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Showing posts from 2014

From our family to yours.....

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May you and yours be surrounded by the love, peace and joy of the season!

Congratulations to VoS CFMA Member Matt Meaker!

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ENR Southwest is proud to announce its 2015 Top 20 Under 40 selections. ENR Southwest will showcase this year's class in the upcoming January print edition. For now, here is an alphabetical list of the latest Top 20 Under 40 class. Andrew Baird, 33, Project Manager / Utility Group Leader, AZTEC Engineering, Phoenix Paul Barricklow, 39, Principal, Lee Engineering, Albuquerque, N.M. Wesley Begay Jr., 30, Development Manager, Navajo Housing Authority, Defiance, Ariz. Christopher Brooks, 34, Senior Estimator, The Penta Building Group, Las Vegas Ramona Burns, 34, Interior Designer, Gensler, Las Vegas Kevin Connor, 38, Project Director, Skanska USA, Phoenix Julie Garcia, 33, Preconstruction Services Manager, Kitchell, Phoenix Harshal Desai, 35, Division Manager, Atkins, Henderson, Nev. Brian Fitzpatrick, 30, Project Manager, Mortenson Construction, Chandler, Ariz. Valerie Granger, 33, Structural Engineering Associate, Pk Associates Structural Engineers, S

DEC 2014 VoS CFMA MONTHLY MEETING

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In lieu of our regular meeting, we enjoyed some holiday cheer and networking as we recreated Dean Martin’s Friar’s Roast hosted by our own Dave Miller. We roasted a few good-natured members for charity. Proceeds benefited St Mary’s Food Bank. Check out some of the fun: Roastee: David James Roastee: John Corcoran Roastee: Jim Bracy David/Dean Miller/Martin  A good time was had by all and $500 was raised for charity! To see more pictures; check out our FB page: https://www.facebook.com/VoSCFMA

Goldwater Institute successful on their lawsuit against the City of Tucson....

The Goldwater Institute has been successful on their lawsuit against the City of Tucson local preference law. Tucson passed an ordinance in 2012 that gave "local" vendors a bid preference on city contracts. The ordinance had a three-tier process to determine how much bidding preference to give a vendor. The process varied, depending on how "local" a business was. The original draft had construction included in it. ABA lobbied to have contracting removed and we were successful in effort. Here is a link   to the news release from Goldwater.   Thank you to ABA for their continued efforts on behalf of all of us!

Happy Thanksgiving!

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In this time of gratitude, we give thanks for you, our members!     We value your involvement, dedication, and confidence in Vos CFMA.   Counting you among our members and friends is something for which we are especially grateful.   On behalf of VoS CFMA, we wish you a very  Happy Thanksgiving!     

Arizona TPT Changes

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On January 1, 2015, the changes to the Arizona Transaction Privilege Tax system will substantially alter how many of us do business in the state. As a result, in an effort to educate our industry, the VoS CFMA Program and Education Committees hosted an expanded November lunch. The first part was an overview of the changes affecting Contractors. The two-hour extension examined the AZDOR's FAQs, how they apply to real life situations, and how they will be taxed under the new 'hybrid' system. The panel of experts and the Department of Revenue that helped us sort through our numerous questions: Mark Minter, Moderator, Arizona Builders Alliance David James, FNF Construction Craig McPike, Snell & Wilmer Christie Comanita, AZDoR, Manager Tax Policy and Research Division To link to the AZDOR FAQ about these changes: http://origin.library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1102816857931-1839/TPT+FAQ+11.14.pdf

Some of you may remember Tom Schleifer....

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He is an extremely popular speaker and author who has presented at AGC conventions on numerous occasions. He recently had an article published in ENR on contractor survival during tough times. Take a look: Too many construction organizations become slaves to their over-head, their general and administrative expenses. Increased overhead usually equates to increased capacity and is common and appropriate during growth periods. Unfortunately, these expenses are much easier to put in place than to get rid of, and in a cyclical market they become a burden and create losses. This is especially true now that we have such a weak and slowly developing business upswing. To read more:    http://origin.library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1102816857931-1818/ENR_OH_article.pdf  

Happy Veterans Day!

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Today was the day!

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VoS CFMA and St Mary's could not ask more of our volunteers, yet these individuals continue to inspire us by giving ever-more generously of their time, effort and talents. Raising awareness of the realities of hunger and poverty, our volunteers are essential to St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance operations, assisting in the sorting, boxing and bagging of food, providing administrative and fundraising support and acting as advocates to bring about positive change. Here are our great volunteers: Hard working AND cute!! Muscle men! Look at that assembly line! Faster! Faster! This food is heavy!  Baby bear boxes..... Big Daddy boxes! Just right boxes! Keeping the process moving.... Two sided assembly line! building boxes! The hard-working VoS CFMA volunteers! Thank you one & all for your hard work and making a difference!

Happy National Nacho Day!

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National Nacho Day is Nov. 6 and it is a great day to learn history about the origin of Nachos OR maybe just eat some Nachos! Nachos can be made many different ways, when ordering them they are called loaded or super nachos. It is often used as a snack for a group or a hearty meal prepared for one person. The basic of a nacho is to layer nachos on a dish topped with meat and refried beans covered in shredded cheese. After the cheese melts add cold toppings such as lettuce, tomato, onion, jalapeño and salsa mounded on atop these flat chips. Many other toppings can be substituted or added to ones liking like cilantro, chicken, chorizo, bacon, lime, olives, guacamole, sour cream and Pico de Gallo. Celebrate by ordering a big plate tonight!    

Tucson Monthly Meeting details.....

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There are numerous events upcoming to help educate our industry on the changes including :

November 13                 Tucson chapter CFMA; noon – 1:30 Sir Veza’s @ Tucson Mall                 Contact:  Krista Conway, Beach Fleischman 520-321-4600     November 19 AZ Contractor Coalition/ASA – 7:30 – 9:00 @ Lovitt and Touche   1050 W. Washington #233 Tempe                 Contact:  Sharon Shively, Sacks Tierney 480-425-2650   November 20 Valley of the Sun chapter CFMA; 11:30 – 3:00 Doubletree 44 th Street and Van Buren Phoenix                 Contact: Marj Weber, Irontree Construction 480-969-9966   December 5 Beach Fleishman – 7:30 – 12:00 (Annual construction conference (multiple topics) – approx. 2 hours devoted to the new sales taxes) @ Lovitt and Touche   1050 W. Washington #233 Tempe                 Contact:  Angel Wible, Beach Fleischman 602-265-7011   December 9, 10, 11 (only one! – TBD) Tucson:  Details to be announced Beach Fleischman and Fennemore Craig organizing   D

Scholarship Support

One the best parts of CFMA is being able to support the future generations of our Construction Leaders. Recently we received a thank you letter from one of our scholarship recipients and we would like to share it with you: Dear CFMA Valley of the Sun Chapter, My name is Naomi Kartz and I am a sophomore at Arizona State University with a major in Construction Management. I am quite excited and very grateful for the CFMA Joseph J. Quigley Memorial Scholarship that I have recently been awarded. I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank you for your immense contribution to the future of my education. During my freshman year at ASU last year, I kept very active in the Construction clubs as well as trying to maintain a high GPA. I really enjoyed the connections that I made through Advancing Women in Construction (AWIC) as well as the numerous site tours I was able to take. I really feel that my involvement with activities in construction outside of my regula

Current TPT Status & Recommendations, Courtesy of David James, CPA, CCIFP

As part of this process, we will have identified several issues that must be addressed in the next legislative session (begins 1/12/15) in order to provide DOR with the legal directives it needs.  DOR cannot address these potential changes in their FAQ, as they are limited to responding to the law as it currently exists. So you will NOT see this in the final FAQ.  The plan would be to make these clarifications/changes retroactive to 1/1/15.  But that does not help us “now” . . . . Obviously, this time line is way too late for those of us who are currently bidding jobs and negotiating change orders and buying inventories which will roll into 2015.  At this point, there is not much we can do – except for you to plan that: -           The “hybrid” method of taxation WILL go into effect 1/1/15 -           For those jobs that are clearly MRRA  - you should price the projects accordingly – taxes to be paid on the cost of materials.  That said, it appears that the purchase of ma

Our St. Mary’s Emergency Food Packing Event is next Friday!

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If you have been putting off signing up, please sign up today !    We would like to have as many as possible registered by Friday, October 31 so that we can plan for a lunch afterwards (St. Mary’s can provide this, but we need to give them a headcount by Monday). St. Mary’s is very strategic in their volunteer staffing schedule, so they do need to know for their planning purposes how many hands we’ll have on deck.     Please take a moment and sign up now – the details are attached!    

Scholarship Application

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The Valley of the Sun Chapter of the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA) will award an educational scholarship up to $2,500 in value for the Spring semester.     We acknowledge that one of our primary goals is education. We also acknowledge the need for qualified employees in the construction field. These needs will be filled largely by students graduating from our area schools. We hope these scholarships will prove to be an investment in the Arizona field of construction by providing promising financial/construction professionals with some assistance while completing their studies .     Candidates applying for this scholarship for the first time will be given preference over  those who re-apply.   Applications are due October 31 for the Spring Semester and will be awarded within 60 days after application deadline. Click here to download the Scholrship Application.

Join CFMA in a volunteer outing to St. Mary’s Food Bank!

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  We will be packing emergency food boxes for local families in need.                                               Friday, November 7, 2014                                                    9:00 am – Noon                                   2831 N. 31st Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85009 To sign up, click here , and follow these steps: 1.  Click “Register” (in orange bar) and create volunteer profile. 2.  Click “Individual and Small Groups” (top white section) and then “Pick an Opportunity” (in orange bar). 3.  Click “Search Opportunities” above calendar, then scroll down to “Additional Filters” below the blue box and maximize “Invitation Code”. 4.  Enter our group invitation code: SSCG14, click refine, and then select the November 7 event.  Scroll to the bottom and choose the blue “Sign Up” button (not the “Sign Up As A Team” option – by registering for this event you are automatically with our group/team.) Volunteer Notes: •  Dress code: o  Must wear Closed Toe Shoes o  Shirts need

Happy Fire Prevention Day!

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When: Always on October 9th. Fire prevention week is during the week in which  October 9th falls.       According to legend, on October 8, 1871, Mrs. O'Leary was in her barn, milking her cow. The cow kicked over a lamp, which started the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The fire burned for over 27 hours. When it was over,  more than 300 people were killed, 100,000 people were left homeless, and over 17,000 structures were destroyed.       The Great Chicago fire sparked major efforts in fire prevention.  Forty years later, the Fire Marshall's Association of North America(FMANA) held the first Fire Prevention Day. In 1920 , President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Fire Prevention Week.       The Saturday during Fire Prevention Week is Fire Service Recognition Day. Did You Know? Dalmatians became fire dogs because they were often kept around the horses at fire houses to guard them. Remember "EDITH"

Earn Your CCIFP in 2014!

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One of the VoS chapter goals for 2014 is to increase the number of CCIFPs in its membership to surpass the Denver Chapter.  Help the chapter meet its goal while you meet your professional goals by becoming a CCIFP!  Wednesday, October 15 is your chance to take the CCIFP overview seminar in time to prepare for the Phoenix exam date scheduled for December 13 (12-13-14 - Come on numbers people, you can't get better than that!).  VOS wants to help by offering scholarships - members that take the overview class and then write and pass the exam will be reimbursed $350 of the exam cost.  Register today  to take this important first step in gaining this valuable certification.