Construction Will Humble You. Don’t Go it Alone.

At ASA’s Think Tank this year, I watched a room full of people who’ve been in construction for decades collectively go, “Wait…you can do that?”

We were talking about retention, and Melissa Rossi—President and CEO of Division 9—shared how her company gets a separate bond for retainage so they don’t actually have retainage held over the duration of the project. No one knew about this. These are smart, experienced subcontractors who live this stuff every day. And yet a single comment in a roundtable had people mentally rewriting how they ha ndle cash on long projects.

That moment really captured how I think about construction operations as a whole: it’s not straightforward, it’s not cookie-cutter, and it will humble you. 

The industry is only getting more complicated. It’s more litigious, with contract language getting even denser. Risk is being pushed downstream. Regulations and lien laws keep shifting, often in very quiet ways. (Ask anyone who only recently learned GCs couldn’t hold retention in New Mexico and had the same “wait, what?” reaction.) The idea that any one of us has it all figured out is kind of laughable.

Your Network Is Your Infrastructure

What actually works is leveraging your network and learning from your peers, over and over again. That’s what I love about ASA and the Think Tank format in particular. It’s not a bunch of polished keynotes telling you what you should be doing in theory. It’s subcontractors openly sharing what’s working, what isn’t, and where they’re stuck:

• I tried this bonding strategy, and here’s the impact on cash flow.
• We changed how we handle X in our contracts, and here’s what happened.
• We’re seeing more of Y in our region—are you seeing that too?

You quickly realize that even the most seasoned operators are still picking up new ideas all the time. Business keeps moving, and you will get left behind if you decide you’re done learning. So, whether it's an association, a peer group, or just a group of people you trust enough to call, find your network and foster it.

Tech Can’t Do the Learning For You

Think Tank wasn't all bonding strategies and contract terms; technology came up, too, as it always does. The message is consistent: adopt every new tool, especially AI, or get left behind. And there's truth in that. Technology is genuinely changing what's possible for subcontractors, and the right tools deliver real results (faster payments, better visibility, fewer things slipping through the cracks).

But my view is a little more measured. Before you invest in anything, be clear on the problem you're actually solving. Know your team's capacity to absorb change. And don't let the pace of adoption crowd out your own judgment in the process.

The most valuable things I walk away with from events like Think Tank are usually not shiny new tools; they’re ideas. Real stories from other subcontractors about how they’re navigating a more complex environment. The bond you didn't know you could get. The retention term you didn't realize you could negotiate. The legislation you didn't know had changed.

Tools can help operationalize all this, but they can’t give you that “wait, you can do that?” moment. That still happens in rooms like this one.

One More Thing

Everything I’ve written above is really a case for showing up consistently—in the right rooms, with people who actually get it. That’s what ASA has been for me. Organizations like this only get stronger when subcontractors lean in, share openly, and participate. It’s proof that competition and community can coexist, and when they do, everyone benefits. A rising tide raises all boats, after all.

For all these reasons, I’m excited to announce that I’m joining the ASA National Board this year. I've spent years building software for subcontractors—talking to them and learning what keeps them up at night. ASA fights for those same people. That's not a coincidence, and it’s exactly why I want to help grow this valuable organization.