Members' Edge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fall was a busy season for the AGC Diversity Committee. Along with steadily making connections in the industry, the group has taken on a new challenge – developing an online platform to serve as an industry portal connecting small and minority trade contractors to GC members. This robust site will have a number of features which will bridge the gap (virtually) between making these connections. The site will be unveiled late first quarter 2020. 

 

In September the second Meet the Primes: One-on-One event was held at the chapter office. In October, members of the Diversity Committee attended a Port of Houston Authority (PHA) kick off meeting for its disparity study.Finally, in November the committee headed downtown to the Houston Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) to meet their team and new director, Gabriela Zambrano. 

 

Check out more on what AGC Houston is doing to help grow qualified minority-owned businesses.

 

Pictured, members of the Diversity Commitee: Pictured (top, left to right): Jerry Nevlud (AGC), Christy Moore (Markle), Jim Stevenson (McCarthy Building Companies), William Martinez (AGC); and (bottom, left to right): Gary Allen (McCarthy Building Companies), Lana Coble (Tellepsen), and Tandelyn Weaver (Construction Contractors' College). Not pictured: Ike Allen (Linbeck Group), Tom Vaughn (Vaughn Construction) and Tamara Hancock (AGC)

Each year around this time, AGC asks you — our members — to predict what next year will be like for your business. AGC has partnered with Sage to prepare questions that focus on expectations for market performance, hiring, labor market conditions, etc. Please take a moment to complete the survey, here.

AGC of America talks with two leading economists covering the construction sector, who provide a fast-paced overview of what to expect in the coming year for different categories of construction spending, labor availability and materials costs.

 

Check out this podcast episode to learn about the broader economic environment and how various changes in economic growth or policy could affect contractors.

 

 

 

 

 

It is so cliché to hear someone say at this time of year, “it’s hard to believe that it is December already. Where did the year go?” So, call me cliché… it is hard to believe, and the time has come to wrap up 2019 and begin positioning for 2020!

 

One thing that is not cliché, is the opportunity to thank the members of AGC Houston for the outstanding support you give this organization. On behalf of the entire chapter staff, I want to thank and express my sincere gratitude for the time, talent and treasure you have graciously given to the organization.
 
Without your contributions AGC Houston could not continue to be among the most engaged and proactive AGC chapters in the country. Remaining a viable entity in the commercial construction industry is no easy task in and of itself, yet we have a membership that does just that and much more! It is your commitment to AGC that keeps AGC committed to you.
 
In addition to expressing appreciation for your support to the chapter, I also want to thank and congratulate each of you and your teams for their support of the many and diverse organizations that assist the needy, shelter the homeless, support the veterans and are just there for the less fortunate in so many walks of life. It really is an honor to represent such a great membership.
 
I personally love this time of the year. Obviously not for the crowded roads and stores! But as we gather with family and friends, it is the perfect time to step back and be thankful and grateful for all the wonderful things in our lives. For some it may be more than others, but I believe there is at least that one thing that each of us have that makes us feel blessed.

 

I hope each one of you have a Merry Christmas and a joyous holiday season!  I hope that 2020 is a happy, joyful and prosperous year as well! 

 

Jerry Nevlud

 

The American Institute of Architects' Architecture Billings Index rose to 52 in October from 49.7 in September and 47.2 in August. "Although ongoing uncertainty over the direction of economic growth persists, a strong stock market and growing payrolls at US businesses continue to generate more construction projects," says Kermit Baker, chief economist at the institute.

Read the full article here.

Under an early contractor involvement agreement, Kiewit subsidiary Mass. Electric Construction will help Texas Central determine the scope of work and cost to install core systems of a proposed $20 billion bullet train between Dallas and Houston. Texas Central expects to finalize a specialty systems construction contract by year-end.

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.

Investors injected $3.1 billion into technology startups last year as a way to solve construction industry problems, Jennifer Alsever writes. That investment in technology from scheduling software to robots leads to difficulty in getting construction crews from foremen to frontline workers on board, she notes.