Hitting 100: How AGC of America Became the 'Credible' Voice of Construction

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It all started in 1918 at the LaSalle Hotel in Chicago, Illinois, where a small group of contractors banded together to form AGC of America. One hundred years later, the association is 26,000 members strong, with a proud past and even brighter future. How they became and continue to serve as the leading association for the construction industry was summed up recently by AGC CEO Steve Sandherr at the association’s Centennial Celebration in Washington, D.C.: “We are the voice of construction. Maybe we’re not the loudest or the shrillest, but we’re the most credible.”

As a precursor to a grand gala that followed at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, Sandherr, AGC President Eddie Stewart and a panel of industry experts presented a state-of-the-industry/association update and demonstrated that not only is AGC credible, but also competent and effective through advocacy, education and collaboration. Clearly what AGC does in Washington and throughout the nation, is complemented by the outstanding achievements its members accomplish each and every day.

Case in point: In conjunction with its centennial, AGC of America and Autodesk launched the first-ever Innovation Awards competition, seeking candidates who have crafted innovative solutions to solve the industry’s most pressing challenges.

Announced at the celebration on October 1, Saxonburg, Penn.-based Brayman Construction and its affiliate, Advanced Construction Robotics, won the top prize for creating an autonomous rebar-tying robot for bridge construction projects.

“Construction firms like this have the skill, ingenuity and determination to overcome any challenge,” says Stewart. “These contractors are proving what dedicated construction professionals can accomplish.”

Brayman founded its affiliate, Advanced Construction Robotics, Inc., to create and commercialize autonomous products to help solve industry-wide challenges, including construction workforce shortages. The firm’s first product, Tybot, is an autonomous rebar-tying robot that will tie intersections continuously day and night without breaks or injuries. Construction crews only need to carry, place and frame-in 10 percent of the deck rebar before the Tybot can get to work. Tybot allows firms to complete bridge decking projects more efficiently, while protecting the safety of the workforce.

In addition to Brayman Construction, AGC Oregon-Columbia chapter was named second place winner for developing its Educator Externship Program created to help address the industry’s workforce shortage challenges. The third-place award was presented to Sundt Construction for developing an electronic estimating toolkit to help streamline the construction estimation process.

The association update and the awards presentation were just a small portion of an evening that marked the accomplishments of a trade group that has been speaking on behalf of general contractors for 100 years. It was a grand night filled with grand gestures by a grand group, AGC of America, construction’s ‘credible’ voice.