Members' Edge - April 5, 2018

AGC News

AGC of America Releases Construction Employment Numbers From February 2017-2018

Construction employment increased in 257 out of 358 metro areas between February 2017 and February 2018, declined in 50 and stagnated in 51, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released April 4, 2018 by AGC of America.

"Growing private-sector demand for construction services is prompting construction firms to hire more people to complete projects," said Ken Simonson, AGC of America Chief Economist. "Yet tight labor markets, particularly for qualified construction workers, is making it increasingly difficult for firms to find people to bring on board."

Visit http://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/pdf/AGCA-bebnumbers.pdf to view the full article online.

AGC Seeks Input From Members On Potential Impact To Their Operations

EPA Considers Permitting Discharges to Groundwater Under the Clean Water Act

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is accepting public comment (link is external) until May 21, 2018 on several topics related to the question of whether the federal government should use the Clean Water Act (CWA) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program to regulate discharges to (or through) groundwater that hydrologically connects to a "Water of the United States" (WOTUS).

AGC is seeking more information from members on how this EPA action may impact contractors that own/operate stormwater infrastructure that "treats" or "stores" water runoff. This would include features that infiltrate stormwater or process water underground such as injection wells, underground tanks, surface water impoundments, retention or detention ponds, artificially constructed wetlands, treatment lagoons, or groundwater recharge and reuse systems.

Visit https://www.agc.org/news/2018/03/27/epa-considers-permitting-discharges-groundwater-under-clean-water-act to view the full article online.

Events

AGC 2018 APEX Awards Call For Entries Now Open!

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=496720&issueID=57408 to view the full article online.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=496721&issueID=57408 to view the full article online.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=496722&issueID=57408 to view the full article online.

Support Our Vets In Construction And Buy An Official BBQ Cook-Off Shirt!

AGC Houston Barbecue Cook-Off To Raise Funds For NextOp

During the Barbecue Cook-Off March 23 and 24, AGC Houston sold commemorative t-shirts to raise funds for NextOp, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that connects military leaders to construction industry careers.

NextOp Executive Director John Boerstler (pictured holding t-shirt) spent time on site visiting cook teams and thanking them for helping to collect donations for the organization.

Thanks to your generosity, AGC President/CEO Jerry Nevlud presented John Boerstler with a $10,000 check during the Barbecue Cook-Off awards ceremony. AGC Houston is proud to be a NextOp Corporate Partner and to support veterans who have the necessary skills to enter the construction industry.

Show your support and purchase a shirt! Contact Tamara Hancock for details.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=496723&issueID=57408 to view the full article online.

News you can Use

Construction Sector Surges To Best Employment Growth In 11 Years

The construction sector led the nation with 61,000 additional jobs
in February, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, and the country
added a total of 313,000 jobs. The construction industry saw the largest
employment expansion in 11 years.

Visit https://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-adds-313000-jobs-in-february-in-biggest-gain-in-a-year-and-a-half-2018-03-09 to view the full article online.

Employers Need To Prepare For Paid Sick Leave In Austin

There’s a new paid
leave mandate on the books—and it’s going to affect many Texas employers. On February 16, 2018, the
Austin City Council recently passed a long-discussed ordinance requiring employers to give
their Austin employees paid sick leave regardless of what city the employer
is based out of. Most employers (those with more than 5 employees) must
provide this leave starting on October 1, 2018. Austin is the first city in the South ever to enact such a law.

Read the full article by Andrews Myers, PC attorneys Tony Stergio and Andrew Clark.

Visit http://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/pdf/paidsickleaveAustin.pdf to view the full article online.

White House Infrastructure Adviser Gribbin Is Resigning

Special Assistant to the
President for Infrastructure DJ Gribbin is resigning, the White House says.
Gribbin prepared the infrastructure plan that President Donald Trump introduced
in February.

Visit http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/sns-bc-us--trump-infrastructure-20180403-story.html to view the full article online.

AGC Houston Supports OSHA Construction Safety & Health Conference Houston September 13-14, 2018

The OSHA Construction Safety and Health Conference will provide an ideal forum to learn about new and ever changing safety products, processes, procedures and technology in the construction industry.

This conference is expected to draw between 600-800 attendees from both construction and industrial sectors, twice the size of the previous conference held in Dallas. Plenty of sponsorship and exhibiting opportunities!

Visit http://www.oshacon.org/ to view the full article online.

Membership Benefits

DedEx Advantage Program

AGC members receive discounts of up to 29% on select FedEx Express® and FedEx Ground® shipping services, up to 78% 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.

Visit https://advantagemember.van.fedex.com/6689/ to view the full article online.

AGC Members Save More Than $10M Annually; Are You Participating?

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=496729&issueID=57408 to view the full article online.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=496731&issueID=57408 to view the full article online.

Here's Looking at You

Thank Your For Making The 27th Annual BBQ Cook-Off A Huge Success!

We could not have asked for better weather Friday night for the 27th annual AGC Houston Cook-Off and Fair March 23 and 24, 2018. To all the cook teams, sponsors and volunteers, thank you for making this one of the best barbecue cook-offs in AGC Houston history! Congratulations to the teams that placed and took home an award, and a special thanks to the 2018 Barbecue Cook-Off Committee.

For photos, visit our Facebook album here. To view a video featuring highlights, click here

Visit http://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/pdf/2018BBQCookoffWinners.pdf to view the full article online.