Two of Utah’s construction trade associations have joined forces to create a space for subcontractor interests in Utah’s construction arena. The American Subcontractors Association (ASA) and Utah Plumbing and Heating Contractors Association (UPHCA) have recently partnered their resources, leadership teams, educational offerings and legislative resources to better serve the industry.
ASA Utah is a part of ASA National, which is a national construction trade association with 55 chapters throughout the country. UPHCA is a Utah-based construction association that has been in existence since 2000.
This new industry leadership coalition is the brainchild of the executive director of both associations, Dave Hill. Through his time leading both organizations, Dave has seen the need for a unified and collective voice for the subcontractor and specialty subcontractor discipline here in the state. While Utah has a robust, competitive, and high-performing construction industry, Dave believes that the developing initiatives of this new coalition will further develop the industry by partnering with all members of a project, specifically general contractors. “There is room to further expand the dialogue, relationships and processes between the general contractor and subcontractors,” said Dave. “Even though the dynamics in the Utah construction process between the general contractors and the subcontractors are good, there is always room for improvement in any system, and Utah as a whole will benefit.”
He also recognizes that many of the Utah general contractors already understand the value of good subcontractor relationships. Yet there are still many subcontractors that don’t have that engagement with the general contractors and find it hard to break into already established partnerships. One of the goals of the Alliance is to broaden the networking bandwidth with the general contractors and provide more opportunities for both to network. Dave explained, “The generals need subcontractors and vice versa, so it’s a win-win for both disciplines.”
While Utah is home to other construction trade associations, there is a gap for subcontractor-specific concerns, says Chris DeHerrera, DeHerrera Consulting LLC, who is assisting the Alliance with membership growth strategies. “I’ve seen construction trade associations from all around the country, and Utah has high-performing construction trade associations that are very good at representing segments of the industry. There are even trade-specific associations. The Subcontractor Alliance is not working to replace anyone, but is looking to provide a space for subcontractor-centric solutions.” She says that members that belong to associations are joiners and it’s not the intent of the Alliance to compete but rather expand.
