Fire up those pits! It's time to start planning for the 24th annual AGC Houston Barbecue Cook-off March 27 and 28 at the Sam Houston Race Park. Thousands of people are expected to converge on the Sam Houston Race Park  as cook teams will man their barbecue pits around the clock for two days. Don't miss out on the Houston commercial construction industry's most popular event.There are lots of ways to get your company name in front of industry professionals through sponsorships!

Get all the information you need electronically! The 2015 AGC Houston Resource & Membership Directory is available in digital format.

Please join us for our premier chapter business meeting of the year. We welcome back Ken Simonson, Chief Economist, AGC of America, and Jeff Robinson, PAS, Inc., a company that specializes in compensation research and consulting for the construction industry.

Find out more membership benefits and how to get the most from AGC Houston. Attend the New Member Orientation on Thursday, January 29, 2015, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and gain valuable insight from benefits representatives, AGC Houston members and staff. All members welcome to this free event! Contact Catherine Bezman today for details.

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.

AGC Houston is accepting entries for TBB's Outstanding Construction Awards, which honor projects completed in 2014. Categories include commercial buildings, residential multi-family, residential single family, design build, healthcare, industrial/warehouse, interior finish-out, specialty construction and historical renovation.

4:30-6:00 p.m.

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.

Completion of this course meets the requirements of OSHA Paragraph 1926.50, and participants will receive an American Heart Association Heartsaver First Aid and CPR/AED wallet card valid for two years upon course completion.

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.

BIM 101 is designed specifically for construction professionals eager to learn the essential concepts of BIM.

The AGC Houston Safety Committee is proud to welcome Susan Phillips, Tellepsen, as the new General Contractor Co-Chair. The AGC Houston Safety Committee will be kicking off 2015 with their first meeting on Friday, January 30, 2015, at 7 a.m. at the AGC Houston office. Interested in attending or learning more? Contact Safety Director Kim Mason for more details.

This course is the update required every four years for all OSHA Authorized Outreach Trainers for General Industry. It provides timely information on OSHA General Industry standards, policies and regulations.

Course topics include practical soil mechanics and its relationship to the stability of shored and unshored slopes and walls of excavations, introduction of various types of shoring (wood timbers and hydraulic), soil classification, and use of protective systems.

This Trainer Course is for employers to use in complying with the December 1, 2013, deadline to train their employees on the Globally Harmonized System for Hazard Communication (known as GHS).

This course will provide an overview of the risk management and insurance profession from the health and safety program perspective. Topics include recognition, avoidance, abatement and prevention of safety and health hazards found in the workplace.

Help AGC predict what 2015 will look like for your business by taking part in the 2015 AGC Business Outlook survey! Your answers will help us craft a full analysis and outlook for the construction industry in 2015. Questions focus on expectations for market performance, hiring, labor market conditions, plans to acquire equipment, etc 

A new report finds building costs are rising faster than they have in the past six years. The report from the construction consulting firm Rider Levett Bucknall said that the company’s index of construction costs in the United States increased 1.66 percent between July and October, which is the biggest three-month increase since the beginning of 2008. Perhaps more importantly, the report found that construction starts in 2015 will rise about 10 percent—almost double the estimated growth rate in 2014. "General optimism with the construction sector has continued to rise," the report said. Rider Levett Bucknall keeps track of new commercial, residential, and other types of construction as well.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a request for further comment on a proposed regulatory program that would make every construction company’s stormwater permit records, inspection results and compliance history accessible to the public.

Have you checked when your U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting (LRRP) program certifications are up for renewal? It is time to start thinking about renewing certifications that expire in 2015. The re-certification process may take several months to complete. EPA has up to 90 days after receiving a complete application for firm certification to approve or disapprove the application. In addition, renovators must follow the established timeline to complete "refresher" training. Don’t delay getting started with your firm or individual re-certifications.

Benefit from financial strength and a superior loss-control program. It is managed by a board composed 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.

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.

Did you know one of the many benefits of being an AGC Member is access to our résumé service?  As a service to our members, we compile résumés of job-seeking professionals in the construction industry. To access this service, simply log in to the Members' Only section at agchouston.org to view the most current list.

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 résumés, the site offers a plethora of information on craft training and professional education resources and job fairs throughout Texas. Click here for more information.

Anslow Bryant Construction, Ltd. kicked off 2015 with a wellness challenge geared to help employees lose weight, reduce stress, lower blood pressure, sleep and eat better. To encourage participation, employees have been grouped into four colored teams, each headed by a captain and co-captain. They are also motivated by a little friendly competition according to Jeff Spillane, Anslow Bryant Construction. Ltd. Participating employees receive a monetary contribution to their HSA account or a gift card and must participate in specific activities  to get the company reward. Team members will gain points based on the type of activity they undertake.

Bowen, Miclette & Britt has hired Pam Mullins as Assistant Vice President and Benefits Manager. With over 20 years of experience in the insurance industry, Mullins specializes in operations and staff management for employee benefits programs.

Contact Catherine Bezman or Jaclyn Lee with your information and photos.

The United States missed a year-end deadline for publishing new rules on remote-control aircraft, delaying an eagerly awaited step toward using drones in everything from farming to package delivery. The Federal Aviation Administration turned a draft of the rules—the first major overhaul of the regulations—over to the White House on Oct. 23, and had said it expected them to be published in 2014. The office has 90 days to review proposed regulations, during which time analysts craft a cost-benefit analysis and meet with affected parties. The time frame often is extended.

A building boom is underway in Houston, but rather than focus on current projects, the Houston Chronicle prepared a photo gallery of major construction projects from the past 50 years. Sixty-six photos are included, and the projects range from stadiums to freeways to theaters.

Houston's economic outlook is again firmly in the hands of the oil industry, and this brings good and bad news. The 2015 forecast shows continued job growth in Houston, but only with substantial help from both chemical construction and a healthy U.S. economy. In east Houston, a major construction boom is underway based on cheap natural gas. Although a wide variety of projects are underway, with some responding to new infrastructure and energy processing needs from the shale boom, the focal point of the expansion is petrochemicals.

Although the Texas Workforce Commission only has figures through November, it announced on December 19 that the state has added 441,200 positions in 2014—that's about a third of all jobs added in the U.S. Texas, North Dakota and Utah are being hailed as the fastest-growing job markets this year, with each posting employment gains of more than 3 percent.

About 1 million fewer Americans would receive health insurance coverage through employers if Congress changes the Affordable Care Act's definition of a full-time employee from 30 hours a week to 40 hours. That's according to the Congressional Budget Office, which was asked to analyze legislation that will be voted on by the House on Thursday. Business groups are urging Congress to change Obamacare's 30-hour threshold for full-time workers, contending it limits staffing flexibility and leads some companies to reduce employees' hours in order to avoid the law's employer mandate.