Members' Edge - January 9, 2020

AGC News

Registration Now Open for Safety Conference

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=597051&issueID=65352 to view the full article online.

Don't Miss the AGC Scholarship Deadline!

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.

Deadline is January 31.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=596833&issueID=65352 to view the full article online.

AGC and Sage Release Annual Outlook Survey Results, Including Texas

Each year , AGC asks members across the country to predict what next year will be like for their construction businesses. The newly-released 2020 Construction Hiring and Business Outlook Report shows strong demand for work and even stronger demand for workers.

Read the full survey results.

Visit https://www.agc.org/news/2019/12/18/2020-sage-construction-hiring-and-business-outlook-survey?fbclid=IwAR0CpgXm1C6APR5KuTTHiENGnV4E8SdygpUbtkvIM45dAxjo6jamLG7NN7k to view the full article online.

AGC WebEd: The 2020 Hiring and Business Outlook

Hear the answers contractors gave to in the 2020 AGC of America-Sage Hiring and Business Outlook Survey, along with the steps AGC of America is taking to help, during an AGC member complimentary WebEd, Plenty of Projects but Workforce Worries Persist: the 2020 Hiring and Business Outlook, scheduled for Monday, Jan. 13 from 1-2 p.m. ET. Register today!

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=597048&issueID=65352 to view the full article online.

Construction Economists Project Moderate Gains in 2020

Economists are tempering forecasts for the construction industry this year, noting slower growth in the equipment market. AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson predicts that nonresidential construction spending will increase about 2.2% and that the strongest construction markets will be transportation and energy.

Read article.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=596835&issueID=65352 to view the full article online.

Litany of Tax and Fiscal Priorities Included in Spending Agreement, Repeals Two Obamacare Taxes, Extends Pro-Construction Tax Provisions & More

On Dec. 19, the Senate passed many non-funding AGC-backed measures as part of the agreement reached to fund the federal government through the remainder of fiscal year (FY) 2020.

Visit https://www.agc.org/news/2019/12/18/litany-tax-and-fiscal-priorities-included-spending-agreement-repeals-two-obamacare to view the full article online.

AGC Convention Heads to Las Vegas March 9-12

The AGC Annual Convention provides contractors of all sizes the opportunity to gain business-critical insights into the issues affecting their operations.

From risk management to safety on the jobsite to the latest in project management solutions, AGC brings together experts from across the industry to share their knowledge and help prepare contractors to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.

Visit https://www.eiseverywhere.com/ereg/index.php?eventid=427396& to view the full article online.

Member News

Jacob White Construction Completes Signature Aviation Lounge

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=596842&issueID=65352 to view the full article online.

Peckar & Abramson, PC Attorneys Promoted

Peckar & Abramson, P.C. announced the promotion of five attorneys in Texas, including AGC Houston members Denis Ducran and Courtney Sheaffer.

Dennis Ducran, who was named Partner and works closely with general contractors, owners, architects and subcontractors to provide practical counsel regarding the avoidance and resolution of disputes on construction projects. He offers industry experience in preparing and negotiating contracts, litigation, arbitration and mediation of construction disputes

Courtney Sheaffer focuses her practice on labor and employment disputes as well as construction and commercial litigation. She represents employers in cases involving harassment, discrimination, wage and hour class actions, breaches of non-solicitation and non-compete agreements and misappropriation of confidential information and trade secrets.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=596838&issueID=65352 to view the full article online.

Book Release Launch of "A Blueprint for Builder's Lean" Scheduled for Jan. 22

Keyan Zandy, COO for Skiles Group and Joe Donarumo, Senior Superintendent, Director Lean Application for Linbeck Group, LLC, authors of The Lean Builder: A Builder’s Guide to Applying Lean Tools in the Field, will be discussing their new book on Jan. 22 at Page, from 4 - 6 p.m.

A Blueprint for Builder’s Lean speaks directly to the “boots on the ground,” simplifying and clearly articulating the benefits of six primary Lean concepts, and delivering them in a highly-relatable, immediately-applicable, and field-friendly manner.

The event ($15 per person) will focuss on six principles that attendees can follow and implement to lead their team and dramatically improve their project delivery process.

For more information, contact Keyan Zandy at kzandy@skilesgroup.com or call, (214) 850-8555.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=596840&issueID=65352 to view the full article online.

News you can Use

Abundant Jobs, Labor Shortages Define Regional Market

Specialty contractors in Texas continue to ride the wave of a robust economy, although there are signs construction activity could level off. “The market continues to remain strong in the Southwest region, especially in Texas. At the same time, we do see a flattening of the market in the next couple of years,” says Hattie Peterson, spokeswoman for mechanical subcontractor TDIndustries.

Visit https://www.enr.com/articles/48273-abundant-jobs-labor-shortages-define-regional-market to view the full article online.

How Employers Can Support Worker Mental Health

The Federal Communications Commission's designation of the 988 suicide prevention and mental health hotline highlights the need for employers to be engaged in the mental health of employees, Denise Brodey writes. Brodey outlines several ways companies can improve their workplace culture.

Visit https://www.forbes.com/sites/denisebrodey/2019/12/17/how-the-fccs-988-suicide-and-mental-health-hotline-signals-to-employers-we-can-all-do-better/#641ffef322c2 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=596846&issueID=65352 to view the full article online.

How Robots are Changing the Construction Technology

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.

Visit https://fortune.com/2019/11/23/construction-industry-robots-ai/ to view the full article online.