The Importance of Staying Engaged

Words: Stephen Borg
Photos: Jeff Buczkiewicz

There’s an old adage in Washington, D.C.: “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” After moving to Washington, D.C., in January of 2001 for what I thought would be a fun two years working for a Member of Congress while I figured out what I really wanted to do, I have come to find out in my 26 years living and working here that this adage proves correct, but only if you are constantly engaged and constantly present. While there are thousands and thousands of registered lobbyists roaming the streets and halls of D.C., there are a small number that constantly make their faces seen.

I have been blessed to have been able to partner with and represent MCAA for 15 years now, and we have built a robust Government Relations Program throughout the years. Your participation in that process has been invaluable and has laid the foundation for a story I want to relay to you about how staying engaged is so paramount to you, your business, our association, and most importantly, our industry.

There is not a week that goes by that I do not try to spend time on Capitol Hill, even when Congress is out of session. I want to be one of those lobbyists who is constantly seen, constantly reminding staffers, even when their bosses are out of town, that my clients are still working on important issues and I am someone you can trust and work with. Some months ago, I heard a rumor that a House Committee was going to hold a hearing that would be of interest to another one of my clients, so I reached out to a contact that I had made many years ago and asked if the rumor was true. We had a short but productive conversation about the issue. At the end of the call, I asked one short, simple question that unfolded an unbelievable opportunity for MCAA: “Is there anything I can do to be helpful to you?”

I have found throughout the years that that simple question builds the trust that is so often lacking in Washington, D.C., where most people are simply looking to boost themselves. The staffer went on to describe other issues they were looking to work on, and I immediately changed direction from the original client we were talking about and said, “You need to talk to Jeff!” (Full disclosure: since we had spent years building relationships with this staffer, I didn’t need to add Buczkiewicz, MCAA, or anything else; he knew what Jeff I was talking about).

We had our first call when Jeff and I were struggling to find a quiet corner in the Las Vegas Convention Center at World of Concrete. The call concluded with an invitation to Jeff to come testify in front of the House Education and Workforce Committee a couple of weeks later on George, our wall scanner testing concept for CTE programs, and our AI safety platforms that MCAA is developing. Jeff ended up testifying in front of the Committee on February 11, highlighting the opportunities that exist for employee safety and productivity if we are given the runway to utilize AI and innovative programs on our job sites.

One simple question and offer to be helpful, and we were highlighting our efforts in front of Congress. But that was just the beginning. What Jeff talked about caught the eye of the Department of Labor and OSHA. Not too long after the Committee hearing, Jeff, Ryan Shaver, and Jason Blake were sitting in an OSHA conference room showcasing our technology and vision for AI programs on the job site. We even wheeled in a small brick wall to showcase the wall scanner! To put it lightly, they were blown away.

We were immediately put in touch with their head of workforce development, who has been having ongoing conversations with Jeff and Ryan Shaver about our wall scanner testing concept, and we hope to establish a pilot program in numerous states in the near future. At the same time, I made the offer to the OSHA team that we would love to have them out on a job site to see the safety programs live in action. Not too long after the original meeting, we had the head of OSHA, David Keeling, his Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Amanda Wood Laihow, and their technology and safety teams on a job site in Baltimore as Jeff and Dan Kamys highlighted our programs and technology. They then showed them off live, immediately demonstrating in real time how these programs and technologies can impact real-world job sites.

We were tasked at the end of the demonstration to put some ideas together on how to scale and potentially get these programs on job sites around the country. We are scheduled to continue these conversations later in August and are encouraged by the continued interest from OSHA in these innovative programs MCAA is developing.

We honestly have an opportunity to potentially change the safety landscape for the construction industry in ways we have never seen. We would never be in this place without Jeff and MCAA’s constant desire to innovate, but just as importantly, MCAA’s constant desire to engage, to be heard, and to be seen as a trusted partner. Stay tuned to this page for further updates on our efforts, but please do not be shy to reach out if you want to help us engage with our government officials.

The Importance of Staying Engaged

About: Government Affairs

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