members only discounts.
At the end of the day we as business owners want to invest our dollars into things that pay dividends.. including organization benefits. Lou you are not bashing by asking questions. Bashing is when someone closes their mind, makes decisions based upon rhetoric and participates in unprofessional and personal vendetta. There is a clear dividing line there.