Some AGC members are transforming their businesses through participation in executive roundtables. AGC and The Family Business Institute have teamed up to offer a free webinar for CEO’s, “Where Do I turn for Answers in Tough Times?” The webinar will take place on January 28, 2009, at 2PM EST. Registration information can be found on the AGC site starting Monday, December 15, 2008.

The webinar will feature the participation of AGC CEO’s. You can find a case study of  a Louisiana CEO whose AGC CEO roundtable experience has made a positive impact on his business.  To learn more about this roundtable case study, or to learn more about the Family Business Institute, please visit their website.

Executive Roundtables provide a forum for peers to discuss industry problems, as well as solutions. With proven examples of the sometimes overwhelmingly small steps to big success, this webinar will provide information on the benefits of roundtables as well as how to join.

Questions about the webinar can be directed to education@agc.org .

The Boys & Girls Club of Lansing sent along a thank you note with photos of the members using the Build Up! kit sponsored by AGC of Michigan.

AGC is still receiving requests for Build Up! kits from clubs around the nation. Currently we have more than 300 outstanding requests. AGC of America is asking our chapters and members to sponsor kits for these deserving young people around the country.

The clubs are very excited about the prospect of using Build Up! Here are some of the notes we’ve gotten with the requests:
       “We plan on using the toolkit in our Education and Career Development programs to teach youth in 
        our clubs practical math, science, and history skills to become better, well-rounded students and
        also to help them find an interest in the building industry.”

        “My goal is to get the members to look at their neighborhoods and learn the history and importance
         of where they live.”

        “We will use the kit to provide our members with a hands-on project through which they will learn
         not only how to build bridges and skyscrapers, but will also enable them to reinforce math,
         science, history and language arts.  After the members have built their projects, we will put them
         on display for the entire Club and we will invite parents to come and see the projects.  When the
         parents arrive, the children will have to explain their project to their parents.”
 
       “This kit sounds amazing. I look forward to seeing my club members working together in building
       skyscrapers and bridges.”

Please visit our interactive map to see if there’s a club in your area looking for kits. This map is updated weekly with new requests being added and fulfilled requests being deleted.

All potential sponsors have to do is click on their state to find out which communities have requested kits, and how many kits each community seeks. A hot link will allow you to email Liz Elvin to inform her of your desire to sponsor kits. Liz will then send you the club’s mailing address. Sponsors can then go to our online bookstore and order kits to be shipped either directly to the club or to themselves for personal delivery.

So Boys & Girls Clubs serve nearly 5 million youths from more than 4,000, primarily inner-city, clubhouses.

Each kit costs $199 plus shipping and would be shipped directly to the requesting club or to your firm if you’d like to deliver the kit in person. Additionally, AGC will send to the club a letter telling the club the name of the sponsoring AGC member or chapter.

Please join us on Thursday, December 11, 2008, from 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. ET for this compelling webinar brought to you by AGC of America and FMI Corporation. In these rapidly changing and uncertain economic times, you need a strategic plan that will help your company maintain long-term sustainable growth and respond to evolving markets and customers. Implementing a structured strategic planning process will align your management team with a clear vision of your company’s future and provide a roadmap for the rest of your organization.
Learning Objectives:
    • Evaluate the current economic conditions
    • Implement a structured planning process
    • Discover best practices for success in turbulent times
    • Discuss winning corporate strategies
    • Apply Key Performance Indicators (KPI's)
Speakers:
    • Scott Winstead, Consulting Development Manager, FMI Corporation
    • Drew Hancock, President/CEO of Frank L. Blum Construction

Earn .2 IACET CEUs or 1.5 AIA CEUs for successful completion of each webinar. Register today!

For questions regarding this program or other upcoming webinars, please contact Carrie Harper at harperc@agc.org.

As part of its partnership with the Associated Equipment Distributers Foundation and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers on the ConstructMyFuture.com website, AGC has worked to help produce the annual newsletter, this year focusing on green construction.

AGC’s Director of Green Construction, Melinda Tomaino, wrote the article discussing the role played by designers, contractors, product manufacturers and maintenance engineers in building and maintaining green buildings.

Also featured in the newsletter was Pamela Murray Johnson, a project manager with Turner Construction Company, who discussed her job and her role in green construction projects.

More than 1,500 newsletters have been distributed to AGC chapters, which will use them in various outreach efforts to high school students.

Leaders are needed at every level of the construction company. AGC’s three-day, dynamic Leadership in Construction Workshop explores the differences between being a leader versus a manager and how to motivate team members to achieve project goals.

Communication skills and conflict resolution techniques and tactics are strengthened through group exercises and discussing real-world experiences. Participants get vital feedback on their leadership abilities through a CheckPoint 360 Evaluation that is administered prior to the workshop and collects input from their boss(es), peers, direct reports and a self-evaluation.

Register today for one of the 2009 AGC Leadership in Construction Workshops:
       January 26-28, 2009, in Tempe, AZ
       January 29-31, 2009, in Tempe, AZ
       February 18-20, 2009, in Atlanta, GA
       March 25-27, 2009, in Arlington, VA
       April 29 – May 1, 2009, in Albany, NY
       May 20-22, 2009, in San Diego, CA

Participants are eligible to receive the following continuing education credits:
     • 2.7  ANSI/IACET CEUs
     • 27  AIA LUs
     • Continuing Professional Development (CDPs) Units from the American Institute of Constructors
        (AIC)

Contact Becky Koury, kouryr@agc.org, with any questions or for more information regarding AGC’s Leadership in Construction Workshop.

Brought to you by AGC of America & AGC of Michigan, this program will cover the stages involved in estimating, designing and building sustainable construction. It will document the importance of an integrated design process and review what items may be "no cost," "minimal additional cost," and "significant additional cost."

Program Learning Objectives:
     • Describe environmentally friendly strategies for sustainable building design and construction.
     • Discuss LEED standards.
     • Compare the bidding and estimating procedures of green vs. traditional construction.
     • Review the LEED Rating System and identify its impact on design, project planning and
        construction strategies.
     • Examine the importance of integrated design and its effect on costs.
     • Apply the Life Cycle Analysis to cost estimation.

Join us on December 11, 2009. Register today!

To learn more about this program and other Turnkey Professional Development programs, please contact Carrie Harper at harperc@agc.org.