AGC San Diego Chapter

AGC’s Monday Morning Quarterback is designed to give you a quick, to the point, Monday morning briefing on the important issues facing San Diego’s construction industry (posted on the website Tuesday). Monday Morning Quarterback is prepared each weekend by AGC Executive Vice President Jim Ryan and Director of Government Relations, Brad Barnum to insure that the information contained in Monday Morning Quarterback is “hot off the press.”

AGC San Diego Build San Diego Award Winners

Just over 400 AGC members and guests attended the AGC’s Build San Diego Awards Luncheon on Thursday November 1^st. The event was sponsored by RSM McGladrey, an AGC member specializing in auditing, tax and consulting for the construction industry. The guests included many of San Diego’s political leaders as well as key individuals from both the public and private sector that are involved in the construction process. Build San Diego was initiated in the early 1990’s as an event that would highlight the construction industry and its importance to the San Diego area. The event is also an opportunity for the AGC membership to be recognized by their peers for outstanding work on the many complex projects completed each year by AGC San Diego members.

Judges for this year’s Build San Diego were:

·         John Economides – Director of Engineering, San Diego County Water Authority
·         Tony Fulton- University Architect, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering- SDSU
·         Colin Milberg – Assistant Professor, J.R. Filanc Construction Engineering & Management Program- SDSU
·         Hossein Ruhi – Chief Deputy Director, Field Engineering Division, City of San Diego

AGC President Tom Anderson and past AGC Presidents Jack Filanc, Doug Barnhart, and Jeff Scheidel honored three of the judges with plaques recognizing them for their long-term contributions to the industry. Tony Fulton, John Economides, and Hussein Ruhi have all announced their retirements.

The judges reviewed a record number of entries this year. They selected 29 finalists from the entries received and presented 6 Build San Diego Awards, 9 Merit Awards, and 3 Special Recognition Awards.

The 29 Finalists were recognized in a 22 page 4-color magazine. The magazine was sponsored by Barney and Barney, LLC, Polycomp Administrative Services, and Marks, Golia & Finch, LLP. This magazine will be sent to the AGC membership and to several thousand businesses and political leaders in the San Diego area. It is an excellent publication that details the tremendous contribution our industry makes to the San Diego area. Thank you to Marcy Knopman, AGC’s Director of Communications, for doing such a nice job on the magazine.

In addition, Reo Carr the Associate Publisher of the San Diego Business Journal volunteered his time to serve as the Master of Ceremonies for the event. Mike Caples of Contractor News and Views volunteered his time to serve as the event’s photographer.

Building Construction- Public Work
Build San Diego Award Winner: Barnhart, Inc.- Lincoln High School project

Merit Awards:
CW Driver- Grossmont College Science Building
McCarthy Const. Co. - UCSD Student Academic Services Facility
Clark Construction- Calif. Dept of Trans Dist. II Headquarters

Building Construction- Private Work
Build San Diego Award Winner: Hensel Phelps- Smart Corner

Merit Awards:
Roel Construction- Qualcomm, Inc. - Building N
Legacy Building Services- Liberty Station Marketplace
Reno Contracting- DiamondView Tower

Unique Small Project – Public Work
Build San Diego Award Winner: Sierra Pacific West, Inc.- Fletcher Cove Park

Unique Small Project- Private Work
Build San Diego Award Winner: Casper Co.- Sea World Shamu Upgrade

Heavy/ Highway Construction
Build San Diego Award Winner: FCI Constructors, Inc.- Interstate 15 Reconstruction at Mercy Road

Merit Award:
TC Construction- 450 Recycled Water Reservoir + 680 Recycled Water Pump Station

Unique Special Project
Build San Diego Award Winner: R.A. Burch Construction Co.- P-751 Squadron Operations Facility

Merit Awards:
PCL Construction Services, Inc.- Glorietta Bay Civic Center & Promenade
FCI Constructors, Inc.- Resurface Runway -9-27 & Taxiway B

The Special Build San Diego Awards were presented to:
Soltek Pacific- Renovation and Expansion of the AGC – San Diego Facility on Ferris Square
Bogh Construction- Interior and Exterior Renovation and Remodel of AGC’s Apprenticeship Training Facility in Riverside
Barnhart, Inc. – Junior Achievement “BizTown” Project in San Diego

Plan ahead…the next Build San Diego Awards will be awarded in November of 2009 for projects completed between September 1, 2007, and September 1, 2009.

AGC Tech Briefing…..Trends, Standards, and Best Practices in Construction Technology near Sellout…..Register Now!!!!

Only 30 more seats are available for this event, which is detailed below. Evidently your competitors will be here…..learning how to get ahead of you!!!! Register now….or watch your competitors pass you in this ever changing technological environment!!!!!

Are you going to be in Business in 5-10 Years?
By Jim Ryan, AGC Executive Vice President

I remember a building contractor in the Midwest during the late 1980’s that had a prosperous construction firm. He stated in a meeting that his firm would never secure work through any method except the competitive bid system, and that they would never use estimating software or spreadsheets, etc., on bid day…..they wanted to continue to use pads and pencils….to make sure they “understood “ the totals and what was included.

They were out of business in 1997…after 30 years. They refused to adapt to change, and they refused to accept new technologies.

On Wednesday November 14^th from 8 am-1 pm, the AGC San Diego Technology Trends in Construction Committee is holding a forum entitled “Trends, Standards, and Best Practices in Construction Technology.” This forum will present excellent overviews of the following technological trends that are emerging in our industry:

Let me explain something….the contractor in the Midwest that “penciled” his firm out of business in about 10 years would not last 3 years in today’s market. Technologies are changing so fast that the effect of not adopting new technologies is critical to your survival today. If you ignore these innovations, your competitors will fly by you as if you are standing still.

An example…..if you are an owner, and have the option of selecting a contractor that can offer BIM, Building Information Modeling, as part of the contractor’s service compared to the contractor that says …”We build them per the plans and specs” regardless of how the plans and specs work…..which contractor are you going to select.?

Oops…you are not sure what BIM is……that is a problem….you had better attend!!!!

If you are a subcontractor that still picks up plans and specs at the general’s office because you have always done it that way….and you do not want anything sent to you digitally ……you had better attend. I suspect few GC’s or owners will be distributing plans and specs in this manner in a few years…many do not now!!! In addition, if you are not even considering On-Screen Takeoff…..say, “Hi!” to that contractor from the Midwest….you will soon be sharing the same space!!!

If you are a general or a subcontractor that pushes thousands of pieces of paper through your office and seem to always have trouble finding this invoice or that invoice …probably because someone has stuck it in their desk until they can straighten it out……you are a candidate for a paperless office. Imagine….having one person in you office that will know where every invoice is in the system simply by calling it up on a computer screen….imagine an entire paper trail of a project all accessible in seconds on you computer…organized to your specification. Hmmm…that might help make you more efficient….and guess what….your competitor is adopting this technology right now….and will soon be looking at you in a rear view mirror!!!!

The point is……you simply cannot ignore the dramatic advances in technology that are available in our industry today…..if you do, you probably will not be around tomorrow!!!

And best of all….the committee has detailed seminars for each of these areas planned during the next several months…..attend this event….see what applies best for your firm….and attend the in depth session in future weeks.

Please do not hesitate to contact Mandy Parent, Data Net Solutions, Inc., 760-466-1200, mparent@4datanet.com, Jessica Kovack, AGC Staff, 858-874-8560 Ext. 11, jessica@agcsd.org, or Ed Wenz, Reno Contracting, 619-220-0224, edwenz@renocon.com, should you have any questions or need additional information.

IMPORTANT! AGC- San Diego Chapter’s 2008 Membership Directory Listing

DIRECTORY DEADLINE EXTENSION: November 9, 2007

We are in the process of compiling your company information for the 2008 AGCSD Membership Directory.

Please click on this link to make any necessary changes to your company’s listings. You may also access this form by going to www.agcsd.org... Click on Member Listings, then click Membership Update Listings.

If you do not have a copy of last year’s directory and would like to review your listing, please contact Marcy Knopman, Director of Communications at 858-731-8162, or e-mail mknopman@agcsd.org

If there are no changes to update since last year, kindly e-mail Marcy to let her know you would like your listing to remain the same.

Thank you for taking a few minutes to update this important information.

Advertising in the Directory:

For more information on advertising, please contact Jason White, Naylor, LLC, 800-369-6220 x 6970 or JaWhite@naylor.com

President Bush Vetoes $23 Billion of Water Projects / Call to Action for Veto Override

Last Friday, President Bush vetoed H.R. 1495, the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 (WRDA), $23 billion of projects that would have fostered economic development, facilitated trade and commerce, rebuilt environmentally sensitive areas, aided international competitiveness, stimulated employment, provided water recreation opportunities, enhanced agricultural and industrial productivity, and augmented our national defense.

WRDA includes over $1.3 billion in authorizations for 54 flood control, ecosystem restoration, navigation, and other water projects in California including:

· $444 million to improve, strengthen, and expedite Sacramento’s flood control protection at Folsom Dam

· $40 million to establish a statewide program for critical water quality infrastructure in California

· $1.6 million for the ongoing comprehensive flood protection program in Petaluma

It’s been seven years since the Water Resources Development Act has been reauthorized, and it would have gone a long way to reprioritize and invest in a comprehensive program to properly maintain, and repair and replace our critical infrastructure.

Call to Action: The President’s veto needs to be overridden, and AGC of America needs our help! Simply CLICK HERE follow the directions, and a letter will be sent to your Congressional Representative and to Senators Boxer and Feinstein urging them to support an override of the veto and the enactment of H.R. 1495 into law.

On November 15, the California State Coastal Commission is poised to consider a proposed $300 million desalinization plant that is in its final stages of approval. The plant, which is needed to offset the unreliability of imported water, will produce 50 million gallons per day (56,000 acre-feet per year) of drought-proof water (enough annually for 300,000 San Diegans). The project will generate up to 2,100 construction jobs and 400 new permanent jobs for local workers, and it will generate $2.0 million per year of tax revenue for infrastructure improvements in the Coastal Zone.

A recent staff report from the Coastal Commission recommends rejecting the proposal by Poseidon Resources, the developer of the project, stating that it “would cause significant adverse impacts to marine life and water quality in Agua Hedionda Lagoon and in near-shore ocean waters.” Poseidon counters that the plant will maintain, restore and enhance marine resources, biological productivity and recreational opportunities. Over six years of environmental research has been conducted by leading experts, who have concluded the project can be built without harming the coastal environment, specifically the Agua Hedionda Lagoon

Stay tuned for a potential “Call to Action”…the Coastal Commission needs to hear that this is an important project!

NOVEMBER
Nov. 6 – Meetings & Events Committee Meeting- 11:30 AM
Nov 6 – Foundation for Success Meeting- 12 PM
Nov. 7 – Public Building Liaison Meeting – 7 AM
Nov. 7 – Safety Committee Meeting – 7 AM
Nov. 8 – AGC Board of Directors Meeting – 7 AM
Nov. 13 – Navy Liaison Meeting – 11:30 AM
Nov. 15- Affiliate Members Council- 12 PM
Nov. 20 – Human Resources Practices Meeting – 11 AM

AGC Toastmasters- Every other Wednesday- 7 AM at the Roel Training Center. Click here

For more information, please contact the President of Toastmasters for AGC, Mandy Parent at mparent@4datanet.com

UPCOMING AGC EVENTS
November 14 – AGC Tech Briefing 8AM-1PM
December 1- Holiday Dinner Dance- Hotel del Coronado
December 13- Annual Meeting- Hilton Mission Bay
January 29- Installation Dinner- La Jolla Hyatt

SAVE THE DATE – 2008
Spring Conference in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico – April 17-20, 2008 –click here for brochure