As many of you know, the AGC/Alliant Build America awards recognize the nation's most pioneering projects and in turn honor the AGC members who build the nation's most impressive construction projects. With hundreds of applications each year, we have taken the opportunity to synthesize the dominant, recurrent and notable characteristics of the most remarkable projects and the ground-breaking contractors responsible.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of our judges, the support of Alliant Construction Services Group and the input of our winners, we offer you the 2015 AGC Alliant Build America White Paper: Modeling Excellence. In this white paper, award winners share how they employed various techniques to quickly and efficiently deliver significantly complicated projects in record time. It offers an in-depth report of technological advancement, innovation in project delivery, collaborative and lean strategies, unique material solutions, preeminent customer satisfaction and top-notch project management. This is the inaugural AGC Alliant Build America White Paper to be followed by annual editions following the winner announcements each March. For more information about the AGC/Alliant Build America Awards, please visit www.agc.org/awards.

 

Construction declined by 1,000 in March but is still up by 282,000 compared to the prior year, as the sector's unemployment rate fell to 9.5 percent, according to an analysis by AGC of America. Association officials noted that declining demand for residential and public sector projects offset gains in other areas to contribute to the overall month job losses. "After 14 months of steady job gains, construction employment suffered in March," said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist. "Except for multifamily construction, home building remains weak and government officials just can't seem to find a way to pay for needed repairs to a host of aging facilities." However, it should be noted that this slight decline in March was preceded by an increase in construction employment in 278 out of 358 metro areas between February 2014 and February 2015. Learn More...

 

North America’s Building Trade Unions (the Building Trades) "will work with whoever will work with us," said its president Sean McGarvey during a session at AGC of America’s Annual Convention on March 19 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. "We’re not about political parties. We’re about [construction workers]...Both parties have changed, and we have no permanent friends and no permanent enemies. That’s our approach," he said. Learn More...

 

AGC's 2015 President Chuck Greco is the focus of Constructor's March/April cover story. In it he talks about his broad theme and big dreams for the AGC membership this year. Other features to check out include "Ready to Hire Again: The Construction Hiring and Business Outlook" infographic, "Wage Wars" and our "Technology Toolbox" column. This issue also includes a Midwest Workforce Shortage Report, Ken Simonson's economic news, and a story on AGC's recent multi-employer reform victory.

Access the digital edition on your desktop, tablet or smartphone and stay in the know. The digital edition contains the same articles, images and ads as the printed copy in a convenient format that mimics the print version.

 

On Thursday, April 9, 2015, AGC joined forces with the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) for a nationwide Stand Up for Transportation Day, with a broad coalition of partners participating in events around the country.  This was an opportunity to call attention to the importance of infrastructure investment and the need for a long-term surface transportation authorization bill. MAP-21, which is the federal surface transportation legislation, expires on May 31. AGC and APTA encourage local organizations and advocates who support public transit and highway investment to participate in these events, which are being held while Congress is on recess. More than 90 events were organized, including a San Diego media event featuring Tom Brown from AGC member firm Sierra Pacific West. The transit organizations also held media and social media activities around the day and the need for more investment. To find out more about the day, go to www.apta.com/standup4transportation.

 

The concept of the ‘big room’ seeks to improve the productivity, efficiency and teamwork of a construction and design team by gathering key individuals to one central, physical location to foster collaboration, help overcome communication barriers and produce more efficient results. However, the promise of a proximity solution assumes that physical distance is the issue behind the human element of poor communication and, by closing this distance, individuals are better able to resolve issues in a timely matter. The experiment does not always work as planned and the logical premise breaks down under human nature. Learn More...

 

On Thursday, April 9, 2015, the nationwide Stand Up for Transportation Day, David Martin, Arizona Chapter-AGC president, addressed a crowd on the economic benefits of investing in transportation infrastructure with Congressman Ruben Gallego and Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton. This was part of a nationwide effort to call attention to the importance of infrastructure investment and the need for a long-term surface transportation authorization bill. MAP-21, which is the federal surface transportation legislation, expires on May 31. In all, 353 organizations hosted events across the U.S. The loss of federal funds would impact bus and train service, as well as jeopardize new service and long-term transportation projects.

 

Earlier this month, AGC San Diego Chapter was represented at a news conference with local officials to ask Congress to pass a long-term funding solution for public transportation projects. As part of a National Stand Up for Transportation Day, San Diego residents were encouraged to take public transit on Thursday to celebrate the job, economic prosperity, and quality of life improvements public transportation projects create. Learn More...

 

In March, American Builders 2017 entered into a partnership agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Georgia Tech Research Institute and AGC Georgia. The partnership aims to enhance jobsite safety on the SunTrust Park project and educate workers about health and safety best practices. Learn More...

 

BOND, a leading 108-year-old civil and utility construction firm and an AGC of Massachusetts member, has been engaged to begin preliminary site work at New Salem Harbor Station. A combined-cycle gas turbine electric generating plant, the 674MW station will provide efficient, low-emission power to more than 600,000 homes in New England. Learn More...

 

On time and under budget, the doors are nearly open at the new Mercy Hospital Joplin. Inside and out, the 900,000-sq-ft facility makes good on Mercy’s bold promise to the community to replace the tornado-ravaged St. John’s Regional Medical Center with a stronger, state-of-the-art hospital. "The new building is opening just 46 months after the tornado hit Joplin," said Ryan Felton, project director for McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., a member of multiple AGC chapters. Learn More...

 

Sundt Construction, Inc., a member of multiple AGC chapters, recently hired Tom Case as senior vice president, civil group. Case will lead Sundt’s civil group to meet its expansion goals, both in terms of work portfolio and presence in new geographic areas. Learn More...

 

Tarlton Corp., a St. Louis-based general contracting and construction management firm and a member of multiple AGC chapters, has completed renovation of the historic building at 700 Market St. in downtown St. Louis for The Koman Group and The Laclede Group. Learn More...

 

Knife River Corporation and MDU Construction Services Group, sister construction companies with deep Oregon roots, announced recently that they are giving $1 million to promote worksite safety in the state. Learn More...

 

MWH Constructors, a Colorado Contractors Association member, announced recently it has hired Todd Larson as its global project delivery director of engineering and quality to enhance the team of professionals in the design, construction and delivery of infrastructure projects. Learn More...

 

PC Construction, an AGC of Vermont member, has completed construction of the 110,000-sq-ft Virtue Field House, passing the baton to Middlebury College student-athletes at the varsity, club, intramural, and recreational levels who now will be able to compete and play in the state-of-the-art sports facility. Learn More...

 

Brasfield & Gorrie, an Alabama AGC member, recently announced that the company has been selected to build a new greenfield water treatment plant for Huntsville Utilities in Huntsville, Alabama. Learn More...

 

CMD, one of the leading providers of construction information in North America, recently announced its spring economic webcast, "Will Construction Pick Up the Pace or the Pieces?" The complimentary webcast will feature industry-leading chief economists Ken Simonson of AGC of America, Kermit Baker of The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and Alex Carrick of CMD and will take place at 2:30 p.m. EDT on April 30. Learn More...

 

 

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