520 Attend AGC’s 80^th Annual Installation Dinner 

Tom Anderson was installed as the 80th President of the Associated General Contractors of America, San Diego Chapter, Inc. on Tuesday night at the Hilton, La Jolla Torrey Pines.  Tom is the Executive Vice President of Bergelectric Corporation and succeeds Thomas L. Brown, Sierra Pacific West, Inc. , John Daley, Jr., President of Daley Corporation was installed as the AGC’s Senior Vice President; Kevin Elliott, President and COO of Roel Construction Company, Inc. was installed as the Vice President; and Diane Keltner, President of Synergy Electric Company, Inc. was installed as the Association’s Secretary/Treasurer.

Five AGC members were installed as members of the AGC Board of Directors.  They are as follows:

General Engineering Contractor Positions – 5-Year Term
Mr. Mark Filanc, Executive Vice President, J.R. Filanc Construction Company, Inc.            
Mr. Thomas L. Brown, President, Sierra Pacific West, Inc.                                 

Specialty Contractor Positions   - 3-Year Term
Mr. Bill Haithcock, President, Casper Company                                         
Mrs. Diane Keltner, President, Synergy Electric Co.                                  

Affiliate Position     3-Year Term
Mr. Mike Carcioppolo, Product Support Manager, Hawthorne Equipment Co.    

In addition, Walt Fegley, Reno Construction, and Greg Becker, Cement Cutting, were nominated to the Board’s Executive Committee.      

Mike Furby, Marathon Construction,  Mitch Burch, Burch Construction, and Roger Casper, Casper Company, and Candace Friedman, Acme Safety & Supply  were recognized as retiring members of the Board.  Mike served for 10 years, Mitch served for 3years, Roger served for 9 years, and Candace served for 6 years.

The AGC’s Annual Installation Dinner is the opportunity for the Association to recognize members for outstanding achievement.  During the proceedings…..

60 men and women graduated from the AGC Apprenticeship and Training Trust…

33 members were recognized for completing the AGC’s second 26 week Project Management Course….

Daley Corporation,(Highway Division), Erickson Hall Construction Co (Municipal Division), Roel Construction Co., Inc (Building Division) and TB Penick & Sons (Building Division), were recognized for winning the AGC’s Construction Safety Excellence Award (CSEA) Competition.  Each firm will now go on to compete at the AGC of America’s national CSEA Competition.

The AGC Specialty Contractor’s Council also presented their annual awards:
The General Building Contractor of the Year: Roel Construction Co., Inc.
The General Engineering Contractor of the Year: J.R. Filanc Construction Co., Inc.
The Specialty Contractor of the Year: Casper Company 

The Affiliate Council also presented the following awards:
Affiliate Firm of the Year: EFCO
Affiliate Individual of the Year: Frank Gerberding, Active Graphix
Good Business Award:  Sierra Pacific West, Inc.
Rookie of the Year:  Steve Spellane, ABD Insurance
Excellence in Marketing: Casper Company 

The Retiring Committee Chairs were also recognized for their dedication and service to the AGC.
Mike Furby, Marathon Construction: General Engineering Contractor’s Council
Kevin Elliott, Roel Constructino Co., Inc.: Builders’ Exchange
John Nelson, FCI Constructors, Inc. – Caltrans Liaison
Ken Pilkington, Erreca’s,Inc.: Coutny of San Diego Liaison
Ron Harper, Sr., Harper Construction: Navy Liaison
Todd Gillum, Cox Construction Co.: Public Building Liaison
Alan Boyer, C.E. Wylie Construction Co.: San Diego Port District & Airport Authority
Tom Anderson, Bergelectric Corporation: Government Relations
Chris Coughlan, Alliant Insurance Services: Safety Committee
John Daley, Jr., Daley Corporation: Membership Committee
Nigel Cary, Cox Construction Co.: Mentor Protégé Program 

Finally, a highlight of the evening was the SIR Award (Skill, Integrity, and Responsibility) presented to Jack Filanc J.R. Filanc Construction Co.. This prestigious award has been awarded 20 times in the past 80 years.

AGC San Diego Chapter is one of the largest and strongest AGC Chapters in the United States.  The reason for this is easy to identify during the Annual Installation Dinner……this Chapter has a fully engaged and enthusiastic membership that understands that a strong AGC will benefit the construction industry.   

AGC would like to thank Hartford Bond for their sponsorship to the Installation Dinner. Without their sponsorship, the Installation would not have been the successful event that it was. Thank you Hartford Bond!

 

AGC San Diego Welcomes Public Officials to Monday Morning Quarterback

AGC’s Monday Morning Quarterback is now being distributed to over 150 additional key public officials that are involved in the construction process in San Diego County.  Welcome!!!   Monday Morning Quarterback is written by AGC Staff each weekend, and we are confident reading this newsletter will help keep you up to date on the important issues facing the industry each week.  Over 2,000 individuals in San Diego receive this newsletter each week…..we invite you to join those that send us their comments concerning articles in Monday Morning Quarterback.  If you would like to add your employees to this list,
contact Marcy Knopman, mknopman@agcsd.org.

 

2007 Key Issues for the San Diego Construction Industry
By Jim Ryan
AGC Executive Vice President 

Well….the excitement surrounding the Chargers seemed to extend the Holidays…at least for a couple of weeks.  It did appear that by last week the construction industry was finally ready to focus on 2007…..and so is the AGC.  There are a number of issues that are going to need the attention of the industry in 2007.

1. Diesel Emissions Standards….California Air Resources Board

At some point this year…probably in early to mid summer, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) will issue regulations that could be devastating to the entire construction industry….public entities…..fishing fleets…..any industry that utilizes diesel engines.  AGC and the Construction Industry Air Quality Coalition (CIAQC) have been working with CARB staff to make sure these regulations do not put the industry and the public entities in the state in a position that makes their entire fleets of off road equipment illegal.  But it appears that the proposed regulations that are “on the table” at this point could do just that.  AGC staff and a special AGC Task Force ( Scott Erreca, Erreca’s Inc; John Nelson, FCI Constructors; Steve Coker, TC Construction; Mike Carcioppolo, Hawthorne Equipment; Mike Furby, Marathon Construction; Mike Shaw, Perry and Shaw; John Daley, Jr., Daley Corporation; Jim Ryan  and Brad Barnum, AGC) are engaged on this extremely complicated issue.  We are confident you will be reading a great deal about diesel emissions in MMQB this year….pay attention…it is an important issue.

2. New Storm Water Regulations

Another article in this week’s MMQB provides a brief summary of the new Storm Water Permit that has been adopted by the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board (a 100+ page document!).  The regulations are in place…they are what they are…..but time will be needed for public agencies to implement the Permit and for the and the construction industry to adopt procedures and processes that actually comply with the Permit on construction sites.  Perhaps the real battle will take place between owners (including public entities) and the industry.  These regulations are difficult enough to comply with that the current practice of attempting to pass the liability for the storm water compliance to contractors is simply not going to work….contractors do not have the assets and resources to accept specifications in which the owner passes this whole problem on to contractors.

3. The City of San Diego

The City of San Diego has not been able to enter the bond market for over 3 years.  The City’s infrastructure is falling apart.  During the AGC Annual Meeting in December, Mayor Sanders seemed confident that KPMG, the City’s auditing firm would be able to issue audits for the past few years before the end of December.  It has not happened.  But when it does, is the City ready to handle the over $1 billion in projects that need to be built in the next several years.  After meetings last week with City officials, we are not confident that the City’s staff is ready for this type of activity.  This could be a real problem…and it needs to be addressed this year!!!

4. 2007 Labor Negotiations

During the last several years, the Southern California construction unions seemed to remember the devastation of the early – mid 1990’s and showed restraint in wage increases….that is until last year, when the Carpenters Union was able to negotiate a $2.25 per hour increase for each year of a 4 year agreement.  In 2007, AGC will negotiate the Operating Engineers Agreement, the Laborer’s Engineering Agreement, and the Teamsters Agreement……will the current and anticipated high level of construction be met in negotiations with a short term view or will the unions understand that their long term interests are best met with restraint?   Stay tuned.

5. Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Preference Programs….Will They Survive?

We are all familiar with the DBE requirements in public projects.  However, a court case in the 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals last year seems to send signals that these programs must prove discrimination has taken place before they can be implemented….and the case requires that the required participation percentage must be based on the discrimination that has taken place…not just a percentage that has been arrived at through a political compromise…..during 2007, this legal concept will be tested…..and perhaps finally reach a definable conclusion.

6. Training Craft Workers….Will Organized Labor Take Another Look?

As we move through 2007, a debate will intensify concerning the training of craft workers.  We all know the industry needs thousands of additional craft workers in the next several years….the construction workforce is aging, and in Southern California it appears that there will be a strong construction economy for a number of years.  Many, not all, of the Building Trades Unions, want to position the unions as the only source of apprenticeship training.  As open shop training programs become more sophisticated there is a debate concerning allowing them to expand outside the geographic area the state has approved for each program.  The unions seem to automatically object…..but…in an overheated construction market does it make sense to restrict open shop programs that can recruit and train workers that are needed when we all know there is no way the union programs have the capacity or resources to meet the demand.

This debate will intensify at the California Apprenticeship Council in 2007.

7. Design and Engineering Capacity

We also anticipate that during 2007 the industry is going to face an escalating shortage of design and engineering professionals.  This shortage has the potential to slow the progress of the construction projects that are ready to move forward.  It also has the potential to produce plans and specs that are of a lower quality than they should be….which creates a myriad of practical and legal problems on construction projects.

Anyway, 2007 will be just like any other year……it will produce challenges that must be met…and solved!!!!  Stay tuned….we guarantee the topics detailed in this article will be part of MMQB throughout the year!!!!   

 

Storm Water Permit Approved -  Watch Out for Increased Responsibilities and Costs!

 

Despite strong opposition from the construction industry, builders, the business community, and  a number of local public agencies, the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board voted 5-0 (only 5 of the 9 board members were present) last Wednesday to implement revisions to the Storm Water Permit that will require contractors to comply with additional on-site detainment, advance treatment, and grading requirements, will increase the inspection requirements for public agencies, and will dramatically increase the costs of construction projects.

 

AGC wrote a letter to the Board in October expressing our opposition, and 60 AGC members wrote letters to the Governor expressing concerns that his “political appointees” were making a premature decision.  The Board did not take into consideration the economic impact of its decision, because the revised Permit will cost local governments and taxpayers as much as $250 million over the next five years.  The Board should also have looked at the impact these new requirements will have on the numerous infrastructure bond measures recently passed by local and state voters, and on the future water and sewer projects in the City of San Diego – the proposed regulations will further erode the funds necessary for public agencies to build those projects. 

A copy of the Permit, including attachments and monitoring and reporting requirements, can be found at the Regional Board’s website,  http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/sandiego/programs/sd_stormwater.html.

Under the revised Permit, public agencies will have one year to review and update their grading and storm water ordinances.  It should be noted that construction projects currently underway will be exempted from these new requirements. 

AGC will be providing members a list of the specific requirements they can expect to see, and we will closely monitor how the public agencies will implement the requirements. 

 

 

U.S. Senate Passes Amendment to Debar Contractors for Immigration Violations – Call to Action!

 

Last week, the United States Senate passed an amendment (94-0) that would enforce debarment upon contractors found guilty of immigration violations.  Click here to write Senators Feinstein and Boxer and share your disappointment in this amendment.

 

Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) offered an amendment to the minimum wage bill (H.R. 2) that will implement an electronic employee eligibility verification system for employers; this verification has proven to be flawed.   Under this amendment, employers would be required to use this ineffective system to prove they hire legal employees, or face debarment.  This changes current law, which includes a ten-part test as well as an opportunity to fix the problem before facing debarment.  In addition, this amendment would debar contractors from federal projects for seven to ten years.  
 
AGC met with Senate staff to alert them to the industry’s opposition to this amendment and will work with staff to have this language removed in any final bill.  Not only should any verification system be considered in a larger immigration reform context, AGC strongly feels that debarment should not be   used as an enforcement tool.

 

For more information, contact Kelly Knott at (202) 547-4685 or knottk@agc.org or Marco Giamberardino at 703-837-5325 or giamberm@agc.org.

 

 

“811” Call Before You Dig to Launch This Year

 

In an effort to increase public awareness about the importance of having utility lines marked before digging, a new national one-call program will be launched in the coming months.  This federally-mandated "Call before You Dig" number, 811, was created to help protect individuals from unintentionally hitting underground utility lines while working on digging projects.  People digging often make risky assumptions about whether or not they should get their utility lines marked due to concerns about project delays, costs and previous calls about other projects.  These assumptions can be life-threatening.

 

Getting your lines marked is quick and easy with 811. When you dial 811, your call is forwarded to the One Call Center in your area for processing.  Local One Call Center operators record the location of the dig and then notify the affected utility companies of your digging plans.  Your utility companies then dispatch a professional locating crew to mark the approximate location of your lines within a few days.

 

You should be sure to call 811 a few days in advance of your scheduled dig to allow time for the request to be processed.  Once your lines are marked, you will know their approximate location and you can dig safely.  Knowing what's below will protect you, your family and your neighbors.

 

Here are some quick answers to two of the most frequently asked questions about 811:

 

Question:  Why should I call 811 before every dig?

Answer:  Don't gamble with your safety - if you're a professional excavator or a homeowner, smart digging always requires a call to 811.  Knowing where underground utility lines are buried before you dig will help protect you from injury and prevent damages to utilities, service disruptions, potential fines, and repair costs.

 

Question:  I've called my local "Call before You Dig" number before - will 811 replace this service?

Answer:  No, 811 will not replace your local one call number.  The One Call process will remain the same and continue to notify your local affected utility companies, who will continue to mark your underground lines for free.  With more than 62 local one call numbers across the country, 811 eliminates the confusion of multiple "Call Before You Dig" numbers by providing one national number you can call to get your lines marked.

 

You may be wondering exactly who is behind the 811 campaign?  The answer to your question is the Common Ground Alliance (CGA).  AGC is a member of CGA, which is the leading association created specifically to work with all industry stakeholders in an effort to prevent damage to underground utility infrastructure and ensure public safety and environmental protection.  For more information on the program, please visit www.call811.com.

 

WEBLINK 

Interested in having a weblink on the AGC’s website? It is only $60 /year to have your company’s website linked directly on AGC’s website and listed under “Member Listings.”  Start off 2007 with an easy and simple way to get more “hits” on your website. – Click here for registration form: http://www.agcsd.org/members/membership.htm

 

Get Ready for the First AGC Mixer for 2007

 The AGC Affiliate Council is proud to announce and host the first AGC mixer of the year! As in previous years, the Mixer will be held at Dave & Buster’s in Mission Valley located at 2931 Camino del Rio North, San Diego, CA  92108 (619) 280-7155, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2007, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM.

The Platinum Sponsors for this event are: ABD Insurance, Hawthorne Machinery Company, KPS Insurance Services, Marks Golia & Finch, LLP and San Diego Precast.  The attached registration form also lists our additional sponsors. 

All sponsors will receive:
·         Their company name prominently displayed on a banner in the Showroom
·         Company can display brochures, product samples, promotional materials, etc.  Platinum level sponsors will be given choice table placement by the entrance and bar areas.
·         Sponsors will have the opportunity to incorporate their company logos into a running visual presentation slideshow.

To become a sponsor for this event, please complete the attached sponsor form.  There are different levels of sponsorship available.  Typically, the first mixer has the largest attendance, so this will be a great opportunity to mingle for all who attend.  As in the past, the Affiliate’s Mixer will be held at Dave & Buster’s in Mission Valley. To ensure we do not exceed the maximum room capacity, members must pre-register by completing the attached form! For additional information, contact Rae Krushensky at 858-731-8175.

 

AGC Committee Sign-ups

Members may still sign up to join any of the AGC committees. Please click on the following link, which will take you directly to the registration page on our website:  http://www.agcsd.org/aboutagc/committeevolunteer.php. 

If you have any questions or need additional information please contact Brad Barnum at 858-558-7444 (ext 103) or at bbarnum@agcsd.org.

 

National AGC Safety Awards (NASA)

By Sam Iler, AGC Safety Director

 

Hello members, it’s that time of the year again. The Annual National AGC Safety Awards (NASA’s) are here again. These awards are based on statistical data that is compared with a national average. All it requires is your OSHA 300 log completed for 2006, and 5 minutes of your time to enter the information at

http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB2259KVJY77H

 

Remember, in order to receive an award, your company must participate for 3 consecutive years, and be below the national average for lost workdays and recordable incidents for your classification of work. The deadline to enter is January 31. Don’t forget to post your 300A at your office and or jobsites (the summary, not the actual log) starting February 1^st.

 

If you have questions on how to complete your 300 log, be sure and sign up for our 300log classes, January 25^th and February 14^th.  Don’t forget to enter the NASA’s by the end of the month!

 

“AGC Education &  Training….Building a solid Foundation” 

January classes
Jan. 31 – CPR/First Aid – 8 AM-12 PM at AGC

Register on Line
For Education classes click on the following link: http://www.agcsd.org/calendar/calendar.htm
For Safety Training classes click on the link: http://www.agcsd.org/calendar/safetytraining.htm

February classes        
Feb 1- STP – 7 AM
Feb 2 – Project Management – 3:00 PM
Feb. 7 – Deferred Compensation Planning – 11:30 AM
Feb. 8 – STP- 7 AM
Feb 8 – EM 385-1 – 7 AM
Feb. 13 – Sure Trak Manager – 7:30 AM
Feb. 14 – Sure Trak Day 2- 7:30 AM
Feb. 14- CPM Scheduling
Feb 14 – OSHA Record Keeping – 9:00 AM
Feb. 15 - STP- 7 AM
Feb. 15 - Project Management – 3:00 PM
Feb. 20 – Intro to Basic Computers – 8 AM
Feb 21 – Trenching & Excavating – 7 AM
Feb. 21 – Fails Management Institute presents: Understanding How to Lead and Develop the Next Generation” by Ron Magnus
Feb. 22 – STP – 7 AM
Feb. 27 – WEBCM – 7:30 AM
Feb. 28 – Green Bldg Workshop- 10:30 AM
Feb. 28 – SWPPP – 7:30 AM
Feb. 28 – CPR/First Aid – 8 AM

Please Note: AGC Office Will be Closed for President’s Day – Feb. 19th

Coming in March, 2007....
March 8 and March 9 – AGC of America and OSHA present “Focus Four Hazards in the Construction Industry” - Only 50 spots available each day.

Go to our website http://www.agcsd.org/calendar/safetytraining.htm for a registration. (Please note: AGC of America in Virginia is handling the registrations)

 

Obscure Factoid: Who Knew?

Tootsie Rolls were introduced in 1896 by Leo Hirshfield; he named them after his daughter whose nickname was “Tootsie.”

 

February Meetings – Dates subject to change
Feb 5 – Port Liaison @ Port – 11:30 AM
Feb. 7 – Government Relations @ AGC – 8:30 AM
Feb. 7 – Safety Committee @ AGC – 7 AM
Feb. 12 – City of San Diego Liaison @ AGC – 1PM
Feb. 14 – Public Building @ AGC – 7 AM
Feb. 15 – Specialty Contractors’ Council @ AGC – 11 AM
Feb. 16 – Builders’ Exchange  @ AGC – 7 AM
Feb. 21 – County Liaison @ AGC – 1:00 PM
Feb. 22 – Affiliate Members Council @ AGC – 12PM
Feb. 26 – Airport Authority @ Airport – 11AM

 

February 8-11, 2007 – Winter Conference in Lake Tahoe
February 27 – AGC Mixer at Dave & Busters- 5:00 PM