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AGC and Its Chapters: Working Together
AGC teamwork draws national attention to important industry issues
By AGC CEO Steve Sandherr
With a national staff of 70 and 98 regional
chapters, AGC's vast network of professionals is continually
working to ensure that the association is leading the industry
in construction advocacy and equipping members to meet the
challenges of today's construction environment.
AGC's government relations team continually proves it is
second to none in the construction industry with our work
on environmental regulations, highway and infrastructure funding,
association health plans, reverse bid auctions, multi-employer
pensions, Occupational Safety & Health Administration
(OSHA) initiatives, repeal of the death tax and more.
AGC played a central leadership role in the passage of the
Transportation Equity Act (SAFETEA-LU). On the environmental
front, AGC was the only construction trade association invited
to partner with EPA, a relationship that has led to many beneficial
opportunities for AGC members. Our OSHA relationship provides
invaluable grants that make construction sites safer, and
our work on behalf of water infrastructure reform will make
a positive impact on all Americans for years to come.
While AGC leads the industry on these important issues, we
are not afraid to tackle issues on our own. AGC successfully
stood alone on the important policy issues pertaining to the
highway bill, pushing for an increase in funding to address
our nation's transportation needs while preventing Congress
from passing provisions that could have placed limits on contractors
participating in federal-aid work, or violated their due process
rights.
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| A team effort in drawing
attention to the cement shortage resulted in national
media coverage as displayed on this map. |
Our continued success in these areas comes from a top-quality
staff at the national and chapter levels. AGC has a wide range
of resources that only a national organization can provide,
and the chapters create relationships with contractors on
a local, personal level. Together we get results.
In early June, when the cement shortage hit nearly half the
states in the U.S., AGC national and the chapters showed how
effective working together can be. After calling on Commerce
Secretary Gutierrez to intervene in the U.S. cement shortage,
AGC and many local chapters partnered to draw national attention
to this important issue. Local chapters identified examples
of how and where the cement shortage was affecting contractors
and hurting local economies. They aided AGC's public affairs
team in placing stories in prominent media outlets such as
The Wall Street Journal, Bloom-berg, the Associated Press
and on CNBC-TV, and in more than 50 media outlets nationwide,
including the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Orlando Sentinel.
Media coverage is not the only area where partnering pays
off. When chapters read and promote AGC newsletters, information
about training programs, business advice, economic outlooks
and other AGC services, everyone benefits. When chapters share
their local insights with us, AGC is better able to set national
priorities.
Simply put, when we work together, we get results. My challenge
to you is to find out what is going on with AGC. Sign up for
our newsletters, ask your chapter to keep you informed on
the latest national legislation, AGC's conventions and meetings,
the latest training, products and manuals, the new safety
courses and the awards programs.
Make sure you know what is going on in the construction industry-your
competitors do.
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