The mission of IMPACT is to improve the economic competitiveness of the ironworking industry in the U.S. and Canada.
IMPACT strives to identify and expand work opportunities for ironworkers and their contractors.
IMPACT has refined its business development practices, where ironworkers represent contractors in getting into industrial facilities where there had been no ironworkers before.
IMPACT launched the Business Incubator Leadership Development (BILD) program to boost partner-contractor success and increase work opportunities for ironworkers. This program is designed to assist ironworkers in becoming successful contractors. BILD has helped more than 120 partner contractors achieve new levels of success in several aspects of their business operations, including accounting, legal, finance, insurance and bonding.
BILD provides contractors a structured business process, dedicated coaching team, direct access to construction industry subject matter experts, and a repository of standard documents and templates. Contractor benefits include discounted rates for professional services from subject matter experts and access to more favorable bonding, insurance and lending rates. BILD helps ironworker contractors manage risk, reduce cost and increase profitability, which helps create job opportunities for ironworkers and increases contributions to their pension and benefit funds.
In addition to coaching start-ups and established businesses, BILD helps partner contractors who are ready for retirement and succession planning or in the process of selling their companies.
IMPACT offers professional development education opportunities to support partner contractors or ironworkers who want to start a business. Since 2013, more than 6,000 participants have completed IMPACT training courses and attested to their effectiveness. Participation in IMPACT training courses has doubled since 2014.
Since its inception in July 2015, 465 participants have completed the Business Fundamentals Academy and 91 percent of the participants have reported improvement in job performance and growth. They have also reported improved confidence in their ability to take on more work, increase efficiency, attract and retain customers, boost profit margins and employ more ironworkers.
IMPACT's Off-The-Job Accident program brings relief to ironworker members who experience a short-term disability resulting from an accident that occurred away from work. It helps reduce workers' compensation rates for partner contractors, which translates to a more competitive business. The program has been bringing relief to members for over five years.
The Iron Workers Superintendent Training program is designed to assist journeyman ironworkers in advancing their careers. Participants learn communication skills, how to close out a project, and basic construction finance and law. Over 1,000 ironworkers working with over 500 contractors in the U.S. and Canada have successfully completed the course since its inception in 2012. The program aims to help contractors develop and retain skilled superintendents through effective recruitment and training while providing career advancement for ironworkers.
IMPACT continues to deliver on its mission, creating job opportunities for ironworkers and their contractors.
For more information, visit www.ironworkers.org or www.impact-net.org.
