Engagement Opportunities

Executive Alliance

Workers’ Compensation Program

Retirement Savings Plan

Networking & Building Relationships

C areer Development

Marketing Opportunities

Industry & Association News

Economic Resources

Contract Documents

Award & Recognition Programs

Member Savings/Discounts

Community Service/Giving Back

Development of Industry Best Practices

As we considered the problem, it became clear that waiting until someone graduated from high school was too late.

Building the K12 Talent Pipeline continued

Earlier this year, representatives from The Marcus Foundation, Inc. contacted AGC Georgia and asked how they could help with statewide construction education. AGC Georgia turned to its partner CEFGA, who was already working with The Home Depot Foundation and The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation on workforce projects on Atlanta’s Westside. The three large philanthropic organizations came together to commit nearly $6 Million to a new project led by CEFGA and supported by AGC Georgia.

Funding for this new project, called “Introducing the Next Generation to the Skilled Trades,” will allow CEFGA to work consistently to strengthen Georgia school programs and conduct research to track, for example, the number of students from these programs placed with construction firms. Grant money will be spent primarily in public schools, focusing on high school construction programs.

Everyone involved in this project is excited about the possibilities and grateful to the funding foundations, as well as the partner organizations that have pledged support.

In addition to the funds dedicated by these large foundations, last fall the AGC Georgia Foundation benefited from more than $205,000 in donations dedicated to workforce development.

Adding to that already impressive total, when AGC Georgia President Brian Daniel had to cancel his company’s charity golf tournament due to the pandemic, all of the event’s participants volunteered to dedicate their original pledges to AGC Georgia Foundation’s workforce initiatives. That’s another $37,000 that will help young people learn more about careers in construction.

High School Programs

In 2018, AGC Georgia helped lead efforts to pass the CONNECT (Creating Opportunities Needed Now to Expand Credentialed Training) Act. The legislation allows industry to be more involved in shaping CTAE curriculum for high school programs and provides an avenue for the legislature to fund capital needs for many of our state’s construction programs.

AGC Georgia’s advocacy for capital needs improvement funding results is to provide upgraded labs and modern tools, and to help programs earn accreditation from the National Center for Construction Education & Research. Companies hiring students from NCCER accredited programs are assured that their future employees have the understanding and skills necessary to do the job.

In January, AGC Georgia teamed up with CEFGA, the Georgia Department of Education, and several trade associations to host an informational session for more than 150 middle and high school counselors. This is the third consecutive year these groups have met in an effort to help educate counselors on construction career paths. Every summer, AGC Georgia encourages its members to hire high school interns for their jobsites. Working with real crews gives students a chance to try on construction as a long-term career opportunity.

The annual Skills Challenges help prepare students to compete in their regional SkillsUSA events each January.

Skills Challenges

The highlight of the year for many high school construction programs is participation in local Skills Challenges. In 2019, AGC Georgia sponsored challenges in five regions of the state— Augusta, Cedartown, Gainesville, Macon, and Moultrie.

These five events offered an opportunity for 742 students, representing 81 high schools, to compete in broadcast news production, blueprint reading, cabinet making, carpentry, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, masonry, roofing, welding, and TeamWorks. One region also offered a competition for those who researched construction careers and developed display boards with their findings.

Several AGC Georgia member firms devote hundreds of hours to make these member-driven challenges a huge success.

These annual events help prepare students to compete in their regional SkillsUSA events each January. Winners of the regional events move on to the SkillsUSA State Championship each March held at CEFGA’s Career Expo at the Georgia World Congress Center. Unfortunately, the state SkillsUSA competition was cancelled on the second day because of concerns brought on by the pandemic. In 2019, the Skills Challenges drew approximately 1,000 student observers and hundreds of influencers, including state legislators, school superintendents, high school counselors, mayors, school board members, and leaders from the Department of Education and Technical College System of Georgia. Contributions made to the AGC Georgia Foundation by industry firms help make these events a huge success. vimeo.com/409006435

These five events offered an opportunity for 742 students, representing 81 high schools, to compete in broadcast news production, blueprint reading, cabinet making, carpentry, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, masonry, roofing, welding, and TeamWorks.

Middle School Construction Programs

The Georgia Department of Education’s dedicated funding to expand its career exploratory program is helping grow interest in construction programs for middle schools. These nine-week programs are available in several middle schools around the state. As middle school students get excited about their new skills, they can move easily into high school construction programs.

As this is a new program, AGC Georgia plans to be front and center to support the efforts of middle school teachers and students. As planning moves forward, member involvement will be vital to these programs’ long-term success.

Elementary School Construction Clubs

Now that the Department of Education has put its stamp of approval on middle school programs, AGC Georgia is excited to see more construction clubs at the elementary level. Several pilot programs have had amazing success in metro Atlanta. Additional funding for CEFGA will help these clubs grow and expand.

Membership Summary

$750,000 dividend declared in 2019, bringing total to $34,650,000.

Participants enjoy the benefits of a workers’ compensation policy that can follow them in 50 states and has the backing of A.M. Best A+ and S&P A+ ratings.

Organizational Profile

More than $267,000 contributed to help meet the mission of

1) improving local communities, and 2) supporting quality construction education.

Foundation Retirement Savings Plan

Retirement Savings Plan

Over $130,000,000 invested by over 5,000 covered employees from 70 member firms

Professional and timely investment review assures that participants’ retirement planning is of the upmost importance

Vision

. . . building the best and most innovative contractor association in Georgia.

Mission

Guided by our core principles of Skill, Integrity and Responsibility, our mission is to be the voice of Georgia’s construction industry, provide valuable member services, and promote best construction industry practices.

AGC Georgia is the statewide trade association of choice for commercial construction professionals and the industry at large. Our primary role is simply to help make a stronger construction industry by providing members access to the resources and tools they need to improve their businesses. Our collective voice and clout allow us to advocate for policies and programs that protect the best interest of the construction industry.

AGC Georgia member firms perform the majority of the commercial construction work in Georgia and include more than 600 of the top general contractors, residential/light commercial builders, construction managers, design-builders, municipal-utility contractors, heavy and highway contractors, specialty contractors, service providers, and suppliers.

We are one of 89 chapters of Associated General Contractors of America that represents 26,000+ firms nationwide. AGC Georgia members are automatically enrolled as members of the national association.

Throughout the years, AGC Georgia has advocated for a three-pronged approach to postsecondary education for people preparing for careers in the construction industry — apprenticeships, technical colleges, and universities. Each of these continuing education options provides a different experience for students, but all three help further prepare a high school graduate for employment.

Apprenticeships

We encourage students to attend college when a degree will assist them with a career, but we also recommend apprenticeship programs whenever possible. Field engineers, for example, can be best served with knowledge of the job coupled with hands-on experience.

Central Georgia Technical College and MetroPower have created an electrical apprenticeship program that allows participants to gain college credit under MetroPower’s registered electrical apprenticeship program. The diploma program provides instruction in the inspection, maintenance, installation, and repair of electrical systems in residential, commercial, and industrial environments.

Forty-four credit hours are needed for completion of the program. Apprentices can earn college credit that can be applied toward the attainment of an Electrical Systems Construction & Maintenance diploma and a Certificate of Completion from the Georgia Department of Labor.

Brian Daniel, CEO of Carroll Daniel Construction, has created its newest training with the Apprenticeship Program for Superintendents – the first of its kind in the nation. The apprenticeship program is available to high school students, trade school students, and existing or prospective employees who want to become construction superintendents.

Carroll Daniel Construction partnered with Lanier Technical College to create the program. It requires apprentices to complete supervised, on-the-job training on jobsites, as well as curriculum courses covering all aspects of the position.

Technical Colleges

AGC Georgia and its members work closely with the Technical College System of Georgia to develop construction programs that contain no proprietary information, are technically superior, and are scalable and repeatable. We want the programs under construction now to be templates for programs of the future, regardless of the amount of funding available to them or the number of students enrolled.

Our member companies are making a difference in the quality of the technical college programs. They are helping to focus the instruction on both real-world skills and the technical knowledge required to walk from the course to a job site.

University Construction Degrees

AGC Georgia is involved with three universities in the state— Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Southern University, and Kennesaw State University. Industry leaders from our membership along with AGC Georgia staff members are involved with the construction program advisory boards at each institution. Just announced this spring, Georgia Tech is reopening their building construction undergraduate program for fall 2020 enrollment. This will complement their established Master of Science in Building Construction and Facility Management program. Georgia Southern and Kennesaw State’s undergraduate construction management programs continue to be sought after by those interested in careers in construction.

All three institutions have student chapters of AGC Georgia, and we have recently rebranded the chapters with each institution’s logo and the AGC Georgia logo. We want students to know who we are and how we can help them with their careers. We are available to student members as an industry resource and also allow them membership in our nationally-recognized Young Leadership Program. We are increasing interest in students attending our local events and even the AGC of America Annual Convention to introduce them to the executives leading some of the best construction companies.

The Young Leadership Program is designed to help early-career employees develop leadership and management skills, as well as build the professional relationships they need to be successful. Recent research in leadership development has shown that early in their careers, future leaders need to conquer difficult but meaningful challenges. The skills they develop in meeting those challenges translate into enhanced leadership skills in their primary jobs, benefitting not only themselves, but also the companies that employ them, AGC Georgia, and the industry.

Special Projects

The Young Leadership Program raises money and donations each year to benefit a number of community service projects, and takes on special projects whenever possible.

The YLP’s primary fundraising event held each year in May is the Golf Classic. While planning for this event helps young leaders learn how to organize and implement this well-attended event, it is also a tremendous success in raising substantial funds. After expenses, the proceeds are used to help support many worthy causes, including children and families in need.

The 2020 Golf Classic was originally scheduled for May 6 but was moved to Sept. 2, 2020 as a response to the pandemic. Enthusiasm remains high for this event, and we expect another soldout tournament. In the last 12 months, YLP has raised over $100,000 for the AGC Georgia Foundation, benefiting worthy charitable causes.

YLP Roundtables

New YLP participants can look to their YLP colleagues for guidance as they plan the year’s events, but even the most seasoned young leaders need information to help them mature. YLP schedules a series of roundtables each year and brings facilitators and mentors to help guide the sessions.

The recent three-part series titled The Heart of Leadership was well received. It featured keynotes from Chick-fil-A’s leadership team and each of the programs was attended by more than 70 members. Normally, the roundtables are held faceto-face, but because of the pandemic, YLP leaders worked to quickly convert programming to virtual meetings focusing on innovation and navigating uncertain times. Pivoting from one delivery method to another is a lesson in flexibility that no one has missed.

YLP focuses on four primary areas:

• Education: Developing topics and participating in leadership and professional development programs

• Social: Creating a close-knit community by leveraging connections between members

• Communication: Helping welcome new members through mentorships with longtime participants and keeping members informed

• Charitable: Volunteering time on service projects and fundraising activities

The 2020 Golf Classic originally scheduled for May 6 was moved to September 2, 2020 as a response to the pandemic.

Executive Alliance

Developing a succession plan for any business is difficult. It requires hard conversations about who is willing and capable to take over, as well as time spent crafting a workable plan for many contingencies. Privately-held or familyowned companies can find it even more difficult to navigate these transitions because long-standing relationships can often play negative roles in the decision-making process.

Executive Alliance program is a phenomenal opportunity for professionals.”

The Executive Alliance is leading the way in our industry, filling a long-standing need for career development. It allows us to draw on the vast experience of veteran and retiring members.

The group’s executive team will unveil a comprehensive strategic plan to guide their future programming in the fall of 2020.

One of the most important elements in the process is determining who is capable of becoming the next company president or CEO. Senior management roles are demanding and not everyone in the company (or the family) has the necessary skills, even if they are, in other ways, the most logical choice for the job.

AGC Georgia’s Executive Alliance seeks to prepare mid-career leaders for senior-management roles with a series of six networking opportunities and educational programs during the year. These events promote collaboration and diverse discussions among professionals while developing them into highly skilled and informed leaders.

Participants are senior-level representatives from member firms, including those already serving as president or owner. The group focuses on a broad range of leadership and professional development topics essential to individuals who currently serve in an executive position or will assume that role in their firm in the foreseeable future.

Art Daniel, 2017 AGC of America president and owner of AR Daniel Construction Services, Inc., was recruited to be the EA facilitator in a previous class. In his inimitable Texas drawl, Art said, “Y’all paid me to lead those classes, but in hindsight, I should have paid you. I learned more during that year than the members did. It was one of the best programs I’ve ever been a part of … and not because of me. AGC Georgia’s

“Y’all paid me to lead those classes, but in hindsight, I should have paid you. I learned more during that year than the members did. It was one of the best programs I’ve ever been a part of… and not because of me. AGC Georgia’s Executive Alliance program is a phenomenal opportunity for professionals.”

Art Daniel

Giving Back

AGC Georgia has remarkable participation in a variety of settings from retired professionals or those close to retirement. These pros have a desire to pass on their expertise to the next generation, and their participation is a model we are anxious to promote.

Having a retired pro lead a high school class or teach field leadership is an invaluable experience for students and today’s young professionals. They learn from the best and get that extra bit of experience and wisdom. The contribution from retired pros has been enormously impactful, and AGC Georgia needs more of it.

Brian Daniel Carroll Daniel Construction Co. Gainesville

Vice President

David Moody, Jr.

C. D. Moody Construction Co., Inc. Lithonia

Secretary

Lyndy Jones, Jr. JCI Contractors

Moultrie

Treasurer

Brian Newsome

Albion Sandy Springs

Trey Anderson Anderson Construction Co. Fort Gaines

Dan Baker, P.E. Duffey Southeast, Inc. Cedartown

Jonathan Barden Tebarco Mechanical Corporation Alpharetta

Chris Britton Brasfield & Gorrie Atlanta

David Carl Gay Construction Company Atlanta

Scott Clark R. W. Allen, LLC Augusta

Jim Cooper Cooper & Company General Contractors, Inc. Cumming

Brian Cunningham Collins and Arnold Construction Co., LLC Atlanta

Dave Cyr Parrish Construction Group, Inc. Perry

Doug Davidson New South Construction Co., Inc. Atlanta

Stephen Dew Pellicano Construction Albany

Rob Dunn New South Construction Co., Inc. Atlanta

Charlie Garbutt, LEED AP, AIC Garbutt Construction Company Dublin

Ben Garrett RA-LIN Carrollton

Ben Gordy, III Ben B. Gordy Construction Co., Inc. Columbus

Randy Hall Batson-Cook Company Atlanta

Doug Hunter Holder Construction Company Atlanta

Christy Kovac Sheridan Construction Macon

Matthew Lee Young Contracting/SE, Inc. Atlanta

Mike Macon Balfour Beatty Construction Atlanta

Joe Marchese Marchese Construction, LLC Pooler

Aaron McWhorter Sports Turf Company, Inc. Whitesburg

Paul Meadows Batson-Cook Company West Point

Kelly Nix Nix-Fowler Constructors, Inc. Mableton

Gretchen Orrin Athena Construction Group, Inc. College Park

Calvin Pate Harrison Contracting Company, Inc. Villa Rica

Jacob Patton All-State Electrical Contractors Macon

John L. Reese, III LRA Constructors, Inc. Albany

Alan Scoggins Leapley Construction Group Atlanta

Walter Stafford WLS Construction, Inc. Macon

Drew Watson Bowen & Watson, Inc. Toccoa

Mike Dunham

Chief Executive Officer

Alyson Abercrombie, CAE Director, Communications and Marketing

Liz Campbell Director, Business Engagement

Bill Chambless, CBO Member Development Specialist

Andrea Feldman, CPA, CFE Controller

Machell Harper Director, Member Services

L.B. Kinnett Administrative Services

Cindy Parham Administrative Services

Cherri Watson Director, Safety, Education, and Workforce Development

Mark Woodall Director, Governmental Affairs

Everyone was attending to normal business issues until COVID-19 appeared in Georgia in early March. By the end of March and into April, however, AGC Georgia staff members were on high alert, trying to determine the rules under which contractor members could continue to work in the state.

Unraveling state and federal orders required extensive discussions with government leaders, and our success relied heavily on AGC Georgia’s excellent relationships with state officials, including the Governor and his staff. We also were fortunate to have a robust national association with which to confer. The contributions from AGC of America were substantial and meaningful, especially providing access to their HR Forum for all Georgia members.

The message was clear to us – state and federal government would allow the construction industry to continue working within a safety framework, and our ultimate success was in our hands.

AGC Georgia created a new section of its website to present the best information for the industry about coronavirus. We posted Governor Kemp’s executive orders both as they were written and with summaries detailing how they would affect members. AGC Georgia focused on two key topics – private plan review and inspection rules and guidelines for operating job sites during the shelter-in-place order – but also reported other critical information as it was released.

The message was clear to us – state and federal government would allow the construction industry to continue working within a safety framework, and our ultimate success was in our hands. If we followed the government’s guidelines, we could continue to operate. If not, we could be shut down.

Fortunately, we are an industry that is seasoned in the use of protective gear. Every day, we deal with problems created by asbestos, silica, or other harmful substances. Our crews are already trained to wear masks and protective coverings. Following the rules to mitigate the spread of this virus should be easy for us, and, as a Georgia industry, we have responded well to the challenge.

Throughout all of this, AGC Georgia has helped interpret information for its membership. We did the heavy lifting because that’s our job – to serve you.