While the latest NAMFS President Chad Rulo is hopping up the few remaining NAMFS members to attend the NAMFS #FraudFest 2025 in Frisco, Texas, one of their sponsors appears to be heading out the door. MSI, whom is sponsoring the Reception Desk, has been losing work at such a level that it is even hitting social media. Rulo, the newly minted CEO of First Rate Field Services (FRFS) is heading into a perfect storm. And the irony is thick. On the one hand, Rulo and NAMFS oversee an Industry which has not seen meaningful price raises for Labor in over 30 years. Juxtapose this with the massive price hikes for Management — Management such as Rulo, FRFS, and his fellow NAMFS members. The St Louis based FRFS is also in a bind as the recent tariffs are coming home to roost.
Rulo and FRFS were at the forefront of attempting to skirt the employee misclassification litigation which cost NAMFS members tens of millions of dollars, in my opinion. In this post by Michael Colombini on the FRFS website, you can see how they move away from the term independent contractor to Gig Worker. Ironically, the sidestep to Gig Worker is even worse than trying to pretend that Labor is comprised of independent contractors. Grim as my opinion may be, the Statue of Liberty in the video on that page, was a direct plea for immigrants to come take shelter at FRFS.
I get it. Times are tough and the stench of Zoldowski and Verisk is hard to wash off. Even so, what you don’t do is post memes of the dead pitchman, Billy Mays, on your company website when you are trying to simply make it through to the other side. I mean attempting to link your brand to a guy whose death was contributed to by cocaine is not exactly what I would call a good marketing strategy. And using the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) of a prominent figure, without compensation, is certainly not that wise for a for profit, commercially based firm. Just as Five Brothers when Mike Rowe, host of Dirty Jobs, slammed them as seen in the article here. Then again, this is the NAMFS that Rulo is overseeing, an Association whose membership have defrauded tens of millions of dollars over the past years, the least of which is the National Field Network involuntary bankruptcy. Granted NFN was an on again off again NAMFS cheerleader, the interconnectedness of NAMFS members to NFN is unmistakable.
Tariffs are the inevitable destroyer of the Industry. Ironically, in previous articles, I have articulated, based upon Trumpian actions, where the defaults will begin and the ultimate volumes overall. And as we are more like morticians, these defaults are the reason we have work. The problem is that with historically low pay to the boots on the ground whom actually do the work, a $5 profit margin to change a knob and deadbolt won’t cut it. I wrote about it here. And for those whom do not believe price hikes are coming, I predicted the cabinets at MFS Supply would raise first. Here is what their CEO Mark Wells had to say last night,
As of April 9th, the impact of these tariffs, that originally ranged from 32%-125%, has been reduced to 10% for at least 90 days.
We are working diligently to negotiate with our suppliers and explore ways to mitigate or absorb as much as possible on these new costs. Our reaction to this pressure is being delayed a month beyond the start in the effort to get clarity and fight for more improvement on our side. Unfortunately, with the impact defined now clearly at 10%, the reality of these increased costs over this period can only partially be absorbed and requires a response.
Therefore, we are implementing a surcharge of 4.9% to be added on the invoice for all shipments of Cabinet products beginning May 1st, 2025.
So, the math is there. For every ten percent, there is going to be 4.9% in surcharge. When you look at the 145% on China, where most of the locks, hasps and other accouterments originate from, all bets are off as those tariffs are already applied through the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS).
Chad Rulo looks good on paper and as a fellow veteran, I appreciate his service. As the NAMFS president, that paper is in junk bond status. What Rulo, FRFS, and his fellow NAMFS members have failed to do is ever — and I mean EVER — give a damn about the boots on the ground whom actually do the work. And the tax returns that Rulo now presides over go to prove that point. Below is the screenshot from the latest IRS 990 filed by NAMFS. The troubling thing is that it was for FY 2022. Perhaps it is time for DOGE to take a real close look at what is really going on there!
Who knows, maybe there will be change — other than simply some change in Labor’s pocket for services rendered. As I had spoken with Eric Miller, NAMFS Executive Director up until the point that NAMFS threatened to sue me — and they had to withdraw — there was a glimmer of hope. Today, the International Association of Field Service Technicians (IAFST) leads the charge for Labor. No change for the Miller Regime as you can see for a simple 40 hour work week — how that is justified is anyone’s guess other than the junkets taken at NAMFS expense — Miller is paid $110,000 plus extravagant perks.
And where Rulo and NAMFS stood by caring not one iota about codifying the Industry NAICS, the IAFST submitted the first petition ever. And the IAFST is armed with a substantial war chest now to move on issues and quell the fraud before it begins. Change starts with calling out the hypocrisy and the fraud. Change starts with conversations that you are not sued over. And hey Chad, change could start with you. Feel free to reach out and begin that talk with me and the IAFST — damn, waxed poetic there on rhyme 😉 — today!