High Noon at the OK Corral

Southern Mamas believe in putting a shoulder to your dreams and feet to your prayers. If you want it, go after it. Things may not always work out the way you hope, but let it never be because you didn't try. Southern girls are also taught to confront issues, not run from them. I'm southern and a mama, so here goes.

At a recent dinner, this gal was asked to name FICAP's committees and she failed. Standing in front of a room of people, I went totally blank. The only thing that came to mind was Committee 1, Committee 2, Committee 3, etc. I looked around for support, but there was none headed my way, just blank looks or bewilderment.

Reality check: I have failed to communicate with my members and to keep the committees and our goals fresh on everyone's minds. Solution: Get ready to hear about them often...and to Get to Work!

Committee 1 - Convention, Awards and Events
This group oversees and plans the annual convention, fall golf tournament, spring clay shoot, and Christmas Banquet. The Associate of the Year and Producer of the Year awards; the Scholarship Award; and a new Recognition Program will now fall under this committee.

Committee 2 - Education
This committee will tackle the educational element of the association with a focus on the recovering market. A subgroup, Financial Benchmarking, will be added.

Committee 3 - Promotion and Membership
This committee will continue to monitor and direct the eNewsletter and website, but the main focus of this group will be improving FICAP's political presence and targeting new members. A subgroup, the FICAP PC, will continue to participate in the Concrete Coalition, promote the Masonry Education Bill, participate in Concrete Days, and help our members gain comfort and ease interacting with legislators.

If you're a member of FICAP, then you have a place on one of our committees (formerly known as goal groups). Take a look at what FICAP offers and see where you might plug in and make a difference. The committees are populated with both producers and associate members, which means you have a captive audience of producers who pay attention to the active members and those supporting their association. What better way to get to know a producer member than through working with one on a project. We're looking for fresh and new ideas. Bring yours to the table on September 30th and sign up for at least one of the committees listed above.  

I love working with FICAP! You are a great group of people and I am thankful for all the kind words and appreciation you've taken the time to share with me since the convention. What a hoot to see the industry get their redneck on at Longboat Key Club Resort. Be sure and check out the photos.

Michele Stropoli

FICAP Executive Director

Based upon the results thus far, 65% learned of the event through email; 65% attend FICAP events annually and another 18% attend both events. Your level of satisfaction with the resort is 4.5 out of 5 and your level of satisfaction with Association events is a 5 out of 5. The duration of the event is just right (94%) and 41% rate the value of the event as "very valuable"; 30% said "somewhat valuable" and 24% were neutral. Eighty-eight percent of you attend the event to support the organization and 4.9 (out of 5)plan to attend again.

Sunshine State's Construction Comeback 

Southwest Florida labor market improved, not healed 

International buyers bolster Florida's housing market 

A made-in-Florida construction industry rip-off 

U.S. construction spending hits highest level in 5-1/2 years 

Report from the Steel Industry 

Manufacturing Data Suggests a Good Ending to the Year 

Nearly Half of Credit Managers Don't Take Steps to Ensure Delivery of Important Email

NACM's August survey indicated that almost half of credit professionals and their departments aren't taking steps to keep their email communication to customers and other external business contacts out of recipient "spam" or "junk" boxes.  

When asked, "Do you or does your credit department take a proactive approach to ensure that important email communications aren't caught/lost in customers' spam folders/detectors?" 41% of respondents said "yes," while 49% said "no" and the remaining 10% answered "I don't know."

Many of those who said they didn't take a proactive approach commented that they either didn't know how to do so, since it is hard to track whether their outbound communications end up in spam folders, or they had to rely on others, such as the IT or sales department or a third party, to help solve the problem. The survey did illustrate an increased paranoia about fraud and overzealous marketing that has pushed many companies to increase their efforts to block such communications, which often has the unintended consequence of blocking important emails from creditors, customers, trade associations and others. As noted in eNews on July 31, words like "collections," "credit" and "past due" in the subject line or email body are especially prone to triggering protections that send these messages to areas not often or never checked by the target recipient.

Most NACM member comments noted that they reach out to a customer only if payment is past due, especially if it's the first occurrence in the business relationship. "We email invoices and, many times, we get the 'it never got to us' speech," said one survey respondent.

That reactive approach obviously doesn't sit well with some credit people who want prompt payment, but they've yet to find a realistic solution. "Many of our smaller mom-and-pop operations just aren't the most computer savvy," said one respondent. "Many times we just have to end up faxing their invoices or even sending them through the mail." Another participant from a larger firm said, "With 40,000 active customers, it is too labor intensive to verify in-bound receipt of documents."

Those who do take an active approach responded by providing advice that has been helpful for them:

• "We generally require a read receipt for important emails to customers so we are aware that
    they have been received and read by the customer."
• "We let them know up front that they need to make sure they approve our domain name so it
    doesn't go into the spam folder. I send them a test email to verify they receive it OK."
• "For our paperless billing, we send detailed instructions on how to add our email as safe to Outlook."
• "If we do not get a response from a new customer, I follow up with a phone call."

- Brian Shappell, CBA, CICP, NACM staff writer

 Friends, 

This election is about the future of Florida. It's about making sure our state is the best place to raise a family and live the American dream. It's about making sure every Floridian who wants a job can get one. Florida has come a long way in the last four years, but we have more work to do. 

I grew up in public housing and watched my parents struggle for work, so I understand the value of every new job created. To keep Florida working, it is critical that your ballot counts this November.

Visit MyVoteFlorida.com - here, you can sign up to vote by mail with just a few clicks.

We are going to have a great election this year, and you are going to make the difference - so don't wait to act. Together, we can keep Florida moving in the right direction.  

Rick Scott  

POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT PAID FOR AND APPROVED BY RICK SCOTT, REPUBLICAN, FOR GOVERNOR

"Recently, we received a new credit application by email. One of the owners signed it electronically using a font different from the rest of the application. Will that hold up legally or do we need to get a handwritten signature?"

It might hold up if you have enough supporting evidence to prove that a contract was formed with the signature, but best practices dictate that you get a signature. Even if it is a copy that is signed and scanned back to you.

- Answer provided by Rocco Cafaro, Construction Attorney with Hill Ward Henderson