ABC Elects 2020 National Chair, Executive Committee

Associated Builders and Contractors’ board of directors elected Tim Keating, owner and president, R. C. Stevens Construction Co., to serve as the 2020 ABC national chair during the association’s annual Leadership Institute. Steve Klessig, vice president of architecture and engineering, Keller Inc., was elected chair-elect and Stephanie Schmidt, president, Poole Anderson Construction, was elected secretary. Members of ABC’s 2020 executive committee, who will take office Jan. 1: Tim Keating, owner and president, R. C. Stevens Construction Co., Winter Garden, Florida, chair Steve Klessig, vice president of architecture and engineering, Keller Inc., Kaukauna, Wisconsin, chair-elect Stephanie Schmidt, president, Poole Anderson Construction, … Read more

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Construction Career Pathways Conference Builds Vital Partnerships between Industry, Education

With younger generations no longer signing up for careers in construction, the effects are being felt across the workforce. It is key to begin implementing changes now, and the NCCER 2019 Construction Career Pathways Conference will establish how the industry working with education is a crucial way to tackle skilled worker shortage. Held in Anaheim, California, this event will take place from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 4, prior to the Association for Career and Technical Education’s CareerTech Vision 2019 conference. The cost to register is $100, which covers breakfast, lunch and a reception following the conference, … Read more

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Nonresidential Construction Continues to Add Jobs, Says ABC

The construction industry added 10,000 net new jobs in October, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On a year-over-year basis, industry employment has expanded by 148,000 jobs or 2%. Nonresidential construction employment increased by 4,000 jobs on net in October and is up 2.1% over the past year. On a monthly basis, however, both the nonresidential building and nonresidential specialty trade contractors segments lost jobs, which comports with the recent decline in investment in structures, according to the third quarter gross domestic product release. The construction unemployment rate … Read more

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Month-Long Celebration of Careers in Construction in Full Swing

Spearheaded by NCCER and Build Your Future, the seventh annual Careers in Construction Month is in full swing this October. Forty states, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Washington D.C. have filed proclamation requests, making 2019 the highest participation ever for this nationwide observance. The celebration was launched to increase public awareness, inspire the next generation of construction craft professionals and make an impact on the perceptions of a career in construction. The construction industry offers job satisfaction, independence, high skills and many opportunities, yet is facing a critical shortage of workers. One identified barrier to entry for young people … Read more

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ABC Provides Mid-Year Economic Outlook for Nonresidential Construction

More than 10 years after the end of the most severe financial crisis since the Great Depression, the U.S. economy is again making history by continuing its longest-ever expansion. Nevertheless, emerging weakness in business investment has been hinting at softening outlays, giving commercial and industrial construction contractors cause for concern, according to a mid-year economic outlook by Anirban Basu, chief economist of Associated Builders and Contractors. “Given that every expansion in U.S. history has ended in recession, leaders of construction firms are rightly wondering when the record-setting expansion will end,” said Basu. “Looking at conditions on the ground, it likely … Read more

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