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Sept. 5, 2013
DEAR COLLEAGUES:
Participants in the 2013 ABC Institute for Leadership and Professional
Development, Nov. 5-7 in Las Vegas, will gain fresh insights, network
with the right people and accumulate practical strategies to make their
chapter or business stand out. This conference is designed to provide
you and your colleagues with in-depth, hands-on learning sessions, as
well as the tools needed to be a successful leader. In addition,
students from top universities nationwide will compete in the Student
Chapter Construction Management Competition Nov. 3-5, where they
will go head-to-head to measure their skills in estimating, bidding and
project management. ABC member companies also will have the
chance to interview many of these students during the Career Fair
held on Nov.6. Don't miss this opportunity to get valuable resources,
share best practices and network with your peers from around the
country.
If you do one thing this week, register for the ABC Institute for
Leadership and Professional Development.
Sincerely,
Michael D. Bellaman
President and CEO
BEST PRACTICE
For the past two years, the ABC Indiana/Kentucky Chapter has been
the title sponsor for the Miracle Mile parade held in Indianapolis on
Labor Day. Historically, the Miracle Mile parade is held after a parade
sponsored by local unions. However, the union parade was cancelled
Michael D. Bellaman
President and CEO
ABC National
this year, leaving the ABC-sponsored parade-which attracted nearly
25,000 people-as the only Labor Day parade in Indianapolis. The
event allowed all workers, not just those affiliated with a union, to be
recognized, and gave ABC visibility via radio advertisements,
newspaper articles and parade route signage. For more information,
contact Indiana/Kentucky Chapter President J.R. Gaylor.
SAFETY
As part of the newly formed Construction Industry Safety Coalition, a
group of national construction industry trade associations, ABC
expressed concern regarding OSHA's proposal to drastically lower the
existing permissible exposure limit for silica, prescribe control
methods that contradict existing safety practice, and mandate new
recordkeeping and training requirements.
Beginning in 2014, all STEP applicants will be required to sign the
Drug- and Alcohol-Free Workplace pledge from the Construction
Coalition for a Drug- and Alcohol-Free Workplace (CCDAFW). The
pledge requires all signatories to implement and maintain a substance
abuse policy that is at least equivalent to the model substance abuse
policy found on the CCDAFW website, and will replace the existing
substance abuse policy question currently found in Section 2 of the
STEP application. For more information, contact ABC Director of
Safety Chris Williams.
EIC
Project registration for the 24th Annual Excellence in Construction
Awards competition will be available Friday, Sept. 6. Members that
win the equivalent of first or second place at the chapter level are
eligible to enter. Projects must be registered online at
http://www.abc.org/eic by Friday, Nov. 1. For more information,
contact Donna Motley.
WEBINARS
Registration is open for the following webinars:
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"What's New with AIA Contract Documents?" on Sept. 9 will
highlight Version 4.7, the recent release of agreements and
guides available to AIA Contract
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"Davis Bacon Ins and Outs: Prevailing Wage Compliance
Overview" on Sept. 10 will present compliance principals,
allowable fringe benefits and correct crediting calculations, as
well as little-known pitfalls and tips to reduce the payroll
burden on prevailing wage jobs. The webinar is being
sponsored by the Fringe Benefit Group.
"Optimizing Your Construction Business for Profitable Growth"
on Sept. 11 will explain methods to achieve standardized
processes to gain visibility, improve quality and increase
profits, as well as how to leverage technology for business
growth, understand the impact of committing to change, share
seamlessly across an organization, and document easily and
accurately.
"Quick and Easy Tips on Construction Reporting, Job Costing
and Payroll" on Sept. 12 will cover the benefits of choosing the
right construction-specific software.
"Understanding Government-Mandated Project Labor
Agreements (PLAs)" on Sept. 18 will demonstrate how
contractors can defend their market shares from anticompetitive and costly government-mandated PLA schemes.
"What Does the Employer Mandate Delay Mean for My
Company?" on Sept. 19 will help business owners and human
resource professionals understand what the one-year delay of
the employer mandate in the health care law means for their
2014 health plan designs.
More than 35 people attended "The Fundamentals of Green
Building," a webinar that can be viewed on ABC's Academy for
Construction Ethics, Compliance and Best Practices.
CONDOLENCES
Edmen Levi Eubanks, a founding member and former president of
the ABC Central Ohio Chapter, passed away last week. Our
condolences go out to his family, friends and colleagues.
OFFICE MOVE
ABC created a blog, UnderConstruction.abc.org, to document the
national office's move from Arlington, Va., to Capitol Hill. The blog will
allow ABC members and chapters to follow construction, which kicked
off in August, as well as view photos and videos and meet the
construction team.
NEW ON THE WEB
The September issue of Construction Executive features articles on
the higher education construction market and the importance of trust
in developing long-lasting client relationships. It also features special
sections on this year's 21st Century Workforce Development
Conference and construction technology. Click here to flip through the
digital edition.
MEMBER BENEFIT
Members received an email promoting a 30-day free trial for ABC
members on software licenses through The American Institute of
Architects (AIA), an ABC business partner. AIA also offers members a
10 percent discount on AIA Contract Document software purchases.
Learn more at the AIA webinar on Sept. 9.
RECOMMENDED READING
The Discipline of Market Leaders by Michael Treacy and Fred
Wiersema focuses on the traits that are necessary for companies to
remain competitive in the current market. The most successful
companies possess at least one of the following traits: operational
excellence, product leadership and customer intimacy. For example,
Walmart demonstrates operational excellence by providing products
at the lowest possible price; Apple demonstrates product leadership
by being one of the most forward-thinking technology companies; and
Southwest Airlines demonstrates customer intimacy by providing topnotch customer service. The key is to choose the trait that that best
fits your business and master those qualities.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Sept. 9: What's New with AIA Contract Documents?, webinar
Sept. 10: Davis-Bacon Ins and Outs: Prevailing Wage Compliance
Overview, webinar
Sept. 11: Optimizing Your Construction Business for Profitable
Growth, webinar
Sept 12: Quick and Easy Tips on Construction Reporting, Job
Costing, and Payroll, webinar
Sept. 17-21: Fall 2013 ABC Project Management Institute Session
1, Lafayette, Ind.
Sept. 18: Understanding Government-Mandated Project Labor
Agreements (PLAs), webinar
Sept. 19: What Does the Employee Mandate Delay Mean for My
Company?, webinar
Sept. 23-24: Executive Committee Meeting, St. Louis
Sept. 24: LEED v4 Overview, webinar
Sept. 25: Managing Growth—Why Some Contractors Succeed
and Others Fail, webinar
Oct. 2: Construction-Operations Building information exchange
(CBOie) for Contractors, webinar
Oct. 8: Introduction to the Living Building Challenge, webinar
Oct 10: Selecting & Responding to Request for Proposals (RFPs),
webinar
Oct 10: QuickBooks Users: There May Be a Better Way to Do
Your Accounting, webinar
Oct 16: Building Relationships and Resolving Disputes in the
Construction Industry, webinar
Oct 17: DOL's New Secretary and the Fully Staffed NLRB: What
Merit Shop Contractors Should Expect in the Upcoming Months,
webinar
Oct. 22: How to Use Social Media as a Small Business, webinar
Oct. 23-26: Summer 2013 ABC Project Management Institute
Session 2, Lafayette, Ind.
Oct. 30: What Contractors Should Know About the International
Green Construction Code (IgCC), webinar
Nov. 3-4: Executive Committee Meeting, Las Vegas
Nov. 3-5: Student Construction Management Competition, Las
Vegas
Nov. 5: National Board Meeting, Las Vegas
Nov. 5-7: Institute for Leadership and Professional Development,
Las Vegas
Nov. 6: Federal Small Business Programs: Joint Ventures,
Mentor-Protégé Programs and More-What Contractors Need to
Know to Succeed, webinar
Nov. 6: Construction Management Career Fair, Las Vegas
Nov. 6-7: Attorneys Conference, Las Vegas
Nov. 13-16: Fall 2013 ABC Project Management Institute Session
2, Lafayette, Ind.
Nov 14: Simplify Construction Payroll & Reporting, webinar
Nov 19: Introduction to Lean Construction: What is Lean
Construction and How Can It Benefit you?, webinar
Nov 21: Quick and Easy Tips on Construction Reporting, Job
Costing, and Payroll, webinar
Dec 3: Simplify Construction Payroll & Reporting, webinar
Dec 12: QuickBooks Users: There May Be a Better Way to Do
Your Accounting, webinar
Feb. 9-10, 2014: Executive Committee Meeting, Maui, Hawaii
Feb. 11-12, 2014: BizCon, Maui, Hawaii
Feb. 13, 2014: National Board Meeting, Maui, Hawaii
April 29-May 2, 2014: Workforce Development Conference,
Birmingham, Ala.
June 8-9, 2014: Executive Committee Meeting, Washington, D.C.
June 10, 2014: National Board Meeting, Washington, D.C.
June 11, 2014: Legislative Conference, Washington, D.C.
Aug. 6-8, 2014: Chapter President's Management Conference,
Nashville, Tenn.
Associated Builders and Contractors 4250 N. Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203 703.812.2000