| July 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 |
We're bringing people together to advance the issues important to the commercial construction industry.
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Thursday, August 4, 2016
Crisp in The Heights
2220 Bevis Street Houston, TX 77008
4:30 - 6 p.m.
$20 - Early Bird Pricing Ends Friday, July 29
$25 - July 30-August 3
$30 - At The Door
FREE FOR GCs! Please contact Shannon
Giordano to place attendee names on the guest list.
We are mixing up some fun this summer at our August networking mixer! This popular event draws a large crowd of commercial construction industry professionals.
Thank you Procore for sponsoring this event!
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Friday, August 12, 2016
Hermann Park Golf Course
7:30 a.m. - noon
Celebrating its 12th year at the Hermann Park Golf Course, the Construction Leadership Council Golf Tournament swings into action on Friday, August 12, from 7:30 a.m. to noon. This event draws the commercial construction industry's young professionals to raise funds for the AGC Houston Scholarship fund. For team registration and sponsorship details, see link below.
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Saturday, September 10, 2016
The Astorian
7 p.m. - Midnight
The 2016 projects have been judged and the winners will be announced on September 10! You won’t want to miss it! Sponsorships & Tables available now.
We're Puttin' On The Ritz at The Astorian to celebrate the APEX Awards in grand style. More than 80 entries representing the AGC Houston Chapter territory will receive awards. We will also honor Paul Bell, Jr., P.J. Bell Co., with the 2016 AGC Houston Master Builder Award.
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Hear from commercial construction industry experts in six break-out sessions spotlighting innovative technologies, issues related to their adoption and implementation, and best practices.
This conference is designed by Houston contractors to provide real and valuable information to all members of the A/E/C construction teams.
Featuring a keynote address by Scott Dadich, Editor-in-Chief, WIRED (2012 – Present) the Silicon Valley bible that covers the influence of technology and design in our lives. He previously was Vice President, Editorial Platforms and Design, Condé Nast (2010-2012); Creative Director, WIRED (2006-2010).
Join us in preparing for the 2016 APEX Awards Gala as AGC Houston hosts a contest for members to #NameThatGC.
Building photos of past APEX Awards entries will be posted on our Facebook page. All you have to do is tell us who built the project. To participate, just LIKE the AGC Houston Facebook page and comment on our #NameThatGC posts throughout the summer. Click here for contest rules. |
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Education/Training |
In March, AGC Houston launched The Walk-Through, a newsletter dedicated to reporting the latest news on our education and professional development offerings. Read it here.
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AGC Houston Now Accepting Applications For Leadership AGC Class Of 2017
In 2015, AGC Houston launched an immersive development program that helps participants become transformative leaders. To date, close to 30 individuals—earmarked by their companies as up-and-coming leaders—have taken the interactive course. During the eight-month program, participants gain a better understanding of the responsibilities and qualities that leaders need to successfully shape AGC and the Houston commercial construction industry.
A limited group of 20 participants will be chosen for the class of 2017. Application deadline is August 15, 2016.
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Specially designed for early-career project managers or those moving into such roles. PMDP is a nationally recognized training standard. Individuals who complete all five PMDP courses will receive an AGC Project Manager Development Program Certificate of Completion.
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A GC Houston needs your help to determine which of our members currently offer internships.
Please take a moment to answer this short survey.
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Safety |
There will be no Safety Committee Meeting in July. However, the committee will reconvene on Friday, August 26 at 7 a.m. Please contact Kim Mason for details.
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The Leading Edge is a bimonthly newsletter dedicated to updating AGC Houston members about safety issues in the commercial construction industry.
The newsletter brings up-to-date information regarding regulatory issues, health and safety tips, articles on construction HR matters, educative news, updates from AGC and other valuable resources.
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Heat Illness Can Be Deadly
The body normally cools itself by sweating. During hot weather, especially with high humidity, sweating isn't enough. Body temperature can rise to dangerous levels if you don't drink enough water and rest in the shade. You can suffer from heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
Under OSHA law, employers are responsible for providing workplaces free of known safety hazards. This includes protecting workers from extreme heat. An employer with workers exposed to high temperatures should establish a complete heat illness prevention program.
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AGC Houston members are supporting this new network, which is an alliance of Houston construction companies, associations and related businesses. Each month, the Construction Safety Network hosts meetings on relevant topics.
Click here to view future meetings and topics.
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New Members |
AXIS Builders, LLC
Chad Clark
(832) 900-9424
10924 Grant Rd. #429
Houston, TX 77070
Eldridge Roofing & Restoration, Inc.
Mike Eldridge
(281) 999-4663
7119 Poole Rd. Suite 1
Spring, TX 77379
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Membership Benefits |
AGC Houston member companies currently enrolled in the Texas Mutual CompGroup AGC plan will receive $715,259 in dividends! Currently, 400 companies are participating in the program statewide.
Texas Mutual’s board of directors voted unanimously to approve a company-record $240 million dividend distribution in 2016. Qualifying policyholder owners across Texas will share the dividend, which will be distributed by check. This is the 18th consecutive year the board has voted to distribute policyholder dividends, bringing the total to over $2 billion. Over $1 billion of that has been paid since 2012.
"These dividends reward safe business practices and also help our policyholders’ bottom lines," stated Bob Barnes, Chairman of Texas Mutual’s board. CompGroup AGC was created in 1993 by Texas members of the Associated General Contractors of America to provide a better option for workers’ compensation coverage.
Contact your insurance agent for a CompGroup AGC quote or contact program administrator Roberts & Crow at 800-406-9614 — ask for Julie Schatz.
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Whether working at the office, from the road or even at home, the ConsensusDocs platform provides instant access to your contract documents from any computer through a secure web-based portal.
Simply log in and your personalized dashboard makes it easy to locate recent projects, edit contracts, review changes made by your collaborators or start a new contract using any of our 100+ contracts.
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AGC's Professional Mobile Crane Operations Program is designed to assist the construction community as a whole to prepare for the certification requirement to reflect the provisions in the new standards. This program covers rules and regulation, site review and set-up, operations, conditions affecting operations, basic rigging and wire rope, maintenance and inspection, load charts, and crane types.
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AGC News |
AGC of America continues to hear from many members that the labor market has become tighter since the organization last surveyed its members about the extent of workforce shortages. AGC needs your help in answering questions in a brief survey.
The more people understand the issue, the more likely they are to act on the measures we identify in our Workforce Development Plan that are designed to make it easier for school systems, local associations and private firms to establish career and technical education and training programs.
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Attention specialty contractors: AGC Houston, in partnership with ABC, ASA, NECA, IEC and MCAA, are currently conducting an industry wage survey and we need your help!
Survey results will include hourly labor rates for more than 50 worker classifications (as well as benefits provided).
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The Federal Court on June 26 issued a nationwide preliminary injunction preventing the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) final "persuader" rule (link is external) from taking effect as scheduled on July 1. Although the injunction is only temporary, the ruling is a significant victory for employers and for the associations, attorneys, and consultants that advise them.
The "persuader" rule seeks to revise reporting obligations of labor relations "consultants" (defined to include attorneys and associations) who conduct activities to persuade employees about their rights to organize or bargain collectively and the reporting obligations of employers who receive assistance from such consultants. While the regulations do not directly restrict employers from using consultants, the reporting obligation may well have a chilling effect on employers’ willingness and ability to seek needed advice from experts.
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Construction employment increased in 39 states between June 2015 and June 2016, although half the states shed construction jobs between May and June, according to analysis of Labor Department data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said the flattening of monthly employment gains and losses indicates the urgency of beefing up programs to attract, train and retain construction workers.
"Construction demand is still growing strongly in all regions and among many types of owners," said Ken Simonson, Chief Economist for the association. "But contractors appear to be struggling to fill jobs in the short run." As evidence of the challenge in filling jobs, he noted that recent data show a spike in job openings at construction firms and a huge decline in the number of experienced construction workers available for hire.
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Member News |
Josh Judd’s areas of expertise include bankruptcy and reorganization, commercial law, including contract disputes, securities fraud, debt collection, creditors’ rights and partnership and corporate governance disputes. He is a first chair trial attorney who represents clients in bankruptcy and state courts.
Josh directly handles all aspects of Chapter 11 reorganizations, including Chapter 11 plan negotiation and confirmation, preparation of disclosure statements, fraudulent transfer and preference actions, bankruptcy-related litigation, creditor committee representation and bankruptcy settlements.
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Rogers-O'Brien Construction welcomes Sung Kang, LEED AP BD+C as Senior Preconstruction Manager. Sung brings over 22 years of experience to the Rogers-O’Brien Team. He has an MS in information systems management and a BS in construction management. Kan will be responsible for all pre-construction activities including the preparation of budgets, packaging scopes and more.
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Members and friends are invited to attend a Memorial Reception for Andy Robertson at the AGC building on Thursday, July 28 at 1:30 p.m. Mr. Robertson passed away on July 8, 2016.
Many knew him in the number of distinguished roles he held in the industry. He was an officer at HA Lott, a founder of Farnsworth & Lott, an officer with Manhattan Construction Co. and the founder of Robertson Building Strategies. He gave tirelessly to AGC Houston and the commercial construction industry. Robertson also was the initiating force of the biennial APEX Awards.
Some may know that Andy Robertson served in Vietnam during the intense fighting in 1968 and 1969. Because he was so personally humble, few knew that he was a highly-decorated war hero. For his actions in Vietnam, he rose from private to a sergeant, to a platoon leader, and was awarded the Silver Star, Two Bronze Stars with Valor, the Combat Infantry Badge and two Purple Hearts. Family members will be in attendance at the reception. Please contact Pat Kiley at (281) 468-3398 for details.
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Here's Looking At You |
AGC Houston opened its doors on Saturday, July 23, 2016 for two all-day workshops on Qualified Rigger & Signal Person Training. Taught in English and Spanish, students from TAS Commercial Concrete, Safety By Design and MSD spent the day learning about rigging or hoisting operations while using cranes, heavy equipment, truck cranes or other equipment in any industry.
Do you need AGC Houston to host a safety class on Saturday to meet your needs? Please contact Kim Mason for more information.
AGC Houston will host the next Qualified Basic Rigger & Signal Person Training on August 25, 2016. See link below for details.
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News You Can Use |
What does it take to succeed in the highly competitive industry? Hear from over 20 respected leaders across multiple sectors including commercial, infrastructure and residential—just to name a few—and get lessons learned and words of wisdom to help you build your own career path and future leaders today.
The report contains a wealth of advice and recommendations from 26 construction industry VPs to support construction professionals in their career planning.
View insights from AGC Houston members:
To request a copy of the report and to view an insightful video, click here.
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The Lamar Consolidated Independent School District is soliciting responses for the following Competitive Sealed Proposals: CSP #32-2016VRG, Lamar Consolidated ISD Huggins Elementary New Parent Drive as part of the 2014 Bond Program, until 2 p.m. for the Proposal on Tuesday, August 2, 2016.
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OSHA’s maximum penalties, which have not been raised since 1990, will increase by 78 percent.
In 2015, Congress passed the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act to advance the effectiveness of civil monetary penalties and to maintain their deterrent effect. The new law directs agencies to adjust their penalties for inflation each year using a much more straightforward method than previously available, and it requires agencies to publish "catch up" rules this summer to make up for lost time since the last adjustments.
As a result, the U.S. Department of Labor announced today two interim final rules to adjust its penalties for inflation based on the last time each penalty was increased.
Read the press release here. View the 2016 Inflation Adjustment Fact Sheet here.
View The 2016 Inflation Penalty Chart here. Read a section regarding OSHA's penalty increase (29 CFR Parts 1902, 1903) here.
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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is delaying enforcement of the anti-retaliation provisions in its new injury and illness tracking rule to conduct additional outreach and provide educational materials and guidance for employers. Originally scheduled to begin August 10, 2016, enforcement will now begin Nov. 1, 2016.
Under the rule, employers are required to inform workers of their right to report work-related injuries and illnesses without fear of retaliation; implement procedures for reporting injuries and illnesses that are reasonable and do not deter workers from reporting; and incorporate the existing statutory prohibition on retaliating against workers for reporting injuries and illnesses.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees.
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OSHA recently issued a rule that requires employers to 1) inform employees of their right to report work-related injuries and illnesses free from retaliation, and 2) provide that procedures for reporting work-related injuries and illnesses are reasonable and don’t deter or discourage employees from reporting.
The anti-retaliation provisions, which go into effect on August 10, 2016, potentially have far-reaching implications for AGC members. In addition, OSHA finalized new electronic employment rules which will require all employers with 250 or more employees and employers with 20 or more employees in the construction industry to electronically submit information from their 2016 Form 300A to OSHA by July 1, 2017.
To read a fact sheet penned by Employment Practices Committee member Anthony Stergio, Andrews Myers, click here.
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AGC Houston members are invited to join the Houston Revit Users group, which meets on the second Tuesday of the month. Revit and BIM application users range from beginner to expert skill levels. Since 2002, the Houston Area Revit Users Group (HARUG) has been the main resource in the area for Revit Users, AutoCAD Architecture (previously Architectural Desktop), AutoCAD and other BIM-related tools.
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