The next stage | Saying goodbye to John Butts, executive director of the Associated General Contractors of Maine
Maine’s construction industry is losing one of its most tireless advocates, John Butts, to the benefit of contractors throughout Connecticut. After 16 years as executive director of the Maine chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America, John is taking his show on the road.
Once he’s made his way across Maine to bid farewell to the contractors, suppliers and service providers he has represented during his tenure, John will pack his office, move south and ply his trade in the Nutmeg State. While the members of his association no doubt wish him well, I’m sure many feel as I do and take the loss as a punch to the gut.
Prior to joining Ledgewood Construction, I had the privilege and the pleasure to work with John for 11 years as his second-in-command. Needless to say, he taught me a lot about the industry. But he also taught me several things about business — and life — in general. His even-keeled demeanor proved invaluable in dealing with cantankerous contractors and petulant politicians alike. But those moments were rarities, as John made a habit of doing his homework, building coalitions and, above all, achieving results. Sixteen years of successful leadership are hard to sum up in fewer than 900 words, but I’ll give it a shot.
One of John’s main responsibilities was representing contractors at the State House. While not every stance resulted in victory, many did with John leading the charge. Among them was the introduction of the design-build and construction management delivery systems on public school projects; the indexing of Maine’s gas tax to the rate of inflation; shaping an update to the state’s standard general conditions, rules and documents used in public construction; and instituting a statewide building code, to name only a few. Win or lose, he made sure contractors’ collective voice was heard loud and clear in Augusta.
Also on the legislative front, 10 years ago John helped create a construction industry political action committee — the Build Maine PAC — that today continues to support pro-business candidates, regardless of party, in their quest to win seats in the Maine State House. With the assistance of dedicated chapter members, John also oversaw similar efforts locally that played out on the national stage, gaining financial backing for candidates such as Sen. Susan Collins and Rep. Mike Michaud. And for the past decade, he’s joined forces with his colleagues in the architectural and engineering communities to host the annual Design & Construction Breakfast in Augusta, enabling legislators to meet face-to-face with and hear the concerns of their constituents industry-wide.
Help on the way
Because construction can be a dangerous business, John also devoted significant time and energy to ensuring AGC member firms were operating as safely as possible. Each year under his watch hundreds of construction employees were trained in a variety of courses, from CPR and first aid to scaffolding safety and crane rigging training. Additionally, he orchestrated the implementation of Maine’s Construction Health and Safety Excellence program in concert with regional OSHA leaders to help reduce industry-related injuries and illnesses.
John devoted a good deal of his time to building a statewide construction market. In part through his efforts, literally billions of dollars of local, state and federal infrastructure spending was secured for highway, bridge, building and industrial projects from Kittery to Fort Kent. While the majority of the funding was derived from bond issues and Maine’s highway and general funds, at least $132 million was raised a handful of coins at a time. When the Maine Turnpike Authority finally received approval to move forward with its widening and modernization project — a battle John also helped win — he facilitated talks between area contractors and the MTA that led to the authority splitting the massive job into bite-size chunks, thereby allowing smaller local businesses to compete for the work. In the end, all major contracts except one went to Maine contractors. As a bonus, he also convinced the MTA to join his association in the process.
But John’s leadership wasn’t simply about passing legislation and bringing in work; it was also about education. He was actively involved in growing the endowment of the AGC of Maine Education Foundation, which disburses tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships each year to Maine college students pursuing construction-related post-secondary degrees. John also headed up efforts to attract a new generation to the industry through efforts such as the Maine Construction Careers Alliance and the Young Constructors Forum. And he was instrumental in the creation of the chapter’s Heavy Equipment Operators Program that retrained laid-off paper mill employees to operate bulldozers, excavators and other earthmoving machines. John also led partnering efforts with Maine CareerCenters, high schools, community colleges and the University of Maine System to create a construction employment funnel system.
However, perhaps John’s greatest legacy will be his community activism. During his 16-year career at the AGC chapter, John oversaw the installation of a construction exhibit at the Children’s Discovery Museum, the pro-bono cleanup of a toxic dump and the raising of tens of thousands of dollars for the Strike Out Cancer In Kids campaign, among countless other efforts to benefit local and state charities. The list goes on, but my space is full.
Goodbye, Mr. Butts. Maine’s loss is Connecticut’s gain.
Scott Tompkins, director of business development at Ledgewood Construction, can be reached at editorial@mainebiz.biz.
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