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AGC Houston Office
6:00 p.m. - 7:15 p.m. AGC Houston will be hosting an education session on the new Multiple Employer 401(k) plan on September 9, 2014. This 401(k) Education Series is hosted by Robert W. Baird & Co. Financial Advisors and is open to the employees of all companies participating in the AGC Houston or Louisiana AGC 401(k) plans. We highly encourage you to attend this session and find out what this comprehensive program has to offer. Click here for more information and to register for this event.
Visit http://agchouston.org/calendar.asp?pageid=901&calid=1853 to view the full article online. |
Visit http://agchouston.org/calendar.asp?pageid=901&calid=1843 to view the full article online.
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Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/?aid=283744&issueID=40129 to view the full article online. |
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InterContinental Dallas Hotel Dallas, TexasFollowing the April BIMForum, this conference will focus on optimizing construction using aspects of BIM. Speakers from around the nation will be presenting on how they are using BIM proactively and effectively to have a measurable impact on the construction process. Topics will include BIM Execution Planning, Collocation Management, What Does BIM Mean For Insurance?, and more.
Visit http://meetings.bimforum.org/2014/ to view the full article online. |
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Sheraton Downtown Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona AGC's Construction HR and Training Professionals Conference provides two days of education and networking for HR, training and workforce development professionals in the construction industry. Educational sessions cover the most cutting-edge techniques in training and development currently in use and envisioned for the future in the industry.
Visit http://www.agc.org/cs/events/conferences/training_education_conference to view the full article online. |
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Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/?aid=283654&issueID=40129 to view the full article online. |
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San Antonio Marriott Riverwalk
San Antonio, Texas Registration for the CLC Leadership Development Conference, formerly known as Fall Working Weekend, is now open. This year’s event is co-hosted with the San Antonio Chapter of AGC and will take place October 23-25, 2014, at the San Antonio Marriott Riverwalk. Highlights of the program include keynote speaker George "The Iceman" Gervin, former San Antonio Spurs player; Chuck Greco, Linbeck Group, LLC, and Senior Vice President of AGC of America; and a roundtable session that will allow attendees to learn best practices from CLC groups from across the country. Visit http://meetings.agc.org/ldc14/ to view the full article online. |
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Caesar's Palace
Las Vegas, Nevada The Construction Financial Management Conference was developed in response to a need for programs and workshops designed specifically for financial professionals in the construction industry. The three-day conference will feature lectures and workshops on topics such as construction taxes, change order and claims management, federal acquisition regulations and more. Register by September 5 for the early bird discount!
Visit http://meetings.agc.org/agc_cfma/ to view the full article online. |
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Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/?aid=283657&issueID=40129 to view the full article online. |
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The ACE Mentor Program of Houston invites you to join in The Third Annual Build It Forward Event. This event brings together students involved in the ACE Mentor Program and industry-wide professionals. For more information and to learn how you can get involved, please click here.
Visit http://agchouston.org/calendar.asp?pageid=901&calid=1838 to view the full article online. |
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BIM Unit 1 is designed specifically for construction professionals eager to learn the essential concepts of BIM. The full-day (8-hour) course explains the benefits of improved visualization on a construction project through the use of 3D, 4D, and 5D models, establishes a knowledge base of BIM terminology and outlines case studies showing successful BIM implementation.
Visit http://agchouston.org/calendar.asp?pageid=901&calid=1406 to view the full article online. |
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Understand how basic contracts are structured, how different types of contracts are used, and how project documentation relates to effective contracting. Learn how different project delivery methods use different contracting strategies, and gain insight into contract law and language in relation to project risk.
Visit http://agchouston.org/calendar.asp?pageid=901&calid=1427 to view the full article online. |
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Completion of this course meets the requirements of OSHA Paragraph 1926.50, and participants will receive an American Heart Association Heartsaver First Aid and CPR/AED wallet card valid for two years upon course completion.
Visit http://agchouston.org/calendar.asp?pageid=901&calid=1400 to view the full article online. |
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Learn how to comply with contractual obligations concerning insurance and to assure compliance of other involved parties. Everything you need to know about insurance certificates will be covered.
Visit http://agchouston.org/calendar.asp?pageid=901&calid=1393 to view the full article online. |
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AGC Houston - Frontline Leadership is a six-session training program designed to equip new, current, or aspiring supervisors with the tools they need to effectively manage and develop their people and projects. The format consists of six half-day modules that can be taken as stand-alone courses or as part of the series.
Visit http://agchouston.org/calendar.asp?pageid=901&calid=1677 to view the full article online. |
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AGC Houston - Frontline Leadership is a six-session training program designed to equip new, current, or aspiring supervisors with the tools they need to effectively manage and develop their people and projects. The format consists of six half-day modules that can be taken as stand-alone courses or as part of the series.
Visit http://agchouston.org/calendar.asp?pageid=901&calid=1678 to view the full article online. |
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This construction 10-hour safety course covers the safety requirements as contained in 29 CFR 1926.This course is designed to provide an entry-level construction worker general awareness on recognizing and preventing hazards on a construction site.
Visit http://agchouston.org/calendar.asp?pageid=901&calid=1639 to view the full article online. |
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The Globally Harmonized System for Hazard Communication is an international standard for informing workers about health, and physical and environmental hazards in the workplace. This course will cover the regulatory requirements for container labeling, the nine pictograms and their meanings, the Safety Data Sheet format and content requirements. For the Spanish session, click here.
Visit http://agchouston.org/calendar.asp?pageid=901&calid=1823 to view the full article online. |
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This course focuses on how to prepare for and conduct assessments, identifying issues, and the disposition of those issues. Classroom lecture and experiential exercises are utilized to provide students the opportunity to put into practice the knowledge and skills presented.
Visit http://agchouston.org/calendar.asp?pageid=901&calid=1752 to view the full article online. |
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This course is designed for healthcare professionals who want to plan and present safety and health content to their employees/colleagues.The program covers topics specific to making safety and health training engaging, relevant, and impactful for all healthcare workers. In addition to the content, the participants will receive a Trainer's Tool Kit with a variety of resources and training material.
Visit http://agchouston.org/calendar.asp?pageid=901&calid=1771 to view the full article online. |
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This course is designed to provide Spanish-speaking entry-level construction workers with a general awareness on recognizing and preventing hazards on the jobsite. Participants will learn about the safety requirements contained in 29 CFR 1926, review specific OSHA requirements and gain tips on how to keep a construction jobsite safe.
Visit http://agchouston.org/calendar.asp?pageid=901&calid=1825 to view the full article online. |
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AGC Houston is excited to offer this hands-on course for supervisors and
workers involved in rigging or hoisting operations while using cranes, heavy equipment, truck cranes or other equipment in any industry. Students will receive 10 hours of Qualified Rigger / Signal Person hands-on training, using field-appropriate application intended for supervisors and workers involved in rigging or hoisting operations while using cranes, heavy equipment, and truck cranes. Visit http://agchouston.org/calendar.asp?pageid=901&calid=1852 to view the full article online. |
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Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/?aid=283751&issueID=40129 to view the full article online. |
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"The AGC Alternative," the first of its kind, nationwide private insurance exchange to serve the commercial construction industry, begins offering firms belonging to the Associated General Contractors of America quotes today. The private exchange, developed in collaboration with Willis North America, a unit of Willis Group Holdings, the global risk advisor, insurance and reinsurance broker, features comprehensive insurance coverage from Aetna, MetLife and Group Vision Service as part of its introductory suite of benefits. Now that the exchange's initial benefits providers have been selected, association members can now get coverage quotes for policies that go into effect as early as January 1, 2015. For more information about the association's new private insurance exchange, click here.
Visit http://www.agc.org/cs/news_media/press_room/press_release?pressrelease.id=1615 to view the full article online. |
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This week, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released their semi-annual Economic and Budget Outlook, in which they have updated their ten-year solvency projections for the Highway Trust Fund. CBO estimates that sometime in fiscal year 2015 the revenue in the trust fund will run out. Although the CBO does not provide a specific deadline, it is estimated that the transfer of nearly $11 billion approved by Congress in late July will only maintain current trust fund spending levels through the end of May 2015. CBO’s long-term Highway Trust Fund projections show that the cost of a six-year transportation bill at current funding levels plus inflation would require approximately $85 billion in additional revenues into the trust fund.
Visit http://news.agc.org/2014/08/29/cbo-projects-continued-highway-trust-fund-shortfalls/ to view the full article online. |
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During the past several months, the U.S. Green Building Council and the Green Building Certification Institute have been forging new relationships as well as strengthening existing ties with other organizations. Those working on Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and other green projects (such as Sustainable SITES) will be impacted by these developments. The unprecedented cooperation aims to create a comprehensive framework for jurisdictions looking to implement and adopt green building regulations and codes and/or provide incentives for voluntary leadership programs such as LEED.
Visit http://news.agc.org/2014/08/28/usgbc-gbci-form-new-partnerships-plans-to-integrate-leed-with-green-building-codes/ to view the full article online. |
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Architect-engineer-contractor (AEC) professional liability insurance policies typically cover negligent wrongful acts, errors and/or omissions as long as the AEC is found negligent by a court of law for the wrongful or erroneous service provided to the client. However, it is yet to be fully determined if some forms of negligence related to green construction are actually covered under typical professional liability insurance policies.
Visit http://www.constructormagazine.com/manage-the-environmental-construction-risks-of-today/#.U_YrMPldUWI to view the full article online. |
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On August 8, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that, if implemented, will require covered federal contractors and subcontractors to submit an annual Equal Pay Report on employee compensation. On an annual basis, contractors would have to submit on the new Equal Pay Report summary employee compensation data by sex, race, ethnicity, and specified job categories, as well as other relevant data points that would include hours worked and number of employees. Visit http://news.agc.org/2014/08/12/ofccp-proposes-rule-for-new-equal-pay-report-2/ to view the full article online. |
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Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/?aid=283677&issueID=40129 to view the full article online. |
Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/?aid=283678&issueID=40129 to view the full article online.
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Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/?aid=283682&issueID=40129 to view the full article online. |
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Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/?aid=283683&issueID=40129 to view the full article online. |
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Pieper-Houston Electric recently welcomed Stephen Haney as the company’s newest senior project manager. As a senior project manager, Haney is responsible for balancing leadership with conceptual thinking and strategic planning for each of the projects on which he works. Haney brings more than 23 years of industry experience, specifically in project management, to Pieper. He has already been hard at work on the Baybrook Mall expansion and the Clear Lake High School re-build. Congratulations on your new position!
Visit http://www.pieperhouston.com/_assets/docs/PPRE-Steve-Haney-Press-Release-080614.pdf to view the full article online. |
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Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/?aid=283685&issueID=40129 to view the full article online. |
Doucet, OSHA Area Director, Houston North Office; James Shelton, OSHA Compliance
Assistance Specialist; and Mark Briggs, OSHA Area Director, Houston South Office on Thursday, September 4, 2014 who led a panel discussion on OSHA inspections.
The OSHA directors were joined by Attorney Keith Coulter, Coulter PC; Tonio
Stergio, Shareholder, Andrews Myers, PC; Homer Peterson, President, Peterson
Construction Consulting, Inc.; Director of Safety Services Kim Mason and AGC
Houston Safety Committee Chair Chris Roberts, Brookstone, LP, who facilitated the
informative two-hour discussion that focused on employer citations, employer
responsibilities, employer and employee rights and what OSHA construction site
inspections cover.
Houston President/CEO Jerry Nevlud and Kim Mason for an official signing of the
OSHA and AGC Houston Strategic Partnership Program. AGC Houston Safety Committee members Chris Roberts; Grace Fox, TAS Commercial Concrete Construction, Inc.;
Tommy Lee, W. S. Bellows Construction Corp.; and Kim Mason thanked OSHA for
their ongoing support of AGC Houston and its members.
this program should contact Kim
Mason at AGC Houston for an application or more details about
this program.
Visit http://agchouston.org/pages/agc_osha_partnering_program_64.asp to view the full article online.
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Construction spending reached its highest level since 2008 in July, according to the Census Bureau, and industry economists are forecasting similar spending patterns in the future. Spending on both private and public construction increased in July, reaching a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $981.3 billion. The report "provides further evidence that a vigorous nonresidential construction recovery is finally at hand," said Anirban Basu, chief economist for Associated Builders and Contractors. "Increased job growth, booming energy production, expanding industrial production and normalizing capital markets are all contributing to nonresidential construction's renewed momentum, and confidence among developers and other significant consumers of construction services is high, signaling ongoing recovery."
Visit http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/news-wire/2014/09/02/construction-spending-growth-shows-vigorous.html?page=all to view the full article online. |
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The increased coverage around Obamacare and the state’s strong economy has led to more people being covered under employer insurance which has played a role in bringing the number of uninsured down. However, due to Texas' lack of a comprehensive Medicaid program, Texas has seen a much larger drop in the percentage of uninsured. This will begin to affect employers, especially those who hire low-income, uninsured workers. Employer penalties for uninsured employees will start in 2015. Dr. Vivian Ho of the Baker Institute states, "If these workers aren't insured, it’s more people these employers will have to take a penalty for because it’s expected the employers should provide insurance for uninsured people."
Visit http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/blog/vital-signs/2014/09/obamacare-made-a-dent-in-the-number-of-uninsured.html to view the full article online. |
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The Texas Supreme Court just issued a blockbuster opinion affirming the limited scope of no-damages for delay clauses. The Court recognized the traditional exceptions to the enforcement of no-damages-for-delay clauses. These include an owner’s "active interference" with a contractor "or other wrongful conduct," including "arbitrary and capricious acts." The Court reasoned that the purpose of such exceptions is to "preclude a party from insulating himself from liability for his own deliberate, wrongful conduct." No longer is there uncertainty about the applicability of the traditionally recognized exceptions to no damages clauses. Texas now falls in line with the majority of states.
Visit http://www.andrewsmyers.com/news-09-29-2014.html to view the full article online. |
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The demographics of the state are changing in ways that impact the workforce head on. According to State Comptroller Susan Combs, "unskilled" jobs are becoming a thing of the past, and the workers of today need to be adaptable to the point that they are lifelong learners. She argues that lawmakers need to tackle several issues including increased funding for adult education programs, multimedia information campaigns to promote industry-based certification, and economic incentives for companies to create apprenticeship programs. She also urges the state to make more money available for programs in order to streamline the process to reduce waiting lists for training programs.
Visit http://www.constructioncitizen.com/blog/texas-comptroller-pushes-more-job-training-programs/1408191 to view the full article online. |
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After a slow start to the year, the economy is finally beginning to perk up. As of July, U.S. architecture firms have produced three straight months of accelerating gains in design billings. With solid monthly scores for new design contracts (at 54.9 this month) and new project inquiries (66.0), all signs indicate strong momentum building in design activity, which is expected to produce solid gains in construction later this year and into 2015. Firms in the South continue to report healthy business conditions, as they have every month for two straight years.
Visit http://www.aia.org/practicing/AIAB104451 to view the full article online. |
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Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/?aid=283690&issueID=40129 to view the full article online. |
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The newest version of LEED v4, which will be the standard for any certification starting June 2015, includes a new location and transportation category that takes into account factors such as a building’s walkability to area amenities, as well as its proximity to public transportation. Building in areas such as downtown and the Galleria area, as well as within mixed-use projects where tenants can walk to amenities and housing rather than getting into their cars, will have a leg up on their counterparts in suburban locations where walkability is a challenge and development is not as dense.
Visit http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/blog/breaking-ground/2014/08/new-leed-certification-favors-downtown-mixed-use.html to view the full article online. |
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Occupational Safety and Health Administration will extend the comment period on the proposed rule to improve tracking of workplace injuries and illnesses to Oct. 14, 2014. The proposal, published on Nov. 8, 2013, would amend the agency’s recordkeeping regulation to add requirements for the electronic submission of injury and illness information that employers are already required to keep. Individuals interested in submitting comments may do so electronically at www.regulations.gov, the federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Comments may also be submitted via mail or facsimile. See the Federal Register notice for details.
Visit http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=OSHA-2013-0023-0001 to view the full article online. |