Page 6 - DCA - Construction Excellence Awards 2019

SAFETY AND VALUE OF WORKERS IS NEW PRESIDENT’S FIRST CONCERN
Brian DiSabatino will become president of the Delaware Contractors Association in December 16, 2019. He is the president and CEO of EDiS Co., which delivers $125 million facility planning, design, construction and facility management to the Delaware and southeastern Pennsylvania areas. DiSabatino and EDiS joined forces with the Welfare Foundation and Eastern States Development to create the Town of Whitehall, a 30-year, 1,000-acre project that is creating a pedestrian-based town just north of Wilmington. Mr. DiSabatino was the 2014 DelMarVa Boy Scouts Citizen of the Year; the 2009 recipient
of the Bank of America Outstanding Community Builders award; The 2009 Governor’s Outstanding Volunteer Award for Healthcare; and the 2009 Catholic Charities Msgr. Thomas J. Reese Award for Outstanding Community Service.
How will you define success in 2020 for your DCA term?
Don’t screw it up. Dan [Hahn] has done a great job.
What’s the biggest challenge facing your members in 2020?
One word, people. They are the center of our universe. Our industry is faced with a retiring workforce without a traditional supply
of youth to replace them. And while we all enjoy possibly the lowest unemployment rate we’ve seen in our lifetimes, it is
coming at a price.
What kind of legislation would you like to see passed
(or rejected) by the Legislature in the upcoming session?
It is time that the legislature starts focusing on the skills of the worker. Our schools have been so focused upon getting kids into colleges and universities that they are forgetting that there is a profitable and dignified profession in the trades. Certainly, we want our teammates to have excellent STEAM skills and a foundation in the humanities, but we need to help our educators become more free to guide their students into the trades.
“My common message is that you shouldn’t decide what to do with your life until you understand why to do it.”
What’s the biggest change you’ve seen in your business
since joining EDiS and the DCA in 1987?
Construction is a much different industry than when I began. The skill requirements for all of us are much more diverse, including a pressure on communication, an understanding of law, an on-the-job “doctoral degree” in psychology, and expertise in technology. What remains
is the need to be passionate about the work you are installing and the people from whom you serve.
What’s coming 10-20 years from now?
Don’t be surprised that 10 years from now the construction worker is wearing a device that doesn’t just account for her time on the job but assists with her productivity. She’ll be safer because her physical condition and location will be known. And she will be communicating with a set of electronic drawings that are not rolled in a bundle, but are available on the wall, floor, ceiling
or ground of wherever she stands. In 20 years, she’ll be making corrections on 3D drawings by standing in them, days before the actual work gets put into place.
What do you tell young people who are considering
(or not considering) a career in the trades?
I often get to talk to groups of students. My common message is that you shouldn’t decide what to do with your life until you understand why to do it. Construction is the one place where you can contribute to the betterment of your community because you are talented, creative and not afraid of a hard day’s work. And when you are done, you get to see the sunshine on your work and bring your grandkids to see not just your road or building, but your
contribution to a much larger result.
What’s the best advice you have gotten and from whom?
My grandfather came to Delaware as an immigrant. He quit school in the fifth grade to dig ditches and carry bricks. His message to me was always, “you are only as good as those with whom you choose to surround yourself.” That’s why I love to build.
6 | DELAWARE CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION 2019