A Word From AGCVA Chair, Anthony Smith

September is upon us and the summer is coming to an end. The AGCVA community is working on what will be a very busy fall. I use the word community because it rings true as to who we are as an association; a community of companies committed to the success of the Virginia construction industry. Our all-encompassing membership spans from the beaches of the Atlantic and Chesapeake Bay in the Peninsula and Tidewater, through urban areas and suburban sprawl of Richmond and Northern Virginia, into the foothills of the Piedmont, the beauty of the Valley, and finally (my openly biased favorite) the comforting peaks of the southwest Virginia mountains in Central and Roanoke. We are diverse in region and profession. We are a community of contractors, bankers, bonding and insurance agents, developers, material and equipment suppliers, staffing groups, consultants, educators, engineers, and architects. There is simply no other construction-focused association within Virginia that can claim as strong a statewide presence and to be truly representative of so many professions. Our community is our strength and as a member you can tap into that community to work to your benefit as we continue to Advocate, Grow, and Connect together.

Here is a quick update on what is happening for you in our community.

Advocate: The AGCVA PAC has been working hard for our upcoming PAC Golf Classic. Donating to PAC is important and this is our biggest fundraising event of the year. It is especially important this year that you take part in some way. In 2023, ALL General Assembly seats are up for election in newly drawn districts and many will be hotly contested. AGCVA's PAC ensures our place as the voice of Virginia’s commercial construction industry remains strong in Richmond, both while the General Assembly is in session and throughout the entire year. The PAC Golf Classic will take place Oct. 3 and is a great way to support the PAC while connecting with your fellow AGCVA members. Register quickly as it will sell out.

Grow: A strong workforce is the lifeblood of our industry; it is also a primary concern among us as members. In September and October, there are a number of opportunities for us to connect with those seeking meaningful work. We encourage you to seize the chance to be present with these individuals, sharing your story and them learn what a career in construction has to offer. The key to developing a strong pipeline is forming relationships with our workforce partners, and those seeking a career path. AGCVA is already sending information about these opportunities; we encourage you to take action and begin building critical relationships to grow your talent pipeline. October specifically offers increased visibility to our industry as it is Careers in Construction Month. We hope you will take the pledge now to begin connecting with students; we'll provide you with resources to help you been seen as an employer of choice. Additionally, our training programs are very active with Supervisory Training Program (STP) beginning in September and Construction Quality Management (CQM) taking place in October. In addition to engaging new talent, training is key for retaining and growing your current team members. AGCVA and AGC of America both offer multiple high-quality programs to us, and we urge you to take advantage. 

Connect: District events are plentiful, giving all of us numerous opportunities to connect with one another locally. In particular, the AGCVA team has coordinated several legislative events, which will take place in the next couple of months. Lawmakers value these events because they offer a unique opportunity to hear directly from us, their constituents. This is our opportunity to share our knowledge of the construction industry, and help our legislators make informed decisions about proposed and existing legislation. I urge you to visit the AGCVA calendar and sign up for the legislative event(s) taking place near you, in addition to some other fun activities that are coming up.

I hope that you and your family enjoy these last few days of summer. I look forward to seeing you soon at an AGCVA event this fall!