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AGC Chapter Execs Allow An Editor in Their Midst
By Mark J. Shaw, Editor-in-Chief
This June I had the opportunity to attend AGC’s annual Executive Leadership Council conference in Portsmouth, N.H.—as an AGC member and a representative of Constructor magazine, rather than as a journalist. (I had agreed to leave my reporter’s pad at home.)
After sitting in on several in-depth sessions, I got a much better sense of the tough issues that chapter execs wrestle with on a regular basis: member services, training, staffing, non-dues revenue sources, and local and national politics. In Portsmouth, they also tackled some new challenges, like possible certification for constructors and fresh approaches to chapter mergers.
Through it all, I was impressed not only by the leadership experience of the group but also by their cumulative knowledge of the industry, which, for many of them, is measured in decades rather than years.
Several of the leaders represent a living history of commercial construction since the late 1970s. One of the older Texas execs told me he remembered the days when chapter meetings were held at the halftime of football games, and anything that wasn’t decided by the start of the third quarter was tabled until the next game—or the next football season.
Wisecracks aside, this group has evolved with the industry and kept its health and image at the forefront of their professional lives. That’s why it’s telling that their own group demographics mirror those of the industry as a whole, getting grayer and grayer each year.
There are still a few new kids on the block, but this year saw the retirements of several key leaders, some of who were toasted and roasted in Portsmouth.
In Texas, Jim Sewell is retiring from his post as executive vice president of the Texas Building Branch after more than 27 years in the industry, and almost 20 as the leader of the chapter in Austin. Jim, who started his career in 1980, wants to play more golf and travel with his wife.
Derrell Cohoon left his post as the CEO of the Louisiana AGC in June after 20 years there. He will continue to do some lobbying work in the area, but his leadership skills will be sorely missed in Baton Rouge.
One of the biggest retirements this year was that of Colorado’s Dick O’Brecht, who retired from AGC of Colorado on July 1 after guiding that state’s building chapter through nearly a quarter century of growth and change.
Dick started his AGC career as AGC of America’s Director of Open Shop and Government Services in Washington for a couple of years back in the early ‘80s, then was recruited by AGC of Colorado to help its members achieve open-shop status after being a collection of union-shop firms, which they were until the mid-‘80s.
Dick helped the local chapter buy its own headquarters building in 1999, where members established a busy training and education center. He then moved the chapter toward a broader service base by empowering more subcontractors and professional affiliates in chapter decision-making on the board level.
Dick says he plans to do some consulting in labor relations for the contractor and developer communities in Colorado and for other AGC chapters around the country. AGC of Colorado no doubt will find another strong leader, but Dick is part of that walking history that has made AGC chapter leaders among the best in the industry.
There have been, and will continue to be, significant retirements from these ranks every year, but each of these individuals should be noted and saluted for their service and industry leadership.
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