| In The Mix
October 2009 - Vol 1, Issue 7 |
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| Officers / Directors |
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President
Gary Clements
Cement Products &
Supply Company
863-686-5141
Vice Presdient
Preston Sparkman
Quality Precast Co. Inc.
813-685-5615 ext 2228
Secretary
Brad Coolidge
A-1 Block Corporation
407-422-3768
Treasurer
Steve Bishop Maschmeyer Concrete
Jeff Bishop
Maschmeyer Concrete
561-848-9112
Adam Freeman
A-1 Block
407-422-3768
Sherry Griswold
Griswold Ready Mix
904-751-3796
Tony Segree
Hicks Concrete Services
863-425-4155
Mark Smith, Past President
Bell Concrete, Inc.
352-463-6103
Executive Director Michele Stropoli 407-333-4694 email | |
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 Greetings! |
 Thanks to everyone who came out to play in our golf tournament and those who volunteered to insure another successful golf tournament. Special thanks to the Todd and Todd show (Todd Amerson & Todd Brown), for organizing such a great tournament. Believe it or not we are approaching another political season. Yes, candidates for our statewide elections next November are holding fund-raisers even now. Wade Mullins and I paid a visit to a recent event and presented a PAC check to a candidate we feel is, and will continue to be, friendly to our industry. As you know, FICAP started a PAC fund in 2005. We have had the privilege of supporting a number of candidates who have listened to our concerns and needs. A strong PAC is very important to an organization like FICAP. We have had good participation in our PAC from our members, but I would like to have 100% participation. A member company can become a PAC member for as little as $100 per year. Please give strong consideration to joining our PAC today. You can find a FICAP PAC fund membership application on the FICAP web-site. I thank you in advance for your participation in this very important function of our organization. If you have any questions about our PAC please contact Wade Mullins or me. Please mark your calendars for Oct. 27th, and attend our Quarterly Educational event. The subject is Credit Management 101. Remember this is a free service to all FICAP members. Please invite your credit management personnel for this informative afternoon and evening.  Gary Clements President, FICAP |
| Associate of the Month |
Power Kleen Corporation brings almost 30 years of experience to the chemical and pressure washing industries. We are authorized distributors of K.E.W., Delco, Alkota, and Viking equipment. Our radio dispatched service people demonstrate, sell, and service all makes and models of steam cleaners and pressure washers. Read More or contact:
Doug Dirscherl
National Sales Manager
101 S. Bayview Blvd
Oldsmar, FL 34677
800-844-2648
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| 13th Annual Fall Golf Tournament |
Great fun was had by all at the 13th annual fall golf tournament held at Southern Dunes Golf Club. It was the perfect weather...perfectly hot! Thank goodness for the beverage cart, sponsored by Holcim. Todd Brown of Nextran once again pulled together an excellent tournament and with the help of Todd Amerson of Buckeye Technologies, we secured some great door prizes.
The First place team:
Todd Amerson
Bobby Emerson
Tommy Heath
Chad Melita
For additional details, including the list of door prizes, sponsors, and winners of the day, please follow the link Read More. | |
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| FICAP PAC - The Legislative Corner Wade Mullins, Chairman |
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 The tone for the 2010 Session of the Florida Legislature is being set as you read this article. Organizational meetings for the House and Senate are taking place during the month of October. Bills for the Spring Session can now be filed. Committee Weeks have already been announced for January and February 2010. The average session will see over 2000 bills filed. We can easily have up to twenty percent of those bills pass and head to the governor during that typical session. But, we all know 2009 was anything, but typical for Florida. Just a few short weeks before the 2009 Session began, Speaker of the House Ray Sansom resigned amid serious allegations of improper conduct, and House Member, Larry Cretul was selected as the new Speaker. Then the Chief of Staff for the House resigned, which also contributed to delays in getting things accomplished in the House of Representatives. Considering all the time spent on trying to balance the budget with the help of the Federal Stimulus Package, it is amazing that 236 bills actually did pass during the 2009 Session and were sent to Governor Crist for his signature. Speaker Cretul has already notified various interested parties that he is looking to only pass about 200 bills in 2010. I can just imagine all those lobbyists scrambling to find sponsors and get their client's bills filed when that message got around Tallahassee. One would naturally expect the budget issue to be foremost topic that will dominate the time available during the sixty day session. The other emotional issue that readily comes to mind that you will hear a lot about is off shore drilling for oil. We have invited House Speaker Designate for 2011-2012, Dean Cannon, to speak for us at the January General Membership Meeting. Representative Cannon represents District 35, which is located in Orange County. Are you a member of the FICAP PAC? If not, join today. |
| FICAP News |
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Roving Meeting at Parliment Building Products
Parliment Building Products will open their doors to FICAP members on November 17, 2009 for the semi-annual roving meeting. Members of Goal Groups 3 and 4 will meet prior to the general assembly. An official invitation will be sent prior to the event.
Parliment Building Products Inc.
3031 Westside Boulevard
Jacksonville, FL 32209
Phone: (904) 387-8444
Fax: (904) 387-8465
Toll Free: (866) 387-7601
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| Around The Industry |
 Florida May Consider Pay-per-Mile Motorists' Tax
Facing a likely future of dwindling gas-tax income, some Florida transportation officials are promoting a new way to raise money for highways and bridges: charging motorists by the mile. Called the VMT, or vehicle miles traveled tax, the idea is that drivers would pay depending on how far they go, rather than how much gasoline they pump into their cars. The mechanics and pricing of the proposal are varied, but one experiment in Oregon used a global positioning device in a fleet of cars to track their mileage. That number was read by a device at the gas pump, which taxed the user accordingly. Read More
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Customer Service Jim Bleech/Chuck Parliment
Parliment Building Products
Most of us are in business today because we recognized the benefit of superb customer service. We realized that we could always out-do the big boxes in responsiveness, friendliness, and first class business assistance and problem solving. For most of us, that was the foundation of the brand around which we built our companies.
Unfortunately, we are noticing that many companies have abandoned their roots as they have fought to cut costs in today's market. Response times have increased dramatically. Phones are not being answered promptly. More and more employees are claiming they are too busy to help solve a difficult problem. Hours of operations are shortening. More and more phone systems are answered mechanically where it is time consuming, frustrating and, in some cases, almost impossible to talk to a human. I am sure you have noticed this with your suppliers. We have found that many of our sources of supply have become extremely difficult to deal with. We are left stranded on the phones for what seems like hours. Working within your suppliers operating hours is inefficient. Questions on shipments are ignored. Billing and shipping errors have increased dramatically. Ask yourself, how much time and energy are you wasting dealing with vendors who are not doing the job they once did?
Now look in the mirror. How is your level of customer service? Have you stretched your organization so tight that you are leaving the door open for one of your competitors to gain his market share from you? Don't forget your roots and the brand that you stand for.
Lawmakers seek to extend $8,000 tax credit By JIM ABRAMS Associated Press Writer
Lawmakers are trying to extend and expand an $8,000 federal tax credit for first-time homebuyers, a stimulus-package tax break that many regard as a significant prop for the still-tottering economy.
The latest Senate proposal would drop the requirement that the credit be available only to first-time buyers, broadening the reach of the program but also adding to its cost, estimated by congressional analysts at $16.7 billion. Read More
"You know that children are growing up when they start asking questions that have answers." ~~ John J. Plomp
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Efficiency a star attraction By Anthony Clark
Matt and Tiffany Thomas wanted a charming older home in the Duck Pond area or near the University of Florida campus, but the homes they found needed a lot of repairs, and they would have had to put money in reserve for fixes or a new roof.
They then attended a presentation about new energy-efficient homes and were swayed by the savings in monthly utility bills.
"It dawned on us - what were we thinking getting into something older?" Tiffany Thomas said. "It was a relief to be able to find something to provide us with lower electric bills and water bills."
After moving into a new 2,100-square-foot home in the Longleaf Village subdivision last year, she said their utility bills are about the same as in their previous 1,500-square-foot home.
As a Realtor, Thomas said she sees a lot of home buyers go through the same battle. They like the charm of older homes, but more and more are going with new energy-efficient homes to lower their monthly bills. Read More
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Amendment 4: Defining the Debate By Ryan Houck
(FHBA) The wealthy backers of Amendment 4 (formerly known as "Hometown Democracy") have invested six years and nearly $2 million in their attempt to re-write Florida's constitution. With their amendment now slated to appear on the 2010 ballot, the debate over this anti-jobs proposal is rapidly heating up. Not surprisingly, Amendment 4 supporters spend most of their time debating last year's legislation, local policymaking and absolutely anything other than their own proposal. Their objective is simple: Make this campaign about everything except the costs and workability of Amendment 4. In public debates with Amendment 4 founder and co-author Lesley Blackner, I have noticed a few recent examples have emerged: Read More~~~~~~~~
Florida's high-speed-rail pitch has stiff competition
By Dan Tracy Sentinel Staff Writer
 Florida officials like their chances of winning billions of federal dollars for a high-speed train, but almost every contender from California to Georgia insists its rail pitch is the best.
Actually, the proposals are far from equal. Some applicants bring money, land or potential passengers. Others offer little more than what they think to be a great idea.
The Federal Railroad Administration is checking out the plans right now, sifting through 45 requests from 24 states seeking a total of $50 billion. An additional 214 applications from 34 states are asking for $7billion for planning and smaller projects. Read More
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EPA chief outlines stepped up Clean Water Act enforcement
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C.
The Clean Water Action Enforcement Plan, outlined by EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson in an Oct. 15 House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing, calls for the agency to a) develop more comprehensive approaches to ensure enforcement is targeted to the most serious violations and significant pollution sources; b) work with states to ensure greater compliance and water quality consistency; and, c) ensure that states are issuing protective permits and taking enforcement measures to achieve compliance and remove economic incentives to violate the law. Read More |
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"May I Call You Friend?"
Michele Stropoli, Executive Director |
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No matter the economy, there are those you can count on...like
FICAP. Frienship is an in-depth relationship combining trust, support,
communication, loyalty, understanding, empathy, and intimacy.
Friendship is comfortable and relaxed. Friends relate.
Many of us have formed friendships within FICAP. We meet monthly,
share ideas, work together for a common goal, and achieve success
together.
What better basis for a friendship is there than that?
Sincerely,
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