September 2023 eBulletin

AGCVA is the leading voice advocating for Virginia’s construction industry. While this may bring to mind the work taking place in January and February while the General Assembly is in session, there is far more to it. AGCVA and AGC of America are working all year long to build and strengthen relationships, serving as a trusted resource and authority for federal and state lawmakers and regulators.

Please join us in celebrating the membership anniversaries of these longtime AGCVA members!

Each month, we recognize those celebrating 50 or more years, 40 years, 25 years, 10 years, and 5 years of membership.

We applaud each of you for your commitment to AGCVA.

By virtue of your membership, you have made the AGCVA community stronger and have shown tremendous leadership and dedication to the industry. We are proud to serve each of you, and we thank you for your membership in AGCVA. 

AGCVA members have been up to a lot in the last month!

We are thrilled to recognize these accomplishments and recognitions, and we encourage you to connect with your fellow members and extend your congratulations!

Associated General Contractors of America's Chief Economist Ken Simonson says the results of a nationwide survey show the need to consider how workers are trained. The survey also shows a significant shortage of skilled construction workers, making it difficult to fill positions in the commercial construction industry.

*View state-specific survey results by clicking here.

The construction industry was the top target for ransomware attacks in 2022, according to resesarch by NordLocker. Further, attacks continue to become more and more sophistocated. Now is the time to protect your company from a potentially catastrophic attack.

“The steep climb in diesel prices since July is a reminder that construction cost worries have not gone away,” said Ken Simonson, Associated General Contractors of America Chief Economist. “An even greater challenge for most contractors is finding enough qualified workers to complete the many projects available to work on.”

On August 23, 2023, the White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued notification of final guidance implementing Title IX of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also know as Build America, Buy America (BABA). This article identifies the top 10 takeaways and questions around compliance.

In the construction industry, managing risks is a constant, day-to-day concern. From the safety of your workforce to the financial viability of your projects, there are numerous potential challenges to address. Insurance plays a key role in mitigating these risks, and choosing the right coverage for your business is critical. 

Earlier this month, Taylor Brannon, Executive Vice President of F. Richard Wilton (Richmond District) and Courtney Baker, AGCVA Director of Workforce Training, sat down with Henrico CTE Now to discuss the importance of career and technical education (CTE) for companies that hire trade specialists, managers, supervisors, engineers and all the support staff needed to operate all types of contracting companies. A large part of the discussion is the need for high school and college graduates for their industries and how students can prepare for their future careers by attending career and technical education programs while in middle and high school.

Construction must find ways to expand its talent pool, but to do this, the industry must acknowledge an underpinning factor in its numbers dilemma: lt lags far behind other industries in DEI.

The construction industry is known for its high-stress environment, long hours and physical demands, which can lead to issues such as anxiety, depression and/or substance abuse. The construction industry ranks second among all industries in suicide rate, and death by suicide of men in construction and extraction occupations is almost twice the total suicide rate for civilian working men.

Traditionally, construction tradespeople and industrial workers have relied on conventional hard hats. While these hard hats primarily offer protection against falling objects, they fall short in terms of safeguarding workers against other potential head injuries resulting from falls, slips and trips. Therefore, they require more comprehensive head protection than what traditional hard hats can provide.