Smart Partnerships: Where Your Money Goes

We originally posted a version of this a few years back, but thought it was worth revisiting.

“We estimate that one A1 project can help support over $18,540,000.00 paid to local families.

The key to a successful project and maintaining economic viability just might be this:

Building smart partnerships.

A good relationship between our team of full time employees, our subcontractors, and other businesses we partner with has the power to make or break a project. It’s that simple. 

These strong relationships are one of the essential A1 differentiators, and helps us keep tabs on building codes, insurance, bonding requirements, credit, background checks, wage and payroll requirements, lien requirements, and a plethora of important safety regulations. All the people we work with make sure we cover the bases and continue to provide value to the community. 

Since 1955, we’ve time tested our processes. We’ve refined them. Then refined them again. Today, we have a six-step vetting and on-boarding process for subcontractors and businesses we work with that helps assure excellence from the start. It may sound like a lot, and it is.

But all this helps assure we remain a company that provides value to the community. And, just as importantly, return the money we receive back to people in a way that truly makes a difference.

If you’ve ever wondered where the money goes in a project, read on.

Where Does Your Money Go?

Local businesses strengthen our economy by recirculating a greater share of every dollar generated. Here at A1, we contribute to local supply chains and invest in our employees. For example, A1 pays well over $1.2 million annually to a staff of 21 in direct wages. This has an amazing ripple effect every where you look.

When you hire a local contractor, you know that your money is staying within your community; we work in the communities we live in and are interested in the community’s financial and economical wellness – just as you are.

Case in point: one of our current projects is using 14 local subcontractors and nearly 20 local vendors, which has a huge local impact. The subcontractors alone represent 309 employees. If those employees are comparable to ours, direct wages to these 309 employees would represent $18,540,000.00 paid to local families. If each represents one average household in our community, this one project is potentially impacting around 756 people. This doesn’t even include the vendors. The vendors would add 427 employees and a potential 1068 additional people.

That’s huge. And every time you work with us or another local company, that impact grows. Working and buying local increases community wellbeing, promotes widespread financial health, reduces the use of fossil fuels, and builds community resilience by strengthening connections.

Whatcom Talk recently interviewed a few members of our team to understand further why smart partnerships are important to us at A1. Read it if you’re interested.

But the big take-away? Every local dollar spent in Whatcom County has a compounding impact on every one around us. And that’s a good thing.

OUR LOCAL PARTNERS

Thank you to the following companies for working with us - and their continued efforts and professionalism.

Bellingham Millworks

Creative Stoneworks

Corwin Electrical Services

Dirt Devil Construction

Environmental Insulation

Greggerson Painting

Hardware Sales 

Landmark Enterprises

Nolan’s Roofing

Rain Guard Gutters

Rob Rocks Tile & Stone

Rice Insurance

Spectrum Plumbing

Storm Drywall

SVC Interiors

West Coast Windows

Windsor Plywood