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In this issue...
Kick Off the New Year at Annual Chapter Meeting Have a Blast at Our Advocacy Sporting Clays Shoot! Holy Smokes! It's Barbecue Cook-Off Time! Happy Endings and New Beginnings - A Message from Jerry Nevlud Scholarship Applications Now Open AGC Diversity Committee Continues Making Strides AGC Distinguished Lecture Series Welcomes Construction Technology Expert
Education/Training
To all of our members who volunteered their time in 2019 to teach classes and lead workshops, a heartfelt THANK YOU!
AGC Houston is privileged to have such dedicated members whose efforts to lead and elevate our Chapter makes it one of the strongest in the nation!
Thank you for sharing your skills and knowledge, we're so grateful for your help!
No fees associated! Applications now open and due Jan. 31. Qualifications Include: Applicant must be employed by an AGC Houston member firm. Click here for full details. Safety
View the full list of OSHA courses here. Dec. 9-12: OSHA 501: Trainer Course in OSHA Standards General Industry Dec. 9-12: OSHA 510: OSHA Standards For Construction Dec. 10-12: OSHA 3015: Excavation, Trenching, and Soil Mechanics Dec. 10-12: OSHA 3115: Fall Protection Dec. 10-13: OSHA 30: Hour Safety Course For Construction Dec. 16-18: OSHA 502: Update For Construction Industry Outreach Trainers Dec. 16-19: OSHA 500-Trainer Course in OSHA Standards Dec. 17-19: OSHA 2264: Permit-Required Confined Space Entry Dec. 18-20: OSHA 503: Update For General Industry Outreach Trainers Jan. 6-9: OSHA 2045: Machinery And Machine Guarding Standards Jan. 7-9: OSHA 2255: Principles Of Ergonomics Construction Safety Awards Applications Due Friday, Dec. 13! Don’t miss this opportunity to be recognized for your best-in-class safety program! For more information on the CSEA program, please visit www.agc.org/csea. AGC News
 Fall was a busy season for the AGC Diversity Committee. Along with steadily making connections in the industry, the group has taken on a new challenge – developing an online platform to serve as an industry portal connecting small and minority trade contractors to GC members. This robust site will have a number of features which will bridge the gap (virtually) between making these connections. The site will be unveiled late first quarter 2020.
In September the second Meet the Primes: One-on-One event was held at the chapter office. In October, members of the Diversity Committee attended a Port of Houston Authority (PHA) kick off meeting for its disparity study.Finally, in November the committee headed downtown to the Houston Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) to meet their team and new director, Gabriela Zambrano.
Check out more on what AGC Houston is doing to help grow qualified minority-owned businesses.
Pictured, members of the Diversity Commitee: Pictured (top, left to right): Jerry Nevlud (AGC), Christy Moore (Markle), Jim Stevenson (McCarthy Building Companies), William Martinez (AGC); and (bottom, left to right): Gary Allen (McCarthy Building Companies), Lana Coble (Tellepsen), and Tandelyn Weaver (Construction Contractors' College). Not pictured: Ike Allen (Linbeck Group), Tom Vaughn (Vaughn Construction) and Tamara Hancock (AGC)
Attention AGC Houston members! Applications for the Patrick J. Kiley Excellence in Leadership Scholarship are now open! The AGC Houston scholarship program has awarded over 168 scholarships totaling $512,000 to students pursuing construction-related careers.
Whether you or one of your family members is taking construction-related courses, apply today! Deadline is Jan. 31.
Each year around this time, AGC asks you — our members — to predict what next year will be like for your business. AGC has partnered with Sage to prepare questions that focus on expectations for market performance, hiring, labor market conditions, etc. Please take a moment to complete the survey, here.
AGC of America talks with two leading economists covering the construction sector, who provide a fast-paced overview of what to expect in the coming year for different categories of construction spending, labor availability and materials costs.
Check out this podcast episode to learn about the broader economic environment and how various changes in economic growth or policy could affect contractors.
Events
Join Us In 2020 And Reserve Your Seat Today! Jan. 30 - The Briar Club Annual Chapter Meeting & Networking Breakfast We kick off the New Year with guest speaker Ed Emmett, former Harris County Judge and senior fellow at Rice University's Kinder Institute for Urban Research and a fellow at the university's Doerr Institute for New Leaders. Sponsorship & Registration Details here. Feb. 11 - Greater Houston Gun Club AGC Advocacy Sporting Clays Tournament Whether you are a novice or a seasoned enthusiast, enjoy a morning of shooting fun and your chance to win some great prizes! Sponsorship, Raffle & Registration Details here. March 27-28 - Constellation Field, Sugar Land 29th Annual Barbecue Cook-Off & Fair Get ready to fire up the barbecue pits as Houston's commercial construction industry takes over Constellation Field for two days. View The Full Details here. This year's charity: Paws For Heroes Message from the President/CEO
It is so cliché to hear someone say at this time of year, “it’s hard to believe that it is December already. Where did the year go?” So, call me cliché… it is hard to believe, and the time has come to wrap up 2019 and begin positioning for 2020!
One thing that is not cliché, is the opportunity to thank the members of AGC Houston for the outstanding support you give this organization. On behalf of the entire chapter staff, I want to thank and express my sincere gratitude for the time, talent and treasure you have graciously given to the organization.
Without your contributions AGC Houston could not continue to be among the most engaged and proactive AGC chapters in the country. Remaining a viable entity in the commercial construction industry is no easy task in and of itself, yet we have a membership that does just that and much more! It is your commitment to AGC that keeps AGC committed to you. In addition to expressing appreciation for your support to the chapter, I also want to thank and congratulate each of you and your teams for their support of the many and diverse organizations that assist the needy, shelter the homeless, support the veterans and are just there for the less fortunate in so many walks of life. It really is an honor to represent such a great membership. I personally love this time of the year. Obviously not for the crowded roads and stores! But as we gather with family and friends, it is the perfect time to step back and be thankful and grateful for all the wonderful things in our lives. For some it may be more than others, but I believe there is at least that one thing that each of us have that makes us feel blessed. I hope each one of you have a Merry Christmas and a joyous holiday season! I hope that 2020 is a happy, joyful and prosperous year as well!
Jerry Nevlud
News you can Use
We're happy to share details about the Texas Builders team of riders that will be heading to Austin for the MS 150 event May 2-3. The American Institute of Architects' Architecture Billings Index rose to 52 in October from 49.7 in September and 47.2 in August. "Although ongoing uncertainty over the direction of economic growth persists, a strong stock market and growing payrolls at US businesses continue to generate more construction projects," says Kermit Baker, chief economist at the institute.
Read the full article here.
Under an early contractor involvement agreement, Kiewit subsidiary Mass. Electric Construction will help Texas Central determine the scope of work and cost to install core systems of a proposed $20 billion bullet train between Dallas and Houston. Texas Central expects to finalize a specialty systems construction contract by year-end.
Creating a more equitable and diverse workforce results in business benefits such as: reduced turnover, innovation and growth. Download the whitepaper to learn about concrete steps that firms can take to improve diversity and inclusion.
Investors injected $3.1 billion into technology startups last year as a way to solve construction industry problems, Jennifer Alsever writes. That investment in technology from scheduling software to robots leads to difficulty in getting construction crews from foremen to frontline workers on board, she notes.
Membership Benefits
Whether your plan represents $400 or $38 million, your company benefits from group pricing, which makes the Southwest 401 (k) plan extremely competitive. To learn more about the AGC Houston 401(k) plan, please contact R.W. Baird at (713) 296-8066 or mep@rwbaird.com.
Here's Looking at You
“Brightening up Christmas for children in need has been part of the AGC Houston’s staff mantra for numerous years,” stated Tamara Hancock, Executive Director, Programs and Services of AGC Houston. “We have sponsored a struggling family for the past five years through the Work Faith Connection. This year, however, we decided to reach further into the community by collecting toys, blankets and gift cards for the Memorial Assistance Ministries Christmas Share Program.” For the past three weeks, donation boxes placed on each level of the Chapter building slowly filled up with new blankets and unwrapped toys. “We wanted our members to be able to take part in the fund-raising event. Many brought gifts whenever they came here for meetings and classes,” stated Hancock. “I am truly thankful for the generosity and giving spirit of the AGC Houston staff and of our members,” said Jerry Nevlud, AGC Houston President/CEO. “Karsten Interior Services, LP donated several bags of toys and blankets and many of our Construction Leadership Council members donated items at the holiday happy hour meeting on Dec. 3,” he said.  Young construction professionals spread some holiday cheer at the annual Construction Leadership Council happy hour on Dec. 3 at El Tiempo restaurant. Many thanks to the little elves who brought toys and blankets for the AGC Houston Christmas drive to benefit Memorial Area Ministries! A special thanks to outgoing CLC board members Shannon Davis, Marek Brothers Systems, Inc., and Danny Struzick, Gallant Builders, LLC for their service! Check out the photos here!
Innovation, progress, leadership and vision were a few of the key themes that James Benham, CEO of JBKnowledge, addressed to the group of construction industry leaders on Dec. 3. AGC Houston members attended the second Distinguished Speaker breakfast series, which brings thought and business leaders to discuss innovations in their respective fields. Entitled "How to Build A Mad Scientist", Benham's presentation focussed on technological advancements in the construction industry and five underlying principles that elevate and help to grow companies. They included the following:
"It takes a visionary CEO who believes in technology and the future and that person has to set bold, audacious goals," he stated. "President Kennedy set a bold and audacious goal when he declared that we would send man to walk on the moon." He also cited a construction firm based in Wisconsin that dramatically changed its productivity rate from 42% to 64% in seven years. Lean principles played a large part in their success rate as did a team approach to implementing change. "We're excited to be able to bring a caliber of industry leaders to talk to us about their business and how if affects us, this city, and event the country," stated Stan Marek, Marek Brothers Systems, Inc., who chairs the breakfast lecture series.
Safety Professionals Spread A Little Holiday Cheer! Safety Professionals representing every aspect of the commercial construction industry headed to Cedar Creek on Thursday, December 5, 2019 for the fifth annual AGC Houston Safety Professionals Happy Hour. The festivities were livened by "DJ" Eddie Escamilla, Safety Director for Karsten Interior Services, LP and by a dance-off with a great door prize donated by DeWalt Power Tools. Thanks to everyone who came out, including our Platinum sponsors: Andrews PC; Brookstone, LP; DeWalt Power Tools; Fast Track Specialties, LP; Karsten Interior Services, LP; Marek Brosthers Systems, Inc.; Memco; and ReliantSafety Consultants, LLC. To our Gold Sponsors: Alliant; Gamma Construction Co.; Gilbane Building Co.; and Triangle Printing & Marketing. Check out the photos on our Facebook Page here
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