We’re firing up on all cylinders these days, ranging from getting work zone safety legislation moving in the Carolinas to offering new member awards again to expecting 900 attendees for our ’24 Summer Summit & Expo in Myrtle Beach. Also, look for new Carolinas AGC billboards to be popping up promoting our education and training programs.

Here’s what you need to know:

In South Carolina, the Work Zone Safety Legislation requested by Carolinas AGC has passed the SC House, and after clearing Senate committees, was expected to be approved and sent to the Governor soon. This legislation would direct the SC DMV to establish a construction work zone safety training program, requiring first-time drivers to get related work zone training as part of the current eight-hour driver training course. After the N.C. General Assembly convenes April 24, CAGC will be working to get similar work zone safety legislation in place.

Over 400 construction professionals from across the Carolinas already have registered for the Carolinas' biggest annual construction event — our 2024 Summit & Expo. Although the CAGC room block has sold out, there are still plenty of hotels with availability nearby. A limited number of sponsorships and expo booths remain. Visit www.cagc.org to register.

Look for CAGC Billboards to be in the Charlotte, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Wilmington, Morehead City, and the Burlington areas this spring. The billboards will promote our CAGC Construction Business Academies and our Construction Boot Camps.

We have almost 300 Young Leader Members and growing! There are tons of opportunities throughout the Carolinas for the YL’s to meet! Make sure you are getting your 45 and under employees involved today!

Membership continues the outstanding growth trajectory, reaching over 800 member companies. 2024 Q1 CAGC signed 41 New Members to the membership, and our retention rates routinely outperform industry average. CAGC continues to bring new benefits and value to our membership. Members are requesting information on the New CAGC Association Health Plan as well as additional member benefits to help realize their ROI. If you plan to attend any of our 100+ meetings and events each year in both states, please register early as our events fill up quickly.

We already have 25 companies signed up for our CAGC Association Health Plan, with many others eyeing potential savings for health benefits.

Our Youturn Health Member Benefit, also just begun in 2024, has signed up a half dozen companies, including Carolinas AGC. Youturn Health provides resources to help employees and their family members struggling with mental health, stress, anxiety, depression, substance use, addiction, and suicidal ideation.

Spring CAGC Construction Bootcamp courses at community colleges across the Carolinas are starting soon including Catawba Valley Community College. Visit our website for more information: www.cagc.org/constructionbootcamp. Our Goldsboro Construction Business Academy has built great momentum with 12 businesses and 21 leaders represented from these businesses.

For our Foundation, we recently presented a $150,000 check to the family of CJ Bryant from the Berry Jenkins Memorial Work Zone/Job Site Safety Fund.

We recently held a successful HR Safety conference with record attendance of 150 attendees.

Legislatively, in North Carolina, we will work with the North Carolina Department of Transportation and the legislature to pass legislation to allow Progressive Design-Build to be used on five projects and to increase the number of Construction Manager General Contractor jobs that can be performed and to allow these alternative delivery methods to be used on any sized project.

On the national level, kudos to Ty Edmondson for recently testifying on Capitol Hill on important construction issues as well as receiving the AGCA BOD President’s Award for Exemplary Service. Also noteworthy, Dave Simpson, CAGC President & CEO, was named to a two-year term on the AGC BOD as Chair Elect for AGC’s Executive Leadership Council.

At the recent AGC Convention in San Diego, an impressive number of CAGC members received AGC National Safety Awards. Visit www.cagc.org for winners and details.

For utility contractors, CAGC is partnering with NC 811 and other stakeholders to draft revisions to the NC 811 law. Also, CAGC is partnering with NUCA and the Common Ground Alliance to promote excavator use of the DIRT reporting tool.

CAGC continues to offer NC Licensing CE opportunities for general contractors — 15 online and in-person.

CAGC offers Lunch & Learns:

• "Addressing Labor Shortages & Creating Career Pathways in Commercial Construction" will offer solutions to the pressing issue of labor shortages and insights into the current landscape of workforce challenges.
• "Navigating AI Opportunities & Challenges" will explore the top five strategies to prepare for and incorporate AI in your construction-related endeavors.
• "Meeting the Needs of your Spanish-Speaking Employees, How?" will give supervisors, crew leaders, project managers, HR managers, and superintendents alike the opportunity to share challenges and receive insights on real solutions that will help your team function better, now.
• "Building Safe Environments: How to Spot Dangerous People in the Construction Industry and Beyond" prepares the construction professional on how to recognize causes, warning signs, and triggers of dangerous people to mitigate risks and foster safe environments. Phil Chalmers is the instructor and is a true crime writer and criminal profiler.

Microsoft for the Construction Industry: Online - real time classes: Excel 1 & 2, Excel for HR, & Outlook Time Savers.

On-Demand offerings - 10+ and adding monthly

We offer Private Training on site & a Training Concierge Service where we can help you locate hard to find training opportunities.

In all, we are offering over 100 training opportunities in 2024.

Dave Simpson, CAE, CAGC President & CEO, who has been with the association since April 1989, can be reached at dsimpson@carolinasagc.org.