Dear ABC New Mexico Chapter Members,

It is my honor to serve as the 2024 ABC New Mexico Chapter board chair. I am grateful for your membership and contributions in helping make this the voice of the merit shop construction industry in New Mexico. Our industry is experiencing prosperous times with strong volumes, healthy backlogs and steady growth; however, we are also facing challenges that demand our attention and action. Shortages in the availability of skilled tradespeople continue to be a concern for our members, and the political and policy landscape we are living in threatens to undermine the way we operate our businesses. I urge you to stay involved and connected so that we can continue to build our industry and communities.

ABC New Mexico continues to be the leader of our industry in political advocacy, workforce development and safety by engaging our community, leaders and members in thoughtful and impactful ways. Today, we can boast ABC New Mexico as having the largest construction apprenticeship program in the state with over 325 registered apprentices. Our membership is approaching 190 members strong, which is the highest number for our chapter ever; our members continue to show their commitment to safety by participating in STEP and the CLAS OSHA partnership programs, and we are the leading advocate for the merit shop philosophy when it comes to policy and legislation issues.

Thank you to Carla and our chapter staff, our board of directors, our instructors, apprentices and, most importantly, our members for shaping our association into what it is today. You all should be proud of the accomplishments and the direction of our association. Let’s keep pushing forward, and I hope you all have a successful year in 2024.

Sincerely,

Mason Karnas
Chair, ABC New Mexico