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 plenty of ways to get your company name in front of industry professionals through sponsorships!

Don't delay and register today for the AGC of America Convention 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.

Get all the information you need electronically! The 2015 AGC Houston Resource & Membership Directory is available in digital format. Need extra copies? Come by the AGC Houston office.

Join us on March 3, 2015, from 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at the AGC Houston office where The Council of Educational Facility Planners International and AGC Houston will be discussing the economic outlook for our local school districts. Guest facilitator Patrick J. Kiley will present a Houston MSA Economic and Construction Outlook and other guests will speak about construction cost trends. For registration information or questions, please contact Amy Collins.

For AEC professionals, the AGC Certificate of 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. Successful candidates will carry the CM-BIM designation.

This class develops professional estimating skills, including: an understanding of the different types of estimates; the importance of documentation and formatting; and the link between design, estimating and project costs.

BIM Technology explores the major applications and classes of BIM tools across all project phases; how BIM processes for QTO, shop drawing and fabrication, and construction scheduling can improve projects; and the impact models have for improving estimating, scheduling, and coordinating.

This course meets the requirements of OSHA Paragraph 1926.50. Upon successfully completing the course, participants will receive an American Heart Association Heartsaver First Aid and CPR/AED wallet card valid for two years.

The first AGC/TBB Safety Committee Meeting of 2015 will be held on February 19-20, 2015, at the AGC Houston office. This two-day meeting will cover topics such as AGCA Safety Meetings, OSHA at the state and national levels, and relevant legislative topics. If you're interested in attending or would like more information, please contact AGC Houston Director of Safety Services,  Kim Mason.

This trainer course will provide participants with the skills and knowledge to educate employers and employees on the hazards associated with H2S (hydrogen sulfide).

Please consider the following companies for your business needs:

The 2015 Annual AGC Houston Fair and Barbecue Cook-Off is right around the corner and it’s time to get fired up! We’d love for you to share your favorite photo with us! AGC will be raffling off a barbecue set and a gift card to Goode Company BBQ - Kirby. All those who submit photos are eligible to win.

Eighty percent of construction firms plan to expand their payrolls in 2015 while only seven percent expect to reduce headcounts according to survey results released today by the Associated General Contractors of America indicates that most contractors are optimistic about the year ahead and ready to expand but will have to cope with challenges including worker shortages and regulatory burdens.

With the 84th Texas Legislature underway, AGC Texas Building Branch President Michael Chatron and Vice President Corbin Van Arsdale are working on priority issues that will affect the Texas commercial construction industry. To keep the AGC members informed, AGC TBB recently launched  Capitol Roundup, a weekly newsletter that is sent every Thursday around noon. For more information, questions or to submit additions for the newsletter, please contact Legislative Assistant Zach Buccheit.

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. 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.

AGC Houston is proud that six member companies have been selected as finalists in the AGC/Willis Construction Safety Excellence Awards national competition. The CSEA selection process is comprehensive with judges looking for evidence of company management commitment, active employee participation, safety training, work site hazard identification and control, and safety program innovation. To qualify, AGC Houston members must have participated in the program for the past three years.

Aggregate Technologies, Inc. recently completed the cut, removal, and haul off of three precast panels for a fifth-floor office renovation at Lakewood Church, in Houston, Texas. The panels were approximately 80’ above ground, 9’ x 11’ in size, each weiging 7,500 lbs. Operators utilized a swing stage, mobile crane, and other equipment to complete this work during the night hours.  Special challenges included ongoing services at Lakewood and Greenway Plaza, so the crane had to demobilize and set-up each night prior to start of work. Additionally, he crane operator had no direct visual of the panels as the crane had to set-up on the opposite side of the wall from the location of the panels. Congratulations on a job well done!

Manhattan Construction Co. has announced the promotion of Kevin McKay as operations manager for the company’s Houston-area office, where he will oversee construction quality, subcontractor management and safety program adherence to ensure building excellence for Manhattan’s clients. His portfolio of work includes $2 billion in projects across three states, including Louisiana, Texas and Virginia.

Bartlett Cocke General Contractors, LLC recently completed construction on The Houston Research Center. The 54,000-square-foot project broke ground in 2012 and was open for use in November 2014. The facility has laboratory space, imaging, office space, conference rooms, and common areas. A new front façade and landscaping welcomes employees and visitors to the center. Senior Project Manager Sudip Guha said "A primary goal of the project was to provide office and laboratory space as quickly as possible," Guha said. "All entities worked together to identify critical activities and phase design packages to expedite delivery of the project."

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

AGC Houston members packed Crisp restaurant in The Heights on February 5, 2015, for the first networking mixer of the year. The event drew close to 130 members for a chance to network and win Rockets tickets from our sponsor, Coats Rose. Congratulations to Jeff Middleton, Karsten Interior Services, LP who won the Rockets tickets. Thanks to all members who helped to make our first Member Mixer of the year a big success and a big thank you to Coats Rose for sponsoring the event!

The final piece of the Senate's transportation solution fell into place Feb. 4 as Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and his Transportation Committee Chair, Sen. Robert Nichols, unveiled bills to divert vehicle sales tax revenue to a permanent funding stream for transportation. The Senate's proposed components to fund transportation this biennium include what is now $2.6 billion out of the state's Rainy Day Fund; the end of $1.2 billion in diversions out of state's motor vehicle fuel taxes; and $1.2 billion out of vehicle sales tax. That puts new transportation funding this session at roughly $5 billion.

For many trades, the complexity of the workforce shortage issue is the challenge (lack of craft and safety training, misclassification of craft workers as subcontractors thereby avoiding payment of overtime and payroll taxes such as social security, and not providing employee benefits or workers’ compensation insurance coverage, all in the pursuit of low bid and covered up by a seeming limitless supply of undocumented workers who labor in the shadows, which depresses wages).

The ACE Mentor Program is currently recruiting for new committee members for 2015! The ACE Program has recently increased by over 100 students and has moved to a bigger, better location. ACE needs help in the following committee areas: communications, fundraising, accounting, grant writing, and event judging, If you're interested in becoming a part of ACE, please contact Angela Cotie, Gilbane Building Company, Chairman of the Board, for more information.

The Houston Independent School District is seeking participants for the When I Grow Up Career Expo, which will be held on Saturday, April 11, 2015 from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at the HISD Administration Building. This free event is a great opportunity to showcase careers at your company, educate students on potential career fields, and engage parents at the same time. In previous years, the event drew thousands of attendees from all over Houston. To register or for more information, click here or contact Dana Sturdevant.

ARC Document Solutions will be holding a happy hour and technology show on Thursday, February 25, 2015, from 5-7 p.m. at the Saint Arnold's Brewery to showcase their latest technology being used within the commercial construction industry. ARC will be featuring the newly launched document management solution system for the construction industry, SKYSITE, iBIM technology, and much more. Submit completed registration forms to ARC by February 19.