Sixty-four percent of highway contractors report that motor vehicles had crashed into their construction work zones during the past year, putting motorists and workers at risk, according to the results of a new highway work zone study conducted by AGC of America and HCSS. In response, officials urged drivers to slow down and remain alert while passing through work zones during the summer driving season.

Registration is now open to sign up to participate in AGC of America’s 2nd Annual National Construction Industry Workforce Summit. The summit will take place in Phoenix, Arizona on November 3 and 4. AGC is hoping to encourage contractors and chapter staff who are involved in workforce development to attend, as well as anyone involved in educating and preparing future construction workers. Attendees will share their workforce success stories and help craft new workforce solutions. They will attend brief, pitch-style, presentations from some of the nation’s most successful workforce development programs. And they will hear from inspirational keynote presenters. Learn more about the Workforce Summit and the agenda here. Register for the summit here. For more information, contact Brian Turmail at brian.turmail@agc.org or 703-459-0238.

Struggling to find enough workers? On this episode, three young construction professionals share their insights about how they made a decision on a full-time position and why their selected firms stood out.  Guests include Trent Fair, recent graduate of Pittsburg State University, who landed a Superintendent role with Simpson Construction Services, Jack McGavran, also graduated from Pittsburg State who will be joining McCarthy Building Services as an Engineer, and Collette LeManske of Kansas State University, who will be taking on a Project Engineer role with Brinkmann Constructors. These three new additions to the industry provide some great information about what they were looking for in their internships and permanent roles.

On June 8, AGC sought clarification from OSHA on its enforcement of heat-related hazards under its National Emphasis Program (NEP). Due to the absence of specific guidance clarifying how compliance safety and health officers (CSHOs) will evaluate a contractor’s implementation of protocols to address heat exposure, fair and consistent enforcement will be significantly impacted across all regions. In addition, the NEP’s ambiguities may ultimately put workers at further risk of injury or illness.

Contractors’ bid prices for constructing new nonresidential buildings finally caught up with soaring costs for the materials and service they buy in May, according to an analysis by AGC of America of government data released recently. Association officials cautioned that contractors will have a hard time keeping pace with additional price spikes for many key construction materials.

 

“After enduring more than a year of runaway increases in the cost of items needed to build projects, contractors have finally raised their bid prices by an equivalent amount,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “But the runup in materials costs appears likely to continue to pressure contractors’ profit margins.”

Virtual business development seems to be a recently coined and common term in the A/E/C industries, as business development looks much different today than it did a couple of years ago. The opportunities to drop by prospects’ offices or meet them at a networking event are few and far between.

Heath Steel, an AGC of Colorado Building Chapter Inc. member, has promoted Tony DeMario to president, making him the fourth generation of family members to lead a Heath construction company over the past 80 years. Heath Steel, which launched in 2009 in Fort Collins, Colorado, is the latest family-owned Heath construction company. It provides metal building supply and erection services to commercial, industrial, manufacturing, recreation and other industries across the Midwest and Rocky Mountains.

The Associated General Contractors of Kansas recently recognized McCownGordon with the Kansas Safety Contractor of the Year award. The purpose of the award is to recognize a construction company that excels at safety performance. The award winner was announced at the AGC State Convention in Wichita, Kansas on March 4, 2022.

Skiles Group, an award-winning, national general contracting and Lean Construction management firm based in Richardson, Texas, recently announced that Keyan Zandy has been named chief executive officer, effective May 1. Current CEO, Clay Harrison, will remain with Skiles Group, a TEXO member, as chairman, and Dwayne Hodges will remain as president.

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.