2021 ABC Illinois Annual Review - Flipbook - Page 11
ANNUAL REPORT 2021
LETTER FROM THE
BOARD CHAIR
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
At the end of my three years serving on the ABC Illinois Board, including this past year as Board
Chair, I want to take a moment to share observations and thank you for the ways that each of you
contribute every day to the success of our association.
As I reflect on the challenges of the past few years, mainly the unprecedented COVID-19 Pandemic, I am struck by two things: the resilience of our members during challenging times and how we
have worked together to get through them. This includes how we interact with our realm of
customer service and each other continuing to move our industry forward; be it legislatively or in
training new craft professionals. My deepest thanks go out to all of you for your commitment to
protecting construction businesses rights to run their companies in whatever model they choose,
free from coercion and government interference.
I have seen this same thoughtful and collaborative work in my interactions with our group of
committed volunteer leaders and the ABC Illinois staff as well. Each striving to advance the Merit
Shop Philosophy of Free Enterprise through all that they do. I have been blessed to get to know
many of you personally and I thank you for your friendship and the opportunities I have had to
learn from you and your work.
I am fortunate to have been able to observe the inner workings of the ABC Illinois Chapter from
an increasingly close range – from that of a committee member, board member and board chair. I
can report with pride and gratitude that the closer I have ventured, the more admirable and
dedicated the ABC Illinois staff is. Because of this I strongly encourage each of you to reach out to
any of our association’s volunteer leaders or staff and get involved, you will be glad you did!
As we look forward to next year, I wish the best to each one of you, as well as assure you that you
will be in good hands as our 2022 Board Chair, Michelle Smith, leads our organization.
With sincere thanks for the trust you have placed in me this past year,
Aerika Hutton
CFO, ECI Construction Services
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