In observance of Thanksgiving, the AGC Houston office will close at 3 p.m. on November 26 and reopen December 1 at 8 a.m. We wish you all a safe and happy holiday weekend!

Register today for the 96th Annual AGC Convention on March 18-20, 2015, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. AGC Houston is proud that Chuck Greco, Chairman, Linbeck Group, LLC., will become President of AGC of America. This prestigious honor marks only the second time an AGC Houston Leader has led the organization to such a level since Warren S. Bellows in 1946. At the same time that Chuck will take his new position, Jerry Nevlud, President/CEO of AGC Houston will become Chairman of the Executive Leadership Council with the AGC of America’s organization of CEOs.

Do you know anyone who could use money for higher education? Hurry and apply today for the Patrick J. Kiley Excellence In Leadership Scholarships. Deadline is January 31, 2015. AGC Houston will award scholarships to deserving students majoring in a construction-related discipline or an employee or dependent of an AGC Houston member firm.

The Construction Safety and Excellence Awards recognize companies that have developed and implemented excellent safety and loss prevention programs. AGC Houston contractor members that excel at safety performance are encouraged to submit applications. Entry deadline is December 15, 2014. Judges  look for evidence of company management commitment, active employee participation, safety training, worksite hazard identification and control, and safety program innovation.

BIM Process, Adoption, and Integration is a full-day (8-hour) course that provides a foundation for participants to establish and execute the BIM process, facilitate its adoption, and achieve integration on a single project and at a company level to execute multiple BIM projects simultaneously.

Learn the difference between leading and managing, and understand the importance of communication in effective leadership. Develop techniques for motivating and negotiating solutions, as well as effectively managing change. Broaden your awareness of ethical standards and professional responsibilities.

For AEC professionals, the AGC Certificate in Management Building Information Modeling (CM-BIM) is an assessment-based certificate credential that denotes knowledge and understanding of concepts related to BIM adoption, practice and process transformation outlined in the AGC BIM Education Program.

This trainer course is designed for individuals interested in teaching the OSHA 10- or 30-hour General Industry safety and health Outreach training program to their employees and other interested groups.

This course is designed to give environment, safety and health professionals the tools they need to ensure their workplace is in compliance with environmental regulations and reduce environmental risks. The course will cover the basics of environmental regulations and demonstrate how to identify pertinent regulations to your operations.

Thank you to all those who made their voices heard by voting in the 2014 Midterm Elections on November 4. AGC recently released a video featuring AGC CEO Stephen Sandherr, who recounted the results of the 2014 midterm elections and what the outcome means for the construction industry. He also talks about AGC of America's legislative priorities for the upcoming "Lame-Duck" Congressional session, and for next year's new Congress. You can view the video here.

The AGC Alternative, is a private insurance exchange that operates like an online store, making it easy for your employees to shop for health insurance and other benefits on their own or through the help of our dedicated employee hotline. Click here for detailed information and for quotes.

AGC of America has submitted an amicus brief with the National Labor Relations Board in a case involving common-situs picketing. The case, IBEW Local 357 (Desert Sun Enterprises), presents an opportunity for the Board to reconsider its long-standing requirement that, when a union notifies a neutral employer of its intent to picket a primary employer (the employer with which it has a direct dispute) at a site where both employers are located, the union must include assurances that it will conduct the picketing in accordance with set standards for lawful picketing. AGC urges the Board to maintain the requirement because it is consistent with the National Labor Relations Act, protects important public policies, and reflects the realities of labor relations on multiemployer worksites.

Benefit from financial strength and a superior loss-control program. It is managed by a board comprised of CompGroup AGC members—general contractors and subcontractors from all parts of Texas are represented. It is a TDI-approved Workers' Compensation Purchasing Group. Learn more about membership benefits in the CompGroup AGC, Inc. today or click here for more information! Contact your insurance agent or call Program Administrator Roberts & Crow at 800-406-9614 - ask for Julie Schatz.

We're excited to announce new AGC Houston emblem stickers available to all members! Show your AGC pride. Contact AGC Houston today at (713) 843-3700 and get hard hat stickers while they last. They're free for members!

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) released its final rule implementing Executive Order 13658 (EO), which establishes a minimum wage of $10.10 per hour for direct federal prime contractors and subcontractors at all tiers. That $10.10 minimum wage must be adjusted annually for inflation. The new minimum wage will take effect on direct federal agency contracts entered into on or after Jan. 1, 2015.

AGC Houston and other AGC Texas chapters have joined forces to help promote careers in the commercial construction industry by launching Texasconstructioncareers.com. More than just a website that allows employers to post jobs and job seekers their resumes, the site offers a plethora of information on craft training and professional education resources and job fairs throughout Texas. Click here for more information.

Members of the Leadership AGC Class attended the Third Annual ACE Mentor's "Build It Forward" Event, which took place on Saturday, November 22, on site at Marek Brothers Systems, Inc.

Barak Obama's executive order announced Thursday is expected to stay the deportations of about 5 million immigrants and grant them temporary work permits, giving them the same legal protections on wages, health and safety that U.S. workers take for granted.  In Texas, which has the greatest number of people living here illegally after California, an estimated 743,000 immigrants of about 1.5 million could receive permits. They'll qualify either as parents of U.S. citizens or legal residents or through Obama's expansion of the so-called dreamer program for young adults.

Many in the construction industry are finding that drones and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) can play a vital role in their work. Whether they’re used for surveying, to show clients and potential clients an aerial overview of completed projects, to monitor jobsites to ensure safe practices or to inspect bridges and other structures, drones have the potential to become as important a tool to the industry as any piece of yellow iron. The Federal Aviation Agency has said that it plans to allow commercial UAS use once it has drawn up proper regulations for the aircraft. The deadline for those regulations is some time in 2015.

Researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have spent the past five years conducting molecular analyses of the limestone-to-silica ratios of cement to determine the most efficient combination. As the world’s favored construction material and a significant contributor to greenhouse gases—with estimates at about 5-10 percent of industrial emissions—any reduction in pollution that doesn’t compromise final quality is a sure advantage. What the team unearthed is that the standard ratio of calcium to silica is about 1.7, with an acceptable range from 1.2 to 2.2 But their database of various combinations indicates that 1.5 not only reduces CO2 emissions by as much as 60 percent, the concrete is made stronger at that ratio.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration wants to overhaul its approach to reducing workplace exposure to hazardous chemicals—and the agency is asking for your help. For the next six months, OSHA will accept comments on the best ways to protect workers from illnesses caused by exposure to hazardous substances. It’s specifically asking stakeholders, including businesses, for suggestions on how to streamline risk assessment and develop alternatives to updating permissible exposure limits (PELs) for chemicals.