Houston Barbecue Cook-off Sponsorships Available Through March 13

The AGC of America Convention heads to San Juan, Puerto Rico  March 18-20, 2015. AGC Houston and the entire Texas AGC Chapters are proud that Chuck Greco, Chairman, Linbeck Group, LLC., will become President of AGC of America. This prestigious honor marks only the second time an AGC Houston Leader has led the organization to such a level since Warren S. Bellows in 1946. At the same time that Chuck will take his new position, Jerry Nevlud, President/CEO of AGC Houston will become Chairman of the Executive Leadership Council with the AGC of America’s organization of CEOs.

Save the date! A tradition for 20 years, this tournament brings owners, architects and the construction industry on the green at the private Champion's Golf Club. 

BIM Technology explores the major applications and classes of BIM tools across all project phases; how BIM processes for QTO, shop drawing and fabrication, and construction scheduling can improve projects; and the impact models have for improving estimating, scheduling, and coordinating.

Completion of this course meets the requirements of OSHA Paragraph 1926.50, and participants will receive an American Heart Association Heartsaver First Aid and CPR/AED wallet card valid for two years upon course completion.

BIM Contract Negotiation and Risk Allocation is a full-day course that examines BIM and contract terminology to determine best practices for integrating BIM use into project contracts.

This construction 10-hour safety course covers the safety requirements as contained in 29 CFR 1926.This course is designed to provide entry-level construction workers with general awareness on recognizing and preventing hazards on a construction site.

This course is designed to fulfill training requirements for hazardous waste cleanup workers listed within Title 29 Code of Federal Regulations 1910.120(e).

This free training class focuses on preventing frequently cited construction hazards. The Focus Four Hazards in Construction are conducted as four-hour awareness training focusing on the greatest dangers of working on a construction site.

Este seminario es GRATIS y se centra en la prevencin de riesgos que con mas frecuencia se citan en la construccin.

This course covers the OSHA standards for the construction industry found in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 1926 along with other relevant policies, procedures, and safety and health principles for the construction industry. Special emphasis is placed on those areas that are the most hazardous and most frequently cited by OSHA.

This course is designed to give environment, safety and health professionals the tools they need to ensure their workplace is in compliance with environmental regulations and reduce environmental risks. The course will cover the basics of environmental regulations and demonstrate how to identify pertinent regulations to your operations.

Benefit from financial strength and a superior loss-control program. It is managed by a board composed of CompGroup AGC members—general contractors and subcontractors from all parts of Texas are represented. Learn more about membership benefits in the CompGroup AGC, Inc. today or click here for more information! Contact your insurance agent or call Program Administrator Roberts & Crow at 800-406-9614 — ask for Julie Schatz.

The AGC Alternative is a private insurance exchange that operates like an online store, making it easy for your employees to shop for health insurance and other benefits on their own or through the help of our dedicated employee hotline.

Did you know one of the many benefits of being an AGC Member is access to our résumé service? As a service to our members, we compile résumés of job-seeking professionals in the construction industry. To access this service, simply log in to the Members' Only section at agchouston.org to view the most current list.

Save 20% on AGC of America's "Diversity Rules: Harassment Prevention, Sensitivity and Correction Training for Construction Workers & Supervisors" when using the code HR20 now through March 31, 2015. Created exclusively for the construction industry, Diversity Rules is one DVD with two training videos, each designed to aid construction employers with harassment prevention, sensitivity and correction training. Short enough to be presented during an on-the-job toolbox session, the video for workers includes seven video vignettes that address issues such as sexual harassment, age harassment, gender harassment, racial harassment and religious harassment. Learn more here.

Coats Rose recently welcomed Mallory J. Craig as an Associate in the Coats Rose Public Finance section in the Houston office. Craig provides legal counsel for special purpose districts, with a focus on community development and growth. Her practice is focused on the creation of special purpose districts, statutory and regulatory interpretation, governmental relations, and administration of special districts. She is also a member of the Texas Young Lawyers Association and the American Bar Association. From all of us at AGC Houston, congratulations on your exciting new position!

Contact Catherine Bezman or Jaclyn Lee with your information and photos.

AGC Houston is happy to announce the addition of Shannon Giordano as Director of Marketing and Events. Giordano comes to AGC with five years of experience in marketing and communications for Balfour Beatty Construction, where she was project lead. Aside from recently  working with the corporate branding and communications team, her responsibilities have included proposals, sales materials and presentations. Shannon has also helped to  plan company events such as their annual barbecue cook-off and was a stand-up comedian at the company's Night of Comedy.

AGC Houston's Jaclyn Lee recently was promoted to Membership/ Database Coordinator. Lee, who has been at AGC Houston for one year as Online Systems/Database Coordinator, has been hard at work with our database conversion for the past several months. She's also working hand in hand with the Membership Committee and welcomes new members, helping them get the most out of their membership. In addition to helping manage all things related to our membership database, Lee also helps with communications.

The Center for Opportunity Urbanism is sponsoring a luncheon on March 12, 2015, and inviting AGC Houston members to attend.  Guest speaker Dr. David Friedman, a leading attorney and expert on California's damaging land use and environmental regulation will discuss how changing demographics and political pressure could bring similar policies to Houston, and Texas at large. Following Dr. Friedman's talk, there will be an insightful panel discussion moderated by the Center's executive director, Joel Kotkin, that includes architect Tim Cisneros, Houston developer Walter Mischer, senior fellow and urban demographer Wendell Cox and senior fellow and Houston strategies blogger Tory Gattis.

The Society for Marketing Professional Services and AGC Houston are teaming up for the annual Hard Hat Tour. This year, the tour will take place at the Westway Plaza Office Complex designed by Powers Brown Architecture.The building features a 323,921-square-foot, five-story tilt wall (4+1 stacked) office building and a six-level, 374,925-square-foot parking garage. The building, which is pursuing LEED Gold certification, has been leased by three tenants and will be 100 percent occupied by completion.

In an effort to assist Houston area employers with compliance of federal Wage and Hour laws, the Houston District Office will begin offering monthly compliance assistance workshops to employers. These free workshops will cover various Wage and Hour laws and topics relating to specific industries and pay practices. This outreach program will kick off on March 26 with our Wage and Hour 101:  What to expect during a WH investigation workshop.  For more information or to register, please contact Ana Arrendondo.

Registration is now open for the Gulf Coast’s largest sustainability conference. This year's conference will be held on Friday, March 27, 2015, at the Norris Conference Center in the City Centre complex. The conference features three speaker tracks and keynote presentations by city planner and urban designer Jeff Speck and Mike Lydon of The Street Plans Collaborative. Click here for registration information and for information on collateral events associated with GCG this year.

Architecture Center Houston's lease at their current space in Bayou Place will end on March 31, 2017. They are currently in search of a new space and are considering buying land to build on, renovating an existing building or finding a new lease space. If you know of a space that might be a good fit, please contact Rusty Bienvenue for more information.

For many trades, the complexity of the workforce shortage issue is the challenge. This includes lack of craft and safety training, misclassification of craft workers as subcontractors thereby avoiding payment of overtime and payroll taxes such as social security, and not providing employee benefits or workers’ compensation insurance coverage—often in the pursuit of low bid and covered up by a seeming limitless supply of undocumented workers who labor in the shadows, which depresses wages.

The Houston Independent School District is seeking participants for the "When I Grow Up" Career Expo, which will be held on Saturday, April 11, 2015, from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at the HISD Administration Building. This free event is a great opportunity to showcase careers at your company, educate students on potential career fields, and engage parents at the same time. In previous years, the event drew thousands of attendees from all over Houston. To register or for more information, click here.

The Katy Development Authority announced one year ago plans for a boardwalk and park surrounding a retention pond behind Katy Mills Mall. The project has since ballooned to encompass a convention center complex, complete with a hotel and parking garage. The 80-acre development project has some are homeowners concerned about the impact it might have on nearby communities. The Katy Mills Boardwalk will also include zones for retail, office and residential. Simpkins Group, the owners of the boardwalk property, will pay for the construction of the project's planned structure and infrastructure.