A Word From AGCVA Chair, Don Sproul

Advocate, Grow, Connect. AGCVA exists to continually deliver value, serve members, and support the construction industry. I feel incredibly fortunate to be part of such a powerful community advocating for members and our profession, helping grow our member businesses, and connecting us with those we need to see to do business. 

The value that AGCVA provides is immense; and that value has not faltered, even in the face of significant challenges to our industry and our society including supply chain difficulties, labor shortages, a global pandemic, and economic uncertainty. 

Through it all, AGCVA has served as a guide, offering resources and roadmaps as we navigate both obstacles and opportunities. As members, we have a wealth of benefits at our fingertips and our member value is greatest when we leverage it to the fullest. 

I’d like to highlight a few of the many ways AGCVA delivers value:

• A thriving member community. In addition to your district community, AGCVA’s unique structure offers access to all seven active districts across the commonwealth, as well as connecting you with members across the country through AGC of America.
  
  
• A multitude of training opportunities, including online offerings. AGCVA currently offers 11 different training programs, including four added in the last year. In addition to those programs, AGCVA members have access to a full suite of online training opportunities through AGC of America’s EDGE program.
  
  
• Unrelenting efforts to grow your workforce. With the help of our workforce partners, our legislative efforts to increase accessibility to education to grow the talent pool, and through the work of our Educational Foundation that supports programs that attract and train skilled workers for the construction industry, we are working to secure the future of your company.
  
  
• Excellence in safety. The Virginia BEST Program, accessible only to AGCVA members, recognizes companies who diligently implement and improve best practices, compliance efforts and accident prevention on construction worksites. This rigorous program continues to grow and is raising the bar for safety across Virginia’s construction industry.
  
  
• A strong voice with legislators and regulators. AGCVA actively engages with state legislators and regulators throughout the entire year. Your membership offers you representation in these important conversations as well as the ability to participate in them directly with the weight of a well-respected member community behind you.
  
  
• Visibility within your member community and the public space. As the voice of Virginia’s construction industry, AGCVA works to promote the incredible work your company is doing. Through concerted public relations efforts, AGCVA and its members have been featured by the media more than a dozen times in the last 18 months. This continued effort both tells our members’ story and showcases construction as a top career option to help your business grow and flourish.

As we have all experienced within our companies (and our homes), costs have increased, and they continue to rise. In order to keep pace while continuing to deliver value to our members, the Board of Directors recently voted for a change to AGCVA’s dues structure. AGCVA runs a lean and efficient operation, with the Board of Directors and the Finance Committee providing steady oversight to ensure that remains the case. 

This change is not one that we take lightly. We are committed to ensuring the value our members receive does not waver, and that it continues to grow. Therefore, this change is necessary.  

We are all part of a community that exists to help us thrive, even in the toughest of times. AGCVA is advocating for us, helping us grow our businesses, and connecting us with the people and resources we need to reach new heights. I encourage you to put your membership to work in new and different ways in the coming year. Attend a new event, participate in our advocacy efforts, connect with a workforce partner, enhance your safety program, or volunteer to reach one of our many training programs. I suspect that you’ll not only discover additional value, but you will find new ways to move yourself and your business forward in both the short and long term.