Viewing the Economy

Against the backdrop of one of the most challenging U.S. economies in decades, we welcome a new year and a new president this month.

Against the backdrop of one of the most challenging U.S. economies in decades, we welcome a new year and a new president this month.

What does this mean for our industry? Only time will tell. Today we know our nation’s economy is not healthy and that fundamental changes are needed to restore confidence that our nation can get back onto a more sound footing before things can improve. I hope the new administration will benefit our economy and our industry, making our infrastructure a true priority with appropriate funding.

That funding begins with budgeting appropriately for the tasks at hand and recognizing what the true priorities are. I believe protecting our country’s most vital asset — the public sewer system — should be a key area of focus.

Budgeting for the year ahead is a task I take seriously as executive director of NASSCO. That includes forecasting as accurately as possible our projected income from all sources, as well as accounting for expenses (fixed and variable). My task is no different from that of every manager at every level of business who is required to budget for an area of responsibility.

The task is fundamental to planning the future direction of a business. Setting strategies and ­tactics to keep a business moving forward is always a function of available resources. One challenge in preparing a budget is trying to understand the national economy, the sources of money that support our industry, and other positive and negative forces that can affect the future.

As I prepare the budget for the year ahead I always discuss important matters, such as the economy, with as many industry leaders as possible to try to understand how others see the near-term and long-term future. At WEFTEC a few months ago, I spoke with many contractors, suppliers and consultants to feel the pulse of the industry. From the vast majority of those I interviewed, the feeling is that 2009 looks like a good year, based on current backlogs and planned programs that are under way now.

I hope that one year from now I can look back and see that my forecasts were accurate and our industry continues to thrive under our country’s new leadership.

Irvin Gemora is executive director of NASSCO. He can be reached at director@nassco.org. The NASSCO headquarters is at 11521 Cronridge Dr., Suite J, Owings Mills, MD 21117.



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