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The Contractors Group .com Newsletter
http://www.thecontractorsgroup.com
July 01, 2000 Issue #3
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IN THIS ISSUE -
1. Our mission statement
2. Home Improvement Certification deadline is here.....
3. Knowing your forms makes a difference.....
4. Meet our advertisers.....
5. Announcements..... (Last minute update on digital signature
viability)
6. General Contractors that have joined The Contractors Group
.com.....
7. Free webpages for Generals, Architects and Subs.....
8. Subscribe/Unsubscribe.....
1. OUR IDEA
The main purposes of this website are 1) to provide on-going day and night support for the contractor and 2) to encourage, support and even highlight fair practice in the industry. Our goal, as lofty as it may be, is that this site ease and streamline the administration side of any and all construction contracting businesses. What makes our website unique from all the others out there? Contractors are able to obtain all the information and forms they want from our site, as often as they need to, completely free of charge! Advertisements from suppliers to the construction industry (see #4 below) provide the financial support for this website. We have step by step guidelines as to how to obtain a California contractors license..... We have suggestions to set up a contracting business to be within the spectrum of the legal system (we would like to publish articles written by members of the construction industry, any volunteers??)..... We have just about any form that a contractor needs in his business (editable online)..... We even have a site search engine on page one..... Comments about this newsletter, the website or about happenings in the construction industry?. Please submit those comments mailto:contractors1@earthlink.net to us, as we wish to make this newsletter and the website as helpful to contractors as possible.
2. HOME IMPROVEMENT CERTIFICATION DEADLINE
After July 1, 2000, it will be a violation of the Contractors' License Law to perform home improvement work, either as a prime or subcontractor, without holding the Home Improvement Certification (HIC). Don't run the risk of being fined (up to $2000) and having a blemish on your license record. Follow this link to test for and obtain your HIC http://www.thecontractorsgroup.com/home_improvement_cert.htm
3. KNOWING YOUR FORMS MAKES A DIFFERENCE
Last newsletter, we told you about the changed wording in the
California 20-day Preliminary Notice, this time take a look at the
W-9. The version currently posted at the IRS site and at our site is
a revision dated November 1999. Please note that at our site, the W-9
is editable onscreen and online prior to print!
Find the new IRS W-9 as well as all the rest of your construction
related documents/forms free at the following address: http://www.thecontractorsgroup.com/list_of_forms_to_print.htm
.
4. MEET OUR ADVERTISERS.....
Our goal is to sign up advertisers that are suppliers to the construction industry (such as insurance agents, accountants, attorneys, materialmen, etc.), so that you, the contractor, can have one place to go to for all of your needs. Think about it, you can visit our site, create one e-mail requesting quotes on whatever it might be that you need (liability insurance rates?), and e-mail it to all of the applicable advertisers at once (then sit back and let the suppliers compete for your business!). To this end we are pleased to welcome to The Contractors Group .com the following firms.:
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA INSURANCE BROKERAGE, INC. has been with us for almost three months now. These guys have very good rates so visit their webpage http://www.thecontractorsgroup.com/southerncaliforniainsurance , and give them a chance to quote your insurance policies.
PREPAID LEGAL SERVICES, INC. has just recently signed on with us. This company has an interesting program in which you pay a nominal monthly fee to obtain legal advice on a regular basis (such as contract review, etc.). You can even become an 'associate' and sell the program to others! http://www.prepaidlegal.com/go/hfclark
PERSONNEL LEASING, INC. is the first employee leasing company to
join the group. They handle every task associated with payroll
including all emnployment issues with governmental agencies and they
pay all employment taxes. Their volume allows their worker's
compensation percentages to be lower than what you are paying on your
own (in most, if not all, cases).
(760) 639-6013 voice or mailto:brian.wendi@prodigy.net
WHO WILL BE OUR NEXT ADVERTISER? For $350 per year our advertisers receive more perks than we have seen anywhere else. Click http://www.thecontractorsgroup.com/advertisement_information.htm to check it out.
5. ANNOUNCEMENTS.....
SPECIAL THANKS TO ANITA AT ALTA DRYWALL - Anita has been instrumental in helping me to fine tune the preliminary form that we have posted at the site. She claims to 'not know a whole lot about this stuff' but she sure has been sharp in noticing what should be included that wasn't! Thanks Anita!!, and keep those suggestions coming.
VIRUSES: Due to the amount of viruses that are sent out attached to e-mails I have decided that, for the time being, I will keep my newsletters in this plain text, non-graphical format.
WET SIGNATURES VS. DIGITAL SIGNATURES UPDATE: Legislation passed by the House recently would give electronic signatures the same legal status as a penned "John Hancock" on a paper document. The bill was considered likely to get quick Senate approval and President Clinton's signature (wonder if he'll sign it digitally?). A digital signature consists of your name along with a password that you create. When you have completed a form, you can apply your digital signature and then e-mail the form to your customer. A digital signature is more secure than a 'wet' signature for one very important reason... You can't hold a digital signature up to a window to trace it. Digital signatures would allow contractors to greatly decrease the amount of money spent on postage for each project, because you could e-mail your paperwork to your customer(s)! If you think that digital signature capabilities in construction is a good idea, then click here http://www.adobe.com to go to the Adobe website, and submit a suggestion that digital signature capability be added to Acrobat Reader.(LAST MINUTE RELEASE: IT'S OFFICIAL, PRESIDENT CLINTON SIGNED! Watch for our follow up article in the next newsletter.)
6. FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF GENERAL CONTRACTORS WHO HAVE JOINED OUR GROUP
Golden Land Building and General Engineering Apple Valley, CA
License #A-B 342317
http://www.thecontractorsgroup.com/goldenlandbuilding
R.E. Fleming Construction, Inc. Hesperia, CA License #497628
Pictures here to look at also!
http://www.thecontractorsgroup.com/reflemingconstructioninc
7. FREE WEBPAGES! -
FOR GENERAL CONTRACTORS - For those of you who have not heard the news yet, we are building free webpages for general contractors. Click here to get the dimensions http://www.thecontractorsgroup.com/general_contractor_index.htm
FOR ARCHITECTS - Guess what?? We are also building free webpages for architects! Click here to read the scope: http://www.thecontractorsgroup.com/architect_index.htm
FOR SUBCONTRACTORS - Bring us two (2) paying advertisers, you get a free ad in one of our newsletters. Bring us five (5) paying advertisers, you get a free ad in three of our newsletters. Bring us ten (10) paying advertisers and not only will we place a free ad for you in six of our newsletters, we will also build a free webpage for you. $350 per year includes all perks. Click http://www.thecontractorsgroup.com/advertisement_information.htm to go to the area at our site that describes the advertising program. Talk to your suppliers (ie: insurance agents, accountants, attorneys, material suppliers, etc., etc., etc.) and tell them about the site (you can even forward this newsletter to their e-mail addresses). When they contact us to purchase advertising, have them give us your personal and/or company name contact information, and we will make sure that you get the credit for it!
9. SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE
To view first issues, click here http://www.thecontractorsgroup.com/newsletters.htm
To subscribe to future issues, click here mailto:contractors1@earthlink.net,
type subscribe in the subject line, click send and we will add you to
our growing list of recipients.
To unsubscribe, click here mailto:contractors1@earthlink.net,
type unsubscribe in the subject line, click send and we will remove
you from our list.
Well, good-bye for now. Have fun, be safe, and don't forget to send us 'stuff' that you would like to see in the newsletter!! Diane Dennis