AGC and Procore announced during September’s Annual Convention the launch of a new scholarship program to assist African-American and minority students studying construction fields at historically black colleges and universities, or HBCUs. The new scholarship is being made possible thanks to a $250,000 challenge gift from Procore that the association will now fundraise to meet and, hopefully, exceed. The scholarship program will be administered by the AGC Education & Research Foundation and is part of a broader effort by AGC to make the industry more diverse and inclusive.

 

Visit here to learn more about the scholarships and make your contribution today.

 

Deadline to complete an application for the 2022 Construction Risk Partners Build America and the AGC in the Community Awards is fast approaching! The Construction Risk Partners Build America Awards (including the Marvin M. Black Partnering Excellence category) and AGC in the Community competitions recognize the nation's most impressive construction projects ranging across the building, highway and transportation, utility infrastructure, and federal and heavy divisions; those contractors excelling in their partnering and collaborative endeavors; and the charitable contractors and chapters giving back to their communities.

 

Apply by Wednesday, October 20, 2021 for full consideration. Learn more about AGC of America's awards programs at www.agc.org/awards. For questions, please reach out to Nahee Rosso at nahee.rosso@agc.org.

AGC of America, in partnership with the Time for Change Consortium, is proud to support the inaugural Construction Inclusion Week, beginning Monday, October 18, in an effort to advance diversity and inclusion in construction. The goal of Construction Inclusion Week is to foster conversations that create alignment around diversity and inclusion.

Each day of Construction Inclusion Week there is a theme to enhance the conversation around diversity and inclusion in construction. To support these daily themes, there is a host of resources that you can use to engage your staff, trade contractors, subcontractors, and partners. There is also a guide to help you plan activities. We also encourage you to make a public commitment to diversity and inclusion by signing AGC’s Culture of CARE pledge.

Please let us know if you will be participating in Construction Inclusion Week by completing this form.

For more information or if you have any questions, please contact AGC of America's Director of Diversity & Inclusion, Brynn Huneke, at brynn.huneke@agc.org or 703-837-5376.

 

AGC continues to wait for more information from OSHA on an emergency temporary standard (ETS) expected to require employers with 100 or more employees to ensure their workers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or tested for infection on least a weekly basis. There is little clarity as to exactly when agency will formally issue this ETS testing mandate or when it will take effect. AGC has also retained outside legal counsel—and is asking some of the brightest legal minds within the industry—to help it review its legal options. Previously, AGC conveyed its serious reservations about such an ETS. The association and its members have encouraged voluntary COVID-19 vaccination for their employees since the vaccines became available.

The construction industry gained 22,000 jobs between August and September as nonresidential construction firms added employees for the first time in six months, according to an analysis by AGC of America of government data released recently. Association officials said nonresidential construction has been affected by the widespread supply chain problems, which are causing owners already uncertain about future demand for commercial space to delay or even cancel some projects.

Getting the logistics of material hauling “right” isn’t easy. For decades, contractors have worked with material producers, fleets and brokers to keep our country’s infrastructure projects running — while dealing with significant challenges. To stay ahead of the competition, every construction company needs to be asking themselves how they can incorporate best practices into their day-to-day operations. There are five key strategic areas to focus on.
BY BART RONAN
CEO, TRUX, AN AGC OF CALIFORNIA MEMBER

Mental health has been in the spotlight over the last year, with stay-at-home orders and school closures keeping many Americans at home more than the usual. But even before that, a mental health epidemic was already raging across America. Suicide has increased 40% in the last two decades. It’s the second leading cause of death among young adults aged 15 to 34.
BY JOHN WALLEN
VICE PRESIDENT AND WISCONSIN CONSTRUCTION PRACTICE LEADER
HUB INTERNATIONAL, A MEMBER OF MULTIPLE AGC CHAPTERS

The pandemic has impacted the construction industry in major ways, with many project delays happening as people were forced to social distance and isolate. As many as 60% of contractors reported at least one project postponed or cancelled in September of last year, according to AGC of America’s 2020 Workforce Survey. Having reached the milestone of one year of the pandemic, business is beginning to pick back up again, and construction companies are looking to get back in the swing of things with new leads and projects. Incorporating a digital marketing strategy that places your company in front of your target audiences and gets you ranked higher on Google will be an important initiative to make.
BY STEVEN CLAYTON
CEO, NETBLAZE

 

As with nearly every profession, there are dangers and hazards with construction. Injuries due to falls and other accidents can happen, not to mention the problems that come with heat stress and overexertion. Health crises like these often result in construction workers having to take time off from the job to seek medical care or to recuperate.
BY GAIL ALLYN SHORT

Hiring Our Heroes (HOH) connects the military community — service members, military spouses, and veterans — with American businesses to create economic opportunity and a strong and diversified workforce. For details on any event, please visit the Hiring Our Heroes Calendar.