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AGC of America and Chapters Working
Together
By AGC CEO Steve Sandherr
As any baseball fan knows, a game is
not won by a single player, but by the whole team working
together. While the construction industry is not exactly a
baseball team, we can learn a lot from how ballplayers rely
upon their teammates to make plays and win the game.
The Associated General Contractors of America operates in
just this way. AGC and its chapters build and maintain important
relationships with government and legislative leaders on the
national level, state and local levels, and create essential
resources that enable us to provide a wide scope of guidance
and essential services to AGC members.
Here's what AGC's chapter executives and members around the
country had to say about how AGC and the chapters work together
to improve the industry:
Safety
"AGC provides a wealth of materials-products, project
delivery books and safety resources-that a chapter would never
be able to produce on its own. We rely on the safety videos
and the safety 30-hour program to implement our chapter safety
programs. Because of these resources, we can provide many
more education and safety training courses than we could otherwise."
-Mike Dunham, Executive Vice President
Georgia Branch AGC
"My company takes advantage of the many safety resources
offered by the Georgia Branch AGC. Chapter loss-control consultants
and the Safety Van come to our job sites on a regular basis,
and safety classes refresh our superintendents on how to spot
unsafe conditions. These resources not only make our business
safer but also more profitable."
-Chris Sheridan
President, Chris R. Sheridan & Co.
Macon, Ga.
Resources
"AGC's meetings and educational resources provide what
members need, whether it be at the leadership conferences,
advanced management courses or at the annual convention. Chapter
staff and members take home the information given at these
meetings and are able to apply it to everyday business. By
using AGC resources such as the Supervisory Training Program
(STP), our chapter trains almost 1,000 employees a year."
-John Butts, Executive Director
Associated Constructors of Maine
"The industry exposure gained from AGC and chapter meetings
has been good for my company. I have developed new business
associates as a result of the contacts I made at these meetings.
We have also found the STP offered by the chapter to be very
useful in our managerial training. We used it to train all
of Callahan Construction's superintendents and foremen."
-Jeff Ohler, President
H. E. Callahan Construction Co. Inc.
Auburn, Maine
Regulatory
"I don't have a Davis-Bacon attorney on staff, but I
can pick up the phone and talk to a labor and employment law
attorney at AGC about any labor issues facing my members.
The same applies to any environmental or federal agency issues.
I don't have the chapter resources to answer these questions
but can easily contact an AGC staff member and get the answers
I need. Without AGC's resources, our chapter would have to
hire a full-time environmental expert or an expensive consultant."
-Michael Gifford, Executive Director
Idaho AGC
"Before joining AGC of Idaho, we had no idea what regulatory
time bombs were ticking until they became law; then it was
too late to do anything about them. The excellent working
relationships that the AGC national and chapter staff have
at the federal and state levels with the Occupational Safety
& Health Administration and the Environmental Protection
Agency provide us with the latest regulatory updates. As an
AGC member, we have instant credibility when we work with
these agencies."
-Randy Steed, President
Steed Construction
Eagle, Idaho
Economics
"Ken Simonson and his timely economic reports and seminars
have added a new dimension to AGC's services. By providing
accurate, no-frills economic data to AGC chapters and members,
AGC again has addressed a long standing need of contractors
and construction owners. This is just one of the many value
added programs where AGC has provided yet another resource
to the industry, assisting AGC of Minnesota and other chapters
by offering a service that is unmatched in the industry."
-Dave Semerad, CEO
AGC of Minnesota
"AGC is unique in that it provides unequaled access
to local and national information. We use the economic information
from AGC's Chief Economist Ken Simonson as a tool to assist
us in predicting the future movements of pricing of commodities
necessary for our work. With the current levels of inflation
of steel, cement, metals, petroleum and other products, this
information has been particularly valuable."
-Todd Goderstad
Vice President & General Counsel
Ames Construction Inc.
Burnsville, Minn.
Advocacy
"We look at the AGC staff as an extension of our staff.
National legislative activities and specific division activities
fit tongue and groove with our state plans. The complementing
efforts of the two provide greater depth and enhance efforts
for our members, improving their bottom line."
-Tom Holsman, CEO
AGC of California Inc.
"You cannot put a limit on the benefits obtained from
the combined lobbying efforts of AGC, our local chapter and
the individual members. These efforts give the construction
industry a voice in the allocation process for billions of
dollars of construction investment funds."
-Steve Matich, President
Matich Corp.
San Bernardino, Calif.
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