We’re halfway through the long, hot summer, and we’ve been busy at EPAC!
After months of planning and preparation, we’re proud to report that our Constructing El Paso Together conference was a HUGE success.
For those who weren’t able to make it (or who just want to remember a great experience), here’s a quick recap of the event.
The training and conference
This conference was the inaugural event of EPAC’s partnership with the American Institute of Architects (AIA) — and a pre-conference AIA/CEU (continuing education units) training was available for our members.
After the training, we kicked off the main event: an opportunity for EPAC members to meet local architects and showcase construction work done in the Sun City. There was a great turn out — with AIA members, El Paso contractors, and multiple local and state government representatives in attendance.
A special highlight of the evening was getting to stand back and appreciate our members’ fantastic work. Like a museum of construction, large photos of work by our members and local architects were displayed around the event.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that our community’s work is first-class, and we’re very proud!
The first half of the year was full of events and opportunities with EPAC, and the rest of the year will be too!
A far-reaching impact…
The Constructing El Paso Together Conference in June was a great event. But if you weren’t able to attend, you might be asking, “Why does it matter to me?”
Fair question!
We plan to make this an annual event — so you can put it on the calendar for next year!
But there’s a deeper reason for celebrating the event that we want to emphasize.
We believe this conference is the start of something powerful for El Paso’s construction community — with an impact that reaches into the future!
At EPAC, we’re very conscious that our members are busy people. We love having fun, and want all of our mixers, meetings, and events to be enjoyable.
However, the primary objective for all our activities is to add value for you, your business, and our local community.
We realize that our members’ time and resources are valuable and limited commodities. So, while we strive to make things fun, we want everything we do to be worth it!
Here are some of the ways that the Constructing El Paso Together conference had a positive impact for our local construction community — and will continue to have an impact on our members (and El Paso) going forward!
AIA/CEU training
Training opportunities are a huge benefit EPAC offers for our members. This AIA/CEU training helped provide education credit hours needed for members to keep their licenses and certificates current.
A well-trained, licensed workforce is not only the right and legal way to operate — it’s a factor in building trust with clients and securing quality contracts.
By partnering with AIA/CEU at the Constructing El Paso Together Conference (and providing members with the opportunity to stay current), we’re helping maintain our local community’s standard of excellence.
This commitment to integrity and excellence demonstrates that the Borderland’s architects and contractors are second to none.
Clients can be assured that if they’re looking to build in El Paso — our community offers the resources they need.
Strengthening our construction community
AIA architects have attended EPAC’s meetings before, but we wanted the Constructing El Paso Together conference to let our members “put a face to the name” of architectural firm principals. Like many of our networking events, a simple meeting can open up avenues and opportunities for a business.
Keeping work in El Paso
In the El Paso contracting community, there has been an issue that we’d like to address. Sometimes large jobs are outsourced instead of going to local companies — and this is true on both the construction and design sides of the industry. We at EPAC believe that the Sun City’s architects and contractors are both quality and qualified — and this conference was meant to prioritize work for local businesses.
We don’t know how the economy will change in the coming years, or what the future will hold — but we DO know that we’re stronger together.
By getting to know and recognize others in our local construction community, we amplify our voice and influence.
Using our influence
EPAC is passionate about advocating for local contractors, and we actively seek to improve opportunities for our community.
Through Constructing El Paso Together, we were not only able to build connections in the contracting community, we were able to share our passion with leaders at the local and state level. State Representative Claudia Ordaz Perez, City Representative Peter Svarzbein, County Commissioner David Stout, EPISD Chief Operations Officer Alan Wiernicki, and YISD Chief Financial and Operational Officer Lynly Leeper were all in attendance.
It was very meaningful for our members to see the faces and shake the hands of these influential leaders — and to communicate the importance of keeping work local!
In the upcoming months, EPAC will be supporting and raising awareness for several upcoming bond issues that benefit our members. Together, we can use our influence to prioritize jobs for El Paso businesses.
And the impact reaches beyond the Sun City’s contractors! When business stays local, it benefits the whole El Paso Community.
Local contracts ultimately lead to more jobs and opportunities for El Pasoans.
The Constructing El Paso Together Conference was a success — not only on the day of the event, but as the start of a larger movement for El Paso contractors. And we look forward to seeing how the momentum continues as we join forces to support the local construction industry.
If you’d like more information about how you can join us in building the El Paso contracting industry, call (915) 585-1533 today. We’d love to talk with you about an EPAC membership!