As we look back on another year of advocating, growth, and connection, I am proud to share our 2025 Annual Report — a reflection of all we’ve accomplished together as members of AGCVA. This report showcases the collective strength of our association and the vital role each of you plays in advancing Virginia’s construction industry.

AGCVA members have been up to a lot in the last month! 

We are thrilled to recognize these accomplishments and recognitions, and we encourage you to connect with your fellow members and extend your congratulations!

On a visit to a construction technology company earlier this year, one of the firm’s executives lamented to Construction Briefing that customers investing in their digital tools still aren’t making the most out of them.

 

Part of the problem, he suggested, was that although company owners and senior management recognised the benefit of systems that offer automation and artificial intelligence (AI), the company’s employees are less enthusiastic.

The most recent peak in global construction equipment sales was in 2021, when the market hit a record high of 1.36 million units sold, according to specialist market researcher and forecaster, Off-Highway Research. This was a result of low interest rates and government stimulus around the world in reaction to the Covid pandemic.

That growth continued unabated throughout 2022 in all major markets except China, where sales started to plummet due to the end of the stimulus spending programme and the emergence of enormous bad debts in the real estate market. Overall global construction equipment sales fell 5% in 2022, but the drop was entirely due to China. Global sales, excluding China, were up 7% in 2022.

On Oct. 9, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed (77-20) itsversion of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2026(NDAA). As AGC has previously reported, this year’s NDAA (H.R. 3838 /S.2296)places a strong emphasis on comprehensive acquisition reform. The House of Representatives passed its version on Sept. 10. The House and Senate will need to conference on a final NDAA bill. Some key provisions are listed in the link below.

“The federal government shutdown that started earlier this week has the potential to undermine the construction sector across the country. That is because the federal officials who need to sign off on change orders, conduct project inspections and award new projects are likely to be on furlough. In other words, the longer the government is shut, the more likely construction employment around the country could be impacted negatively. That is why we are urging Congress to quickly pass, as it has many times in the past, a clean continuing resolution that will allow the federal government to reopen and vital infrastructure and public works projects to continue. Construction workers around the country are counting on Congress to do its job and fund the government.”

Virginia’s workforce development got a boost Wednesday with the announcement of $1.3 million in funding opportunities for training and employment.

Employers and career and technical education centers can be reimbursed for costs associated with the trio of programs, which aim to create opportunities for apprentices and young people as well as for professionals ages 40 and up who are returning to the workforce after an absence or making a mid-career pivot.

David Keeling has been confirmed to lead the Occupational Safety and Health Administration as the assistant secretary of labor. The U.S. Senate voted 51-47 to approved his confirmation, along with a block of dozens of other nominees for other federal agencies, on Tuesday.

Keeling is Amazon’s former director of road and transportation safety, a job he left in mid-2023 to do consulting, according to LinkedIn. He also spent about 36 years working for the United Parcel Service in several regional safety manager and director roles before becoming its vice president of global health and safety.

Registration for the 2026 Annual Convention will open this Friday, October 31 - check our events calendar for the link. We are looking forward to a great convention BACK at The HOMESTEAD!