Members' Edge - November 14, 2019

AGC News

Election Results: Recounts, Runoffs and Constitutional Amendments

Voters approved nine amendments to Texas Constitution; send House races to runoffs with one recount. Read AGC Texas Building Branch's Corbin Van Arsdale's recap of the state elections in Capital Roundup.

Check out Constructorvotes, AGC Houston's website dedicated to providing members with up-to-date information related to government affairs at the local, state and national levels.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=589969&issueID=65349 to view the full article online.

AGC And AIA Economists Give 2020 Construction Spending & Labor Overview

AGC of America's Chief Economist Ken Simonson joined AIA chief economist Kermit Baker in a podcast on what to expect for construction spending, labor availability and materials costs in the new year.

Listen here

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=589941&issueID=65349 to view the full article online.

AGC Houston Scholarship Applications Now Available

Attention AGC Houston members! Applications for the Patrick J. Kiley Excellence in Leadership Scholarship are now open! The AGC Houston scholarship program has awarded over 168 scholarships totaling $512,000 to students pursuing construction-related careers.

Whether you or one of your family members is taking construction-related courses, apply today! Deadline is Jan. 31, 2020.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=589842&issueID=65349 to view the full article online.

Women in Construction Group Offers Resources

Launched last year, AGC Houston created a Women In Construction Steering Committee designed to produce events that bring insight to the ups and downs of women pursuing a career in construction.

See our dedicated Women in Construction web page that contains a variety of helpful resources.

Check out our Facebook and LinkedIn pages.

Grant Program to Help Firms Provide Safety Harnesses Designed with Women in Mind

AGC of America and Autodesk are launching a new, $75,000 grant program to help member firms provide safety harnesses for women.

As part of that effort, winning firms will be selected based on their ability to leverage relatively small grant awards to attract more women and provide them with appropriately sized safety harnesses.

AGC is accepting applications until Jan. 10, 2020.

Learn more

Visit https://www.agchouston.org/AGCH/About/Women_in_Construction/AGCH/About/Women_in_Construction.aspx?hkey=f25bdf7a-cf20-4619-9e4b-a1268fb9378c to view the full article online.

AGC Business Development Commitee Offers More Resources

The AGC Business Development Best Practices are an ongoing effort of the AGC Business Development Forum Steering Committee to bring more BD resources toAGC members.

Interested in webeds, best practices, more tips and resources in Business Development? Visit the AGC Business Development Forum page and click on "Join the Forum."

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=589840&issueID=65349 to view the full article online.

News you can Use

Caterpillar Feels Effect Of U.S.-Chinese Trade Dispute

Caterpillar cites U.S. trade tensions with China for laying off 120 temporary workers at a plant in Victoria, Texas. The heavy-equipment manufacturer has reported a 13% drop in Asia-Pacific sales for the third quarter. The layoffs, which took place at the hydraulic excavator facility in Victoria on November 1, were confirmed to Reuters by a company spokeswoman on Monday. The facility had about 820 employees.

Visit https://www.reuters.com/article/us-caterpillar-layoffs/caterpillar-lays-off-120-workers-as-trade-war-hits-sales-idUSKBN1XE248 to view the full article online.

How Diversity And Inclusion Can Improve Your Business

Creating a more equitable and diverse workforce results in business benefits such as: reduced turnover, innovation and growth. Download the whitepaper to learn about concrete steps that firms can take to improve diversity and inclusion.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=589851&issueID=65349 to view the full article online.

Disaster Plans are Key For Gulf Coast Area Contractors

When Force Majeure is for Sure: The Business of Construction in Disaster-Prone Areas

Instead of solely relying on force majeure clauses, contractors building along the hurricane-prone Gulf Coast should have disaster action plans that provide guidance on what to do when a storm has been predicted, when it is happening and after it has passed, write attorneys from Jones Walker in Texas. Contractors should also identify potential suppliers, labor sources and modes of transportation that may be available.

Visit https://www.natlawreview.com/article/when-force-majeure-sure-business-construction-disaster-prone-areas to view the full article online.