Breaking down the BX Strategic Plan:  
goal by goal, strategy by strategy

Since it was first crafted in 1996, the Builders Exchange Strategic Plan has been a “road map” for board and volunteer leaders to move the association forward. 

The Plan starts by establishing a long-range direction for the BX, and then hones in on how to get there with specifics including:

• A 10-year vision: where the BX and the industry should be after a decade, if the plan is executed
• A mission statement: the association’s function and purpose (verified every 3 to 5 years)
• A few major goals that align with the mission: checked annually for progress and relevance
• Strategies under each goal: actions to be undertaken so each goal will be achieved

“Our Strategic Plan not only advances the Exchange with future initiatives, it also serves as a touchstone for us to confirm that long-time programs still fit the association’s mission,” said Kathy Gatterdam (Columbus Coal & Lime Co.), a BX board member.

However, she noted that the Strategic Plan format used by the Exchange, “focuses on new programs, not existing offerings. 

“This format compels BX leaders to keep our number of goals limited and tackle only a few strategies – or action items – in any given year.  We have to remember that the Exchange offers many programs on an ongoing basis and we must maintain the quality of current products, while we’re developing new ones.”

This approach also means a greater likelihood of success, she said. 

“In the last 10 years, the Builders Exchange has added many programs that were part of the Strategic Plan,” Gatterdam said, “among them, the BX Foundation and its student initiatives, collaborating on the McGraw-Hill Construction Network, expanded programs in the safety arena, education courses for – and about – the Latino workforce and several money-saving discount services.”

The Plan’s latest draft has four major goals, one of which envisions the Exchange as an “indispensable resource” for industry training and “knowledge management.”

“The BX board recognizes that along with providing construction-related education programs to the industry and community, we should help members filter and manage all the information available to them, especially online,” Gatterdam said.

For more information about the Strategic Plan, visit the Exchange Web site, www.bx.org.