About Us
About Associated Builders and Contractors
Our National Organization and New Mexico Chapter
THE VOICE OF THE MERIT SHOP® Associated Builders and Contractors is a national construction industry trade association representing more than 21,000 members. Founded on the merit shop philosophy, ABC and its 68 chapters help members develop people, win work and deliver that work safely, ethically and profitably for the betterment of the communities in which ABC and its members work. ABC’s membership represents all specialties within the U.S. construction industry and is comprised primarily of firms that perform work in the industrial and commercial sectors.
ABC is the merit shop construction industry’s voice with the legislative, executive and judicial branches of the federal government and with state and local governments, as well as with the news media.
ABC’s mission is the advancement of the merit shop construction philosophy, which encourages open competition and a free-enterprise approach that awards contracts based solely on merit, regardless of labor affiliation.
Through its national office and chapters, ABC’s objective is to provide its members with an organization to deal with issues on an industry-wide basis.
ABC’s activities include government representation, legal advocacy, education, workforce development, communications, technology, recognition through national and chapter awards programs, employee
Benefits, information on best practices and business development through an online contractor search directory.
ABC was founded in 1950 when seven contractors gathered in Baltimore, Md. to create an association based on the shared belief that construction projects should be awarded on merit to the most qualified and responsible low bidders. The courage and dedication of those seven contractors – Charles Mullan, C.K. Wells, Jr., Philip Cloves, Ernest Shultz, Edward Colwill, Charles Knott and Edward Dickinson – helped to quickly spread the merit shop philosophy, within time making ABC the fastest growing association in the United States. Today, ABC is recognized as one of the leading organizations representing America’s business community and the merit shop construction industry. ABC New Mexico was founded in 1980. To read more about ABC’s history, view the Construction Executive article, 60 years and Counting. To learn more about ABC and how we can benefit your company, please email or call us and someone from the membership department will contact you within one business day.
Our Mission
To effectively serve and advance the interests of the New Mexico merit shop construction industry. To promote worker safety, and to educate, train and develop quality craft professionals.
Core Values
Serve
Promote
Educate
Our Merit Shop Philiosophy
Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. is the voice of the merit shop in the construction industry. We accept the responsibility for making that voice heard. We believe the merit shop movement is a movement for the betterment of the individual, the construction industry and the nation.
We believe in the system of free enterprise.
We believe employees and employers should have the right to determine wages and working conditions through either individual or collective bargaining, as they choose, within the boundaries of the law.
We believe the employer must have concern for the general welfare of the employee and that there must be a fair compensation for work performed. At the same time, we believe that the employee has an obligation for satisfactory performance of assigned work.
We support sound legislation in the areas of workers compensation, safety and unemployment compensation.
We believe legislation that embraces fair play for employer and employee is essential to the preservation of our free enterprise system.
We believe the law should protect the right of employees to work regardless of race, color, creed, age, sex, national origin or membership or non-membership in a labor organization. We believe work opportunities should be made available to all legal residents and we support programs toward this end.
We oppose violence, coercion, intimidation and the denial of the rights of employees and employers.
We believe it is incumbent upon all branches of government to be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars and we believe that government should award contracts only to the lowest responsible bidder. We oppose unjust pressure to violate these principles.
We believe monopolies or any kind of price or wage fixing, in either the public or private sector, are detrimental to our system of free enterprise.
We believe the destiny of all Americans can be best served by cooperation, reconciliation and following the tenants of free enterprise and a democratic government. We believe business leaders can best preserve these tenets by becoming active in politics and civic affairs.