The Georgia Contractor July-Aug 2013

Volume 9, Issue 4 July | August 2013

GEORGIA NEEDS SKILLED WORKERS

2

Georgia Contractor

GEORGIA

CONTRACTOR

w w w. t h e g e o r g i a c o n t r a c t o r . c o m

COMMENTARY

Editor-in-Chief: Roland Petersen-Frey Managing Editor: Daniel Simmons | (770) 521-8877 Art Director: Pamela Petersen-Frey | (770) 521-8877

This is an excellent issue, and I hope you will like it.

The Atlanta Streetcar project is an excellent vision for the future and leads us gradually to becoming a world class city. I love it.

The shortage of skilled labor continues to plague our industry and it will not go away quickly.

This fact will become more pronounced at the forthcoming Metalcon International tradeshow in October at the World Congress Center. I am sure that the problem will be discussed as well and may trigger still more interest in acquiring skills for excellent jobs that pay very well.

CEFGA’s Scott Shelar just came back from his visit to Harvard on the discussion of Pathways to Prosperity and ended up giving us an excellent commentary on his experience in Meeting with Superman to Discuss the Merits of Kryptonite.

Read other subjects important to us: the continuing new requirements under the Affordable Care Act, the fiscal crisis in Washington, and the state of the economy. It is good summer reading.

Enjoy.

The Georgia Contractor is published bi-monthly on a calendar year basis. It is a magazine designed around the construction industry associations and their members. It is supported by associations and their members. Executive, editorial, circulation, and advertising offices: 1154 Lower Birmingham Road, Canton, Georgia 30115 • Phone: (770) 521-8877 • Fax: (770) 521-0406 e-mail: rfrey@a4inc.com. Send address changes to your association and/or to A4 Inc. Opinions expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of any of the associations or publisher nor do they accept responsibility for errors of content or omission and, as a matter of policy, neither do they endorse products or advertisements appearing herein. Parts of this magazine may be reproduced with the written consent of the publisher.

ADVERTISEMENTS Albany Tech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Ayres. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

R. Petersen-Frey Editor-in-Chief, Georgia Contractor

CLP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Deemer, Dana & Froehle LLP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Engineered Restorations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Georgia 811 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Back Cover Georgia Power Company . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Front Cover Go Build Georgia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Back Cover Heath & Lineback Engineers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Independent Electrical Contractors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 JAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 MH Miles Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Middleton-House & Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 New South Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 RHD Utility Locating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Rosser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Southern Civil Engineers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 July | August 2013

On The Cover ~ The U.S. is experiencing a skills gap. Jobs for welders, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, and more are going unfilled because the skilled trade workforce is not large enough to meet the demand.

See the story on page 6.

3

6

Georgia Needs Skilled Workers GO BUILD GEORGIA Georgia is quickly becoming an economic hub for the country. It is imperative that those interested in the skilled trades take advantage of the educational and job opportunities offered in the state to help Georgia build to its highest potential.

7 8 10 12 14 17 18 20 21 22 29 30 4

Best Young Builders in the Nation, Right Here in Georgia!

Tackling our Nation’s Fiscal Crisis Meeting with Superman to Discuss the Merits of Kryptonite Digging Out of the Economic Hole Building for the Future The Case for Infrastructure Investment in 2013 New ”Notice of Exchange Requirement” for Employers Good Governance Finley Project ~ Israel Contractor News Lessons Learned ~ Biaxial/Triaxial Geogrids for Pavements Pathway to Finding Women to Become Workers in the Electrical Industry

Georgia Contractor

Building for the Future Atlanta’s Streetcars Today’s dust and detours will soon give way to a spectacular new streetcar service designed to provide a safe, convenient way to travel through Downtown Atlanta.

14

Pathway to Finding Women to Become Workers in the Electrical Industry Thoughts by Lana Frye of Independent Electrical Contractors Inc.

30

Tackling Our Nation’s Fiscal Crisis

8

Tackling our fiscal crisis is critical to ensuring the success of American businesses and job-providers.

Digging Out of the Economic Hole

Johnny Isakson

23 12

Labor appears to be the biggest hurdle for all construction sectors if there happens to be a huge influx of projects.

Vikki McReynolds

July | August 2013

5

Feature Georgia Needs Skilled Workers By the Go Build Georgia Team

he U.S. is experiencing a skills gap. Jobs for welders, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, and more are going unfilled because the skilled trade workforce is not large enough to meet the demand.

In Georgia, this gap continues to widen as more companies choose to open their doors here. As the numbers of skilled trade positions grow, the skilled workforce must also grow to keep Georgia on the mind of companies who are considering a move.

In the past few months, several companies have announced their intent to move into Georgia for the first time or their plans to expand current operations. These businesses alone are set to create almost 2,000 jobs across the state. Though not all of these openings are for skilled trade positions, a number of them are. PulteGroup, a Fortune 500 homebuilding company, is relocating its corporate headquarters to Atlanta. The company plans on creating 310 high-paying jobs and investing $10 million. In February of last year, Caterpillar Inc. released plans to open a new manufacturing plant in Clarke and Oconee counties. When the facility opens at the end of this year it will create 1,400 jobs and invest $200 million in Georgia. Hitachi Automotive Systems, Mattex, Kubota, and Koch Foods are all also expanding. In order to fill skilled trade openings with these companies and others, Georgia’s workforce must take advantage of available training and educational opportunities.

Go Build Georgia teaches young people about the skilled trades industry and inspires them to consider the benefits of a craft trades career. Many online resources are available to help those interested in the industry find a career path and lead them to the training and educational opportunities they need to be successful. Go Build Georgia’s Web site (gobuildgeorgia.com)

T

6

lists several skilled trade careers and their job and educational requirements. A recent study projects that by 2020 about 60 percent of Georgia jobs will require postsecondary education or training. Obtaining training for a skilled trade career has never been easier. The Technical College System of Georgia has 25 accredited schools that all offer many programs in some of the state’s fastest growing industries. Other training options like internships and apprenticeships are also crucial.

Paying course costs and other fees can be difficult, but there are many scholarships, grants, and loans to make the expenses manageable. Due to new legislation signed

by Governor Nathan Deal in late April, the HOPE Scholarship GPA requirement was lowered to 2.0 for technical college students, which makes obtaining a degree even more manageable.

When skilled tradesmen are ready to enter the workforce, many resources are provided online to help them find job openings in the state. Go Build Georgia’s Web site offers a tool to help create re-

sumes, cover letters, and a reference list.

Operation: Workforce (operationworkforce. com) has a job search option to connect veterans with employers and a way for veterans to use their Military Occupational Job Code to find well-suited positions. For those interested in construction-related fields, the Construction Education Foundation of Georgia (CEFGA) has a job placement program to help. Local career centers can also help in the search.

Georgia is quickly becoming an economic hub for the country. It is imperative that those interested in the skilled trades take advantage of the educational and job opportunities offered in the state to help Georgia build to its highest potential.

Governor Nathan Deal and state economic development agencies work tirelessly to bring businesses to the state, so it is up to citizens to fill the new positions.

If you are a skilled tradesman, or are looking to get the training to join the industry, visit gobuildgeorgia.com to learn more about how to do your part to keep Georgia’s economy strong. v

Georgia Contractor

Best Young Builders in the Nation, Right Here in Georgia!

T

eamWorks is arguably the most watched and coveted competition in all of SkillsUSA. Last week, a young, four-man team from Adairsville High School beat out 24 other teams from around the country to win the SkillsUSA National competition and make Georgia very proud.

Using carpentry, masonry, plumbing, and electrical skills learned in their construction lab at CEFGA-accredited Adairsville High School, the team, made up of Barry Arrington II, Dylan Jones, Rodney West, and Christian Metroka built a small ‘man cave.’

The overall competition lasted three days, testing the students’ ability to work together as a Team. The Adairsville Team, led by their construction teacher Mr. Barry Arrington, had to understand the project elements based on a detailed blue print and special instructions presented at a precontest orientation.

They then had to write a project completion ‘action plan’ and present it as one of the key elements of the competition. During actual construction of the project, the Team demonstrated their hands-on skills in carpentry, electrical, plumbing, and masonry.

Two groups that were particularly proud of the Team’s accomplishment were Atlanta-based General Contractor Holder Construction Company and CEFGA - the Construction Education Foundation of Georgia. Holder, led by Project Manager Ryan Byars, and CEFGA organize the state level TeamWorks competition every year. After the two-day state-level contest on March 21-22, they chose Adairsville High School to represent Georgia at the national level. In addition, CEFGA and Holder provided a cash travel scholarship which helped the Adairsville Team make the trip to Kansas City.

July | August 2013

2013 - National TeamWorks Champions, Adairsville High School with their construction teacher, Mr. Barry Arrington, Far Right.

Judging is based on the Team’s presentation skills, ability to construct the project per ‘competition specified’ building codes, job site safety and cleanliness, organized and correct ordering of materials from the competition material depot, proper use and accountability of tools and equipment, and the rate of completion of the project for the Team.

CEFGA and its corporate partners provide travel scholarships for 20 different SkillsUSA Competitions and 25 individual students. Georgia also took home an individual gold medal, two silver medals, and one bronze medal in competitions spon-

sored by CEFGA and its corporate partners.

Jeremy Wright from Southern Crescent Technical College at Flint River in Thomaston, Georgia, captured the gold medal in Welding Sculpture. Natalie Jackson and Quinton Chan of McIntosh High School in Peachtree City placed second in 3-D Visualization and Animation to take home the silver. And Steven Reid of Crisp County High School in Cordele, Georgia, captured the bronze medal in Welding Sculpture. For more information about CEFGA, please visit www.cefga.org or for more information about SkillsUSA, www.skillsusa.org v

A birds-eye view of the TeamWorks Competition Floor, Kansas City, Missouri, June 25-27, 2013.

7

Tackling our naTion’s FISCAL CRISIS

T

hank you to the publisher and readers for allowing me to contribute to Georgia Contractor once again, with an update on some of the latest issues I’m working on in Washington, D.C. There has been no shortage of news coming out of Washington lately with the IRS scandal, the NSA leaks, and the tense situation in Syria. As we address all of these, we also must continue to tackle the biggest challenge facing our country and our economy—our skyrocketing debt and deficits. Early this year, I was placed on the Senate Finance Committee, where I am now better positioned to implement meaningful solutions on tax reform, Medicare, and Social Security. These issues affect every American and every business, and they must be part of addressing our debt and deficit problems. I have found that working across party lines is the most effective way to move legislation forward, and I am happy to work with anyone willing to sit down at the table to reduce our nation’s crippling debt and deficits.

The spending habits of Washington and the method by which Congress appropriates federal dollars also are major contributors to our nation’s fiscal crisis.

That’s why Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and I reintroduced bipartisan, commonsense legislation that would fundamentally reform Congress’ broken budgeting process. Our Biennial Budgeting and Appropriations Act would convert the annual spending process to a two-year budget cycle, forcing Congress to become better stewards of the taxpayers' money by placing Congress on a two-year budget cycle with one year for appropriating federal dollars and the other year de-

By Johnny Isakson voted to oversight of federal programs.

I am proud to report that our legislation is gaining momentum. On March 22, the Senate passed our legislation as an amendment to the Senate budget resolution with 68 votes, more than two-thirds of the Senate.

Although the budget resolution is a non-binding blueprint, the vote on our amendment signals that there is broad bipartisan support for biennial budgeting and appropriations and that our standalone legislation that would have the effect of law has a good chance of passing in the Senate. The passage of this amendment signaled a big win for the taxpayers of Georgia and the nation. I will continue to work to ensure that this legislation passes the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House, and goes to the president’s desk to be signed into law.

Tackling our fiscal crisis is critical to ensuring the success of American businesses and job-providers. The number one thing the federal government can do to create private sector jobs in the United States is to stop imposing burdensome regulations on businesses.

Existing overreaching regulations and the threat of more regulations in the future are leaving businesses on the sidelines as they wait for a more predictable regulatory environment in which to invest their capital.

The current regulatory environment is preventing a robust recovery of our economy.

Last fall, I co-sponsored legislation that would impose a one-year moratorium on all new federal regulations to give businesses a break from costly, job-killing regulations and provide a more predictable environment to foster expansion and growth. Specifically, the legislation imposes a one-year moratorium on ‘significant’ new federal rules and regulations from going into

The spending habits of Washington and the method by which Congress appropriates federal dollars also are major contributors to our nation’s fiscal crisis. That’s why Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and I reintroduced bipartisan, commonsense legislation that would fundamentally reform Congress’ broken budgeting process.

8

Georgia Contractor

effect if those rules would have an adverse impact on jobs, the economy, or our international competitiveness. ‘Significant’ rules include those costing more than $100 million per year. Exempt from the ‘time-out’ are rules that foster private sector job creation.

In addition to tackling the negative regulatory climate in Washington, I am also addressing many of the labor issues that also thwart job creation in this country. As the ranking Republican on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee’s Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety, I am committed to doing everything in my power to stop the National Labor Relations Board from issuing decisions and regulations when it currently has only one constitutional board member.

In the wake of a federal appeals court ruling in January 2013 that Obama’s two recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in 2012 are unconstitutional, I signed as a co-sponsor the Preventing Greater Uncertainty in Labor-Management Relations Act. The legislation would stop the NLRB from taking any action that requires a quorum until one of three things happens: 1. The Senate has confirmed enough nominees to the board to constitute a quorum; or 2. The Supreme Court has issued a decision on the constitutionality of Obama’s January 2012 appointments to the board; or 3. The first session of the 113th Congress is adjourned. Today, the NLRB is operating with just one member who has been confirmed by the Senate. Two other members are continuing to sit on the board even though the federal court ruled in January 2013 that their appointments are unconstitutional.

Two other seats on the board are vacant.

The National Labor Relations Board cannot continue to issue decisions and regulations with an invalid quorum of one. A federal board such as this cannot operate with only one constitutional board member.

We must stop these underhanded maneuvers and ensure that critically important labor decisions that affect American workers across the country are made through a fair and legal process.

Additionally, I recently reintroduced legislation that would reverse the National Labor Relation Board’s 2011 decision allowing as few as two or three employees to form micro bargaining units, or ‘micro unions,’ to engage in collective bargaining with employers. My legislation, the Representation Fairness Restoration Act, has 12 original co-sponsors. It would reinstate the traditional standard for determining which employees will constitute an appropriate bargaining unit, a standard that has been developed through years of careful consideration and Congressional guidance.

When it comes to confronting our fiscal crisis and July | August 2013

turning around our economy so that small businesses can create jobs again, Washington cannot continue to do things the same way or pretend we do not have problems staring us in the face. We do, plain and simple, and we must act decisively to send each other and the world the clear message that we are serious about tackling them.

I am grateful that I have been elected to represent our great state, and I will continue to serve you as I always have—by calling it like I see it and making the tough choices today because we don’t have the luxury of more time. We simply cannot leave today’s burdens to future generations. v

9

an

erm p u S h

it w g n i Meet Discuss to the Merits of Kryptonite

t is still a bit surreal for me to think about it now, driving through the campus of Harvard University one snowy morning in March 2013.

I was going to a conference led

by Harvard professors to discuss the merits of vocational education (also known as Career and Technical Education), and the notion that not all paths to success involve a four-year degree. Think about that!

When you think about the last few decades in our country and the mantra of “you have to go to a four-year university to be successful,” it doesn’t take a degree from Harvard to figure out which side of that debate Harvard University was on.

So, in my mind, this was a bit like going to a meeting with Superman to discuss the merits of Kryptonite!

But, here we were. It was their conference. We were there not to sell them on 10

the merits of vocational education. They invited us to help them figure out how to spread vocational, career, and technical education as a solution to a growing ‘skills gap’ between employers and job seekers.

It is still a bit surreal, but I assure you it is very real.

By now, the ‘skills gap’ in the United States is well documented. Hardly a week passes that you don’t read a major news story about all the unemployed and underemployed young people with four-year degrees in our country. Chances are you even know one or two!

Meanwhile, hardly a week passes that you don’t also read major news stories about companies who can’t find enough skilled workers.

It was February 2011 when the Harvard Graduate School of Education, led by Senior Fellow Dr. Bill Symonds, first published their landmark report entitled “Pathways to Prosperity: Meeting the

Challenge of Preparing Young Americans for the 21st Century.”

According to the report, roughly half of all young Americans arrive in their mid-twenties without the skills or labor market credentials essential for success in today’s increasing demanding economy.

A reason, according to the report, is the nation’s over-reliance on a single fouryear college pathway to help young people make the transition from high school to working life.

The report calls for an intensive effort from employers, educators, and government and nonprofit leaders to build pathways that link work and learning and are aligned with labor market demand.

This, of course, is perfectly aligned with the mission of our organization, CEFGA, which is to build the construction industry one person at a time.

If you are interested in construction workforce development or the future of Georgia Contractor

,

our young Americans, I highly recommend reading the Harvard report on our Web site at www.cefga.org A little bit about the conference The conference itself was fascinating.

There were thought leaders from all over the United States and the world, discussing the need and how to create pathways to prosperity in our country.

Some other countries are already doing a great job of this. Germany and Switzerland, for example, have long established youth apprenticeship programs, where every high school student selects a career at a young age, studies that career in an applied setting in school, and apprentices for two years with an employer while still in high school.

From the Pathways to Prosperity Report: “In all of these apprenticeship systems employer organizations play a major role. They take the lead in defining occupational qualifications, providing paid apprenticeships or other work-based learning opportunities and (in collaboration with educators and trade union partners) assessing student performance and awarding certificates. In Germany, for example, they pay about half of the expenses associated with the system, contributing roughly as much as the government. Why are they willing to make such a substantial investment?

“Simply put, German employers believe that the best way to get a highly qualified workforce is to invest in the development of young workers, participate directly in their training and socialization at the workplace, and then hire those who have proven themselves to be productive at the end of the apprenticeship period...”

There was some discussion at the conference about the role of the United States Federal Government in creating pathways to prosperity in our country. I believe it will best happen at the state level.

That’s because each of our 50 states is very different. Cultures are different. Education systems are different. Politics are different.

We are alike enough, though, that we can learn from each other.

July | August 2013

I learned at the conference, for example, that Kansas is providing a cash incentive of $1,000 to high schools for students earning an industry-recognized credential prior to graduation. In Florida, high schools receive additional funding of $600 to $1,000 for each student earning an industry-recognized credential.

I understand this cash incentive approach has long been the case for AP (advanced placement) students. Many states, including Georgia, provide more funding to schools with larger numbers of AP students. Kansas and Florida have recognized that high school students who earn industry credentials are at least as valuable to their states as high school students taking AP classes. They are compensating accordingly. These types of actions will help close the skills gap.

Another program I learned more about at the conference was ‘Year Up.’ It was great to meet and hear directly from the founder, Gerald Chertavian. It is such a simple idea: Low income, young adults enroll in intensive, mostly soft skills and information technology related training for six months, then go to work full-time with a local employer for six months. The great thing is that 84 percent of ‘Year Up’ graduates are employed or attending postsecondary training within four months of completing the program.

Another exciting thing I learned was that Georgia is out front on this movement in many ways. Under the leadership

of State School Superintendent John Barge, for example, the state of Georgia has implemented a new College and Career Ready Performance Index that takes into account the percentage of graduates completing a career pathway and the percentage of students earning an industryrecognized credential. In addition, beginning this fall in Georgia, students will be required to choose one of 17 career pathways and enroll in appropriate courses based on their career pathway choice. This will help students begin to link work and learning at an earlier age.

I was honored to be a part of this direction-setting conference at Harvard. I am thankful that Dr. Symonds, Dr. Ron Ferguson, and Harvard University had the courage to research and publish this report. I also greatly appreciate their passion and dedication to help implement it.

I look forward to working with Harvard University, NCCER, the Georgia Department of Education, the Technical College System of Georgia, local school systems, and our construction industry partners as we implement pathways to prosperity for students across Georgia.

Scott Shelar is in his 15th year as executive director of CEFGA. Shelar was sponsored by the NCCER - the National Center for Construction Education and Research - to attend the Pathways to Prosperity Conference. He may be reached at shelar@cefga.org For more information, www.cefga.org v

11

Digging Out of the Economic Hole

By Vikki McReynolds n the 2011 July/August issue of the Georgia Contractor we wrote an article on digging out of a tough economy. In that article we stated that those who diversify and hang on will be rewarded with a rising of the tide.

For those who did diversify and caught that wave, they found their company being able to survive the worst economic downturn in years. They were able to pull from various construction sectors to include public and private infrastructure as well as commercial and some residential to include plumbing, gas, electricity, telecommunications, and water and sewer infrastructure, whether it was in rehabilitation or installation of new piping systems. Unfortunately, most of that work was not found in Georgia, and those companies who could work outside of Georgia, worked in Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida or the Carolinas, and anywhere work could be found.

While profits were still low, the contracted work helped to keep companies from shutting their doors like so many had to do. For those who did close their doors, many took the opportunity to regroup and learn how to re-invest and re-invent their

I

12

Vikki McReynolds company with new goals, leadership and strategic planning. “We have rebranded ourselves with our available resources” states one utility contractor.

We had the chance to interview several companies, and many remain optimistically hopeful. We heard such comments as “we are covered up,” “it feels good to be busy,” “keeping up and hopeful for better things to come.” Most indicated that 2013 total contracts on the books and prospects for upcoming work had already exceeded all of 2012. This is good news.

And the majority has said, “it is not as good as it could be but it is far better than what it was.”

These comments were all very positive, and it appeared that we are finally

digging out of this economic hole. Georgia’s economic performance has improved steadily since 2009 with the state’s coincident economic indicator for March at its highest level since mid-2008, according to FRB of Atlanta. Helping Georgia’s water infrastructure was GEFA. GEFA provided loans in 2013 to help local communities protect their water supply and quality which also helped stimulate economic growth in the state with the joint Development Authority of Jackson, Morgan, Newton, and Walton counties being awarded $5.9 million for an on-site treatment facility, and McCaysville, Georgia was awarded $5.6 million to finance the city’s one-million-gallon-per-day water treatment plant.

Unfortunately, the continuation of a positive economic construction incline isn’t necessarily on the horizon as many may hope or think. While it is not the worst case scenario of a declining economy, the incline in water and sewer infrastructure will be at least a two percent increase a year for the next five years according to Brian Moore, FMI, at a recent GUCA Annual Conference presentation.

And while this gives us a glimmer of hope, it is not what we want to hear.

Brian updated GUCA members on

Georgia Contractor

the economy of the construction industry, highlighting those industry sectors and areas who were hit the hardest and those who are recovering the fastest. Unfortunately, Georgia will not be in the mix of the fast recovery areas because infrastructure inventory is still low. The tax base was hit hard, and this is and was mainly due to the boom and fall of the residential housing market. And although the existing housing inventory is down, the building of new homes has not yet caught up. According to the Federal Reserve Bank, both construction and manufacturing were especially hit hard, and government sectors remain especially weak.

For non-residential construction, the impact of several Georgia commercial manufacturing facilities such as the Kia, Caterpillar, and Porche plants helped spur optimism in Georgia and the industry as well as the announcement of a new professional football stadium in Atlanta.

FMI reports that non-building structures such as power, water, and sewerage will only increase on average one to four percent over the next five years with power being the biggest growth rate at 9.4 percent. In 2012, the start of Southern Company’s Plant Vogtle Nuclear Plant helped construction figures rise fifty percent-plus. But overall, Georgia 2013 construction figures could drop in 2013. It is projected that crude and gas pipeline construction will increase from $4.3 billion to $15.3 billion nationwide according to Oil & Gas Journal.

If the building market surges in 2013 and non-residential construction could possibly improve, then that would bring good news to those sectors which also affect underground utility construction.

The rise in installation of telecommunications in Georgia and the added repair of existing utilities helped spur the market the first quarter of 2013 and it continues.

Sequestration seemed to bring on a negative impact as most government agencies started to cut back due to limited resources. And, we just learned at a recent industry meeting in Savannah that money for the Savannah River Port project keeps getting pushed back. Most of the sequestraJuly | August 2013

tion, if not all, is conceived as being politically motivated, and some only saw a four percent reduction in public works business in Georgia as indicated in a FRB panel.

Labor appears to be the biggest hurdle for all construction sectors if there happens to be a huge influx of projects. Employment in Georgia has slowly improved since the recession. Georgia’s construction employment low was at -37.9 and it is now at 4.7 according to Georgia Data Digest. For the utility industry, this is not likely since we may have time to work on a more educated workforce for the future through training, introduction of technol-

ogy, and advancements through Go Build Georgia and CEFGA initiatives.

According to FMI, there are several things that drive construction which include demographics, political/security demand, consumer demand, economic growth, technology advances, infrastructure needs, security concerns, and affluence.

With the influx of design vs. contractor, rapidly advanced technology, slow incline of infrastructure projects, and a shrinking talent pool, it appears we may be digging deeper into more problems as we try to dig out of another one. Either way, we will keep digging. v

13

Building For The Future Atlanta Streetcar Project Team Today’s dust and detours will soon give way to a spectacular new streetcar service designed to provide a safe, convenient way to travel through Downtown Atlanta.

Running along a corridor through the historic Sweet Auburn District, the campus of Georgia State University, Downtown Atlanta, and Centennial Olympic Park, the Atlanta Streetcar will provide last mile connectivity to MARTA and other transit services.

Work to implement a modern streetcar transit system continues through the collaborative public-private partnership between the city of Atlanta (COA), the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District (ADID), and the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA).

The purpose of the Atlanta Streetcar project is to provide an integrated multi-modal, high-quality transit network that links communities, improves mobility by enhancing transit access and options, supports projected growth, promotes economic development, and encourages strategies to develop livable communities.

The Atlanta Streetcar will provide improved connectivity between existing MARTA heavy rail, express bus services, planned light rail, and locations not well served by transit today. The streetcar will serve as a circulator service within the heart of Atlanta as other elements of the state’s mass transit and transportation infrastructure are also completed, such as the Downtown Multi-Modal Passenger Terminal and other projects identified in the region’s long-range Concept 3 Transit Vision Plan.

The proposed starter route will connect the Centennial Olympic Park area (home to the Georgia Aquarium, the World of Coca-Cola, the Georgia World Congress Center, and the future National Center for Civil and Human Rights) to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site. The Atlanta Streetcar will 14

provide missing circulation and direct connectivity to the existing transit services coming downtown, as well as future commuter rail and regional light rail, including the Atlanta BeltLine.

Project Characteristics: •

East-West route = 2.7 track miles with 12 stops/stations

• •

Electric streetcar vehicle Shared with other traffic, on-street lanes

Georgia Contractor

Atlanta Journal Constitution Photographic Archives. Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library

• •

Overhead power system (single trolley wire)

•

15-minute frequency (average)

•

The proposed schedule is from 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. weekdays; 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Saturdays; and 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Sundays.

•

•

Operational costs to be covered by fare box revenue, advertising, ADID, Atlanta car rental and hotel motel tax and federal funds The projected revenue start date is early summer of 2014

Project benefits: •

Potential for higher passenger loads

•

Draw new transit riders

•

Produces fewer emissions, impacting air quality and sustainability

•

Reduces dependence on cars in a significant live-and-work corridor

•

Appeals to visitors with its predictable fixed route

•

Provide enhanced mobility to transit-dependent populations

•

As experienced in other cities nationwide, the permanency of rail tracks has been shown to spur economic development: * In Portland, the streetcar catalyzed 140 real estate projects worth $3.5 billion; following its construction, property values increased by approximately 50 percent. * In Seattle a $51 million streetcar project (capital cost) led to 3.3 million SF of development.

•

By 2030, it is projected that Downtown Atlanta will experience 5.1 million square feet of retail absorption and an increase of approximately 4.4 million square feet of new office space thanks to the Atlanta Streetcar.

July | August 2013

Attractive, convenient service will increase transit ridership, foot traffic and customers for businesses near Centennial Olympic Park, Georgia State University, Edgewood and Auburn Avenue, and the Peachtree corridor.

Atlanta Streetcar Corridor Development and Investment Guide The Atlanta Streetcar project is about more than improving transportation mobility and access. With over 80 acres of land and many buildings and structures within two blocks of the route considered underutilized, there are significant opportunities for transit oriented development that will improve the quality of life for residents, employees, visitors, shoppers, and students throughout the corridor and provide economic opportunity for businesses large and small to prosper.

The Atlanta Streetcar Corridor Development and Investment Guide serves to foster this investment by providing information that potential new businesses, developers or property owners need to be part of the transformation. www.atlantadowntown.com/initiatives

Under Construction In March 2012, URS Energy & Construction was awarded the contract to design and build Atlanta’s modern streetcar system.

Prior to the Design Builder (DB) commencing work, Department of Watershed Management (DWM) facilities and all other impacted utilities that lie within the streetcar alignment area are relocating their services in conflict with the track. To help advance the project, DWM relocated specified sanitary/storm segments in the Eastern Loop. The remainder of DWM utility relocations have been included in the DB’s contract, with funding provided

by DWM. More than 15 utility companies are actively relocating their facilities.

Atlanta Streetcar is currently under construction on the eastern side of downtown along Edgewood and Auburn Avenues, with work just beginning on the western loop near Peachtree and 15

Ellis streets. Once finished, this new transit system will be transformative for the city center and will connect one of Atlanta’s most historic neighborhoods with Centennial Olympic Park, the World of Coca-Cola, CNN, Georgia State University, the future Center for Civil and Human Rights, and many other businesses and attractions along the 2.7-mile route. In fact, this project constitutes the largest single investment for this corridor in more than 50 years and is estimated to bring in significant new private investments.

Open for Business Despite the ongoing construction work, businesses along the Atlanta Streetcar route remain open and ready to serve their patrons.

Some of Atlanta’s finest shopping and dining opportunities are situated along the route for the Atlanta Streetcar.

The Vision for the Future Once the dust settles and the streetcar is operational in 2014, the heart of downtown will be connected like never before. The Atlanta Streetcar will connect the eastern and western districts of the downtown area that have been separated by the interstate highway ‘connector’ for more than fifty years.

The Atlanta Streetcar will include 12 stops that will offer easy access to Centennial Olympic Park, the World of Coca-Cola, 16

CNN Center, the Georgia Aquarium, the Georgia World Congress Center, Georgia Dome, Philips Arena, the Tabernacle, The Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, the future homes of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, and the College Football Hall of Fame, the historic Auburn Avenue community, and the vibrant Edgewood Avenue district.

As they become available, additional federal funding opportunities will be pursued to further fund the streetcar’s expansion —including a proposed north-to-south route from the Brookhaven MARTA station to Fort McPherson.

Looking for more info?

The building of the modern Atlanta Streetcar represents the dawn of another new era for transit—and involves many moving pieces.

We intend to keep the public informed along each step of the way. Here are some additional ways you can learn more about the Atlanta Streetcar: • City of Atlanta www.atlantaga.gov •

Atlanta Streetcar www.theatlantastreetcar.com

•

Atlanta Downtown Improvement District www.atlantadowntown.com

•

MARTA www.itsmarta.com

•

Facebook www.facebook.com/AtlantaStreetcar v Georgia Contractor

The Case for Infrastructure Investment in 2013

By Thomas C. Leslie

n the coming months, the debate over federal spending and debt will surely accelerate in Congress and many other places. The economy seems to be improving and unemployment is slowly declining, and it remains true that the economy is better, but not good.

How will infrastructure investment fare in this political climate? I suspect that infrastructure will be viewed by some as just more government spending. In fact, not all government spending is equal in its impact on nation income—or Gross Domestic Product GDP)

I

So here is my case for infrastructure investment.

The economic multiplier is the increase in GDP for $1 of financial “injection” (government spending, capital investment, tax cuts, and such). Calculating a multiplier is complex. An econometric model at Moody’s Economy.com estimated a multiplier for infrastructure spending of 1.44 in late 2011 - $1 spent on infrastructure results in $1.44 increase of GDP. A few years earlier when the economy was less robust, the multiplier was 1.59 - you get a larger punch when there is excess capacity in the economy. For comparison purposes, the same 2011 report calculated much lower multipliers for certain permanent tax cuts (0.32 to 0.53) and much higher for temporary unemployment insurance and food stamps (1.55 and 1.71 respectively). Reducing financial injections (as in cutting government spending, less capital investment, or raising taxes) has the result of decreasing GDP. A San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank report in November 2012 summarized research on the multiplier for federal grants to states for highways over a 20 year period, 1990 to 2010. During that time the average multiplier was about 2.0. Strikingly, they found that the multiplier for highway projects in the 2009 federal stimulus program was about four times that July | August 2013

multiplier. This seems to confirm that the multiplier is higher when there is excess capacity in the economy, as there certainly was in 2009.

It is clear that investing in infrastructure will increase GDP and employment.

Sometimes short-term budget issues are put in the same mix with long-term financial problems, which confuses the analysis and solutions. It seems clear to me that there is a long-term financial problem with entitlement programs, such as Medicare and Social Security (time will tell with Obamacare).

Currently, the Medicare trust fund is forecast to become insolvent in 13 years and Social Security in 20 years. Both programs need structural reform, such as increasing the retirement age, means-testing benefits, and/or increasing premium rates.

This will be a very difficult political task, but if changes are phased in over many years the impact on individuals will be small.

Somehow, annual appropriations and budget ceilings are separate and apart from the systemic reform needed in the entitlement programs—maybe it is just too hot to handle. If anything is going to “leave our children with a huge debt to pay down” (as some are wont to say), it is the entitlements, where plenty of time remains to “fix the problem.” At the same time infrastructure investment, with its high economic multiplier, is held hostage by budget hawks.

Our infrastructure needs are urgent and immediate. This is certainly clear to anyone who must drive in the Atlanta Region. The national 2013 ASCE Infrastructure Report Card provides a clear, concise summary of the problem through the grades given several categories of public works (see box at right).

Not only is there a need for more capacity in these categories, but inadequate maintenance is causing the ultimate cost of repair to increase. Infrastructure invest-

ment is directed at real needs, with real consequences.

The total national debt is astronomical. It is commonly discussed in terms of percentage of GDP. To provide perspective, the national debt spiked at 35 percent of GDP as a consequence of World War I and at 122 percentfollowing World War II. It hit a trough in 1974 of 32 percent and has peaked at 101 percent in 2012, as a consequence of the Great Recession and two wars. Because of budget cuts, additional cuts as part of the ‘sequester,’ and the growth in the GDP as the economy has improved, it seems like the 2012 peak will not be exceeded.

Since infrastructure has a high economic multiplier, $1 spent on this investment, even if it is entirely debt, raises the GDP by $1.40, or so. This results in a declining debt to GDP ratio. There is another aspect of this type of investment.

The county’s capacity for supporting more efficient business is enhanced. This increases the country’s long-term competitiveness in the global economy.

In budget and debt debates, it is all about “whose ox is gored.” Nonetheless, it seems clear that infrastructure investment has a beneficial impact on GDP and employment, and affirmatively addresses a demonstrable problem for America citizens. v Airports

D

Schools

D

Ports

C

Water Supply

D

Roads

D

Wastewater

D

Transit

D

17

By Warren Kingsley | Arnall Golden Gregory/Employee Benefits Partner & Diane Lukin | Employee Benefit Associate

As amended by the Affordable Care Act (‘ACA’), the Fair Labor Standards Act (‘FLSA’) includes a new notice requirement for employers.

The purpose of the new Notice of Exchange is to inform employees about the private health insurance markets (referred to as the ‘Health Insurance Marketplaces’ or ‘Marketplaces’) which some states and the federal government are in the process of establishing in accordance with the ACA. While Section 1512 of the ACA requires employers to distribute this new notice beginning on March 1, 2013, as of January, 2013, the U.S. Department of Labor (‘DOL’) delayed distribution until further guidance could be issued. On May 8, 2013, the DOL issued additional guidance in the form of DOL Technical Release 2013-02, which outlines the distribution deadlines and content requirements for the new Notice of Exchange.

In addition to Technical Release 2013-02, the DOL also issued two model notices that employers are permitted to use in lieu of creating their own notice. The model an employer uses depends on whether or not it sponsors its own group health plan.

The following highlights the Notice of Exchange distribution and content requirements and provides a link to Technical Release 2013-02 and the two model notices.

Employers that are Subject to the new Notice of Exchange Requirement Unlike the employer mandate, which applies only to those companies that employ an average of 50 or more full-time employees and full-time employee equivalents, the Notice of Exchange applies to any em18

ployer that is subject to the FLSA. Generally, the FLSA applies to employers with annual revenues of at least $500,000 who employ at least one worker. This includes hospitals, institutions, schools, and government entities. See www.dol.gov/elaws /esa/flsa/scope/screen24.asp for more information on the types of employers that are subject to the FLSA. All Employees Must Receive the Notice of Exchange The Notice of Exchange must be provided to all part-time or full-time employees of the employer, regardless of the employee’s enrollment in an employer-sponsored group health plan, if one is offered. Employers are not required to distribute the notice to the employee’s dependents.

Notice of Exchange Distribution Requirements Existing employees must receive the Notice of Exchange before October 1, 2013.

Employees hired between October 1, 2013 and December 31, 2013 must receive the notice at the time of hire. Employees hired after January 1, 2014 must receive the notice at the time of hire, with delivery within 14 days of the employee’s start date being considered timely.

Notice of Exchange Content Requirements The Notice of Exchange must be written in a manner that can be comprehended by the average employee. The Fair Labor Standards Act Section 18B expressly requires that the notice: • inform the employee about the Health Insurance Marketplace, including contact information and the services offered by the Marketplace; •

explain that the employee may be eligible for a premium tax credit under Internal Revenue Code Section 36B, when the employer offers a group health plan that pays less than 60 per-

cent of covered benefit costs and the employee actually purchases health insurance through the Marketplace; and •

alert employees that purchasing health coverage through the Marketplace may result in the loss of employer contributions (if any) and the tax advantages associated with employer-offered health coverage (e.g., tax-free to employees).

In addition to the content required under FLSA Section 18B and Technical Release 2013-02, the DOL model notices include information that explain that employees: • may be eligible to save money or lower monthly health plan premiums by purchasing coverage through the Marketplace; •

will not receive a premium tax credit the employee may otherwise be eligible for if the employer offers the employee coverage under an employer-sponsored group health plan that satisfies the employer mandate standards discussed in the next bullet; and

•

may be eligible for cost sharing subsidies, provided the employer does not offer the employee coverage under an employer-sponsored group health plan that satisfies the standards required under the employer mandate, which include: (i) the individual’s share of employee-only premiums under the employer’s health plan be 9.5 percent or less of the employee’s household income; and (ii) the employer-sponsored health plan provides minimum value (e.g., covers at least 60 percent of the plan’s covered benefit costs).

Georgia Contractor

Each model notice also includes a section which requires that the employer complete information regarding the employer’s contact information, the employer’s tax identification number, and other information about any employer-provided health coverage, if applicable. Copies of the model notices may be obtained at: http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/healthreform.

What Should Employers Do Now? Because the vast majority of jurisdictions, including Georgia, are still in the process of establishing state or federally-facilitated Marketplaces, there is virtually no information available on the operating procedures, services, and insurance products that each Marketplace will offer. Therefore, we recommend that employers prepare, but otherwise delay distribution of

the Notice of Exchange until sometime in September, 2013, when more information should be available to respond to employee

Warren Kingsley Arnall Golden Gregory Employee Benefits Partner

questions and concerns about their state’s Health Insurance Marketplace. v

Diane Lukin Arnall Golden Gregory Employee Benefit Associate

CLP: Closing the Skills Gap One Job at a Time Closing the Skills Gap – what does that mean?

To CLP it means providing workforce solutions to our customers and creating opportunities to put people to work every day. We change lives of our customers and workers by doing one thing and doing it well: skilled trades staffing! We provide qualified workers to customers throughout Georgia and the entire United States. We partner with some of the largest and best construction companies to provide safe, reliable employment opportunities to thousands of workers each day.

CLP is proud to align with CEFGA as its placement program leader. We take certified students and work with our customers and CEFGA members to place these students as temporary workers or as temporary to permanent employees, affording you the cost benefit of testing a workers skills set and match for values prior to signing that person on permanently.

This model creates win-win for both the employer and the employee. We invest in the students training and meeting our customer’s priorities and objectives remains our clear directive.

The CEFGA System, a construction Workforce Development Plan for Georgia, is shown below:

AWARE NE SS WEBSITES, OUTREACH, MEDIA TRAINING/EDUCATION HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE LEVEL SKILLED TRADES PROGRAMS PLACEMENT/EMPLOYMENT EMPLOYMENT THROUGH CLP, LABOR UNIONS, AND PRIVATE INDUSTRY TERRY DAUGHERTY | CLP RESOURCES 8975 Roswell Road Suite 207 Atlanta, GA 30350 678-710-0826 678-710-0829 fax 404-987-9325 cell tdaugherty@clp.com www.clp.com July | August 2013

19

Good Governance

By Blake Ashbee | Executive Director | Governor’s Office of Workforce Development

A

s a fellow taxpayer of Georgia and the United States, I take great responsibility for how funding, distribution, and service delivery are handled under the Governor’s Office of Workforce Development (GOWD). GOWD is responsible for the Workforce Investment Act, a federal grant which authorizes the establishment of workforce investment activities for eligible youth, statewide employment and training activities for adults and dislocated workers, and through Georgia’s Local Workforce Investment Areas as designated by the governor. WIA allocates more than $80 million to our office to distribute to the Local Workforce Areas. Dealing with this level of funding means GOWD must be compliant and efficient with all activities.

In the 2013 Georgia Legislative Session, Governor Deal and GOWD made great strides in the workforce development arena. House Bill 393, the Local Workforce Investment Good Governance Act for Georgia was passed on March 28. HB 393 is the first piece of legislation to include the Workforce Investment Act in Georgia code. This change will help the State Workforce Investment Board and GOWD to ensure efficiency and compliance with each of the 19 Local Workforce Areas across the state.

GOWD, with the guidance of Governor Deal, has been working diligently over the past year to ensure workforce development in Georgia has a strong focus on helping our state’s heroes. HB 393 sets a prioritization of services for veterans and their spouses within the Workforce Investment Act. This was a policy set in federal law, but Georgia has taken it a step further to include it in Georgia code. Georgia’s veterans deserve to return home and find meaningful employment quickly.

Dealing with the lawmaking and legislative components of programs can be 20

Blake Ashbee daunting, but we must ask “why is this important to Georgia?” This legislation is necessary to improve the operations of the local workforce areas and make more funds available in each region for more program participants. More program participants mean that Georgia will continue to move the needle on unemployment and eventually drop below the national average.

As a government agency, GOWD must be a good steward of the granted federal funds including the Workforce Investment Act. Governor Deal has made it a priority for the workforce system to be efficient and effective to ensure that the

monies are being used to get Georgians back to work and to being a vital part of the economy.

Lastly, workforce development is essential to continuing the growth of Georgia businesses and industry. When companies are looking to locate in our state, Georgia must show evidence of a strong workforce pipeline. As a state, we must also continue to fuel our existing industry by providing new skilled workers to replace those reaching retirement.

HB 393 was a great accomplishment of Governor Deal, the Georgia Legislature, and the Governor’s Office of Workforce Development. It is this type of legislation that allows Georgia to ultimately reach the goal of being the No. 1 place in the nation to do business. v

Georgia Contractor

Finley Project ~ Israel Bridge Links the Past to the Future One Segment at a Time

By Jerry Pfuntner, S.E., P.E. | Principal and Regional Bridge Engineer | Finley Engineering Group Inc. busy intersection in Galilee will soon enjoy reduced traffic delays and become much safer with the addition of a new elevated, multilane interchange. Highways 65 and 85, between the Golani and Amiad Junctions will be widened to six lanes, according to the Israeli National Infrastructures Committee. Key to the $250 million design-build project are two, nearly twin bridges over Nahal Amud and Nahal Acbara. Nahal is the Hebrew word for stream.

Highway 85 is an east-west highway that is one of the most important connecting roads through the Galilee. The 37-kmlong route, which has been used since ancient times, begins at Highway 4 in Akko on the west coast and ends at the Amiad Junction at Highway 90 near Korzim in the east.

Highways 65, a major southeast to northwest highway, offers the shortest route between the two major regions of Hadera and the Galilee. For thousands of years, people have traveled on or near this route from the coastal plain to reach the Galilee, and beyond to Golan, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. Highway 65 meets Highway 85 at Nahal Amud Junction.

Shikun & Binui - Solel Boneh Building & Infrastructure is the design-build contractor for the upper Galilee interchange near Kibbutz Kadarim.

Both bridges will be constructed using precast segmental, balanced cantilever method, with cranes or overhead gantry to erect the sections. Finley Engineering Group Inc. has been contracted for the superstructure design and for construction engineering for the contractor’s means and methods procedures. YenonResearch & Design Ltd. is the prime engineer for the roadway, piers, and foundations.

Both sets of precast concrete segmen-

A

July | August 2013

tal bridges will be comprised of three spans, 12.4 meters wide, towering 25 meters above the valley floor. The design accommodates future widening and accommodation for a monolithic connection with a future middle bridge.

The 338 meter-long Nahal Amud bridge has a precast box measuring 2.6 meters in height. The precast box of 120-meter long Nahal Acbara bridge is 2.6 meters in height. Time and costs were saved on both bridges by incorporating Solel Boneh’s existing available forms into the design.

Mother’s Nature’s Impact Mother Nature plays an unusually significant role for both bridge designs, although in different ways—respect in terms of the Amud bridge and protection relating to the Acbara bridge.

Piers Two and Three of the Nahal Amud bridge support a 64 meter span, but also stand over an active seismic fault, one of several throughout Israel. While engineers typically would design around a fault area, it was not an option for this project due to the geography of the area. Most tremors in recent history have been relatively minor, but geology experts agree that Israel is long overdue for a large-scale earthquake based on the study of longterm records. In 1975, Israel instituted seismic building codes, which have been

revised and improved over the past decades.

Comparable to the San Andreas Fault, the Dead Sea Fault runs from east Lebanon southward through the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea, and into the Gulf of Aqaba. Local geologists have specified that the substructure and superstructure for the Nahal Amud bridge accommodate for a vertical displacement of up to six inches in the event of an earthquake. The design had to accommodate this amount of displacement while remaining functional following a seismic event. This was achieved with the posttensioned superstructure and the use of special seismic pin restraints at the top of the pier caps to limit the superstructure movement and allow for increased flexibility of the superstructure. The increased flexibility creates a reduction in the seismic forces within the superstructure to manageable levels.

For the Acbara Bridge, designers will be paying particular attention to efforts to restore the old stream bed that had been filled in previously. The goal is to restore the flora and fauna to the area, including recreating a 50-meter-long ecological animal crossing.

Construction of the bridges began this spring and is expected to be completed by the end of 2014. v

21

Contractor News CONSTRUCTION SOFTWARE DEVELOPER HCSS UNVEILS TIME CARD FOR SMARTPHONES App allows foremen and superintendents to record entire time card on a convenient smart phone Construction software developer HCSS (www.hcss.com) has added a mobile phone time card to its selection of mobile apps available for smartphones and tablets. From the makers of HeavyBid® construction estimating software and HeavyJob® field management software, the mobile phone time card app allows foremen and superintendents in the field to enter time and see job production data on their ‘always on, always close-by’ smartphone.

With the HeavyJob mobile phone time card app, foremen and superintendents can enter time for workers and equipment, enter quantities, and write notes for cost codes, as well as mark work for T&M. The time card app is ideal for individuals or small crews like truck drivers or flagging crews who may not be issued a laptop, and also for larger crews who may prefer a mobile device to laptops.

“We understand that many crews work in remote locations where cell service may not exist,” said HCSS Vice President of Software Development Tom Webb. “We want crews to be productive wherever they are.

The HeavyJob time card app will still work in remote areas and it will store any entered data until the device is back in cellular coverage or a Wi-Fi network.”

The time card app is just one of many mobile apps offered as supplements to HCSS HeavyJob and HeavyBid. Those include a photo app, which allows field employees to snap job site photos and send them immediately to the office, a daily diary entry app, and an estimating app used to cost estimate, perform markup and pricing, and even collect signatures on the go.

With the mobile platforms, contractors are not limited to working on a single device.

“A foreman may begin entering his 22

time card from a laptop in his truck, add quantities or take photos while standing at the site from his phone or tablet, while the project manager reviews job information back at an office desktop,” said Webb. “This will allow companies to take a ‘right device, right person’ approach.”

For more information on HCSS mobile apps, visit www.hcss.com/apps.

About HCSS Founded in 1986, HCSS is a leading provider of software solutions for the heavy/highway/utility construction industry. More than 40,000 professionals rely on HCSS software every day, including the bestsellers HeavyBid® and HeavyJob®, to improve their proficiency at estimating, job management,

resource management, safety and equipment maintenance. HCSS also offers mobile applications and cloud computing services to allow companies flexibility in the latest in information technologies.

In addition to high quality software, HCSS is best known for providing worldclass customer service with professional implementation planning, training, and instant 24/7 phone support.

HCSS is located at 13151 West Airport Blvd., Sugar Land, Texas, 77478.

For more information about HCSS and its complete line of estimating, field management, and resource management products, visit www.hcss.com, call 800-683-3196 or e-mail info@hcss.com. v Georgia Contractor

IEC GEORGIA PROVIDES TROUBLESHOOTING WORKSHOPS WITH NATIONAL AUTHOR & TRAINER, GLEN MAZUR

IEC Georgia invited national author Glen Mazur to several of its locations to provide a Troubleshooting Workshop. Mr. Mazur is the author of over 45 books and brings a massive amount of knowledge to the subjects he covers. The more recent sessions focused on meter output means, knowledge of relays, harmonics, and current transients to name a few topics.

Mr. Mazur held sessions in Savannah on June 4th, Columbus on June 7th, and the Atlanta area on June 11th.

His troubleshooting techniques are a strategic approach to completing a timely and effective project. There is always a better way to accomplish goals and Glen Mazur has it!

John Howell, owner of Howell Electrical Services attended the Savannah, Georgia, session. Mr. Howell enthusiastically stated, “It was the best class I ever attended! It was educational and engaging! I would have signed more people up if I had known it was going to be this good!� Mr. Howell is not alone in his positive perception of Mr. Mazur and the troubleshooting workshop. IEC contractors in all areas share his sentiment.

IEC is appreciative of its partnership with Glen Mazur and the opportunities for enlightenment and improvement created for its members. When IEC discovers trailblazing information and makes it available to the electrical industry, it reinforces the quality IEC members bring to their trade.

With the economy taking a turn for the better and the potential for job increase, IEC contractors will be ready to make quick adjustments without missing a beat.

July | August 2013

IEC is a trade association for merit shop electrical contractors and offers a wide array of training programs for apprentices and experienced electricians. In addition to the electrical apprenticeship training program, IEC provides personnel referral including loan/borrow programs, and provides a broad range of informational resources for electrical contractors in Atlanta and Georgia.

For more information about IEC and its programs, contact Niel Dawson, Executive Director at 770-242-9277 or niel.dawson@iecgeorgia.org v

23

TUB 0’TOWELS® SOLUTION-SOAKED SCRUBBING TOWELS Nine Powerful Cleaners Packed into the ‘World’s Toughest Wipe’; Available through Retailers Across North America Revolutionary Tub O’Towels® are quickly becoming one of the most common cleanup tools found at the contractor’s worksite.

Bigger, stronger and tougher than other wipes, Tub O’Towels cleaning towels from Wonder Works Products® are available now through major retailers across the U.S. and Canada.

Each extra-large Tub O’Towels scrubbing wipe includes nine powerful cleaning ingredients, durable fiber-weave technology, and twice the cleaning surface of comparable wipes. Originally created for contractors and industrial users who encounter nearly impossible jobsite messes, Tub O’Towels feature a thicker, towel-like construction that is 100-percent solution soaked to quickly and easily clean oil, grease,

chemical stains, and other tough soils. The unique citrus formula also includes lanolin, aloe vera, and vitamin E, leaving hands clean and soft.

The towels are made in the U.S. “Tub O’Towels make you more efficient – by minimizing time on the jobsite cleaning up and saving you money on cleaning supplies in the long run,” said Dave Anderson, Vice President, Retail Brands, Wonder

Works Products, Federal Process Corporation. “When you are looking for a thick and durable wipe for a fast, easy clean on a tough mess, look no further than Tub O’Towels.

They can knock out the toughest, grimiest messes.”

Tub O’Towels are available in several convenient package sizes: 10-in. by 12-in. towels in a convenient 90-towel re-sealable canister; 10-in. by 12-in. individually wrapped towels; and a 40-towel re-sealable portable case (7-in. by 8-in. towels).

To join in the Tub O’Towels conversation, find us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/tubotowels or Twitter at www.twitter.com/tubotowels. To locate the nearest Tub O’Towels retailer, visit the dealer locator at www.tubotowels.com/buy-now.

To see more uses and to learn more about the product visit www.tubotowels.com or subscribe to our uses video series at

IEC Attends the 2013 Legislative Conference Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) attended this year’s Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. held May 6th through May 8th. This visit to Capitol Hill allows IEC to speak on behalf of its members and others in the electrical industry on those issues that affect how you run your organization. This is how IEC stays abreast of regulations that impact you and provides a voice for issues close to your heart and pocket.

Issues addressed were: • Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) •

NLRB Recess Appointments

•

Green Jobs Act and support for responsible job creating energy policies

•

Workforce development funding

•

Responsibility in Federal Contracting Act

•

Death tax

24

Pictured above left to right: Harvey Hammock, Jena Hammock, Tommy Stalvey, and Rob Stalvey IEC members Rob Stalvey and Tommy Stalvey of Ace Electric, Harvey and Jena Hammock of Integrated Electrical Services, and Niel Dawson, Executive Director of IEC Atlanta/Georgia attended the conference. Ten meetings with ten different congressional offices bring the issues of the electrical industry front and center to an audience that could make a difference. New people they were able to connect with

this year were Hank Johnson, the representative for Dekalb and Jack Kingston, the representative for Savannah, Georgia.

Have an issue you do not see represented here? Be certain to speak with your IEC office about what is important to you. Advocacy is one of the major benefits for IEC members. Tell us your concerns, IEC is here to help.

IEC is a trade association for merit shop electrical contractors and offers a wide array of training programs for apprentices and experienced electricians. In addition to the electrical apprenticeship training program, IEC provides personnel referral including loan/borrow programs, and provides a broad range of informational resources for electrical contractors in Atlanta and Georgia. v Georgia Contractor

OSHA TRANSITIONS TO GLOBALLY HARMONIZED SYSTEM (GHS) EFFECTIVE DECEMBER 1, 2013 Anyone in construction will know about MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet), but few are aware that OSHA is modifying the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) to align with the provisions of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) that was officially adopted by the United Nations (UN) in 2003. Here we are a full ten years later, and it will actually take affect with a stinging $2,500 fine to contractors for each employee who does not: 1) recognize the symbol, and 2) know the appropriate action to take beginning December 1, 2013.

Why adopt the new GHS? It was designed to replace various classification and labeling standards used in different countries by using consistent criteria for classification and labeling on a global level.

While those systems in different countries may have been similar in content and approach, they resulted in multiple standards and classifications and labels for the same hazard in different countries. Given the extent of international trade in chemicals, and the potential impact on neighboring countries when controls are not implemented, it was determined that a worldwide approach was necessary.

What are the major proposed changes to the Hazard Communication Standard?

• Hazard classification: Provides specific criteria for classification of health and physical hazards, as well as classification of mixtures.

•

Labels: Chemical manufacturers and importers will be required to provide a label that includes a harmonized signal word, pictogram, and hazard statement for each hazard class and cate-

July | August 2013

gory. Precautionary statements must also be provided.

•

Safety Data Sheets: Will now have a specified 16-section format.

•

Training on label elements must include: Product identifier; Signal word; Pictogram; Hazard statement(s); Precautionary statement(s); and Contact of manufacturer, distributor or importer.

Dawson at niel.dawson@iecatlanta. org or call 770-242-9277 for membership information or questions.v

Who does it affect?

It is estimated to affect over 40 million workers in five million workplaces for any consumers, workers or transporters of hazard materials.

Other U.S. Agencies involved include the Dept. of Transportation (DOT), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Consumer Product Safety Commissions (CPSC).

Check the OSHA Web site for details at http://www.osha.gov/dsg/hazcom/ghs.html#4.12 What About Training?

The focus of training is to recognize and interpret label and/or SDS information, and to take appropriate action in response to chemical hazards.

OSHA has many sources for a variety of jobsites, however the IEC (Independent Electrical Contractors) has developed a GHS web resource page at http://www.ieci.org/workplace-safety/ghs-resources. This also includes a ‘train-the-trainer’ webinar and other useful training information including toolbox talks so that you may document the GHS training that you perform for your employees.

IEC is a trade association for merit shop electrical contractors with 60 offices throughout the U.S., serving over 200 members in Georgia.

Contact Executive Director, Niel 25

RENTAL REVENUE TO TOP $38 BILLION IN 2013 The equipment rental industry in the United States is expected to generate $33.6 billion in revenue in 2013, according to the American Rental Association’s (ARA) latest forecast from the ARA Rental Market Monitor™ updated in May. This figure represents a 7.3 percent increase over 2012 with revenue growth reaching 7.9 percent in the fourth quarter according to the latest quarterly forecast.

In the U.S., the construction market and consumer spending are expected to be the most important drivers of growth of the equipment rental market in 2013. “The U.S. equipment rental market is expected to continue its upward trajectory and show significant growth through 2017. Strong growth in real residential construction through 2015 will fuel the construction and industrial equipment segment, which is projected to grow 9.8 percent in 2014 and 11.8 percent in 2015,” according to the U.S. economic analysis from the ARA Rental Market Monitor.

In Canada, the equipment rental industry is forecast to generate nearly $4.6 billion in revenue in 2013, a 3.1 percent increase. In total for North America, equipment rental revenues in 2013 are expected to reach $38.2 billion.

By the end of the current fiveyear forecast in 2017, North American equipment rental revenue is expected to surpass $50 billion to reach $51.6 billion, with U.S. rental revenue at $46.3 billion and rental revenue in Canada at $5.3 billion.

“The industry continues to build customer demand, which drives the growth of the equipment rental industry. Listening to ARA members from around the country and looking at the forecast of IHS Global Insight, there is unlimited potential for the equipment rental industry,” says 26

Christine Wehrman, ARA’s executive vice president and CEO. “Rental has grown during the anemic economic recovery through increased penetration. As industrial and construction markets continue to improve, rental will see further growth from a larger share of the equipment market, leading to double-digit revenue gains by 2014,” says Scott Hazelton, a senior partner with IHS Global insight, which compiles data and analyses for the ARA Rental Market Monitor.

The ARA Rental Market Monitor is a subscription-based service for American Rental Association (ARA) members provided by ARA and Rental Management as part of a partnership with ISH Global Insight, one of the world’s most respected economic forecasting firms based in Lexington, Massachusetts.

About ARA: (www.ARArental.org) The American Rental Association, Moline, Illinois, is an international trade association for owners of equipment rental businesses and the manufacturers and suppliers of construction/industrial, general tool, and party/event rental equipment. ARA members, which include more than 8,600 rental businesses and nearly 1,000 manufacturers and suppliers, are located in every U.S. state, every

Canadian province and more than 30 countries worldwide. Founded in 1955, ARA is the source for information, advocacy, risk management, business development tools, education and training, networking, and marketplace opportunities for the rental equipment industry throughout the world.

About IHS: (www.ihs.com) IHS (NYSE: IHS) is the leading source of information, insight, and analytics in critical areas that shape today's business landscape. Businesses and governments in more than 165 countries around the globe rely on the comprehensive content, expert independent analysis, and flexible delivery methods of IHS to make high-impact decisions and develop strategies with speed and confidence. IHS has been in business since 1959 and became a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange in 2005. Headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, USA, IHS is committed to sustainable, profitable growth and employs 6,700 people in 31 countries around the world.

IHS is a registered trademark of IHS Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Copyright © 2013 IHS Inc. All rights reserved. v Georgia Contractor

WHITE HOUSE PROPOSES CUTS IN SPENDING FOR FEDERAL CONTRACTORS

By Matt Stringfellow White House officials have announced that they plan to send Congress a proposal to limit the reimbursement ceiling for executives of federal contractors to the president’s salary, currently around $400,000 per year.

Currently, the cap is set by law based on a formula and the upper limit was approximately $763,000.

For 2013, the expectation was that the number would top $900,000. In truth, this limit is only available to the very largest of federal contractors as other regulations also apply limits based on the size of compa-

nies (e.g. revenues and staff size).

However, this highlights a trend by the government and others to try and limit spending to federal contractors.

In fact, federal workers unions have stated that in their view, the proposal has not gone far enough, and they would argue that the limit should be set around $231,000 or the level of the vice president’s salary on an annual basis.

The White House has stated that these measures are part of an ongoing effort to buy smarter and end wasteful spending as part of a fis-

cally prudent strategy. They believe that imposing these limits will save the government hundreds of millions of dollars a year in reduced payments to federal contractors.

The proposal does not limit the amount that contractors can pay their executives; it only limits how much the government is willing to reimburse the contractors for the services of those executives.

Deemer Dana and Froehle’s AEC team will continue to monitor these changes in order to bring our clients the very latest information as it becomes available. v

IEC GEORGIA TURNS OUT FIRST FIRE ALARM CLASS This spring, IEC Georgia wrapped up its first Fire Alarm Systems course in Columbus, Georgia. This eight week course was held at ELVES every Tuesday night from 5:30 to 9:30 pm. With ELVES President John Follett at the helm, the certified NICET IV facilitator was the perfect guide to prepare attendees for the NICET I and II tests ahead.

The students already possessed electrical knowledge, but now one of the biggest advantages that will set them apart from others without this course, is valuable knowledge of the NFPA 72 code. This is an important difference that expands their skill set and creates confidence in the low voltage area. By using demo devices and studying the intricate wiring of smoke detectors, speaker strobes, and other peripheral devices, the students end this course with another skill set to what they offer their organizations and the electrical industry.

IEC trail blazes the electrical industry by seeking new and better ways to service its members and July | August 2013

enced electricians. In addition to the electrical apprenticeship training program, IEC provides personnel referral including loan/borrow programs, and provides a broad range of informational resources for electrical contractors in Atlanta and Georgia. v

ADVERTISE IN GEORGIA CONTRACTOR

helping them to be the best of the best. If you are interested in having the Fire Alarm Systems course or other courses in your area, contact the IEC office. IEC is educating, informing, and preparing its members for success.

IEC is a trade association for merit shop electrical contractors and offers a wide array of training programs for apprentices and experi27

METALCON INTERNATIONAL PUTS META AT THE FOREFRONT OF CONSTRUCTION

METALCON International is recognized as the only annual event for metal construction products, technologies, and solutions. The 23rd annual METALCON takes place October 1-3, 2013 at the Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta.

METALCON draws designers, builders, developers, contractors, fabricators, and suppliers from more than 52 countries. Experts from more than 300 companies exhibit the latest products and technology and share their knowledge with attendees, while industry specialists present key topics in the education program. Specialists from the Metal Construction Association and other industry related associations also present the latest applications and field techniques in daily demonstrations in the exhibit hall.

METALCON is produced by Newton, Massachusetts-based PSMJ Resources Inc. and sponsored by the Metal Construction Associa28

tion. MCA is an organization of leading manufacturers and suppliers headquartered in Glenview, Illinois.

PSMJ is the world’s leading authority on the effective management of architecture, engineering, and construction firms.

As METALCON returns to Atlanta for the fifth time, it brings new ways to learn from industry experts about the latest products and how to use them. Attendees can capture all kinds of ideas as they roam the 200,00 square feet of metal product exhibits and attend the comprehensive multi-tiered conference program. What they’ve learned is put into action in a new expanded demonstration arena called Metal in Action.

This area inside the exhibit hall is interactive and combines the best of MCA’S Residential and Commercial Roofing Demos, Solar Bay Live, and Tool Day. With plenty of seating, tables, and bleachers, the Metal in

Action arena serves as a touchdown where attendees can learn in a comfortable setting.

The Solar Bay Live portion offers a different keynote presentation each day that focuses on details of specific techniques used to install solar and metal combinations. It is an extension of Solar Bay, an area of the exhibit hall, now in its fifth year, that features products and education about the growing use of metal and solar technology. It shows the perfect combination of metal roofing with solar applications and is another method of highlighting metal’s role in the green building movement. To learn more about metal and the environment, visitors can also visit Green Island, a dedicated area of exhibits showing products that meet green building standards.

The tools demo expands the reach of METALCON’s Tool Day from a single-day focus to a three-day bonus. In this area, participants can test the latest tools for use with metal continuously because they are demonstrated and available every show day during exhibit hours.

The 2013 conference program retains the successful three-hour format tailored to specific disciplines.

This offers more in-depth learning opportunities and meets the need for participants and presenters to have more time to delve into important techniques and issues from the field.

Contractors and building owners can also learn more about cold formed steel framing in a multi-day program called STUD University, which focuses on the growing steel framing market and how to be part of it. These sessions have drawn a wide variety of audiences and media attention since they began in 2004.

For general information about METALCON, visit www.metalcon. com or call PSMJ Resources Inc. /METALCON at 800-537-7765. v Georgia Contractor

Lessons Learned Construction Engineering Services

Observations and Lessons from the School of Experience:

Biaxial/Triaxial Geogrids for Pavements eogrids are a class of geosynthetic materials used to enhance the performance of soils by creating a composite soil/geogrid structure. Selection of the appropriate geogrid is based on the desired mechanical properties of the soil/geogrid composite and the type of structure in which the composite will operate (e.g., retaining wall, roadways, etc.). There are two basics types of geogrids; uniaxial geogrids for retaining walls (i.e., strength in one direction), and multi -axial (biaxial and triaxial) geogrids for subgrades/pavements (i.e., strength in two or three directions). This Lessons Learned will focus on the applications and benefits of biaxial/triaxial geogrids.

height. The Ziggurat structures are still some of the world’s tallest earthen structures nearly 8,000 years after their construction.

Brief History of Geogrids: The concept of soil reinforcement to achieve improved mechanical properties is not new. In fact, the first known application of soil reinforcement dates back to the sixth century BC when the ancient Mesopotamians used woven reed mats to reinforce clay in order to construct their Ziggurat structures. These structures currently stand at more than 150 feet in height, with some thought to have originally been as much as 250 feet in

• Pavement Enhancement: Use of geogrid reinforcement for pavement enhancement refers to the placement of a geogrid beneath or within the aggregate base course of a flexible pavement system to improve the stiff ness of the system. The goal of this application is to reduce the amount of aggregate base material or asphaltic concrete required (reducing initial cost), increase the life of the pavement (reduce life-cycle cost), or a combination of the two. The diagram on

G

Biaxial/Triaxial Geogrid Applications: • Subgrade Stabilization: Use of geogrid reinforcement for subgrade stabilization refers to the placement of a geogrid immediately over a soft subgrade soil to improve the bearing capacity and mitigate differential deformation of the subgrade soil. The goal of this application is to reduce undercut requirements, improve construction efficiency, reduce the thickness of aggregate subbase/base material required, provide a stiff working platform for pavement construction, or a combination of these goals.

this page depicts geogrids used to reduce the thickness of the aggregate base.

Another application of geogrids for pavement enhancement is when the pavement thickness, or depth of undercut, is limited by the presence of shallow existing utility lines. By incorporating geogrids into the pavement design, a thinner pavement thickness can be used while still supporting the required traffic volume.

Geogrid Selection: As you might suspect, not all geogrids are the same. The main factors in selection of a geogrid are the strength and deformation characteristics of the geogrid. With many geogrid manufacturers, there are many geogrids that have similar properties, and alternative geogrids are oft en proposed.

Since the use of geogrids is a soil/structure interaction issue, the selection of the appropriate geogrid is best performed by the project geotechnical engineer. When used for enhancement in the design of a pavement, the selection is relatively straight forward. However, when it comes to stabilization of a soft or very soft pavement subgrade, considerable judgment and experience is employed by the geotechnical engineer in the selection of an appropriate geogrid and the materials placed on top of the geogrid.

Unfortunately, there is not enough space on this page to fully explore the finer details of this subject. Should you have questions regarding biaxial/triaxial geogrid utilization, please contact the geotechnical engineering staff at your nearest ECS office.

We hope this Lessons Learned will be helpful to you on future pavement projects.

LESSONS LEARNED comes to us courtesy of ECS Corporate Services, LLC v

July | August 2013

29

Pathway to Finding Women to Become Workers in the Electrical Industry

By Lana Frye | Workforce Developer | Independent Electrical Contractors Inc. | Atlanta & Georgia Chapters. ow do you spark an interest in an electrical career to your audience? An effective presentation is a dynamic presentation that involves the audience. To quote William Glasser on the How We Learn Theory: individuals learn “20 percent of what they hear, 30 percent of what they see, 50 percent of what we see and hear, 70 percent of what we discuss, 80 percent of what we experience and 95 percent of what we teach others.” Out goes the lecture style of a presentation and in we bring the hands-on demonstration.

Engage your audience in wiring a simple circuit so that they can flip a switch and turn the light on, to making a fluorescent light bulb glow while in the presence of the electromagnetic field of a plasma ball.

No matter what the project is, make sure your audience is experiencing aspects within an electrical career (and while they are doing it, they are having fun).

How do we get the attention of the women in the audience? Bring women who work in the field with you to the presentation. Have them talk about their experiences in the trade and the reason why they love their career. If you are unable to have a tradeswoman join you for your presentation, an effective tool I have used is to ask the audience, particularly the women in the audience, one specific question: “If you are home alone and you have an issue where an electrician needs to come into your home to fix it, would you be more comfortable letting a strange man or a strange woman come into your home with you?” More times than not, you will hear them say “a woman.” Your audience has just demonstrated that there is a ‘need’for women in the industry, especially the service industry.

Over the last decade we have been hearing that there is a shortage of construc-

H

30

tion workers to fulfill the need in the industry. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the employment of electricians will grow 23 percent from 2010 to 2020. Between the individuals who are retiring from the industry and the lack of individuals making a career choice in the electrical field, who is going to fulfill that need?

One market for electrical companies to find employees is to recruit the women in the workforce. According to the 2010 statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 691,000 electricians, of which 10,400 of them were women. That means only 1.5 percent are women! How can we increase that percentage?

One answer to increasing the number of women in the electrical trades is through partnerships. IEC Atlanta has been successful in building partnerships with other workforce development organizations. Last year, IEC Atlanta partnered with the Goodwill Industries Inc., of North Georgia in the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) grant program. The WANTO program is designed to increase the number of women entering and remaining in apprenticeships associated with nontraditional occupations.

An additional partnership is through the local chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC). NAWIC’s National Education Foundation has programs designed to introduce school-aged children to construction careers. Their Block Kids program is a building program designed to introduce first through sixth grade students the many aspects of the construction industry.

NAWIC is always looking for volunteers to assist with their Block Kids program.

NAWIC also has a CAD competition for high school-aged youth who can compete for scholarships Another program that many NAWIC

chapters host is a Mentoring A Girl In Construction (MAGIC) summer camp.

MAGIC is a week-long day camp designed to offer high school girls the opportunity to learn about the countless avenues of employment for women in the construction industry. The participants are engaged in hands-on training of basic skills of carpentry, electrical, and welding.

Each camp is always looking for volunteers, sponsors, and mentors. Participants leave the camp knowing that they too can make a viable career out of construction.

We cannot leave out local school partnerships. The key is to be active within your local school systems and join their academic advisory boards, participate in their career days, as well as partake in presentations to captive audiences. The only way this will work is to be active and engaged—they need to know who you are and that you care about their programs and their students. After all, their students are the future electricians who will be fulfilling the demands of the industry.

If there is one high school program that I would recommend any construction firm to become involved in, it is the SkillsUSA program. To define SkillsUSA, I will quote it directly from its Web site (www.skillsusa.org): “SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers, and industry working together to ensure that America has a skilled workforce.” Whether it is on the local, state, or national level, there are many female students who are competing in the SkillsUSA construction competitions. They are ready to start working in the industry either through a school-toapprenticeship program during their junior and senior year in high school or once they graduate. By being involved with SkillsUSA, the students in the program will remember who was involved and will contact you when they are looking to get into the workforce. v Georgia Contractor

July | August 2013

31