The Builders Association is pleased to announce that both our general contractor member firms and those of Fox Valley AGC voted overwhelmingly to merge our associations. The merged organization, Chicagoland AGC, will better serve our valued members and the industry as a whole.

We thank all those who were so actively involved in this 18-month process. We will continue to keep you informed of our progress in advance of the official launch date: January 1, 2018. If you are interested in being more involved in this new organization, please contact us.

For the second year, the Builders Association Government Relations Committee cordially invites you to a PAC reception from 5:30 to 7:30 on October 26 at the Butterfield Country Club in Oak Brook, where we will honor several Construction Industry Advocates. To RSVP or sponsor, please call 773.444.0465.

The Builders Association looks forward to celebrating a successful year in construction at the annual Builders Connect luncheon on December 6. We will be honoring this year's Community Builder recipients and celebrating the past 111 years as the Builders Association, while looking forward to our future as the merged Chicagoland AGC. The event will be held at the Drake Hotel in Chicago. Invitation forthcoming. 

 

The Construction Safety Council (CSC) is proud to announce that, due to remarkable growth in the Chicagoland area, they are adding a new location in downtown Chicago. The new address is at Northern Illinois University, 105 West Madison Street, Chicago, IL 60602. To celebrate, CSC is offering free registration for OSHA #7510—Introduction to OSHA for Small Businesses. The course will take place from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday, October 9. Register here!

 

Leading Green is offering a LEED Green Associate Training from 6 to 10 p.m. on Thursday, October 5 at IIT and from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, October 7 at UIC. The course covers an introduction to LEED; location and transportation; sustainable sites; water efficiency; energy and atmosphere; and many other topics. BA members may receive a discount by registering with the student pricing. Registration available here for IIT training and here for UIC training.  

AGC of America is offering a Contractor Development Webinar Series, free to AGC members. The first of nine webinars is on Digitizing Your Field Data, and will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CDT on Thursday, October 19.

Emerging contractors might choose to avoid field automation tools, fearing that they won’t recover the investment, or achieve ROI. This webinar will describe why this shouldn’t be the case, and why they especially should embrace emerging mobile tools to capture critical field data to support their operations.

The Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters is holding an apprenticeship open house at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 15 and Thursday, November 16. The event will feature a facility tour and a presentation about the successful apprenticeship program, followed by a panel of administrators, instructors, and current and former apprentices. Learn more and register here. 

AGC of America is constantly creating new resources for our members. One such resource is the Business Development Best Practices webpage. Everyone wants and values their business relationships, but how do you establish them effectively? Is it just about meeting people? You meet someone, talk, and you have a relationship. Seems easy, yet effective business relationships take dedication and commitment. September's article, "Keys to Building Effective Business Relationships," provides six key ways to building effective business relationships.

The Builders Association extends a warm welcome to Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP, our newest member! Baker Tilly is a nationally recognized full-service accounting and advisory firm whose specialized professionals connect with you and your business through refreshing candor and clear industry insight. They emphasize industry specialization, so their construction and real estate professionals know the environment where you compete and the issues you face. They establish a mutually beneficial relationship to identify needs, recognize opportunities, and find innovative ways to meet your short and long-term goals through a wide array of services. Welcome, Baker Tilly! 

This year, Clark Construction celebrates 25 years in Chicago. Clark recently completed Wintrust Arena, DePaul basketball's new home, and would like to thank the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, DePaul University, and all their clients, partners and employees that have helped them make their mark on the Chicago skyline. The Builders Association offers its congratulations to Clark Construction and looks forward to the next 25 years.