A
Great New Year’s Eve
By Jim Ryan, AGCSD Executive Vice
President
It must
have been a great New Year’s Eve this year…..my 30 year old son who
was visiting from the Midwest greeted my wife and me New Year’s
morning with…..”Do you realize how late it was when you got home
last night?....The least you could have done is called!” What goes
around…comes around!
So what
was all the celebrating about this year?
At one
second past midnight on January 1, 2008, the county started to
collect the Transnet
II ½ cent sales
tax which will generate
$40 billion for highways,
local street and road improvements, and public transit. The tax was
passed by just over the required 66 2/3% of the county’s voters in
November of 2004. An argument can be made that the sales tax on the
$7.00 drink I purchased immediately after midnight was at least tied
for the first 3.5 cents collected for Transnet
II!
Transnet
II will allow the San Diego
Association of Governments (SANDAG) to leverage the funds collected
locally to bring in Federal and State funding to assist with the
County’s critical transportation needs. Major multi-million dollar
projects are underway and planned for the
I-5, I-15, I-805, SR 52, SR 76,
and for a number of public transit projects. In addition, a portion
of the Transnet
II funding is matched to the funding allocated by the
local governments in this county for local street and road
improvements.
I
guarantee the celebration on New Year’s Eve last week would not have
happened without the coalition of support for Transnet that existed
among a wide variety of business, environmental, labor, and local
governments in this County. AGC
San Diego members donated over $500,000 to the $3,000,000
campaign that supported Transnet
II.
AGC members understand that ignoring critical infrastructure funding
ends up costing the public more than properly funding these
infrastructure efforts over time. Our schools are a great
example…..we have traditionally not funded the education
infrastructure until the poorly maintained roofs are allowing rain
to pour in…and we are now paying for it with billions that could
have been millions if the investments were made on a more timely
basis.
Anyway….if
you did not realize the significance of January 1, 2008 to the
County’s transportation infrastructure, take some time to
celebrate….the citizens of San Diego ignored significant opposition
from a variety of narrow minded conservative politicians and
“celebrities” and did what was right…they approved the collection of
Transnet
II
for the next 40 years!!!
Your Current and Future Project Managers Need Specialized
Training…..AGC’s Project Management Course Starts Thursday January
17th.
By Jim Ryan, AGCSD Executive Vice President
CEO’s and Upper Management ….Read This!!!
Ok….CEO’s
and Upper Management of AGCSD firms…. Most of you and I know that
the vast majority of you were Project Engineers and Project Managers
at some point during your careers. I also know that most of you
received your training at one of the Construction
Engineering/Management University Programs…just like the PE’s and
PM’s that work for you now. My guess is that most of you will
agree, that the time you spent at the various university
Construction Programs around the country, simply identified the fact
that you had an aptitude for construction…..and that you learned how
to build a project profitably by trial and error on the job. I also
would guess that many times during your career you wondered why
there was not a program that you could take that would enhance the
“on the job” learning curve that seems to be a “rite of passage” in
our industry.
Come on…is
it really necessary to hope that you can dig a bad job out of
trouble by obtaining a “miracle” change order signed at the end of
the job? Is it really necessary to learn that buying the job out
sooner rather than later is a good idea? Is it really necessary to
learn by trial and error how to run jobsite meetings? Is it really
necessary to realize that closing a project completely out as soon
as possible is better than leaving details on the past job left
unaddressed as you focus on the next job?
Every one
of these “learning curve” mistakes costs AGC firms thousands in lost
profit each and every day.
AGC San
Diego has developed a
Construction Project Management Course that is taught by
industry professionals that realize that these mistakes are not just
part of the process. We bring the best of the best of San Diego’s
construction industry to this year long program and give the current
crop of PM’s and PE’s the short cut that you were looking for when
you were in their positions. Believe it or not….it is possible to
train away these problems!!!
The
program is coordinated by Paul Stout, a contractor that has become
one of the best construction educators in the country. Paul
arranges for San Diego’s best to focus on excellence in Construction
Project Management for 26 weeks beginning January 17th
and concluding December 11th.
The topics
are listed on the
attached
flyer and so is the price….its not
cheap…..but….making a $3,250 mistake on a change order is also not
cheap!
One of
AGCSD’s largest firms has sent a number of their promising employees
through the course…..here is what they said….
“The PM’s that
have been through the course now “GET IT.” They are shoulder to
shoulder above those employees that have not completed the course.”
Our firm sees the
benefit everyday of having employees in the AGC San Diego
Construction Project Management Course.”
Classes
are held from 3PM to 7PM every other week for 26 weeks.
For more
information, contact Glen Schaffer at (858) 731-8151
Two
AGCSD Members to be Installed as AGC Presidents!
AGCSD
longtime member Wayne Lindholm
from Hensel Phelps Construction
will be installed as the
President of the
AGC of California this Friday January 11 beginning at
6:30 pm
at Disney’s Grand California
Hotel. AGC San Diego members are invited to attend, and
a number are making the trip to Anaheim on Friday evening. Hensel
Phelps has been a long time member of both chapters.
A registration
form is attached.
AGC San Diego’s
Installation of Board Members and Officers will take place
Thursday, January 29th
at the Hyatt La Jolla,
3777 La Jolla Village Drive.
CLICK HERE for registration
form for the
Installation Dinner.
The
following individuals will be in installed as officers:
President - John H.
Daley, Jr. from
Daley Corporation
Senior Vice President – Kevin Elliott
from Roel Construction Co., Inc.
Vice President – Diane Keltner from
Synergy
Electric Co., Inc.
Secretary/Treasurer- Mark Filanc
from J.R.
Filanc Construction Co., Inc.
Past President – Tom Anderson
from Bergelectric Corporation
The
following individuals will be installed as Board members:
Greg Becker
– Cement
Cutting, Inc.
Walt Fegley –
Reno Contracting,
Inc.
Mark Finch –
Johnson, Barnes &
Finch, Inc.
Christina Gomez Holben –-
St. Thomas
Enterprises, Inc.
Brian Jordan –
Helix Electric, Inc.
Ted Rossin –
Rossin Steel, Inc.
Jeff Turner –
FCI Constructors,
Inc.
In
addition, annual member awards and the graduation of AGCSD
Apprentices will take place.
AGC’s Liaison Committees Begin This Month
As 2008
begins, we wanted to remind you about a critical tool for public
works contractors, the AGC’s Industry Relations Committees. These
“liaison” committees allow for an open and continuing dialogue
between contractor/subcontractors/material suppliers, and public
agencies. This liaison leads to successful construction projects,
which utilize tax funds in an efficient and effective manner.
AGC
routinely meets with the City and
County of San Diego,
The Port District,
Airport Authority, Caltrans, San Diego City Schools and
the San Diego Water Authority,
and the Navy.
Please save the dates for the
following January and February meetings:
January 16 - Public Building Liaison
Committee, 7:00 AM @ AGC
January 21 - Prop. MM / San Diego City Schools. 11:00 AM
@ SD City
School’s M&O Center
January 25 - Caltrans, 7:30 AM
@ SANDAG
February 4 - San Diego Port District, 11:30 AM
@ Port
February 5 - Water Authority, 1:00 PM @ AGC
February 6 - City of San Diego, 1:00 PM @ AGC
February 20 - County of San Diego, 1:00 PM @ AGC
February 25 - Airport Authority, 11:00 AM
@ Airport
Please note the Navy Liaison Committee
meets twice a year...1st meeting usually takes place in
the spring.
If you have not at this time
volunteered for any of the committees and would like to participate
this year, please click on the following link,
COMMITTEE REGISTRATION. This link will take you directly to the
sign up page on the AGC website.
If you have any questions or need
additional information, please contact
Brad Barnum, Vice President
Government Relations,
at 858-703-8158, or at
bbarnum@agcsd.org, or his assistant
RaeMarie Blaha at
858.558-7444 ext 110, or at
raemarie@agcsd.org.
Contractors Face New Laws in 2008
On January 1, all
legislation that was passed and signed into law last year will be
enacted. As a contractor and a company doing business in
California, several of these laws will have an impact on the way you
do business in 2008 and beyond.
We have
attached a five-page summary
from our Legislative Advocate in Sacramento that
provides a brief description of each
bill. The descriptions are not intended to cover every
aspect of the legislation – only the highlights.
If you have a specific
interest in any of the bills please access the Internet at
www.leginfo.ca.gov. Click on “Bill Information”, and under
“session” click on “(2007-2008) Current”, then type in the bill
number. If you have any questions or difficulty, please contact
Brad Barnum, Vice President Government Relations at 858-731-8158 or
e-mail at
bbarnum@agcsd.org.
Presidential Primary on February 5 - Please Register to Vote
California’s
Presidential Primary is just weeks away, so if you would like to
vote please read on.
February 5th is the
election date for the California Presidential Primary Election. This
election determines the delegates to the national convention and the
candidates they will represent.
After the summer political party conventions, the Presidential and
Vice Presidential candidates chosen by each party will be certified
and will appear on the November General Election ballot.
The Primary Election will also provide voters the opportunity to
vote on seven statewide propositions and five local propositions
from the City of Coronado, Poway Unified School District, Cajon
Valley Union School District and Rancho Santa Fe School District.
AGC will provide a “Voter Guide” to its members next week.
All registered voters in the County of
San Diego are eligible to vote. The last day to register to vote for
this election is Tuesday, January 22. Voter registration cards are
available at Post Offices, Department of Motor Vehicles and Library
buildings, as well as various City Clerk offices, and the Registrar
of Voters.
What are
the options for “Decline to State” voters? State law allows
unaffiliated voters the choice to request one of the following
ballots (aka: "crossover" voting) in this Presidential Primary
Election: 1) An official nonpartisan ballot containing the just the
measures, or 2) an official ballot for any party that has permitted
"unaffiliated" voters to vote for their candidates.
The American Independent Party and the California Democratic Party
are permitting unaffiliated voters to vote in their primary in the
February 2008 Election. Such voters may request only one party's
ballot. The ballot will contain the names of candidates for the
party selected PLUS the measures to be voted on (as applicable to
the voter's precinct).
The remaining political parties (Green, Libertarian, Peace & Freedom
and Republican) are not permitting the "Decline to State" voters to
participate in their Primary Election. The parties' determination on
"crossover" voting for the June 3 election will be made no later
than January 20.
Today, January 7, marks
the first day that you can vote early at the Register of Voters.
Simply go to 5201 Ruffin Road, Suite I, San Diego, 92123 between 8
AM and 5 PM Monday through Friday.
For more information, please call the
Registrar of Voters at
858-565-5800.
AGC
Tech Briefing…Looking for Additional Information?
In November of 2007, AGC’s Technology
Trends in Construction Committee hosted a Tech Briefing to a sell
out crowd. The event was moderated by
Ed Wenz,
Reno Contracting whom
also serves as the chair for this Committee. The format involved a
briefing from recognized experts in several different technology
areas.
Due to overwhelming interest in the
topics discussed at the event; below is the contact information for
presenters and the topics they discussed. Please contact them for
further information.
Robb Good,
NewPlot.com
A ComputerWorld Magazine Premier 100 IT Leader, & former VP &
Director of IT for Sundt
Construction
robb.good@NewPlot.com
Dennis Hall,
Presidio Design Build
Building Information Modeling (BIM)
dennishall@cox.net
Henry Purdy,
iSqFt
Digital Plan Distribution
hpurdy@isqft.com
Greg Duyka,
On Center
Software
On-Screen Takeoff
greg.duyka@oncenter.com
Nick Papadopoulos,
Eos Group
Estimating Systems
nickp@eosgroup.com
Ron Meler,
RW Meler Consulting
Scheduling and Project Management
rwmelerconsulting@cox.net
Steve Jordan,
EWA
Software
Paperless Technology
stevej@paperlessenvironments.com
Rob Slaughter,
J.R.
Filanc Construction
Hardware Systems and Networking
rslaughter@filanc.com
US
Concrete Precast Group’s Presentation
–
January 15th
US Concrete
Precast Group (formerly San Diego
Precast Concrete) cordially invites you to attend a presentation of
a precast concrete gravity retaining wall system that we are now
producing for Stone Strong Systems (www.stonestrong.com).
This presentation will be held at the AGC office at 6212 Ferris
Square, San Diego.
Stone
Strong is a large block gravity retaining wall system featuring a
base block that weighs 6,000 pounds, and requiring no tie-backs.
Lunch will be provided following the short presentation, which will
begin at noon on Tuesday, January
15, 2008. We will be done by 1 p.m. Please RSVP to the
undersigned by phone, fax, or e-mail no later than Friday, January
11th, so that lunch can be ordered. If you have any
questions prior to the presentation, please do not hesitate to
contact Dennis Wilkes.
Dennis
Wilkes
US Concrete Precast Group
(619) 921-8229
E-mail: dwilkes@us-concrete.com
Calendar of Upcoming AGC Safety and Education Classes
Please note:
***** Please register on-line for classes ******
Go to our website at
www.agcsd.org and click onto Calendar for either
Construction Education Classes or
Safety Training.
January
Jan 8 – Project Management
Workshop
Jan. 9 – Blueprint 103
Jan 9 – LEED
Jan 14 - OSHA 10 Hour
Jan 16 – OSHA Record
Keeping
Jan 22- Excel
Jan 25- On Screen
Takeoff
Jan 30- CPR/First Aid
Upcoming AGC Committee/Council rMeetings
All
meetings at AGC unless indicated otherwise
January
Jan. 16 - Public Building
at 7 a.m.
Jan. 16 - Affiliate Council
at 12 p.m.
Jan. 17 - Education & Training
at 11:30 a.m.
Jan. 25 - Technology Trends in
Construction at 7:00 a.m.
Jan 25 - Caltrans
meeting
@ SANDAG
at 7:30 am
Looking Ahead…Upcoming AGC Events
UPCOMING AGC EVENTS
2008 AGC Events
January 29- Installation Dinner- La Jolla Hyatt
February 7-10- Winter Conference- The Canyons Resort- Utah
Spring Conference in Cabo San
Lucas, Mexico – April 17-20, 2008 –click
here for brochure
