CONFERENCE REPORT: Small-Business Forum by Paul Hanke About 40 builders from around New England gathered in early September for the latest in the series of Small Business Forums sponsored by the Quality Building Council of the Northeast Solar Energy Association (NESEA). The daylong workshop, held in Sturbridge, Mass., covered the general topics of hiring, motivating, and keeping good help, along with estimating and job management. Ward Smyth, of Salmon Creek Builders in Salisbury, Conn., and Kate Mitchell, of Island Women Construction on Nantucket, acted as moderators for the workshop, which they quickly organized into an informal give-andtake session that drew upon the experience of the participants as much as upon the knowledge of Smyth and Mitchell. The two "leaders" started the day by removing the
