Nightly Business Report on PBS recently featured AGC CEO Steve Sandherr. In the interview, Sandherr talked about how the stimulus will help improve the economy and serve as important first step to investing in the nation's aging infrastructure. 

Sandherr explained how the stimulus is quickly working to put Americans back to work repairing the nation's aging infrastructure during an interview with the widely-acclaimed Nightly Business Report, PBS's evening business broadcast.  During the interview he explained that work will begin on many shovel-ready projects this summer, helping to put construction workers back on the job while improving commutes and supporting future economic growth.  He added that the stimulus is an important first step to investing in our infrastructure to be followed later this year by the next surface transportation authorization bill.

Watch the video here.

Capitol Hill's newspaper, The Hill, listed AGC as the only commercial construction industry association on its Top Lobbyists of 2009 list.

AGC was cited for its work in "crafting" the economic stimulus package.  Read the entire list here.

For more information, contact Brian Turmail at (703) 837-5310 or turmailb@agc.org.

Willie Fort, far right, listens as Secretary LaHood speaks at the podium.

AGC member Jim Andoga (Austin Bridge & Road) and new hire Willie Fort attended an event Thursday at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.,  as guests of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. 

During his remarks, Secretary LaHood cited stimulus success stories, including Austin Bridge & Roads' new I-49 project in Shreveport, La., and some he learned from AGC members during a meeting at the DOT headquarters this week.

The Chicago Tribune reported on the event.

Jim Andoga, far left, of Austin Bridge & Road, has hired new workers thanks to the stimulus.

AGC members met with Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on May 20 to discuss the success of the stimulus.  Reuters reporter Lisa Lambert covered the event and reported on contractors' stories of saved jobs and projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. 

AGC of America staff and contractor members met with Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood (center) at the DOT headquarters in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Reuters) - Job by job, the U.S. economic stimulus plan passed by Congress in February is reinforcing the construction industry and keeping workers from sliding into poverty, a group of contractors told the transportation secretary on Tuesday.

North Dakota contractor Paul Diederich, who repaves roads, on Monday started a stimulus project with a crew of three, one of them a 20-year employee of his company and another who has just finished high school.

"This thing cascades to everybody. It's all levels. I've got suppliers furnishing … the teeth that go into the drums that chew up the asphalt. We're buying more teeth," he told Reuters following a meeting with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

Vice President Joseph Biden said last week the federal stimulus plan, approved by Congress as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will create or retain 3.5 million jobs by the end of September 2010.

The first accounts of transportation projects, which were expected to generate the bulk of stimulus jobs, were not that promising. A report released by the House of Representatives Transportation Committee in April showed funding for highway and transit works had only "created or sustained" 1,288 jobs.

That report was based on 1,380 projects being put out to bid. As of May 8, there were 2,137 projects scheduled to start, according to the Transportation Department.  

But for Illinois highway construction contractor Mike Cullinan, who visited LaHood with Diederich on Tuesday, there are other workers to consider who likely will not be counted, especially those who haul sand and rock to the project sites.

"There's all kinds of peripheral hauling of materials," he said. "Those are a lot of jobs. Plus there are people who are making the materials."

His company recently won the bids for two stimulus projects, and he has already hired 25 people for one of them.

The stimulus is just as important for the jobs it saves for South Dakota highway contractor Mark Knight. His company will bid on two projects next week, giving his company hope it can keep long-time employees on the payroll.

"We had some of those people looking at changing careers and leaving the industry," he said. "We were able to hold onto them. We were committed to them. We knew there was stimulus work coming."

LaHood has said once summer begins a pickup in outdoor construction work will follow. The contractors said they are only now bidding on stimulus jobs or starting them.

Still, the federal government is wrestling with questions about which workers to count, leading to results that may be vague for some time.

Biden said that the Council of Economic Advisers is putting together estimates of total job creation, which includes "direct, indirect and induced jobs."

The Office of Management and Budget is developing a system for contractors to report exact numbers of workers for stimulus projects, and Biden said the data will be posted on www.recovery.gov in October. 

Some jobs will be easy to count, as they will come from the federal government directly. A Reuters search on Wednesday on the government's website for ARRA jobs, http://jobsearch.usajobs.gov/a9recoveryjobs.aspx, found 115 current vacancies for laborers.

AGC chief economist Ken Simonson's recent presentation in Tampa was covered by the Tampa Bay Business Journal.  The article highlights Simonson's remarks on the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, as well as the special requirements attached to stimulus-funded projects. 

Read the article here.

The Excavation & Trenching Training manual & CD-ROM work very nicely in combination with "In the Trench: Excavation Safety for Workers" DVD and "Construction Standards for Excavation." Whether you are training to become a Excavation Competent Person or providing jobsite excavation & trenching training, these products work together to provide a complete experience.  Item No. 3208P.

To order go to www.agc.org/bookstore or call 1-800-242-1767.

Shea Delutis-Smith, Clark Construction and 2009-10 AGC of DC President; Jim Clark, Clark Construction and 1967 AGC of DC President; Joe Jarboe, Clark Construction and future AGC of America President; Nigel Parkinson, Parkinson Construction and 2008-09 AGC of DC President.

More than 170 people attended AGC of DC's 80^th Anniversary celebration at the Hay Adams Hotel in Washington, D.C.  AGC of D.C. is the oldest construction industry association in Washington, D.C., and its members have built some of the region's most recognizable landmarks, including the World War II Memorial and the Washington Nationals baseball stadium.

Fifteen of the Chapter's past presidents attended the event, including Jim Clark, Clark Construction Group (1967 Chapter President) and Glen Ballowe, Volpe Construction (1966 Chapter President).

ConsensusDOCS contracts are the first and only industry standard Design-Build construction contracts written and endorsed by owners, contractors, subcontractors, sureties and designers.  These fair contracts utilize best practices to represent the project's best interests.  Written in a straight-forward fashion to provide clarity and assist contract administration, the general conditions and agreement are integrated into one form.  Subscribe today to cover all your contracting needs including the ConsensusDOCS 301 BIM Addendum - the first and only industry standard contract to comprehensively address the legal ramifications of BIM. 

For a free excerpted sample of the ConsensusDOCS 410 Owner/Design-Build Agreement, or for additional information on the 15 ConsensusDOCS design-build documents, please visit www.ConsensusDOCS.org.

June 24, 2009 from 1:00 - 2:30 pm EST

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a powerful tool that is transforming the design and construction industry.  Owners, architects and contractors are tapping into BIM as a competitive advantage to increase project efficiency and improve overall results.  The biggest obstacle for many, however, is navigating the legal issues involved with BIM.

Join us June 24 to hear firsthand from an owner, architect and contractor on how they have dealt with the legal ramifications of moving into a 3-D world of design and construction and how the ConsensusDOCS 301 BIM Addendum addresses these risk allocation and administration issues as the first standard BIM contract document.

For more information, contact Carrie Ciliberto at (703) 837-5367 or cilibertoc@agc.org.

June 10-13 in Hot Springs, Va.

Join the leaders of the top building construction firms, owners, specialty contractors and service and supply companies at the AGC Building Contractors Conference, June 10-13 at The Homestead in Hot Springs, Va. 

The AGC Building Contractors Conference will address many important topics, including taking advantage of hidden opportunities, the stimulus, federal labor law changes and strategies for success in this market.  AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson will offer his expert economic forecast for the construction industry.  Scott Winstead from FMI Corporation will shed light on how contractors are handling the major issues of the day and discuss ways for firms to better manage during these difficult times.  Attendees will also hear directly from owners about the impact of economic stimulus funding.  The conference will also feature an interactive "Tools for Tough Times" moderated panel discussion that will highlight what firms are doing to survive in this economy, share creative ways in which firms are trying to get business, and outline what new opportunities exist.

Detailed program information, registration details and hotel/travel information can be found at www.agc.org/homestead.  Please note that the hotel deadline of Monday, May 18, is quickly approaching!

Are you interested in sponsoring the AGC Building Contractors Conference?  Sign up by tomorrow, Friday, May 15, and receive 10% off any sponsorship package.  

For more information on sponsorships or the Conference, contact Cassia Griffin at griffinc@agc.org.