AGC San Diego Wins the AGC of America Chapter Diversity Award

this Morning

By Jim Ryan, AGCSD Executive Vice President

 

The AGC of America’s Equal Business Access Committee awarded the AGC San Diego Chapter the AGC of America’s Chapter Diversity Award this morning during the AGC of America’s 89th Annual Convention in Las Vegas.  The Diversity Award is presented annually to the AGC chapter that the Committee believes does the most of all AGC chapters to promote diversity in the construction industry.

 

AGC-SD 2007 President Tom Anderson, Bergelectric (2^nd from left); 2008 President John Daley Jr., Daley Corporation (far right);  AGC-SD Senior Vice President Kevin Elliott, Roel Construction (far left); accepted the award for the chapter from Steve Massie, 2007 AGC of America President, which included a $10,000 check from AGC of America.

 

AGC-SD’s submission for the award detailed the chapter’s 20+ year history of encouraging diversity in the industry.  The submission made it very clear that during this period, this chapter consistently resisted the “feel good” public relations style diversity programs that often achieve nothing.  Instead, the chapter took a long-term view of achieving diversity in the San Diego construction industry that included the following efforts:

 

#1  AGC-SD Apprenticeship and Training Trust

 

This Trust was formed in 1988 and immediately opened its doors to individuals from all backgrounds.  The Trust’s initial Executive Director was Leo Garcia, a Hispanic who had tremendous experience in working with under-represented groups in the construction industry.  Through Leo’s initial efforts, the Trust became known as an inclusive program that was “color blind.”  Over the past 20 years, over 75% of all apprentices in training through the Trust have been non-Caucasian or female.  Many of these individuals now have leadership and ownership roles within the industry.

 

It was always recognized that successful contractors usually know how to build something.  The Trust recognized this and solved the problem. The popular publicity-oriented diversity programs seem to forget this basic fact.  That model seems to indicate that knowing how to build something is not that important !

 

#2  Membership Diversity

 

Just over 80 AGC-SD firms are owned or managed by minorities or females.  A huge increase over 1988….knowing how to build something actually worked!

 

#3  Foundations for Success Committee

 

2007 AGC-SD President Tom Anderson founded the AGC-SD Foundation for Success Committee.  This committee has established the basis within the AGC San Diego to ensure that diversity is a long-term commitment of the chapter and part of the chapter’s culture.  Tom’s vision was to make sure that the San Diego Construction industry does everything possible to continually tap the minority/female populations in our area in order to bring new and talented individuals to the industry each and every year. 

 

This year, the committee sponsored eight scholarships to minority/female students to attend the SDSU J.R. Filanc Construction Engineering and Management Program in the School of Engineering.  All eight students were graduates of the AGC sponsored Construction Tech Academy.  In addition, the committee sponsored a summer jobs program for CTA students that included transportation to and from the AGC member office/job site.

 

The committee will add more programs with the same goal each year.

 

#4  BizTown…Junior Achievement

 

The Chapter also became a major sponsor for the Junior Achievement’s “BizTown” Project.  Each year, over 12,000 fifth grade students will go through BizTown.  AGC is making sure that all students, regardless of their background, are encouraged to enter the industry as a career.

 

#5  Diverse Staff

 

AGC San Diego has a very large and a very diverse staff…over 30% are minority.

 

#6  Mentor Protégé Program

 

AGC is in the 7^th year of this very successful program, which was initially chaired by Nigel Cary, Cox Construction, and is now chaired by Dave Carlin, Soltek Pacific.  Four firms have graduated from the program, which teams an established contractor with an emerging contractor for three years.  The established contractor works on a regular basis with the emerging firm to ensure that the emerging firm understands the basics that make a successful construction firm.

 

In summary...AGC’s Board’s over the past three decades has had a long-term plan to bring diversity to the construction industry…this plan is working because of the hard work of the emerging contractors and the hard work of the AGC membership.  There is no magic potion that brings diversity to our industry.  It requires good old-fashioned hard work and dedication.  AGC San Diego is proud of its role in providing the opportunity for the diverse individuals and firms that have participated in our programs and classes.

 

Congratulations to the entire membership!!!

 

 

 

SUMMER JOBS PROGRAM by the Foundation for Success Committee 
By Chair Carlos Gonzalez, Clark Construction

AGC's Foundation for Success Committee was formed to create more opportunities to expose students to the construction industry.  Last year, the Committee organized a Summer Jobs Program that teamed 10 high school students from Construction Tech Academy (CTA) with AGC member firms for eight weeks.  The students (juniors and seniors) worked 40 hours per week and earned $12 an hour.  Transportation was provided by AGC through Cloud 9 Shuttle.

The Committee will organize a Summer Jobs Program again this summer (6/23 through 8/15), and we are looking for participating AGC members that are looking for summer students.  This year, in collaboration with ACE Mentor, we will expand the program beyond CTA , and are looking to place a total 12 to 18 students.

Participating companies will hire the students as their employees at the $12 per hour rate, and will contribute $1,000 towards transportation.  Interested companies need to complete the application (click here) by April 4th.

 

 

 

San Diego City Council to Vote on Lead Hazard Prevention and

Control Ordinance

 

On Tuesday, the San Diego City Council will consider a comprehensive lead ordinance designed to prevent lead poisoning through lead-safe housing and lead-safe work practices.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified lead poisoning as the number one preventable health problem affecting children.  The most common lead-poisoning cases are a result of exposure to lead-contaminated dust from chipping and peeling paint, and from home improvement projects, which disturb or remove lead paint in an unsafe manner. 

 

Approximately 70% of San Diego’s housing was built prior to 1979, the year lead was banned from paint.  Inspections between March 2003 and June 2007 revealed an alarming rate of lead hazards (over 89% of the 1,464 residential structures inspected contained lead hazards). 

 

Over the last several years, the City’s Lead Poisoning Prevention Advisory Taskforce (AGC was a member), Environmental Services Department, and Neighborhood Code Compliance Department, and the City Attorney’s Office, have worked together to develop the ordinance, which has five key requirements intended to prevent lead poisoning:

 

·     =    Requiring renovators to use lead-safe work practices when disturbing lead paint on pre-1979

             housing and other structures;

·     =    Requiring property owners to correct lead hazards in pre-1979 housing after notice of the lead hazard;

·     =    Requiring property owners to perform visual inspection and correction of presumed lead hazards prior to

             re-occupancy of a vacant rental unit;

·     =    Requiring home improvement/water pressure equipment rental stores to make available lead education

             material to customers; and

·     =    Requiring that childcare facilities obtain proof of blood lead testing at enrollment.

 

For the most part, the AGC membership will be unaffected by these new work safe practice rules as most members doing lead abatement/remediation work will be doing so under a different and more stringent set of work regulations.

 

Implementing the program will cost money, and a regulatory fee of $31 will be added to the permit fee for specific Building and Demolition/Removal Permits (residential room addition, residential remodel, non-residential addition/alterations, commercial tenant improvement, and demolition/removal permit).  The fee has been established for education, outreach, and enforcement, and will be effective 60 days after the effective date of the ordinance.

 

It should be noted that an issue of contention has arisen between the San Diego Association of Realtors and the Environmental Health Coalition over a proposed mandate to inspect lead paint at the “point of sale” of homes built prior to January 1, 1978, and mitigation for any paint related hazards.  This issue will be in the forefront as the City Council considers the lead paint ordinance.

 

 

House and Senate Committees Approve Budget Blueprint, Propose Additional Infrastructure Spending and Fix to Highway Trust Fund

 

Last week, the House and Senate Budget Committees approved budget resolutions for fiscal year 2009 that would provide increases in infrastructure spending above the amounts proposed in the President’s budget request to Congress, which included a 2.86% reduction from the levels enacted last year.  While the budget requests substantial increases in defense and national security related accounts, cuts were recommended for most non-defense construction spending. 

 

The Senate resolution proposes to fully fund the highway, safety and transit programs authorized in the federal highway funding program, as well as fix the projected Highway Trust Fund deficit in fiscal year 2009.  The Senate resolution also proposes to provide almost $9 billion more than the president’s request for transportation, water and energy infrastructure, including an additional $6.5 billion for transportation projects and $3.5 billion for “ready-to-go” transportation projects to help stimulate the economy. 

 

The House resolution also proposes to fully fund the federal highway funding program’s guaranteed levels for highways and transit, and rejects other cuts to federal construction accounts in the President’s budget, such as for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.   

 

The annual Congressional budget resolution establishes a non-binding blueprint for the upcoming appropriations process. 

 

For more information, contact Karen Bachman at bachmank@agc.org or (202) 547-4733. 

 

 

The AGC Spring Golf Tournament- Monday, May 12 – 100% Golfers & Sponsorships Sold!

 

As we have indicated on Thursday, March 26, the AGC Golf Tournament is completely sold out.

 

We do have a waiting list started, so members can still send in their registration forms.  Keep in mind that the tournament is 9 weeks away and plans can very well change by then.  If a cancellation comes in, we will go to the waiting list to fill the open spots.

 

We are also extremely pleased to announce that all of the sponsorship opportunities for the tournament are sold out, with the exception of raffle prize sponsors. 

 

We believe that this is the first time in the Spring Golf history that the golf and the sponsors have filled within one week’s time.  Thank you to everyone who has participated.  We will post a complete sponsor list within the coming weeks.

 

Members who would like to contribute a raffle prize or donate to the raffle prize fund can complete the form attached.  Sponsor names will be announced during the raffle prize drawing at the dinner banquet after golf.  We suggest to those that are contributing an actual prize to attach your business card to the item.  This will remind the winners of your generosity. 

 

Contact Rae Krushensky at 858-731-8157 or at raek@agcsd.org with any questions.

 

Special thanks to Casper Company, Rossin Steel, Inc. and Marks Golia & Finch, LLP as our Major Sponsors!

 

 

MMQB e-mail list

 

If you know of other employees in your company who would be interested in receiving AGC San Diego’s Monday Morning Quarterback, please fill out the form (click here), and fax to (858) 558-8444.

 

AGC's Monday Morning Quarterback, is a "hot off the press” and to the point Monday morning briefing on the important issues facing San Diego's construction industry.  It is prepared by AGC Executive Vice President Jim Ryan, and Vice President Government Relations, Brad Barnum. 

 

 Well over 2,000 individuals employed by AGC member firms are part of this system.

 

If you would like to be a MMQB guest writer, please contact Brad Barnum at bbarnum@agcsd.org.

 

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.

 

March 11- Project Engineering – 7:30 a.m.

March 13-14 - EM 385-1 – 7:00 a.m.

March 18 - Project Management – 3:00 p.m.

March 19 – Confined Space Training – 6:45 a.m.

March 19 – Prevailing Wage – 9:30 a.m.

March 20 – Financial Management Workshop – 11:00 a.m.

March 25-26- CQM- 7:30 a.m.

March 25- Excel -8:00 a.m.

March 26- 27 – Timberline – 7:30 a.m.

March 26- CPR/First Aid Training – 8:00 a.m.

 

All meetings at AGC unless indicated otherwise
 

March

March 21 – Education & Training Committee meeting-  11:30 a.m.

March 26– Government Relations Committee meeting – 10:00 a.m.

March 26 – PAC Committee meeting – 11:30 a.m.

March 28 – Technology Trends in Construction meeting – 7:00 a.m.

 

If you are interested in signing up for a committee, CLICK HERE

 

 

 

UPCOMING AGC EVENTS
 

2008 AGC Events
March 10-14 – AGC of America Convention in Las Vegas

Spring Conference in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico – April 17-20, 2008 – Click here for brochure

May 12- Spring Golf

June 10- Baseball Bash

July 18- Day at the Races