Safety
AGC Houston members are supporting this new network, which is an alliance of Houston construction companies, associations and related businesses. The Construction Safety Network meets monthly.
Visit http://www.csn-houston.com/ to view the full article online.
AGC News
By Tony Stergio, Andrews Myers, PC A Texas Federal Judge recently enjoined the implementation of the DOL’s new overtime rules. The regulations, which raised the salary requirements for white-collar employee exemptions to $47,476/year, were slated to go into effect on December 1, 2016.
The judge, in blocking the rules’ implementation, held that the 21 states that brought the suit met their initial burden for the injunction through arguments that the DOL lacked statutory authority to raise the salary level for the exemptions. The judge will later determine if the salary hike can ever go into effect without an act of congress.
Whatever the ruling, appeals are expected. But for now, the new exempt employee salary hike regulations are on hold.
Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=414177&issueID=44541 to view the full article online.
Data DIGest is your source for the latest economic news relevant to the construction industry with commentary and analysis from AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson. It brings you actionable information to stay ahead of the curve on issues such as materials, prices, construction employment, and state-by-state construction trends. Hear Ken Simonson at the Annual Business Meeting & Membership Networking Breakfast Thursday, January 26, 2017 at the Marriott Marquis Houston. Click here for details.
Visit http://store.agc.org/AGC-Branding/Data-Digest/4401 to view the full article online.
AGC of America is proud to announce the launch of our 2017 project award competitions! The Alliant Build America Awards (including the Marvin M. Black Partnering Excellence category) and AGC in the Community competitions are now accepting applications.
Visit https://www.agc.org/about-us/awards-recognition-programs to view the full article online.
Each year around this time, AGC asks you—our members—to predict what next year will be like for your business. This year, AGC has partnered with Sage to prepare questions that focus on expectations for market performance, hiring, labor market conditions, etc.
Visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2017AGCHiringBusinessOutlook to view the full article online.
Member News
Linbeck Group, LLC announces the completion of the 164,000-square-foot renovation of the Hankamer Cashion Complex at Baylor University. It is Linbeck’s third project on the Baylor Campus.
The $26-million Baylor University Hankamer Cashion project is comprised of the former Hankamer School of Business, a three-story building originally built in 1960 and Cashion Academic Center, five stories that were built the in late 1980s.
Visit http://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/pdf/161018_Gilbane_Uses_Virtual_Reality_To_Honor_Veterans.pdf to view the full article online.
Members of the Leadership AGC Class of 2017 helped successfully lead high school students to build benches at the fourth annual ACE Mentor "Build It Forward" Event, on Saturday, December 3, at Marek Brothers Systems, Inc.
Twenty teams of students worked all day to build a bench, all of which were donated to a local charity. This is the third year the the Leadership AGC group has volunteered to oversee the teams as part of their community project. A big congratulations to all the members of the design/build sector who helped to make this project a reality. Many companies donated materials, time and staff. This marks the fourth year that Marek Brothers Systems, Inc. has served as base for the community project.
Visit http://www.acementor.org/index.php/affiliates/texas/houston/about-us/ to view the full article online.
News you can Use
By Katy Laird, Andrews Myers, PC
On November 8, Texans voted in favor of school bonds throughout the state, affording contractors multiple opportunities to bid on new projects in the coming months.
In total, Texans approved $2,719,875,577 worth of education bonds. The following are some of the larger bonds that were passed:
• El Paso ISD approved a $668.7 million bond in order to close nine schools and consolidate the schools into rebuilt campuses.
Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=414465&issueID=44541 to view the full article online.
The American economy will grow 2.2% in 2017, according to economists surveyed by the National Association for Business Economics. Those surveyed also predicted a 4.7% unemployment rate and an increase of 2.3% for consumer prices. The improved number is still lackluster by historical standards. U.S. economic growth averaged 3.1 percent a year from 1948 to 2015, according to the Congressional Research Service. But the business economists say Americans need to get used to slow growth: 80 percent of those surveyed believe the potential growth rate of the American economy will remain at 2.5 percent or lower over the next five years
Visit http://bigstory.ap.org/article/fed898ea6817402180da864d1c066cfa/get-used-it-economists-see-new-normal-slow-growth to view the full article online.
ACE Mentor Houston is seeking construction industry professionals to mentor high school students interested in learning about the world of architecture, construction and engineering.
"If you can volunteer and help to mentor students, please let us know. The best way to get in touch is by emailing us at HoustonTX@acementor.org or visiting us on the web at www.acementor.org/houston," says Angela Cotie, Gilbane Building Company, Chairman of the Board for ACE Mentor Houston. "We really have a critical need and hope that we can make sure these students get the help and guidance they need."
In this after-school mentoring program, student teams work directly with professionals from the A/E/C industry to design hypothetical projects, tour local construction sites and visit architectural, engineering and construction offices. The program runs from October to April and meets at one of eight locations around Houston. The group needs help at the following locations: Galena Park, North Belt, and Spring.
Visit http://www.acementor.org/affiliates/texas/houston/about-us/ to view the full article online.
AGC Houston members are invited to join the Houston Revit Users group, which meets on the second Tuesday of the month. Revit and BIM application users range from beginner to expert skill levels. Since 2002, the Houston Area Revit Users Group (HARUG) has been the main resource in the area for Revit Users, AutoCAD Architecture (previously Architectural Desktop), AutoCAD and other BIM-related tools.
Visit http://www.meetup.com/RevitHouston/ to view the full article online.
Here's Looking at You
On November 18, 2016, AGC Houston members who attended the Patrick J. Kiley Excellence in Leadership breakfast series learned about research that is being conducted to evaluate and treat people who are affected by memory loss and dementia.
Breakfast forum Committee Chairman Stan Marek, Marek Brothers Systems, Inc., welcomed and introduced Dr. Paul Schultz, who is leading research to develop better diagnostic tools and treatments for Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. His research interests include the early diagnosis and prevention of dementia, the treatment of Alzheimer’s, the causes and treatment of frontotemporal dementia, and the neurologic complications of post-traumatic stress disorder. For 30 years, Schulz is a Professor of Neurology, and Director of the Memory Disorders and Dementia
Clinic at the UT McGovern Medical School. Pictured are Dr. Paul Schulz and Stan Marek.
Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/hca-nwl/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=414269&issueID=44541 to view the full article online.
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