More Than Membership
The Merit Shop Mindset
In a world where industries shift, markets change and regulations evolve overnight, one principle remains constant for America’s builders: opportunity should belong to those willing to work for it.
ABC members gather in Westland for a health and safety leadership seminar to enhance merit shop safety programs.
That belief is more than a mission statement—it’s the foundation of the merit shop philosophy and the reason contractors, craftsmen, business owners and future trades leaders choose to stand with ABC. Our members don’t just build projects; they build careers, companies and a competitive construction industry rooted in freedom, fairness and the American Dream. And nowhere was that spirit more visible than on October 9, 2025.
That day wasn’t just a ribbon-cutting—it was a declaration. Inside a brand-new training campus in Sterling Heights, more than 200 ABC members, community partners and local leaders gathered not simply to celebrate a building, but to honor a belief system. To some, it looked like one organization achieving a milestone. But look closer, and you’d see hundreds of companies—large and small, from every corner of the industry— standing shoulder-to-shoulder, united by the merit shop philosophy, and a shared commitment to opportunity, fairness and the American tradition of earning success through hard work.
“This is a very powerful moment,” said Robert Clancy, owner of Robert Clancy Contracting on the day of the grand opening. “We’re going to leave here tonight celebrating a job well done on a new school and office, but soon we’ll see the magnitude over the last 50 years that brought us right here.”
That is the DNA of ABC. It’s what connects us. It’s what carries us forward. So, we ask the question: what makes the ABC community different—and why do people choose to be part of it?
ABC members don’t join just for perks—they join because they believe in the principles that keep America’s construction industry strong: freedom to compete, freedom to work and freedom to choose the best path for their business and workforce.
This shared commitment to merit-based opportunity, not mandated labor models or forced affiliations, is the backbone of the merit shop. For many companies, membership isn’t a business decision—it’s a statement of identity.
January 2025 ABC leadership and members gather at the Planning Conference to set goals to grow ABC and become the leader in construction.
Members stand with ABC because they want to compete on level ground, train the next generation themselves and operate in a system where effort, skill and integrity determine success. ABC members believe the trades aren’t a fallback— they’re a foundation. Opportunity is created through training and determination, not handed out through mandates or political favors. And they believe the American Dream still belongs to those willing to chase it.
When Mike Peake, president of Action Traffic Maintenance, joined ABC in 2023, it wasn’t about adding another logo to his company’s list of affiliations —it was about aligning with people who share his work ethic and drive. As a leader who has built his business on accountability and teamwork, Peake understands that growth happens when you surround yourself with others who push you to be better. That’s what drew him to ABC and what keeps him involved today as a strong voice on the Board of Directors.
“You can’t grow by standing still—and you can’t lead if you’re not surrounded by people who challenge you to do better. That’s what ABC brings. It’s a community of hard workers who believe in earning success and helping others do the same,” Peake said.
That sense of community—grounded in shared values and a commitment to progress—is what sets ABC members apart. It’s more than a network. It’s a foundation for the future.
Members connect during breakfast to grow and share business development tactics.
Every generation of ABC members leaves something behind—not just the projects they complete, but the principles they uphold. From classrooms and training labs to boardrooms and job sites, their legacy lives in the people they’ve mentored, the careers they’ve launched and the freedom they’ve protected for those who will build next.
For ABC members, success isn’t measured only in contracts won or buildings raised. It’s measured in the opportunities they create—the student who becomes a foreman, the small contractor who grows into an industry leader, the community that thrives because skilled hands built it right.
Together, our members are shaping more than the industry. They’re preserving a way of life built on merit, hard work and the belief that every individual deserves the chance to build their own future.
That’s the power of the ABC legacy—a community of builders who don’t just construct projects, but who help construct America itself.
