The Chairman of Change
NUCA’s 2010-2011 Chairman of the Board — Dan East
By Jason Morgan
 “I want everyone to do something for me,” Dan East says to a crowded room of NUCA members and Utility Construction EXPO attendees. His pace across the stage is relaxed as his charismatic voice confidently instructs his audience. “Make sure you have enough room around you to put your arms down at your side. When I count to three, I want you to bring them up in front of your chest and bring your hands together so that your fingers interlock.
“One. Two. Three.
“I want you to notice which thumb you have on top. Right, left, it doesn’t matter, just hold it there for a second. Ok, you can put your arms down. We’re going to do this one more time, but I want you to reverse your thumbs so that your bottom thumb is on top. One. Two. Three...You know what that feeling is?
“Change. And change is coming to NUCA this year.”
Dan East is not a man who is comfortable standing on the sidelines. He got his start in the construction industry when he was 12, started a construction company with his father when he was 18, worked for several construction firms while going to college, started his own company in 1999 and ran for a Congressional seat in New Mexico’s Third District two years ago. Dan doesn’t sit and watch change happen, he reacts to it.
“NUCA initiated a lot last year that is going to take work to get going this year,” says East. “We’re changing our meeting format, which members have already seen. Another big push is going to be increasing the membership and promoting NUCA to a larger crowd that will understand the importance of what we’re doing.”
In the past year, NUCA restructured its committee meeting schedule by replacing the once-a-year meeting with conference calls and Web-based meetings as they are needed and rebuilt its internal government to make a stronger, more tight-knit Board of Directors. The most immediate new change that Dan brings to NUCA is that he’s the association’s first Chairman of the Board.
“It brings us back in line with other organizations,” East explains. “NUCA’s bylaws allowed it to have 183 Board Members. We’ve restructured it to have a 27-member Board. That Board encompasses all the United States. Just like Congress. We have reps from all the different areas, but it’s manageable. Voices will be heard and better decisions will be made.”
 |
| Crusading for the people: Dan hopes to make as much of an impact on increasing the NUCA membership as on legislation. |
|
For as long as Dan can remember, the construction industry has been a big part of his life. Growing up in Colorado, he was on the front labor lines building the base infrastructure of Copper Mountain, a mountain resort just outside Denver. But he got his first taste of running a construction business when he and his father, Dean, started Cone Construction Co. after Dan graduated high school. Then, Cone Construction Co. installed wet utilities in western Colorado, eastern Utah and southern Wyoming.
After more than five years with Cone, Dan wanted to expand his knowledge of the construction process. After graduating from Colorado State University in 1988 with a degree in Construction Management, Dan moved to New Mexico and spent two years with a small utility firm estimating and managing work throughout the state before he signed on with RMCI Inc. in Albuquerque.
With nine years of experience under his belt from RMCI, Dan founded Cone Construction in New Mexico in 1999.
“Where I wanted to go with [CONE] was to build it up to a $15 to $20 million company. We got it up to where we were doing $10 million,” says East. “I didn’t have many early hurdles. When I decided to start my own company, I put together a business plan and I was fortunate enough to know some bonding people. I was able to get a line of credit, which I only had use it once in 10 years. The economy was booming and away we went.
“I like doing heavy underground utility work and treatment plants. Depending on the year and our volume, we might have done 70 percent plant work and 30 percent line work,” says East. “I always tend to lean toward plant work. It’s challenging and fun. You have an opportunity with plant work to reinvent the wheel a bit and a better way to build that mouse trap compared to line work.”
In February 2008, Dan decided to make a bid for the seat of outgoing U.S. Representative Tom Udall, a Democrat from New Mexico’s third congressional district.
A self-proclaimed “outsider and small businessman,” Dan showed considerable political muscle, easily making it onto the Republican primary ballot in March and then handily winning the Republican nomination with 54 percent of the primary vote in June. Although he eventually succumbed to the Democratic sweep of the state in November, he holds the distinction of having raised more than double the campaign funds of any other Republican candidate for New Mexico’s third District since 1998.
“I got involved because I was mad. I’m still mad,” East says with a smile. “It’s frustrating when [the government] is not working right, and I don’t think Congress is working right these days. They’re pushing legislation through without sufficient debate and not paying attention to the bills they write or to their constituency. It’s our job as an industry is to reeducate these people as to what we need. We need to get rid of some politicians and get business people back into Congress. Not forever — one or two terms and then we’ll get out of the way and let someone else get in there.”
After the election, Dan returned to the utility construction industry in full force. After Cone Construction Co. disbanded in 2009, he joined Reynolds Inc. as a District Manager in Albuquerque, N.M., doing the work he loves to do.
Before setting out to bring change to NUCA, Dan reflected on his first experience with the organization. When he first moved to New Mexico, he worked for Western States Ltd. They were a charter member of what was then the Rio Grande Underground Contractors Association, and they brought Dan along to a chapter meeting.
“Dave and Linda McCoy [Executive Directors] literally grabbed me by the ear and said, ‘fresh meat,’ and put me to work on a couple of committees,” He recalls with a laugh. “It’s been 22 years that I’ve been involved with NUCA. The last 10 I’ve been more involved at the national level. I like the organization. What I really like is giving back to the industry. The industry has been good to me, and I want to give back. At this level it’s more legislative, which is what I like.”
Dan got involved at the national level when he started Cone Construction in ‘99. “The first time I went to a fly-in, I was just a dumb-struck kid saying, ‘Wow, this is where it happens.’ At that point, I realized that this organization does promote this industry and watches our back. I enjoyed it, loved it and wouldn’t trade it for a thing,” he says.
 |
A family man — Dan gets a hug from Mom, just one of many family members who attended
the Utility Construction EXPO to support Dan’s inaugural Chairman of the Board speech. |
|
For Dan, the biggest push he’ll be making as the Chairman of the Board for NUCA will be increasing the membership and promoting NUCA to a wider audience than just “utility contractors.” While NUCA definitely crusades for the interests of utility contractors, its membership is made up of a wide demographic of contractors — from site prep/work contractors to excavators. And everyone involved in the construction industry should know the importance of NUCA’s actions.
Taking a look at NUCA’s broad strokes of change — the association’s impact on legislation, on the national, state and local levels defines NUCA. And though NUCA has been hard at work on the Hill, battling for stimulus money and protecting contractors, Dan is quick to put member involvement in context.
“What contractors need to do is take a step back and think about the work we do — it’s paramount to the health of this country,” East says confidently. “Without solid underground infrastructure, this country wouldn’t be where it is today. Our job is not just a paycheck, it’s a service to the nation. You have to think about what you do and how you’re providing for your communities. Contractors should be commended for that, and they should get involved.
“Contractors need to watch what regulations are coming down the pike and fight them if they aren’t beneficial.
We need to be pushing for more funding, which needs to come back into the industry. It’s great that we’re starting to get work, but the funding is paramount to the health of the nation. I honestly believe that our legislators have lost sight of what has made this country great and instead of spending a trillion dollars on health care, we can put some of that money back into America — reinvesting in roads and bridges, sanitation, power grids and telecommunications. That’s what’s keeping this country going.”
Involvement is and always will be important to NUCA. Though NUCA’s roster includes one of Capitol Hill’s best and brightest duos in Eben Wyman and Ben Gann, Dan is quick to point out that they need a strong member group backing them up if NUCA is going to succeed. He urges that we all need to do our part — writing letters, making phone calls and showing up when NUCA calls for support.
“We need $400 billion right now just to bring our clean water systems back up to speed,” East says. “You put that back into America and you’re going to get a return on your investment — the product you’re putting in the ground is going to last and you’re putting people to work right away. You take $400 billion and drop it into our industry and the economy will go through the roof.”
Dan understands that not all contractors have the time or resources to be involved at the national level, but the core of NUCA comes from its local chapters. Fighting local legislation on regional and state levels is the name of the NUCA chapter game. It’s on this level where many members see the most progress. National issues can feel like you’re trying to move a mountain with a loader, while a local issue is more like a pile of trench filler.
 “NUCA of New Mexico has helped to draft standards specifications,” says East, as an example of the power of a NUCA Chapter. “We put together a team to help modify those. We’re very active at the state level — watching what’s happening and pushing on that level. The state chapter isn’t just a meet and greet. We have active people that stay active. As a group, we’re going to be stronger than just a single voice.”
While NUCA has the power of local chapters behind it when it fights its battles on Capitol Hill, that same power is put behind local chapters when they need help. Dan and the NUCA staff stands behind every local chapter to help get them any info and assistance they need.
“This organization is here to promote and protect our industry,” East says. “If you get involved with it, you’ll get more back than just sitting on the sidelines saying, ‘I’ll get the benefits anyway.’ You get out of it what you put in. It doesn’t take that much time. Get involved at the local level. You will benefit. Your company will benefit. There’s a lot of apathy out there today, has been forever. It’s just a matter of pushing why people need to be involved. You are going to get legislated today. You will not see the funding coming in to do your job and keep America healthy if you’re not involved.”
This year, Dan is putting his all into strengthen the NUCA brand and membership. And he’s going to have a little fun too.
Despite the fledgling economy and the tough decisions NUCA had to make last year, Dan refuses to take part in this recession and urges others to do the same.
Jason Morgan is Associate Editor of Utility Contractor.
|
