The Blueprint

Builders Association is proud of the importance that its General Contractor and Subcontractor members place on safety. Our Contractor Safety Award Program honors those firms that excel in safety each year at our annual Spring Summit, where we honor many member companies with the Safety Excellence Award, Recognition Award, and Most Improved Safety Record Award.

We encourage all of our General and Specialty Contractor members to apply for these awards that showcase your company's daily commitment to keeping jobsites safe. Eligibility requirements, as well as the application, can be found here. Applications are due March 31st. Contact Stacey Kelly at 773-444-0465 or skelly@bldrs.org with any questions.

Mark your calendars for the 2017 CLC Leadership Conference, co-hosted by AGC of California, which will be held in Los Angeles, California, November 15 - 17, 2017. Details and registration information coming soon!

Over 60 young construction professionals met on February 16th at Moe's Cantina in River North for an evening of collaboration and networking. View pictures from the event. Information on the CLC's Spring event is coming soon!

Over 40 safety and health professionals attended the Builders Association's Contractor Safety Forum on February 23rd to prepare for the upcoming implementation of OSHA's Silica Rule. Attendees learned what the standard requires, the OSHA action level (AL) and  permissible exposure limit (PEL), when air sampling is required and is not required, medical surveillance requirements and the training that employers will be responsible for providing.

We encourage all members to review OSHA's Compliance Guide regarding the Silica Rule. The Association will continue to inform its members on the Silica Rule as updates develop.

This year's Spring Summit will be held on Thursday, May 11 at Maggiano's Oak Brook at 11:30AM. The 2017 Spring Summit will feature crucial tips for risk management for contractors, honor Chicagoland’s safety stars with our Contractor Safety Awards, and provide time for invaluable industry networking.

Steve Coughran of Coltivar Group will be presenting on Managing Risk through Adaptive Strategy. The construction industry is increasingly being shaped by tightened regulations, intense competition, and a growing labor deficit. In the modern economy, a company cannot sustain long-term success through a single core competency. Today’s market requires a push for organizational learning to remain relevant. Coughran's presentation will discuss the barriers to strategic success that erode company profitability and will guide attendees in creating adaptable, learning-centric strategies. Steve will also introduce methods to implement efficient organizational structures and process enhancement to mitigate risk and strengthen competitive advantage.

Register online today!

Save the date for this year's Builders Foundation Golf Outing on July 12, 2017 at Ruffled Feathers in Lemont. We look forward to a sunny day of golfing, networking, and fundraising for the hard-working college student recipients of the Builders Foundation Scholarship.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee passed three AGC-backed regulatory reform bills on February 14. The Searching for and Cutting Regulations that are Unnecessarily Burdensome (SCRUB) Act, Regulatory Integrity Act, and Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) Insight, Reform and Accountability Act collectively would establish mechanisms to unwind obsolete, duplicative, overly burdensome, and ineffective regulations. The bills will likely move to the House floor for consideration in the coming weeks.

AGC also supported several other regulatory reform bills that the House passed in January. Those bills are pending action in the Senate, which has been preoccupied with protracted cabinet confirmations.

Have you explored the Construction Industry Compliance Assistance (CICA) Center yet? The AGC-supported CICA Center is a unique, free resource on environmental compliance and sustainability that is open to the entire U.S. construction industry.

The CICA Center is a virtual clearing house of resources on the top rules you will need to keep track of on your construction projects. Bookmark www.cicacenter.org in your web browser and make the CICA Center your first stop for information on air emissions, diesel engines, dredge and fill permits, energy codes, endangered species, environmental management systems, green, lead based paint, recycling, resilience, solid/hazardous waste, spill prevention and controls, stormwater, sustainability, wetlands, and even safety resources.

Find out why 14,000 visitors access the CICA Center each month with these top five reasons to explore www.cicacenter.org.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/bia-nwl/articles/index.asp?aid=426839&issueID=51597 to view the full article online.

Designed specifically for AGC member companies and their employees, advocacy.agc.org will make it extremely easy to communicate with federal and state officials, as well as take action on urgent legislative and regulatory alerts. Visitors can effortlessly navigate the website to find information on:

• Voting records for your members of Congress
• Important construction-related legislation
• Registering to vote
• AGC Political Action Committee (AGC PAC)
• Construction Advocacy Fund
• Latest construction news involving Congress and the Administration

While AGC is excited that this website will serve as a valuable advocacy tool, you – our members – remain our strongest advocacy resource.

If you’re a business owner or hiring manager, chances are you’ve recently posted a job online. While many variables impact response, the tips below will enhance the quality, and possibly quantity, of your applicants.

Research shows typical job description language in postings discourages many good candidates from applying. The purpose of your posting is to attract candidates versus screening them out, and the following information will help you do just that. Furthermore, according to research, people evaluate posting information in a specific order, which is outlined by this article.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/bia-nwl/articles/index.asp?aid=427318&issueID=51597 to view the full article online.

Membership to Builders Association includes access to a breadth of education and training opportunities through the Construction Education Institute. Some courses that may be of special value to your company are described here.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/bia-nwl/articles/index.asp?aid=426769&issueID=51597 to view the full article online.

The Construction Safety Council will be hosting an array of courses in March. Topics such as Confined Space Entry, Recordkeeping Rule Seminar, Health Hazard Awareness, and Fall Protection for Walking/Working Surfaces will be covered. View the full offering of March courses.

Builders Association extends its condolences to Bulley & Andrews upon the passing of Paul Hellermann. Paul had an unparalleled commitment to the Chicago construction industry, Bulley & Andrews, and the Builders Association. He served on the Association's Board of Directors for 1996 to 2008, serving as Chairman from 2007-2008. Paul also served on the Board of Directors at MARBA, the Carpenters Pension Fund, and the Laborers-Employers Cooperation and Education Trust. Paul's significant contributions to the construction industry will resonate for years to come and he will be greatly missed.