| January 26, 2016
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In This Issue |
Events
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Education/
Training
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Safety
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New Members
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Membership Benefits
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AGC News
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Member News
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Here's Looking At You
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News You Can Use
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 Quick Links |
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Events |
Wishing you great success and happiness in the new year
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January 26, 2016
Little Woodrow's 5 - 7 p.m.
Join us for refreshments as we kick off the new year, plus meet the 2016 CLC Board. Membership applications will be available on site so invite a friend, colleague, intern or industry professional to join the CLC. Contact Charlene Anthony for more information.
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Please join us for our premier chapter business meeting of the year. AGC Houston will recognize the 2015 and 2016 Board of Directors, active committees and hear about our accomplishments and plans for 2016. Sponsorship opportunities available. Please contact Shannon Giordano for more information.
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In 2016, AGC Houston will be awarding Patrick J. Kiley Excellence In Leadership scholarships to deserving students pursuing degrees in a construction-related discipline. Do you know of anyone who could use the money for higher education? Dependents of AGC member company employees qualify! Apply today. Scholarship application deadline is February 1, 2016.
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AGC Houston members are invited to submit applications for the National AGC Safety Awards. AGC Houston contractor members must have participated in the program for three consecutive years in order to be eligible for an award. This means a member must have participated in the program for the years 2013, 2014 and 2015 in order to be eligible to receive an award in 2016. Contact Kim Mason for more information.
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February 4, 2016
4:30 - 6 p.m.
Join us for our first members-only mixer of the year! This popular event draws a large crowd of commercial construction industry professionals. Thank you to Wayne Enterprises for sponsoring the member mixer.
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This annual designation gives special recognition to a construction industry employee who most exemplifies the highest standards of excellence: commitment to quality, customer service, cooperation, teamwork and professionalism. Do you have an outstanding employee? Nominate this special individual by February 9.
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Tuesday, February 9, 2016
AGC Houston
3825 Dacoma St.
11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
The Houston chapters of the Society for Marketing Professionals and Associated General Contractors welcome Patrick J. Kiley, Kiley Advisors, who will present his annual commercial construction economic and market forecast.
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Education/Training |
Immerse yourself and become a Lean Champion in just one week! Take all seven units or only the individual units you need.Save money when your register for all seven units! Click on each unit for more information.
February 1: Lean Unit 1: Variation In Production Systems February 3: Lean Unit 5: Lean Supply Chain And Assembly February 4: Lean Unit 6: Lean Design And Pre-Construction
February 4-5: Lean Unit 7: Problem-Solving Principles And Tools
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CM-Lean candidates must successfully complete the seven Lean Construction Education Program courses, provide AGC with record of completion and have an approved application in advance of exam administration.
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CM-BIM candidates must successfully complete the four AGC BIM Education Program courses, provide AGC with record to completion and have approved application in advance of exam.
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Safety |
The first Safety Committee Meeting is slated for Friday, January 29, 2016 at 7 a.m. All AGC Houston members interested in attending this monthly committee meeting are invited. For more information and to R.S.V.P., please contact Kim Mason.
AGC Houston Launches Safety Newsletter
We are excited to announce the launch of a new safety newsletter, The Leading Edge, which made its debut on January 15. The bimonthly newsletter is dedicated to updating AGC Houston members about safety issues in the commercial construction industry and brings up-to-date information regarding regulatory issues, health and safety tips, educative articles and updates from the AGC Houston Safety Committee. Interested in subscribing to it? Click here.
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New Members |
The following companies have joined AGC Houston. Please consider contacting them for your business needs.
FMI Corporation
Dustin Bass
(303) 398-7247
T-Rex Services
Kami Chapman
(713) 783-3363
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Membership Benefits |
We are excited to formally announce the launch of AGC's new member discount program, Citrix ShareFile. The new program provides AGC Members a 10 percent Lifetime Discount on all Citrix Cloud products such as GoToMeeting, GoToWebinar, ShareFile, ShareConnect and RightSignature. Chapters may also take advantage of the discount program.
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AGC Members Register To Win In The FedEx Advantage $25,000 Get Ready Sweepstakes Through February 26, 2016!
AGC members receive valuable discounts of up to 29% on select FedEx Express® and FedEx Ground® shipping services, up to 70% on FedEx Freight® shipping services. There are no costs and no minimum shipping, copy or print requirements to take advantage of this great member benefit.
Whether you are new to the program or already benefitting from free discounts, all AGC members qualify to register in the FedEx Advantage Get Ready Sweepstakes.
Sweeps prizes include the following:
Grand Prize (1) – $10,000 Cash Prize
First Prize (10) – $1000 Cash Prize
Second Prize (100) – $50 Cash
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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! We'll also send you the AGC logo electronically so that you can print them on your hard hats or jobsite banners. Contact Catherine Bezman for details.
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Thursday, February 18, 2016
11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
AGC Houston
Make Your AGC Membership Work for You! We encourage all members to attend one of our Member Orientation meetings this year. Whether you are a seasoned member or new to the chapter, please join us for the first Member Orientation on January 21, 2016. You'll hear from AGC Houston staff, active members and company representatives about the many benefits AGC offers.
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AGC News |
The Texas Building Branch recognizes outstanding construction projects throughout the state of Texas. Categories include commercial buildings, residential multi-family, residential single family, design build, healthcare, industrial/warehouse, interior finish-out, specialty construction and historical renovation. New categories added for specialty contractors!
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Join your fellow AGC members at the 97th Annual AGC of America Convention and cheer on Chuck Greco, Linbeck Group, LLC, who has served as AGC President for the past year. Show your Texas pride and reserve your spot at the Grand Hyatt in San Antonio, March 9-11, 2016. The convention features more than 15 education breakouts, terrific networking events and industry leading speakers, all in a perfect location for business, culture, family and fun!
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Member News |
During the holiday season, Houston area McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. employees collected toys for Operation Stocking Stuffer, a toy drive for local underprivileged children sponsored by The Houston Fire Department and KPRC Local 2. McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. team members brought the collected toys to Houston Fire Station 28, where they were delivered to various children in the community to spread holiday cheer.
Through McCarthy Building Company's "Heart Hats" community involvement program, employees can get involved in local community service projects. The program is dedicated to encouraging, supporting and recognizing volunteer efforts in a variety of causes to ensure real needs are being met in communities where employees work, live and play.
On Thursday, January 21, 2016, Employees from JE Dunn Construction kicked off the new year by helping spread some cheer to families at the Ronald McDonald House in the Texas Medical Center. Douglas Timmermeyer, David Nolan, Regina Nolan, Amber Timmermeyer, Jazzahi DeLosSantos, Nancy Kinsey, Anita Parrett, Dan Bernhard, and Jennifer Omar served dinner and played bingo with families. Around the country, the Ronald McDonald House offers lodging and meals to families whose children are being treated at area hospitals at little or no cost, which allows them to be close to their loved ones. The organization depends on a large number of volunteers to provide various services for the residents.
Jeremy Hoot of R. E. Campbell Co., Ltd. contacted AGC Houston about the loss of Joyce Campbell, spouse of R.E. Campbell, who passed away on January 22, 2016. Joyce was an active partner in R.E. Campbell Company, Ltd. She and R. E. (Gene) married in 1950 and were blessed with three daughters, seven grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren. The company has been a member of AGC Houston since 1991 and manufactures scaffolding, shoring custom forms and accessories.
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Here's Looking At You |
AIA and AGC Joint Committee members hosted an informative panel discussion regarding project insurance on Monday, January 18, 2016 at AGC Houston. A big thank you to Steve Dishman, Brookstone, LP; Charles E. Comiskey, Chapman, Holland & Associates, Inc.; and David Peden, Porter Hedges, LLP who lead the seminar and gave an update on the recommended practices publication authored by the Houston chapters of the American Institute of Architects and the Associated General Contractors.
For the past 50 years, the AIA/AGC Joint Committee has provided a forum for the Design and Construction community to discuss pertinent issues related to the construction industry. In October 2015, the committee published a recommended practices white paper. Click on the link below to view the document.
 On January 14, Leadership AGC participants had an extraordinary opportunity to meet and hear from seven key individuals who represent the owner and commercial construction business. Allston Marble, Linbeck Group, LLC, Leadership AGC Class of 2015 moderated the panel which included Coy McKinney, Howard Hughes Development Corporation; Hal Sharp, Gensler; Bob Parsley, Colliers International; and Pat Sharkey, Jackson Walker, LLP. Attendees gained valuable knowledge from the perspective of a developer, owner, architect, and attorney. The young leaders then welcomed Steve Dishman, Brookstone, LP; John Barnes, Linbeck Goup, LLC; and John Ros, Gilbane Building Co. who followed the owner discussion with insightful information about their careers, approach to business, involvement in AGC as well as with other commercial construction industry-related issues.
The eight-month leadership training program kicked off in September 2015 with 15 professionals earmarked by their companies as promising future leaders.
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News You Can Use |
AGC Houston and the Texas Building Branch have been fielding a lot of questions regarding the new gun laws, which passed in 2015: House Bill 910 and Senate Bill 11. House Bill 910 allows a license holder to "open carry" a handgun in a holster as of January 1, 2016. Read a helpful article here written by Tony Stergio, Andrews Myers, PC. See more resources at the link below.
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The National Labor Relations Board has dramatically changed the law affecting non-union merit shop contractors. It has attacked common provisions in employee handbooks, finding them to violate employee rights under the National Labor Relations Act. Employment Practices Committee member Frank L. Carrabba has drafted helpful Frequently Asked Questions and Answers documents regarding these new developments at the NLRB. To view them, login to the Members Only Section, then select Labor & HR Publications.
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Beginning in early 2016, information reporting provisions under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act require many employers to file annual information returns with the Internal Revenue Service and provide annual statements to employees containing health plan coverage information.
The Internal Revenue Service has issued Notice 2016-4 extending the 2015 filing deadlines for information reporting under Internal Revenue Code Sections 6055 and 6056. Notice 2016-4 provides an automatic extension for the filing deadlines. For a complete list of filing deadlines, see below.
AGC Houston has helpful information for employers regarding Forms 1094 B & C and Forms 1095 B & C.
Login to the Members Only section of the AGC Houston website. Then click on the Employment Practices Committee Articles submenu and Health Insurance Reporting Requirements.
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Construction employment is at its highest level since January 2009, as most firms predict they will add workers in 2016. Most market segments expect to expand, and construction firms added 45,000 workers in December as the industry’s unemployment rate declined to 7.5 percent from 8.3 a year ago, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials noted that the robust job gains come as a new industry outlook shows most firms expect to expand their headcount in 2016 amid growing private and public sector demand.
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What is in store for ACE Mentor in 2016? Join us for breakfast at The Junior League of Houston for the ACE Mentor Program Houston "Building Blocks Breakfast" on Thursday February 25, 2016 and find out.
ACE Mentor Program America President & CEO Jack Kalavritinos will speak about the importance of ACE Mentor &
STEM for the future workforce.
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Caterpillar has partnered with TORC Robotics to develop the next generation of remote-control construction equipment. The new skid steers, compact track and multiterrain loaders use autonomous vehicle technology, offering the operator more stability and control. "It responds immediately. The feel and response mirrors the operator controls of the machine itself," said Bob Shoop, Caterpillar Product Demonstrator/Instructor.
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A solid majority of construction firms are optimistic about hiring in the new year, according to the 2016 Construction Hiring and Business Outlook Report from the Associated General Contractors of America. Only 6% of the 1,500 polled are forecasting layoffs, while 63% anticipate more hiring, increasing their workforces as much as 25 percent.
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