Forty-four percent of highway contractors reported that motor vehicles had crashed into their construction work zones during the past year, according to the results of a new highway work zone study conducted by AGC of America. As a result, association officials launched a new national advertising and outreach campaign to urge motorists to stay alert and slow down while driving through highway work zones. Learn More...

 

Construction employment increased by 11,000 jobs in May to the highest level since October 2008 and average weekly hours set a series high for May as contractors struggled to find enough workers to meet demand for projects, according to an analysis of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials urged lawmakers and other public officials to address the growing shortage of available qualified workers by funding and re-invigorating career and technical education programs. "Construction firms continued adding new jobs at a faster rate than the broader economy during the past year as demand for their services remains strong," said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist. "Even so, they had to keep employees on the job for more hours because they could not find enough qualified people to hire." Learn More...

 

Ken Simonson, AGC of America's chief economist, joined Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton and Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell in Phoenix for a media event promoting a new plan to boost infrastructure funding that will help the rapidly growing metro area meet new traffic demands and help improve the economy. Learn More...

 

AGC teamed up with the Contractors Association of West Virginia to organize a media event in Charleston with West Virginia Department of Transportation Secretary Tom Smith to promote a new state highway funding measure. Ken Simonson, AGC's chief economist, pointed out to reporters that Charleston has grappled with significant construction employment decline. Between April 2016 and April 2017, employment fell 16 percent in the area. Improved infrastructure funding could help significantly improve those numbers. Learn More...

 

In line with AGC’s regulatory recommendations, on June 7, 2017, U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta announced the withdrawal of the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) 2015 and 2016 informal guidance on joint employment and independent contractors. Both pieces of guidance together took an expansive interpretation of employment and threatened the traditional relationship between contractors and their partners. AGC and its members were concerned that these interpretations would make compliance more complicated, leading to unnecessary enforcement efforts and increased costs to projects. Learn More...

 

Networking takes practice, but it starts from small meaningful encounters and practice socially. It is probably the most important business skill you can acquire. Here are some tips on successful networking, including why selfie sticks are getting in the way.
BY DANIELLE FEROLETO, CPSM
PRESIDENT, SMALL GIANTS Learn More...

 

If restoring a historic building is a challenge, restoring half of it and renovating the other half is a far more demanding and risky venture. When the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) bought 1785 Massachusetts Ave NW in Washington DC, a 60,000-sf National Historic Landmark building, it was 12,000 square feet too small for their needs. Its landmark status posed a problem for expansion, but Grunley Construction, an AGC of Metropolitan Washington D.C. member, suggested an innovative plan to increase usable space by constructing a penthouse on the top, and digging an entire second basement beneath the existing basement, adding 28,000 square feet in all. For this outstanding restoration/renovation, Grunley received the 2017 Alliant Build America Award for Building Renovation $10 to $99 Million. Learn More...

 

The joint venture of Skanska USA, a member of multiple AGC chapters, and Shoemaker Construction Co., a Philadelphia Builders Chapter member, and the Philadelphia Area Office of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have announced a strategic partnership during construction of Fashion Outlets Philadelphia. OSHA's Strategic Partnership Program helps encourage, assist and recognize voluntary partner efforts to eliminate serious workplace hazards and aligns with Skanska’s Injury Free Environment (IFE) initiative. IFE is a holistic approach to safety, where everyone has the responsibility to be personally involved in preventing harm to themselves, as well as to their colleagues. Learn More...

 

Tarlton Corp., a member of multiple AGC chapters, is serving as construction manager on the renovation and addition to the Stephen and Peter Sachs Museum at the renowned Missouri Botanical Garden. Learn More...

 

College students with a background in construction management are in high demand by contractors. To expose college students to careers in specialty contracting and begin developing qualified employees to fill its management positions long-term, Western Specialty Contractors, an AGC of Missouri and Master Builders of Iowa member, recruits candidates from leading construction management colleges and universities across the country for its comprehensive, hands-on internship program. Learn More...

 

Slayden Constructors, Inc., a member of the Oregon-Columbia Chapter and Inland Northwest AGC Chapter, has been selected as the construction manager/general contractor (GM/GC) for a $27-million project for a new Water Treatment Plant in Lebanon, Oregon. The project is scheduled to begin in May 2017, with a substantial completion date of December 2018. Learn More...