AGC Safety Day 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
7:00 am - 2:00 pm
Southern Polytechnic State University
Marietta, GA
AGC Safety Day Conference Resource Packet

AGC Safety Day 2010 is proudly presented by:
Affinity Service Group
CompTrust AGC Mutual Captive Insurance Company

Event sponsors:
Eckardt Electric Company
Turner Construction Company
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BB & T Insurance Services
Cork-Howard Construction Company
Holder Construction Company
New South Construction Company, Inc.
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The Beck Group
Duffey Southeast, Inc.
Van Winkle & Company, Inc.

Throughout the year, Georgia Branch, AGC provides various events designed to keep you abreast of industry issues through networking opportunities and more.

Volunteer members of the Chapter’s Safety & Health Committee, in partnership with Chapter staff, have recruited excellent speakers to present valuable information on construction industry safety best practices at this year’s AGC Safety Day conference.

A comprehensive line up of safety and management sessions anchors our day’s activities. Attendees are encouraged to visit our MarketPlace Exhibition complete with all of today’s jobsite safety tools and resources, and participate in the day’s safety awards luncheon.

Here’s who should attend:
• CEOs • Controllers • Safety Directors • Presidents • Purchasing Agents • Architects • Estimators • Job Site Supervisors • Human Resource Managers • Engineers • Project Managers • Business Development Directors

For more details about AGC Safety Day 2010, please contact Cherri Watson, Director of Safety, Education and Workforce Development at 678-298-4104.

Annual Fishing & Golf Weekend
April 16-18, 2010
George T. Bagby State Park
Fort Gaines
Brochure and Registration Form

For members who have never attended this event, the best way to describe the Annual Fishing & Golf Weekend is fun, fun and more fun! This is Georgia Branch, AGC's most relaxed and casual social event. Many construction leaders reward their project managers and field personnel for an excellent job by registering them to participate in this spring weekend's activities.

The Fishing & Golf Weekend Story:
In 1985, Chapter member Jerry Anderson, Anderson Construction Company, invited members to his “backyard” in Eufaula, AL & Fort Gaines, GA for a weekend of fishing and a pig roast. Attendees agreed to make the event an annual fishing and eating weekend! In 1989, Bagby State Park opened in Fort Gaines, allowing out-of-town participants more options for lodging, thus the following for the event significantly increased. At the same time, the Georgia membership asked Alabama AGC if they would join an annual Largest Bass Fishing Challenge with the winner taking home a revolving trophy. Alabama agreed and offered to pay for half the trophy . . . they have since won the majority of the tournaments and never paid half of the trophy!

In the 1990s, Georgia Branch, AGC began offering a golf tournament for members who would rather golf than fish, but still enjoy the fellowship in small town America and the weekend’s great Southern cooking. Over the past two decades, the event’s venue has changed, the BBQ is now slow cooked in a smoker, the fishing stories have gotten bigger, and the golf has is now quite competitive, but the close knit relationships built over this relaxed weekend and the home town hospitality offered by the Anderson Construction Company crew have remained!

For more information about this event, please contact Denise "DD" Latham, Meeting and Event Planner at 678-298-4118.

by Mark S. Woodall
Georgia Branch, AGC’s Governmental Affairs Director
Published: March 17, 2010

Today marks the 26th day of the Georgia General Assembly’s 40 day Session. There are only four days remaining until the 30th day which is also known as Crossover Day. Bills must pass out of their body of origin (House or Senate) by the 30th day of each legislative session or they will no longer be eligible for consideration as a stand-alone bill. With this deadline drawing near, there is a flurry of committee activity occurring this week.

Budget continues to dominate all issues at the capitol. Governor Perdue held a press conference on March 11, during which he lowered the revenue estimate for fiscal year 2011 by nearly $450 million, announced that over $340 million in federal stimulus funds would be used to bridge an anticipated fiscal year 2010 budget gap, and charged state agencies with cutting another 3 percent from their budgets.

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11th Annual Charity Golf Tournament
May 5, 2010
11:00 am Shotgun Start
Château Élan's Woodlands and Château Courses
Braselton, GA
View Brochure and Registration Form
Easy Online Registration 

Support a great cause while you network with industry professionals and treat clients and your employees to a wonderful spring day on a beautiful golf course. Plan now to join members of the Georgia Branch, AGC Young Leadership Program (YLP) at Château Élan for a round of golf and much more.

Golf tournament proceeds support the YLP's Charitable Works Fund which has been contributing goods, services and monies to various community and charitable organizations for the past eight years. More than $442,900 has been raised and contributions are made each year to worthy groups and causes. This Fund provides the Chapter’s young leaders with an opportunity to make an impact through their community service while at the same time increasing the public’s awareness of Georgia Branch, AGC.

This annual tournament continues to grow in size and popularity so a golf course with 36 holes is required. Members are encouraged to make their reservations early to insure a foursome for your group! Tournament participants are treated to the following:

-- Great prizes for First & Second Place teams, Drive Accuracy, Longest Drive and Closest to the Pin
-- Chance to win big by entering the Cash Raffle
-- A boxed lunch, tournament golf towel and dinner after your round of golf

For more information on this event, please contact Machell Harper, Director of Member Services and staff liaison to the Young Leadership Program at 678-298-4108.

YLP Bowling Networking Event
April 1, 2010 
4:30 pm
Columbus
View Brochure

Georgia Branch, AGC Young Leadership Program members are invited to participate in this relaxed relationship building event complete with great food and plenty of fun! If you work in Columbus or West Central Georgia, or have clients or jobsites in the region, consider taking time out of your busy schedule to join us. Bring along an industry colleague who could benefit from membership in the YLP to attend the event as your guest.

For more information on this event, please contact Machell Harper, Director of Member Services and staff liaison to the Young Leadership Program at 678-298-4108.

Thursday, April 8, 2010
9:30 am - Noon
Complimentary Lunch follows Program
View Brochure

Technology over the past 30 years has become an integral part of a construction company’s business process. Estimating systems have sped up the time and accuracy of job take offs. Project management systems have provided the tools to keep up with the details and schedules of jobs. Accounting software has made tracking job cost and expenses much more precise. Today, best-of-class construction companies are looking to “Go Paperless” to increase profits. These contractors are doing so by reducing the cost of handling paper and automating paper-intensive workflows.

Mark your calendar and plan to attend this free program.

For more information about this event, please contact Denise "DD" Latham, Meeting and Event Planner at 678-298-4118.

Since 1984, the Georgia Branch, AGC Site Safety Van Program has successfully educated members' field employees on the latest safety practices. Currently, two vans service Georgia, including one that primarily visits members in Metro Atlanta and a second visiting members outside the metro region. Vans are available to visit your jobsites every four to six weeks and this benefit is free with your member dues investment.

In January 2010 the vans visited 157 jobsites and trained 2,960 field personnel working in Metro Atlanta, Southeast, North and East Georgia, and the Columbus and Macon regions.

The following firms used the site safety van service a minimum of five times in January. Georgia Branch, AGC commends them for making safety and safety training an important part of their culture.

-  Choate Construction Company
-  Eckardt Electric Company
-  International City Builders, Inc.
-  Lentile Construction Company
-  Piedmont Construction Group, LLC
-  RA-LIN and Associates, Inc.
-  Rightway Drywall, Inc.
-  Tractor & Equipment Co., Inc.

Top videos shown on jobsites during January were:

- Ladder Safety
- Power Tool Safety
- Electrical Safety

To schedule your next visit or to learn more about the Site Safety Van program, please contact Jenny Tuggle, Administrative Services Assistant at 678-298-4112. You can also view the upcoming Site Safety Van schedule online before calling to see when a van will be near your jobsites.

Allen & Graham, Inc. headquartered in Brunswick and a 21-year member of Georgia Branch, AGC, recently completed four years without a lost time accident!

To celebrate this achievement, the company hosted a Safety Awards Ceremony and BBQ for their employees and families on Saturday, March 6th.

Phillip Allen, President of the company said, "I'm proud of this accomplishment which represents many thousands of man-hours of work without a lost time accident."

Mike Dunham, Executive Vice President of Georgia Branch, AGC; Cherri Watson, the Chapter's Director of Safety, Education and Workforce Development, and Brian Wood, Affinity Service Group's Director of Safety joined the celebration. Affinity is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Georgia Branch, AGC and the third party administrator of CompTrust AGC MCIC, Mr. Allen's workers' compensation program.

Mr. Allen and Parker Pearman, Safety Director of Allen & Graham, Inc., recognized the outstanding achievement in accident control for all the employees including superintendents, foremen and craftsmen and also thanked each employee for their hard and safe work.

More than 100 employees and family members enjoyed a BBQ lunch and cake decorated with a statement of the company’s accomplishment.

Following the meal and congratulations there were safety award drawings as well as award plaques given to employees for length of service with the company.

Georgia Branch, AGC commends Allen & Graham for taking time to recognize this incredible accomplishment and for making safety a part of their company culture!

During a recent Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce annual dinner, Chris R. Sheridan, Jr., P.E., President of Chris R. Sheridan & Company was presented with the organization's highest honor, the Citizen of the Year Award.

"This year’s honoree exemplifies the type of citizen who not only lives in our community, but also helps to make it a better place to live, work and play," said Pat Topping, senior vice president of the Macon Economic Development Commission.

Sheridan was recognized for his civic activities, such as building Habitat for Humanity homes, working on the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail and leading major fundraising activities for local public and private high schools and colleges.

Georgia Branch, AGC sends a warm congratulations to Chris for this well-deserved award!

Through the work of Georgia Branch, AGC’s annual Higher Education Fund Golf Tournament, our Chapter provides scholarships to students enrolled in our state’s building construction programs at Georgia Southern University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Southern Polytechnic State University and Gwinnett Technical College.

The proceeds from this tournament also provide funding for needs such as computers or software programs identified by these departments’ faculty.

Our Association is presenting one or more worthy undergraduate students in the above listed collegiate building construction department with a scholarship for $1,000. Recipients shall be well-rounded students who participate in their AGC Student Chapter, excel academically and are involved in extracurricular activities - in and outside of school.

Criteria includes:

(1) Minimum 3.0 GPA
(2) Must be at least a sophomore
(3) Must have completed at least 20 hours of construction courses
(4) Involvement in extracurricular activities (student construction organizations, university organizations, community service organizations, etc.)
(5) Evaluation Form Completed by advisor/instructor
(6) Official Transcript

Please click here for a scholarship application packet and consider forwarding it to any Georgia student you know who participates in the AGC Student Chapter at their building construction program. Deadline for entry is April 9, 2010.

Georgia Branch, AGC proudly continues this tradition of supporting the best and brightest talent studying to become members of the construction industry’s future workforce. Please contact Cherri Watson, Director of Safety, Education and Workforce Development at 678-298-4104 for more information.

Success is a Choice: Are You Effectively Managing Your Workers' Compensation?

March 24, 2010 - Central Georgia/Macon - Register Online
March 25, 2010 - Southwest Georgia/Albany - Register Online

View Brochure for All Meetings

After your firm’s salary line item, insurance is probably your next largest investment. With more than 20 years of industry experience, Greg Dorsey, Assistant Vice President of Affinity Service Group plans to discuss the best ways to manage your workers’ compensation cost, the importance of offering modified work programs, the impact of drug testing on work-related injuries and red flags for workers’ compensation fraud.

These topics are key pieces of information all employers need to know more about to gain greater control of the insurance system which has so much impact on a company’s bottom line. Regardless of your carrier or agent, this program offers useful “take away” action items you can implement in your company. Make plans to attend this informative and possibly cost savings program.

Note: Affinity Service Group is Georgia Branch, AGC’s wholly-owned subsidiary and third party administrator of the Chapter’s workers’ compensation program, CompTrust AGC MCIC.

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Best Safety Practices & OSHA Compliance

March 30, 2010 - Southeast Georgia/Savannah - Register Online
View Brochure

Staying on top of best safety practices and OSHA regulations is a full-time job! Fortunately for Georgia Branch, AGC members, the Chapter has a team of safety professionals available to answer your questions and guide you to the best safety program you can offer. The Chapter’s excellent relationship with Georgia’s OSHA leadership also serves as a vital resource for members.

Brian Wood, the Vice President and Safety Director for Affinity Service Group, the Chapter’s wholly-owned subsidiary, and OSHA representatives plan to discuss how contractors can enhance the overall safety performance on all jobsites while protecting their company from OSHA violations and multi-employer citations. They also plan to review the most common causes of injuries and fatalities to help contractors keep safety top-of-mind for all employees. Everyone is encouraged to participate in this meeting. Safety professionals and field supervisors have a lot to offer and gain during this discussion.

For more information about Members First Programs, please contact Denise "DD" Latham, Meeting and Event Planner at 678-298-4118.

March 18, 2010
4:30 pm - 6:00 pm
Lamar Co. High School

Mark your calendar and attend the upcoming Construction Workforce Alliance Meeting in Barnesville. 
If you are interested in workforce development, please join area business leaders, including AGC members, and representatives from regional high schools and vocational programs to discuss how to promote careers in construction to our state's youth! This is an excellent avenue to stay engaged with the students and to help in your community.

To learn more about Workforce Alliances, which are active in Central, South and Southwest Georgia through a partnership between Georgia Branch, AGC and CEFGA, please contact Cherri Watson, AGC's Director of Safety, Education and Workforce Development at 678-298-4104.

The following courses are available through Georgia Branch, AGC's Education, Safety and Professional Development Program. To view a course description, click on its name. Unless otherwise noted, courses are held in Atlanta at the AGC Training Center at I-75 and Windy Hill Road.

To view a listing of all currently scheduled courses for 2010, please click here.

For more information on any of the courses listed above or if you want to discuss adding a new course to meet your needs, please contact Jenny Tuggle, Administrative-Services Assistant at 678-298-4112.

Employer Feedback:

If you are a current employer of SPSU graduates or considering higher SPSU graduates, your feedback in this following short survey is grately appreciated. Employer Survey Link

Attention SPSU Alumni:

This spring the SPSU Construction Management Department is conducting a survey of both employers of its graduates and its alumni seeking feedback from both groups regarding their thoughts on the performance and future direction of the program. The Alumni Survey focuses on feedback from individuals that have graduated from SPSU with either a Construction Management or Building Construction Technology degree over the past 40 plus years. As we all know, a program is only as good as its graduates and in today's current economic environment, our graduates are facing a very competitive job market unlike any other that they have faced in the past. As such, the training and education of our students has become even more critical. The survey is designed to take no more than 7-8 minutes of your time to complete and the feedback from it will provide key strategic direction to the department regarding facilities and curriculum changes designed to further improve the program as we move into the next decade.

Please click on the survey link to complete the survey.

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Should you have any questions concerning the surveys, please address these to John Hicks at jhicks@spsu.edu. We would like to tabulate all results no later than March 19th so your prompt attention to this matter is appreciated. Thank you again for your cooperation and assistance.

Gwinnett Technical College has an opening for a full-time instructor in the Construction and Trades department.

For more details, please visit the job posting.

A respected professor with Washington State University has asked for contractor support in a study to help understand what is needed for a Construction Superintendent to be successful on the job site.

Your response to the survey will greatly help study leaders understand what is needed for a Construction Superintendent to succeed. They are also interested in what types of educational and professional development training programs can be developed to benefit the industry's workforce.

Completing this survey will take about 15-20 minutes. Your participation in this research is voluntary and your answers are confidential. You will not be individually identified with your questionnaire or responses. All collected data reporting will be aggregated and grouped.

Your responses to the survey can benefit the construction industry and contribute to the possible identification of the need for training and professional development programs.

Click here for a link to this important survey.

Seasonally adjusted payroll employment increased in January in 31 states and the District of Columbia, decreased in 18 states and remained unchanged in Idaho, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported on Wednesday. Compared to January 2009, employment fell everywhere except in Alaska (1,900 jobs or 0.6%), North Dakota (1,300 jobs or 0.4%) and D.C. (500 jobs or 0.1%). Seasonally adjusted construction employment rose from December in 18 states plus D.C., fell in 30 and was unchanged in South Dakota. However, unseasonable weather in November through January may have distorted normal employment patterns. Compared to a year earlier, construction employment fell everywhere. The smallest 12-month percentage losses were in North Dakota, -1%; Nebraska and Alaska, -4% each; South Dakota and Arkansas, -6% each. The largest losses were in Nevada, -30%; Arizona, -26%; Colorado, -22%; Idaho, -21%; and Florida, -20%. (BLS combines mining and logging with construction in reporting data for Delaware, D.C., Hawaii, Maryland, Nebraska, South Dakota and Tennessee.) BLS also revised prior-year data “in accordance with annual practices.”

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Unveiled at the recent Building Contractors Conference, the AGC of America Lean Construction Forum is an inclusive and collaborative community that is open to anyone with an interest in lean construction processes. The Forum is focused on facilitating dialogue and information sharing through its Web site, www.agcleanforum.org, and developing a curriculum and learning opportunities on the use of Lean principles in the construction industry.

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