Construction Industry Steering Team Summary of Minutes
8 a.m., Thursday, June 11, 2026, Mark One Electric Co., Inc.
Attending: Sam Alpert, Troy Carlson, Conor Eubanks, Eric Floyd, Tom Flynn, Kevin Gard, Steve Gercone, Mike Himes, Matt Johnson, Dominick Klobe, Chuck Martin, Bo Moreno, Pam Nolte, Ralph Oropeza,, Joe Roets, Nathan Schermann, Chris Stanton, Bill Tillman, Stacey Zerr, Nate Zier, Bob Jacobi.
•Thanks to Rosana Privitera-Biondo and Mark One Electric Co., Inc. for hosting.
•The LMC remembers co-founder and past co-chair Bill Dunn Sr., whose funeral was yesterday.
•Presentation from Troy Carlson, Joe Roets, Tom Flynn and Nathan Schermann, Future Foundry LLC. The company is offering a blockchain-based infrastructure to address payroll, payment and project management accountability ad documentation. The owners have demonstrated success in blockchain and other technologies. For the construction industry, the companies capabilities can help protect trust and efficiency making processes highly secure, cost efficient and tamper evident. The system improves transparency, lessens the gap between work getting done and recording of it, reduce disputes and speeding the time for payments while protecting all parties. The firm is based in Kansas City with international connections. Meting attendees also noted that such a system could help with compliance as well as efficiency, saving money and benefitting all parties. Troy is available for follow-up with contractors, crafts, benefit funds, local governments and others (troy@initiativesco.com).
•M/S/C to recommend that the LMC Board oppose Missouri Amendment 5 on the Aug. 4 ballot.
•M/S/C to recommend that the LMC Board support renewal of the KCMO central city economic development sales tax on the Aug. 4 ballot.
•KCMO has a completed disparity study which provides the legal basis for its MBE/WBE programs. The study found, with a few exceptions, no disparities in awarding contracts so the city is looking to move to a disadvantaged snd small business program instead. The study is available at the city website and is taking comments until June 29 (speakeasy.kcmo.gov). The workforce aspect is being reviewed.
•Current federal immigration policy is resulting the deportation union craft workers who are in the country and working legally. The policy is depleting the workforce at a time of workforce shortages. It also impact payments to the Social Security and Medicare trust funds, more than $100 billion per year from undocumented workers who will not be able to use the benefits, which impacts the ability of the funds to pay full benefits, now projected to have a shortfall by 2032. Leaders are urged to speak out and help make the public aware of these impacts.
•KCMO is considering a vote on a proposal to tax vacant land to encourage in-fill development, but the development community believes it would be counter-productive.
•The Missouri legislature funded K-12 schools $190 million short of the formula for FY 2026. This will impact CTE and related programs that help expose and connect students to construction careers. Lee’s Summit schools will see a $5 million impact, for example. Job sites with scrap materials could consider donating them to schools to use to help offset the budget impact on CTE programs.
•NICE has set March 4, 2027 for the next iBuild event, which is moving the the American Royal arena (the old old arena). This site will provide easier access for exhibitors and buses. NICE Is also working on a program for late April 2027 to connect graduating high school students with contractors and trades for hiring after they graduate since iBuild is early in the school year, NICE has purchased a van and materials for a mobile classroom for construction education and is searching for storage space for the materials as well as scrap materials for students to use. Tina Shonk-Little is working now to schedule Senior Days at apprenticeship programs with the goal of having them set up by Aug. 1 to ease school planning; schools are seeing more issues with getting enough bus drivers to do field trips on top of regular school delivery and pickup.
•Heartland Women in Trades has set its fifth annual kickball tournament Sept. 26, and reservations and sponsorships are available now. The tournament raises funds for HWIT’s efforts especially scholarships to Tradeswomen Build Nations; HWIT is giving 12 scholarships for women to attend this year in Houston. The 2027 conference is tentatively scheduled for Kansas City and all in the industry will be called upon to help support. More than 5,000 women (and men) attend. THe IBEW Women’s Conference will also take place in KC.
•The Mid-America Labor/Management Conference is in a month. A draft agenda was distributed; the hotel is nearly full so those who want to attend and don’t yet have rooms should act quickly.
•The LMC’s Craig Whitaker Memorial Golf Tournament is July 21; details below.
•The Building Trades Charity Golf Tournament is Sept. 3.
•The committee won’t meet in July; the next meeting will be Aug. 13; Unified Government Mayor Crystal Watson will join us.
•Upcoming Events:(For details on these events, please contact the sponsoring group or LMC).
*DBA-MAR Golf Tournament, June 11
*World Cup games in KC June 16, 20, 25, 27 and July 3 and 11, 2026; Fan Fest @ Liberty Memorial June 11-14, 16, 19-21, 24-27, July 3-5, 9-11
*DBIA-MAR Shrimp Boil, June 24, Lenexa Public Market
*Mid-America Labor/Management Conference, July 5-8, 2026, Camden on the Lake
Register at https://cvent.me/gqeVkZ, hotel 573-365-5620
*Missouri Suicide Prevention Conference, July 9, 7 a.m, Wyndham in Columbia
*LMC Craig Whitaker Golf Tournament July 21, Eagles Landing
*Primary Elections Aug. 4
*CREW KC Golf Tournament Aug. 24, Canyon Farms Golf Club
*Building Trades Charity Golf Tournament Sept. 3, Eagle Landing
*HWIT Kickball Tournament, Sept. 26
*NICE Annual Luncheon Oct. 15, KC Convention Center
*LMC /BOMA-KC Public Officials Reception Oct. 15, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
*General Elections Nov. 3
•The next meeting will be Thursday, August.13, 8 a.m., at Mark One.
•M/S/C to adjourn at 9:15 a.m.
The mission of the Labor-Management Council of Greater Kansas City is to enhance collaboration by solidifying trust and communication between labor and management in the community
