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

Calling all under-40 BA members! The CLC is hosting its first event of 2016 on February 11th at Carnivale (702 W. Fulton St.). This Mardi Gras-themed speed networking event will begin at 5:30 PM. Register online before the event and don't forget your business cards!

The BA is coordinating its third Safety Stand Down in partnership with OSHA this year. Mark your calendar for the week of May 2-6 for this annual safety-focused week. Materials for the Stand Down will be provided, and more information will be available at a later date.

Employers must be mindful of a recently enacted but often overlooked Illinois Department of Labor regulation which requires employers to track hours worked by all employees. The law applies regardless of whether employees are "exempt" or "non-exempt" as defined by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. Meeting the requirements of this new law may save you money and aggravation in the future.

The 'comply by' date of March 1, 2016 for the City of Chicago's Crane Operator Licensing Ordinance that passed in late 2013 is fast approaching for those who want to be licensed. The ordinance requires any person operating crane equipment within city limits that has a rated lifting/hoisting capacity of over 2,000 pounds to obtain a Chicago Crane Operators License. The ordinance requires that there are two exams, Class I and Class II, depending on the equipment being used.

Seventy-one percent of construction firms plan to expand their payrolls in 2016 as contractors expect a range of public and private markets to grow, according to survey results released earlier this month by the Associated General Contractors of America and Sage Construction and Real Estate. The survey, conducted as part of The Challenges Facing a Growing Industry: The 2016 Construction Industry Hiring and Business Outlook, indicates that contractors foresee a positive year despite tight labor conditions, regulatory burdens and IT security challenges.

All employees should know how to respond to an active shooter situation in the safest, most effective way possible. There is an average of one active shooter incident every three weeks in America. 69% of those incidents are over in five minutes or less. Having a plan in place can be the difference between life and death in active shooter scenarios. Steve Stetson of member company DSP Insurance Services has over 20 years of safety experience and will be instructing the Contractor Safety Forum on March 3.

The Builders Education & Training Foundation is excited to host another round of the Project Management Series instructed by Brad Benhart of Purdue University. "Personal Success for Project Managers" and "Top 10 ‘Risky’ Items Every PM or Superintendent Should Know", back by popular demand, will be held at the Carpenters Training Facility in Elk Grove Village on March 9 and April 29, respectively. Both of these courses will begin at 8AM and end at 11AM.

The PM Series has received rave reviews over the years. One participant from the most recent series described the program as a "concise presentation that keyed in on very important concepts that make everyone more efficient." Another attendee reported that it "hit the important concepts with usable items to effectively implement immediately which will have the greatest impact on improving both professional and personal life."

The Builders Education & Training Foundation will host all four units of the BIM Education Program this Spring. AGC’s BIM Education Program—developed in conjunction with leading BIM practitioners, technology firms and educators—is designed to prepare construction professionals at all experience levels to successfully implement BIM on a construction project.

March 10 | Unit 1: An Introduction to Building Information Modeling
March 11 | Unit 2: BIM Technology
April 29 | Unit 3: BIM Contract Negotiation and Risk Allocation
May 6 | Unit 4: BIM Process, Adoption, and Integration

The Builders Education & Training Foundation is pleased to partner with Mechanical Contractors Association to offer their training resources to our members at a reduced cost. There are many classes on a wide variety of topics, all of which are beneficial for an individual's professional development as well as company performance.

The Builders Association PAC is funded through contributions from members and other construction industry entities. The Association graciously thanks the following companies for their generous support to the PAC in 2016:

PRESIDENT’S CLUB (contributions of $2,000 )
Bulley & Andrews LLC
W.E. O'Neil Construction Co.

LEGISLATORS CLUB (contributions of $1,500)
W.B. Olson, Inc.

CABINET MEMBERS CLUB (contributions of $1,000)
Denk and Roche Builders
Hill Mechanical Corp, dba The Hill Group
Joseph J. Duffy Company
McShane Construction Company
Michuda Construction
The George Sollitt Construction Company

CAMPAIGN MANAGERS CLUB (contributions up to $500)
AMS Mechanical Systems, Inc.
Bernhard Woodwork Ltd.
Mechanical, Inc.
William J. Scown Building Company

To learn more about the PAC or to make a donation, please email info@bldrs.org, or visit our Government section on www.bldrs.org.