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Education/Training
No fees associated! Applications now open and due January 31, 2019. Qualifications Include:
Click here for full details. Safety
The AGC-Willis Towers Watson Construction Safety Excellence Awards (CSEA) is the industry’s elite safety excellence awards program for contractors of all types and sizes. CSEA recognizes companies that have developed and implemented premier safety and risk control programs and that have achieved continuous improvement and maintenance of their safety and health management system.
AGC Members receive a 10% discount on all UTA OSHA-taught classes. Please call (866) 906-9190 and provide the member code (AGCHOU). View the full list of courses here.
November 26-29: OSHA 2045: Machinery and Machine Guarding Standards November 26-29: OSHA 510: Occup Safety & Health Standards for Construction November 27-29: SH 925: Management of Change- Process Safety Management Standard December 4-6: OSHA 2055: Cranes in Construction December 4-6: OSHA 3015: Excavation, Trenching and Soil Mechanics December 10-13: OSHA 500: Trainer Course in OSHA Standards for Construction December 11-13: OSHA 3085: Principles of Scaffolding AGC News
Register today to participate in AGC’s Winter Safety & Health Conference January 16 - 18, 2019 in Miami, Fla.
Contribute to the development of regulatory and legislative activity on the national and local levels alongside more than 250 of your cohorts. Assist in the formulation of new safety training programs and products and hear the latest updates on regulations from key OSHA representatives and other industry experts.
For more than 100 years, the AGC Annual Convention has been the event successful contractors around the country count on for practical knowledge and industry-leading information to guide business decisions, improve operations and shape the industry. Registration details here. Tariffs and Tight Labor Market May Push Future Bid Prices Higher; AGC Of America Officials Call for End to Costly Tariffs, Resolution of Trade Disputes and More Funding for Career and Technical Education
The price of new nonresidential buildings accelerated in October as contractors attempted to recoup fast-rising costs for materials and labor, according to an analysis by AGC of America regarding new Labor Department data. Association officials said that trade tensions and labor shortages are contributing to higher construction prices, making it harder for public officials to improve aging and over-burdened infrastructure. Metals and petroleum-based products registered the largest increases among construction inputs, according to Chief Economist Ken Simonson.
AGC and Sage Begin Surveying Members for Annual Outlook Each year around this time, AGC asks you – our members – to predict what next year will be like for your business. AGC has partnered with Sage to prepare questions that focus on expectations for market performance, hiring, labor market conditions, etc. Please take a moment to complete the survey here. 
Events
Celebrating Safety - Holiday Happy Hour Message from the President/CEO
When AGC Houston first launched its Scholarship program in 1996, the average annual tuition cost at a four-year college for an in-state resident was $2,966. That year the scholarship committee awarded a total of $6,000 to two applicants seeking a degree in a construction-related program. Fast forward to today, and the average annual tuition cost for an in-state student at a four-year college is $9,970. This past spring, the committee awarded $48,500 to 29 eligible applicants.
AGC considers “workforce development” as a broad umbrella that encompasses both those activities that encourage students in elementary, middle or high school to consider the potential of a career in construction and those that help prepare young people for their first jobs in the industry, either through craft training or a two- or four-year degree. Industry recruitment and retention are essential to the future of the construction industry.
Just as important as finding craft workers, project managers and supervisors is ensuring that these essential workers are properly educated and trained. Efforts through AGC and in conjunction with AGC Chapters and industry partners are focused on the goal to attract, retain and train the future construction industry workforce.
The application process for the Patrick J. Kiley Excellence in Leadership (PKEIL) Scholarship program is now open and the deadline for applying is January 31, 2019. Additionally, if you are interested in contributing to the PKEIL Scholarship Fund, you may do so here: https://ghcf.org/donate-now/.
Member News
Curtis Martin, Co-Managing Partner of Peckar & Abramson's Texas offices, has been named 2018 Ride Marshal of the Year for the annual BP MS 150. The annual 150-mile bicycle ride from Houston to Austin, Texas, took place on April 28-29, 2018.
Curt Martin has been one of the event's top 300 fund raisers since 2008, raising more than $140,000 for this worthy charity.
As Ride Marshal, he helped other riders by changing flat tires along the route and ensuring others rode safely and comfortably. Ride Marshals, who also ride the route themselves, serve as safety ambassadors and provide special assistance as needed. Curt raised more than $19,000 for the 2018 MS 150. In 2017, he was inducted into the Fundraising Hall of Fame of the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society Lone Star Chapter. Since 2001, Curt has been a member of the Houston Builders Team, a group of contractors and designers who ride together each year, and are supported by the Houston Associated General Contractors (AGC) the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) and the American Institute of Architects (AIA).  McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., recently completed a build-out of the ninth floor of the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (NRI) at Texas Children’s Hospital, which includes approximately 23,000 square feet of new, state-of-the-art lab space. Construction on the project began in November 2017.
Within the Texas Medical Center, the Texas Children’s NRI level nine lab project consists of building general lab areas, write-up areas, tissue culture rooms, surgery room, rig rooms, a cold room, offices, a conference room and break areas. It also features a two-story, spiral-monumental stair case that connects the lab to upper floors, as well as a new mechanical room with new mechanical equipment to support the space.
The project includes complex mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems that were coordinated using BIM modeling to ensure they could fit in the limited above-ceiling space, and the process was accelerated over six weeks to meet the overall schedule. Teams coordinated shop drawings for both the air handler and stairs to maximize the size of the prefabricated sections while still allowing them to fit through the restrictive louver opening. McCarthy required careful planning and extensive engineering to set up the crane for these items and not bear over-sensitive utility areas around the congested alleyway behind the building.
News you can Use
This new program expedites resolution of inadvertent minimum wage and overtime violations under the Fair Labor Standards Act, and provides a framework for employers to proactively resolve those violations without litigation.
Register today - all employers welcome
December 6, 2018 10:00 a.m. - noon at Houston Community College, West Loop
   In the two years since Donald Trump was elected president, the economy has grown and unemployment has reached 3.7%, but construction companies are still dealing with the combined effects of looming tariffs and the struggle to find qualified labor. The regulatory landscape has become kinder to business, but the issue of determining infrastructure spending remains unsolved for now
The U.S. Department of Labor recently announced the launch of the New and Small Business Assistance (link is external) and the Compliance Assistance Toolkits (link is external) webpages. These new online tools are intended to assist American small businesses and workers with simple, straightforward resources that provide critical Wage and Hour Division information, as well as links to other resources.
The labor shortage requires contractors to become more efficient, and lean construction can help reduce waste and improve productivity. In one example, the contractor worked with the architect on prefabricated bathroom pods at a hotel project, and the effort reduced installation time to 11 days.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently released a set of 53 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to provide guidance to employers and employees regarding OSHA's respirable crystalline silica standard for construction. AGC has assembled a four-page document with some of the clarifications and a PDF version of all the FAQs for members' convenience. AGC encourages its members to review all the FAQs to assist in their compliance efforts. For more information, contact Kevin Cannon at (703)837-5410 or cannonk@agc.org or Nazia Shah at (703)837-5409 or nazia.shah@agc.org.
Membership Benefits
The ConstructorCast is AGC of America's monthly podcast covering all the news, views, and interviews relevant to your construction business. Each month, AGC of America picks a new topic and sits down with experts to go in depth on some of the most pressing subjects in the construction industry. Search for it on your mobile device's podcast app to subscribe, or visit our website for more information. |
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