ASA-North Texas

Centered between Fort Worth and Dallas in Grand Prairie, Texas, the American Subcontractors Association (ASA) of North Texas has helped subcontractors and suppliers gain more visibility among area general contractors while also working to better the subcontracting market overall for the last 46 years. Throughout its history, ASA has been widely recognized for its leadership and influence in the construction industry, helping members connect and realize great success when working together.

“We are the voice and advocate for subcontractors and suppliers, much like the Associated General Contractors is the voice of the general contracting industry,” says Beverly Reynal, executive director of ASA-North Texas.

After years in the sales department of a major concrete company, Reynal joined ASA-North Texas almost two years ago when the previous executive director retired. “I was heavily involved with ASA for 14 years before assuming my role as executive director,” she says.

Executive leadership and objectives

The leadership team at ASA-North Texas also includes Rusty Vaughn, president; Brad Baylis, 1st vice president; Michael Ward, 2nd vice president and Lee Ann Collins, board secretary and treasurer, among numerous directors and chairpersons.

Today, ASA-North Texas represents over 180 member companies throughout Northern Texas, including GMI Texas, CCI Group and Capform.

While ASA-North Texas is a major influence in many avenues, the organization’s primary objective is subcontractor advocacy through:

– Improving industry laws and regulations through legislative efforts

– Providing educational opportunities for subcontractors and suppliers

– Providing beneficial business practices information

– Offering networking opportunities and hosting industry events

Now that the recession has passed, Reynal says growth in the construction market in North Texas is vibrant, which is very fortunate for ASA’s membership. “The commercial market – where our members work – is going strong,” she says. “The housing and apartment market is also growing with the influx of new residents to North Texas area. Toyota, State Farm, Liberty Mutual and other major corporations are all building large campuses in this region.”

Lobbying for productive legislative action

To ensure a healthy, active construction market, ASA-North Texas is not only involved in member outreach, educational events and training, but also in legislative capacity. “Texas just wrapped the regular legislative session June 1, where we had several issues that were on our legislative agenda,” says Reynal. “ASA works in collaboration with the Texas Construction Association [TCA] on legislative efforts. TCA has 16 trade organizations that it represents.”

Before adjourning, several significant measures were passed and sent to the governor. Those measures included a $209 billion budget for the next biennium, authorization for $3.1 billion in construction bonds for Texas universities and a proposed constitutional amendment to increase annual transportation funding.

Other key construction issues that passed touched on consolidated insurance programs, public-private partnerships, pre-litigation requirements for condo owners associations in defect cases and construction manager at risk as used by a governmental entity. TCA also supported workforce and education bills that address needs in the Texas public education system, which may foster more work in the public sector.

Creating member visibility
Ensuring the right rules and regulations are in place for a healthy construction environment is key, but so are relationships and business-to-business interaction, something ASA-North Texas plays a vital role in facilitating. “We recently held our 37th annual awards in June 2015,” says Reynal. “This is an event where our members recognize the general contractors, architects, engineers, owner-developers they have worked with.”

ASA-North Texas also hosts friendly outings such as a bass tournament, clay shoot and golf tournament every year, but Reynal says the event with the highest attendance is the Annual GC Night in November. “This year the meet and greet is scheduled for November 12, 2015,” she says. “Last year we had more than 621 attendees and we expect even more this year. This is an opportunity for subs and suppliers to connect with general contractors. The industry looks forward to this event every year.”

With so many shared-market companies under one roof, one would think the competition might not always be fair and friendly, but Reynal assures that’s not the case. “Everyone gets along wonderfully,” she says. “Members come together because they know what ASA stands for and that we can get more accomplished when we do it together.”

As a collaborative effort of the best in the business, ASA of North Texas continues to be the voice and advocate representing subcontractors and suppliers in greater Dallas-Fort Worth.