Summer 2020 Newsletter by ABC Pelican

MERIT SHOP E S S A G E

Pelican Chapter, Associated Builders and Contractors

WORKFORCE FEEDING FRONTLINES

ABC Pelican Members cook, assemble and serve 3,000 meals to healthcare heroes and nonprofits. More on page 26.

Newsletter highlights: YP Webinar with Local Lawmakers.......16 National Safety Excellence Awards......19 30th Annual National EIC Awards.........31 Craft Competitors Profile.......................41 2020 ABC Pelican Members.................59 LSU CM Competition Team Profile.......62

Summer 2020

2020

EIC

EIC Calls for Entry + EIC 101 Excellence in Construction (EIC) is the premier construction industry competition, honoring projects based on quality, innovation and safety. Earn recognition across the state and country by submitting your company projects today!

NEW TO EIC? JOIN US VIRTUALLY ON JULY 16 AT 11:30A FOR EIC 101 TO LEARN: •What is EIC? •Eligibility •Tips to get started •Submitting a successful project •How to register & submit your project

Important 2020 Dates:

ABC Pelican VIRTUAL EIC 101: July 16 Intent to compete in ABC Pelican EIC 2020: July 31 Submit EIC 2020 project to ABC Pelican by: September 4 ABC Pelican EIC 2020 winners announced: September 30 Intent to compete in ABC National EIC 2020: October 30 Submit EIC 2020 project to ABC National by: November 20 For more info, visit abcpelican.org/EIC or contact Lindsey at lruss@abcpelican.com

SAFETY

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INNOVATION

QUALITY

MERIT SHOP MESSAGE sume r 2020 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chair Carlos Guidry Turner Industries Group, LLC

Donnie Braud L.S. Womack, Inc.

Incoming Chair Shawn Worsham Worley Secretary Glen Redd Triad Electric & Controls, Inc. Treasurer Ryan Girouard Hancock Whitney Vice Chair Governmental Affairs Bryan Knost Wood Group Vice Chair Membership Growth Josh Rounds Performance Contractors, Inc. Vice Chair Member Services Scott Callaway Cajun Industries, Inc. Vice Chair Education Keith Coleman Beard Construction Group, LLC Vice Chair Outlying Areas Wes Mincin Triad Electric & Controls, Inc. Immediate Past Chair Donn Peterson GROUP Industries, LLC

Ben Brown Turner Industries Group, LLC Tammy Corripio Primoris Services Corporation John Freeman Brown & Root Industrial Services Adam Landry Great River Industries

LE TTE R FRO M THE CHAIR

NAVIGATING THE PANDEMICâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NEW NORMAL, KEEPING SAFETY AND THE MERIT SHOP TOP OF MIND BY: CARLOS GUIDRY, TURNER INDUSTRIES GROUP

Beau Leitner Doyle Electric, Inc. Scott McKnight BXS Insurance Aaron Partrich ISC Constructors, LLC Matt Shoriak EXCEL Group Andrew Thompson ISC Constructors, LLC BOARD ALTERNATE John Cassagne MMR Group, Inc. Seth Lemoine The Lemoine Company, LLC LEGAL COUNSEL Murphy J. Foster, III Breazeale Sachse & Wilson, LLP

MERIT SHOP MESSAGE: Summer 2020 EDITORIAL/DESIGN: Erika Walter EDITORIAL / SUBSCRIPTION / ADVERTISING INQUIRIES ewalter@abcpelican.com | 225.448.3348 This is a publication of the Pelican Chapter, Associated Builders & Contractors. ABC is a national trade association representing the merit shop construction industry. The Pelican Chapter represents more than 350 contractors, subcontractors, suppliers and industry professionals and represents 52 parishes in Louisiana. The Merit Shop Message is produced quarterly and distributed digitally to members.

What a strange and winding road we are on. Who would have thought that after more than three months we would still be in the midst of a global pandemic, and now it appears we are facing a second wave? Our nation has seen unprecedented levels of unemployment, CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 www.abcpelican.org/newsletter

LE T T E R F ROM T H E C H A I R c o n T I NUE D many businesses filing for bankruptcy and our industry is figuring out what the â&#x20AC;&#x153;new normalâ&#x20AC;? will look like. The one thing we know is that life in our industry will alter dramatically going forward from a safety perspective, and I believe for the betterment of our communities and businesses. I have no doubt that we will be a safer industry and community on the other side of this pandemic. Of course, ABC Pelican is no different when it comes to navigating this new normal. The staff has been working diligently on a path forward in the areas of re-opening craft training classes, serving our members both valuably and safely, and giving back to the community in meaningful ways. By the time you read this, classes will have resumed on a limited basis at both the Baton Rouge and Southwest Training Centers and the staff and around 40 member companies will have served 3,000 meals to the frontline heath care workers and their janitorial staff. We can all be proud that we are safely continuing to develop the next generation of craft professionals and serving our community, even in the midst of a pandemic. Since mid-March, the ABC Pelican staff has continued to gather crucial information and best practices and distribute it out to all of our members. The staff also also protected and defended the Merit Shop Construction industry during the legislative session. During this time our association has brought together long-time competitors to work together for this common purpose: CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 3

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LETTE R F ROM T H E C H A I R c o n T I N UE D helping each other for the greater good of our community. Never in my career have I witnessed so much open and honest information sharing. As your 2020 Chair, I have seen this as one of the few bright spots since this global crisis began. Through every crisis comes opportunity, and ABC Pelican is choosing to seek those opportunities to better build the Merit Shop Construction Industry stronger and more resilient. With the millions of newly unemployed individuals and countless businesses that will not reopen, there are capable employees and workers who will need to be reskilled or upskilled. With our excellent training centers

and instructors, the Pelican Chapter is perfectly positioned to perform this craft education, benefiting the community and our industry. In closing, I do have an ask as we transition to the new normal. We would like to know how we can better serve our members during this crisis and in the future? So, if you have any suggestions or comments please feel free to reach out to myself, David or the staff directly. God bless you, God bless ABC and God bless the United States of America, Carlos Guidry, 2020 ABC Pelican Chair of the Board of Directors

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S UM MER 2 0 2 0 Do you have a story suggestion? Would you like to advertise in the Merit Shop Message? Contact Erika at ewalter@abcpelican.com.

TABLE OF CONTENTS FEATURES

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: 01 EIC 2020 Info

02 Letter from the Chair 08 Governmental Relations Update 09 Tips to Boost Morale 13 Pandemic and the Supply Chain 22 Legal Update

YP WEBINAR WITH LOCAL LAWMAKERS

COVER STORY

ABC Pelican brings together 40 member companies to cook, serve and deliver thousands of meals to frontline healthcare heroes at four hospitals.

Our YPs recently heard from three local lawmakers about economic recovery efforts.

23 ABC National Updates 24 ABC-LA Fishing Rodeo Info 36 - 39 Training Center Updates 37 Commercial Electrical Course Info 38 Uncommon Leadership Info 41 Craft Competitor Profiles

LSU CM COMPETITION TEAM PROFILE STEP

44 Membership Update

The LSU CM team has made it to the ABC CM Competition finals! Get to know the team and the challenges they conquered.

45 Welcome New Members

Congrats to the 43 ABC Pelican member companies that are 2020 STEP participants. Thank you for prioritizing your safety journey.

47 Letter from the President 48 Legal Guest Column 49 State Fire Marshalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office Update 50 Updated Calendar of Events

ABC NATIONAL EIC AWARDS

ABC National honored 92 construction projects for the 30th annual EIC Awards, and ABC Pelican members earned an impressive 16 awards.

57 COVID and Technology 59 ABC Pelican Membership Renewals

2019 YEAR IN REVIEW

68 Staff Info & Committee Meetings

Connect with @abcpelican

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GOV E RN M E NTA L R EL A T I O N S U PDA TE

WHEN PREDICTABILITY LEFT LOUISIANA (OR DID IT?) By: John Walters, VP of Governmental Relations for ABC of Louisiana The 2020 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature began on March 9. That same day, Louisiana announced its first confirmed positive case of COVID-19. No one could have predicted what the next few days, weeks, and months would bring for our country, our state, our businesses and our families.

gone over and above by responding both promptly and safely when call to action.

After consulting with local, state, and national health officials, including the Center for Disease Control (CDC), House Speaker Clay Schexnayder and Senate President Page Cortez temporarily adjourned the legislative session on March 13. As positive COVID-19 cases grew at an alarming rate in Louisiana, it became evident that Governor Edwards was going issue a statewide Stay at Home Order for Louisiana.

Though several legislators tested positive for COVID-19 during the pandemic, on May 4, the Louisiana Legislature reconvened, leaving just 27 days to complete the budget, capital outlay and work through the more than 1,000 bills filed.

Recognizing a Stay at Home Order was eminent, ABC-LA requested that Governor Edwards consider the essential nature of construction when determining which industries would qualify as “critical infrastructure” and thereby be deemed essential and allowed to remain working. On March 22, Governor John Bel Edwards issued that statewide Stay at Home Order for Louisiana. Thankfully, in defining essential jobs, Governor Edwards’ order followed guidance provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on what industries were deemed essential, and this included the entirety of the construction industry in Louisiana. Since the Stay at Home Order went into effect, ABC-LA has remained in constant discussions with Governor Edwards’ administration as COVID-19 cases have continued to grow in Louisiana. We have provided valuable information to the administration and answered industry specific questions regarding the essential role of the construction industry during this outbreak. We are thankful that Governor Edwards allowed our industry to remain working throughout the entirety of the Stay at Home order. I have been in awe about how ABC members have reacted in the face of this pandemic. Whether it be building temporary medical facilities, keeping the doors open at our many petrochemical and manufacturing sites, providing maintenance and repairs to our overcrowded hospitals, to keeping our commercial refrigeration facilities operational to ensure people have access to fresh and safe food and medicine in their homes or hospitals, ABC members have

Louisiana’s construction industry has been heroic throughout this pandemic and needs to be recognized and applauded for its effort.

In May, Louisiana businesses began re-opening under strict guidelines. Recognizing this transition, both Governor Edwards and the Louisiana Legislature formed advisement teams to help safely and securely re-open Louisiana and rebuild our economy. We are fortunate to have many ABC members on each of these important advisement teams, and we thank and applaud these industry and business leaders for devoting their leadership skills, resources, and time to ensure Louisiana emerges from this pandemic stronger and smarter. In late May, nearing the end of the regular session and recognizing there remained a great deal of work needed to be done to help Louisiana businesses get back into commerce after the COVID-19 pandemic, the Louisiana legislature, for only the second time in our history, called itself into a special legislative session. As we sit now, cases of COVID-19 are once again increasing across many parts Louisiana and the United States. Making predictions in 2020 has been a gamble at best. Here is what I can predict: When given the chance to step up and succeed in the face of adversity, I will put ABC members up against anyone. Our members safely, responsibly, and proudly kept working in less than favorable conditions to keep Louisiana moving forward throughout this pandemic and will surely continue to do so for as long as it takes us to get through. We are not there yet, but Louisiana’s construction industry should be applauded and for their invaluable role throughout this challenging and unpredictable time. The work of this industry during a pandemic has assured our community that there is an economic engine to return to. www.abcpelican.org/newsletter

e ight m oral e t i p s i n u n c er ta in time s

BOLSTER MORALE FOR FRONTLINE EMPLOYEES IN UNCERTAIN TIMES BY: LAURIE RICHARDS, CEO OF LR&A, INC

The camaraderie and teamwork associated with building morale can be challenging to find while following a safe social distancing mandate. As the recent COVID-19 crisis continues to unfold, construction executives will need to find ways to bolster morale to retain staff, manage productivity, ensure employee and subcontractor satisfaction, as well as diminish absenteeism. These eight strategies will help the industry to improve morale and make a difference as the workplace evolves during the toughest times. 1. ALLOW OTHERS TO VENT AND ACKNOWLEDGE FRUSTRATION AND FEAR Uncertain times mean employees will be frustrated and fearful—and they want to be heard. Leaders can help assuage others’ anxiety by allowing them to vent. A simple statement such as, “You may be feeling frustrated—maybe en afraid” can make a difference.

Focusing on the past results in further deterioration of morale fueled by frustration, a feeling of a lack of control and blame. Instead, successful construction executives will focus on what happens next while keeping an eye on the proverbial prize. That future focus instills hope, which feeds morale. 4. CONCENTRATE ON WHAT CAN BE CHANGED Leaders understand that some things cannot be changed. The weather will be what it will be. Other things (attitude, personal response to situations, personal focus and more) can be influenced. Construction executives who concentrate on subjects within their control will bolster morale throughout the workplace. Discussions centered around unchangeable subjects can cause strife and lower morale during already stressful times, while conversations aimed toward controllable topics empowers the masses.

Although many construction executives prefer solving problems, during this crisis and recovery, leaders will be more successful by simply listening while employees, friends and family vent. Leaders will want to assure those in low morale that concerns and frustrations are heard and considered.

5. EXERCISE PERSONAL POWER AND ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO DO THE SAME The more individuals do, the stronger they feel; the stronger they feel, the greater their morale. Construction executives know the power of making decisions and taking action.

2. BE AVAILABLE Construction teams are spread out in the best of times. During the COVID-19 crisis, this separation is even greater. In a crisis, team members are looking toward leaders and want access to those decision-makers. For workers not accustomed to working remotely, workdays can feel isolative, which translates to a sharp drop in morale.

By encouraging employees to choose (as opposed to handing down mandates), employees are able to build personal power and, thus, cultivate morale. Some executives will encourage employees to make small choices, such as what time to hold meetings. Others are asking individuals to choose which shifts to work or what projects to tackle. Even in the best of times, employees who are free to make choices have the highest morale.

Construction executives will want to advise employees when and how to best reach them. Providing specific hours of availability will further ensure individuals to feel confident they can reach out.

Planning is not as effective as taking concrete action. Construction executives understand the adrenaline of accomplishment and achieving success. To build others’ morale, leaders will want to encourage others to take action toward achieving goals, celebrating successes and applauding initiative.

3. FOCUS ON THE FUTURE

CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 9

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e ight m oral e t i p s i n u n c er ta in time s co n tin ue d 6. COMMUNICATE. COMMUNICATE. COMMUNICATE. Fear and frustration are natural byproducts of crisis. As much as a construction executive may believe that everything is communicated well, people at middle and lower levels likely want more. Executives are privy to discussions the rest of the organization does not hear. So many of the questions of a middle manager or frontline employee may not be answered in a short, simple email or statement. In the absence of information, people will fill in the blanks. The result can be an increasingly chaotic, rumor-filled workplace with falling morale. Leaders should share what they know and acknowledge the unknowns. 7. MANAGE EXPECTATIONS The more executives are able to manage expectations, the calmer employees will be in a crisis, thereby increasing positivity. It is a good practice to tell employees when they can expect to hear more information from leadership. Leaders build trust by explaining the goal, encouraging buy-in from the team and building confidence that a worthy

goal can be realized. 8. SHOW APPRECIATION Surveys report that employees who feel appreciated are satisfied in their jobs, feel less stressed, enjoy a greater sense of belonging and exercise better control in their lives. A sincere “thank you,” “well done” or “you’re appreciated” will go a long way to build morale. Meanwhile, an executive who focuses on problems and mistakes is discouraging new solutions. Morale will continue to diminish—along with productivity and creative problem solving. Employees with high morale work harder, are more collaborative, are more productive and are better teammates. They want to work hard because they reap the intrinsic rewards of sincere appreciation and validation.

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2 02 0 s t e p pa r t i c i pa n t s

827% SAFER THAN THE INDUSTRY AVERAGE

ABC recently released its 2020 Safety Performance Report, an annual assessment that furthers the construction industry’s understanding of how to achieve world-class safety through its STEP Safety Management System. The report reveals the dramatic impact of using proactive safety practices to reduce recordable incidents by up to 88%, making the best-performing companies 827% safer than the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics industry average.

Here are some of the findings in the annual safety report. You can read the full report by visiting abc.org/spr: •Tracking and reviewing activities carried out to prevent and control injury, such as safety training, new hire safety orientation and behavior-based safety observations, leads to a 70% reduction in TRIR and a 71% reduction in DART rates. •Companies that conduct daily toolbox safety meetings reduce TRIR by 82% compared to companies that hold them monthly. •Having a written personal protection equipment policy that is consistently and universally enforced, conducting an annual needs assessment and continually investing in new equipment leads to a 62% reduction in TRIR and a 65%

reduction in DART rates.

“Based on real contractors doing real work, ABC’s annual Safety Performance Report outlines how safety best practices and performance measurement can drastically improve jobsite safety,” said Greg Sizemore, ABC vice president of health, safety, environment and workforce development. “During unprecedented circumstances such as the COVID-19 outbreak or when it’s business as usual, and no matter the size of the company or scope of work, the information and tools in this report will help contractors create the conditions that help ensure our workers go home safe and healthy every day.” We know that safety is paramount in our industry. On jobsites and in the office, health and safety drive our decisions 24/7/365. Tools like STEP, a world-class safety management system designed by ABC more than 20 years ago, dramatically improve safety performance. Congrats to the 43 ABC Pelican member companies that are 2020 STEP participants. Thank you for prioritizing your company’s safety journey!

ABC PELICAN 2020 STEP PARTICIPANTS Diamond Level:

Diamond Level:

Platinum Level:

APTIM Arkel Constructors Barriere Construction Brown & Root Industrial Services Cajun Industries Classic Industrial Services Insulations ISC Constructors Merit Electrical MMR Constructors New Industries PERFORMANCE CONTRACTORS

Gold Level:

Primoris Services Corporation Repcon STARCON International The Lemoine Company Triad Electric & Controls Westgate

Claymar Construction EXCEL Group Group Industries Holes Incorporated MAPP Construction Moore Industries PALA-Interstate PCL Industrial Construction Trade Construction

Beard Construction Group Bluewater Constructors Bottom Line Equipment Ernest. P. Breaux Electrical Kostmayer Construction nVent Thermal Sealevel Construction SJB Group Thompson Engineering Turner Industries Group

Platinum Level: Aggregate Technologies APC Construction Ardent Services Bengal Crane & Rigging

Turnaround Welding Services

Wood Group USA

ABCPELICAN.ORG/STEP www.abcpelican.org/newsletter

Pan d e m ic S h o c ks S u p p ly

FROM ALL SYSTEMS GO TO A DEEP RECESSION IN ONE MONTH BY: ANIRBAN BASU, ABC’S CHIEF ECONOMIST Reprinted from Construction Executive,Tuesday, May 12, 2020, a publication of Associated Builders and Contractors. Copyright 2020. All rights reserved.

The first reported case of COVID-19 occurred in China in November 2019. At that time, the U.S. economy was humming, supporting a 50-year low in unemployment and approaching 2020 with what appeared to be irresistible force. Worker and skills shortages were impacting many industries, including construction, driving wages higher in conjunction with a growing number of companies, states and municipalities raising minimum wages for a variety of reasons.

pursue homeownership in an attempt to participate in the rally. This produced further home price increases in much of the nation.

The result was a consumer spending cycle that foretold of no immediate end. Rising home prices and a booming stock market intensified the spending power of economic actors and their confidence in the future, resulting in additional economic momentum. As if that were not enough, inflation and interest rates remained low, albeit steady, amid the lengthiest expansion in American history, keeping the cost of capital low. From the perspective of fomenting demand for the delivery of construction services, this represented a nearly perfect environment.

But to continue to make loans in large numbers and to generate the requisite levels of liquidity, bankers needed new sources of funds. Those making mortgages looked to Wall Street to package mortgages together, securitize them and sell them to investors in the form of collateralized mortgage-backed securities. As previously made mortgages were sold off in large amounts, the resulting proceeds could be used to fund the next series of mortgages.

Economists who had been predicting recession because of a set of emerging vulnerabilities (e.g., massive indebtedness at household and corporate levels, lofty asset prices) began to doubt their own projections. America’s economic expansion appeared indefatigable. RECENT HISTORY: A SHOCK TO DEMAND In an attempt to better understand the economic implications of the ongoing crisis, many people have attempted comparisons between the current period and other periods of economic distress. The most popular comparison appears to be with the 2007-2009 recession. Here’s what happened. Following the economic recovery after the 2001 recession—combined with low mortgage rates and demographics—created a demand for housing. Home prices drifted higher, inducing many renters to

Mortgage bankers, seeing an opportunity to generate income for their financial institutions, began expanding their lending. Because associated loans are backed by collateral (the American home), and because that collateral was becoming more valuable, perceived risk appeared low.

Major ratings agencies looked favorably upon these mortgage-backed securities, giving them a thumbs up. As if that were not enough, investors were able to buy insurance against default in the form of credit default swaps. This appeared to be a perfect setup, with more individuals participating in the American dream, investors safely earning returns and mortgage bankers, insurers, title companies, realtors and others earning large fees and commissions in the process. This was also a phenomenal period for construction firms, as commercial construction followed residential development. The problem was that some people were allocated mortgages they could not hope to repay. By late2005 and into 2006, more Americans were missing their payments. Predictably, credit began to dry up as lenders sought to avoid additional defaults and delinquencies. Suddenly, CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

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Pan d e m ic S h o c ks S u p p ly C o nt. there was a dearth of buyers. Home prices began to decline, and with it the collateral available to back loans. Major investment banks found themselves on the brink of catastrophe. By September 2008, financial markets were crashing, unemployment was skyrocketing and the construction backlog began to dry up. The fundamental problem was that the financial system and broader economy were drained of liquidity and capital. The money disappeared. The global financial crisis that began when Lehman Brothers faltered on Sept. 15, 2009, produced a shock to demand. In response, the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department identified various mechanisms by which to pump money back into the economy (e.g. quantitative easing, TARP), and that ultimately helped to fashion the lengthiest economic expansion in American history. 2020: A SHOCK TO SUPPLY While it is true that the economic dislocations suffered during that period were massive, including for construction firms, the current period defies comparison. This time is truly different from all others in that America is now experiencing a supply shock. The economy went from the equivalent of 60 to 0 in the blink of an eye as social distancing directives permeated the nation, first and foremost in major employment centers on the East and West coasts. After three rounds of stimulus help, the latest being Phase 3 of the CARES Act which includes $2.2 trillion in federal aid, even stimuli of this magnitude cannot hope to significantly contain the near-crisis. That’s because a stimulus helps the payments side of the economy, but it doesn’t position Americans to go back to work and begin adding to gross domestic product. Thus, despite the stimuli, U.S. unemployment is headed toward 20% and the second quarter GDP is set to decline in the range of 25% on an annualized basis, perhaps more. Normally, construction backlog helps shield contractors from the early stages of economic downturn. Nonresidential construction is among the last economic segments to enter recession for this reason, as contractors toil on projects initiated before the downturn began. Here, too, this factor is different. Social distancing directives have impacted contractors in parts of Pennsylvania,

Massachusetts, California and elsewhere. Projects are being postponed or even canceled in large numbers, as would-be purchasers of construction services strive to preserve their own liquidity. Consequently, backlog is not the shield that it normally is, and it is shrinking rapidly. To try to understand the magnitude of the crisis, economists and other observers have been fixated on weekly initial unemployment claims. The frequency of this data is assistive because monthly and quarterly data have, thus far, failed to capture much of the damage done to the U.S. economy. In the final two weeks of March, more than 10 million people filed a claim for unemployment benefits. Over the first three weeks of April, another 16 million filed a claim. Moreover, many others tried, but failed due to overwhelmed computer systems and bureaucracies. To put this into perspective, these 26 million claims were more than the previous 10 years combined. When the official jobs numbers were released in early April, the economy had lost 701,000 jobs on net, while the unemployment rate rose from 3.5% to 4.4%. Much like the balance of the economy, the construction sector experienced a loss of jobs in March, losing 29,000 jobs on net. This was the most significant loss registered since February 2019 when wintry weather undid the industry’s momentum, albeit only briefly. This time, weather played no role in fomenting job loss. What’s more, a near-term turnaround is not in the offing. If anything, matters are set to further deteriorate as commercial construction activity grinds to a halt and as state and local governments watch finances crash. While certain construction segments will experience a jolt of activity during the foreseeable future, including fulfillment centers, medical facilities and data centers, most construction segments will experience decline, including office, lodging and retail segments. According to the most recently available data, the construction unemployment rate stands at 6.9%—1.7% percent higher than at the same time one year earlier. The industry’s unemployment will climb rapidly during the months ahead, providing contractors with an opportunity (at least theoretically) to more easily recruit highly competent personnel. Construction wages are also less likely to rise rapidly given the significant dislocations of CONTINUED ON PAGE 15 www.abcpelican.org/newsletter

Pan d e m ic S h o c ks S u p p ly C o nt. construction workers in much of the nation. LOOKING AHEAD While the initial stage of recovery from the current downturn will be sharp as people return to work and the economic engine restarts, it will also be incomplete. Complete recovery from the recession will likely take years. One of the reasons for this is that state and local government budgets are now under severe pressure. With retail sales, hotel and income tax revenues declining, many state and local governments are now experiencing the emergence of massive gaps in their budgets; budgets that must be balanced each fiscal year. There will also be many empty storefronts, fewer occupied apartments and office suites, as well as a diminished tally of employers available to jobseekers once the pandemic has passed. The good news is that more stimuli is on the way. As of the end of April, there have been four stimulus bills passed by Congress. Phase 1 was an $8.3 billion bill in support of coronavirus vaccine research and development;

Everything that we do is based on our performance; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s our namesake and our crowning jewel. We hang our hat on a good, safe dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work and our ability to execute jobs at the highest level. By raising the bar and driving the standard of our industry forward, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve made a career out of changing what it means to be an industrial contractor.

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Phase 2 was a roughly $104 billion package focusing on supplying paid emergency sick leave for some workers; and Phase 3 is the $2.2 trillion stimulus. Phase 4 includes another $484 billion deal that includes $321 billion to replenish the small business Paycheck Protection Program, which allocates $11 billion in administrative costs for the program. A fifth package, one focused on investments in infrastructure, also seems probable. The hope is that the federal government will supply additional support to state and local governments. With interest rates so low, it actually is a good time for the federal government to float Treasuries. Failing that, the recovery to come is likely to be considerably weaker than forecasted, in part because shrinking state and local government outlays would undermine the expansion in the private sector.

YOUN G P ROF E S S I O N A LS G R O U P UPDA TE

“IF YOU’RE NOT AT THE DINNER TABLE, YOU’RE THE DINNER” BY: KATIE ROUTH, DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION MAY 20, BATON ROUGE We recently kicked off a webinar series for ABC Pelican Young Professionals titled “Back to Work – The New Normal” to keep the group informed as we transition to our new realities. Because one of our mantras at ABC is “Get into Politics or Get Out of Business,” we held the first webinar halfway through the first regular Louisiana legislative session so that the group could hear the latest on economic recovery efforts from local lawmakers. About 40 ABC Pelican and ABC Bayou Young Professionals participated in this initial webinar. We were fortunate that three Louisiana lawmakers, Julie Emerson, Scott McKnight and Richard Nelson took the CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

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YOUN G P ROF E S S I O N A LS G R O U P UPDA TE c o n tin ue d time to give the group a legislative update while at the Louisiana State Capitol during such a busy session. From tort reform to capital outlay to state revenue to the construction budget to special sessions, our YPs learned how these lawmakers are fighting for free enterprise and our businesses.

Emerson said. In addition to tort reform, Emerson has a passion for deregulation and licensing reform. This session, Emerson was focused on bills regarding licensing fees so that it is easier for folks to enter the workforce. “This didn’t make it pass committee, but we’ll try again next year.”

After a brief welcome and overview of the webinar, each lawmaker gave a brief introduction. Julie Emerson, a state representative for Lafayette and St. Landry, has been serving since 2015 and also owns a public relations business called Lagniappe Communication.

“I feel like I’m fighting an uphill battle sometimes,” said Emerson. “Sometimes it takes 12 years to pass good legislation and 12 seconds to pass bad legislation.”

ABC Pelican’s very own Scott McKnight, 2020 Board member, is an East Baton Rouge Representative and won his campaign this past fall.

McKnight said that this session has been a little fast, so lawmakers have had to pull nonessential bills. “I had to pull most of mine and put my focus on tort reform.”

“We are in an extremely different session than what is standard, but as a newbie, I don’t know the difference,” McKnight said during introductions.

McKnight was pleased that one of his bills went through Education Committee that helps share data amongst local entities to help the JumpStart Program.

St. Tammany Representative Richard Nelson grew up in Mandeville and spent seven years as a Foreign Service Officer for the State Department. Nelson then worked for project management consultants firm when he returned home.

Question: Why do you think it’s important for the younger generation to get politically involved?

“I’m on team ‘getting stuff done,’” Nelson said. “Louisiana has problems that we need to fix, which is why I decided to run.” After introductions, we posed these timely questions about legislative topics these three lawmakers were tackling daily. Question: What bills are you passionate about? “My focus has been tort reform,” explained Nelson. He switched to the Civil Law Committee to help tort reform move through the process. Since this bill is so large, Nelson is focusing on lowering insurance costs. “We’re working to build the case so that the governor cannot veto it.” “Tort reform has been on our minds for about 40 years, so longer than some of us have been alive,”

McKnight was quick to answer this question with ABC’s tried and true motto of “you get into politics or get out of business.” He then went on to say the wise words of his father: “If you’re not at the dinner table, you’re the dinner.” “Younger people are underrepresented politically because we are busy,” said Emerson. “Our generation is the next generation and these policies affect you.” Nelson explained to the YPs that “we look at things through a different lens than our parents or grandparents did” and that the younger generation is much more willing to take chances and make mistakes. “It’s already broken, and we cannot do any worse than we already are…so let’s try to make it better,” Nelson said bluntly. Question: What bills are being put forward to increase state revenue? Nelson touched on the legalization of sports betting and how we could anticipate that it would be on the CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

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YOUNG P ROF E S S I O N A L S G R O U P U PDA TE c o n tin ue d ballot in November. McKnight discussed lawmakers’ efforts to get relief to our existing business lines. “But what I’m seeing is more in the cut process instead of adding to the new lines of revenue,” McKnight said. Question: Can you discuss the recent push for tax cuts for the oil and gas industry? Emerson’s family works in this industry and “it’s hard,” she explained. “The label of this bill looks bad, but these are people’s jobs, especially in my district. They are going to lose their jobs if we don’t revitalize the industry.” Emerson went on to say that we have 25 percent unemployment in the state right now and “we must look for ways to recover.” “The more we can do to get this industry online, the more trickle down we will see to different sectors,” said McKnight as a follow up to Emerson’s thoughts. Question: What are the chances the recently cut construction budget gets reinstated? “Capital outlay is always an interesting topic, and an important aspect of bringing business here,” discussed Emerson. “Investing in infrastructure is a great way to bring businesses and jobs here. We’re not in the best shape for recovery and there will be cuts across the board, so a robust capital outlay during this session looks pretty slim at this point.”

Pelican and ABC Bayou provided updates. John Freeman of Brown & Root is the 2020 YP Chair for ABC Pelican. He discussed the volunteer opportunities for Workforce Feeding Frontlines, encouraged the group to join the ABC Pelican YP LinkedIn Group Page and encouraged ideas for upcoming YP webinars. “We want to keep this webinar series going,” said Freeman. “Whether it be topics on local businesses and different industries or hearing directly from the heads of ABC Member companies, let me know if you have ideas.” Chad Pierce of EXCEL Group is the ABC Bayou Chair for 2020. He thanks ABC Pelican for inviting the Bayou YPs to join and encouraged them to participate in their upcoming fundraiser for the Second Harvest Food Group. Thanks to all who tune in for the webinar. We’re looking forward to broadcasting more of these in the future!

Question: Are we going to have one or possibly two special sessions this year? Emerson, who is no stranger to special sessions, said “it’s hard for us to estimate where the budget will be, but nothing has been called yet. Since this session has been so short, it’ll be hard to get the full budget out… we may get a preliminary budget out. So, I anticipate we’ll have a first special session for the budget and may do a second special session in the Fall.” Agreeing with Emerson, McKnight said that “this session doesn’t give us enough time.” After the Q&A with lawmakers, the YP Chairs of ABC www.abcpelican.org/newsletter

National Sa fet y Exc ellen c e A wa rds

ABC PELICAN MEMBERS ARE LEADING THE INDUSTRY IN SAFETY PERFORMANCE APRIL 6 Nine ABC Pelican contractors are leading this industry in safety performance, and those tireless efforts were recently recognized by ABC National. While safety is in the DNA of each and every one of our members, we would like to personally congratulate these nine contractors for receiving a 2019 National Safety Excellence Award: PINNACLE: Primoris Services Corporation Starcon EXCELLENCE: Austin Industrial Brown & Root Industrial Services Cajun Industries GROUP Industries Merit Electrical Turner Industries MERIT: Barriere Construction These ABC Pelican Members are nine of the 49 winners that will be honored with a National Safety Excellence Award, which will be presented at the 30th annual Excellence in Construction® Awards during ABC Convention 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee, on August 18. “Associated Builders and Contractors is proud to recognize industry leaders consistently raising the standards of safety in the construction industry,” said 2020 ABC National Chair Tim Keating. “Their dedication to world19

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class safety performance and commitment to total human health is the gold standard of the merit shop construction industry.” The 2019 National Safety Excellence Award winners were selected from ABC member firms that achieved Diamond, Platinum and Gold status in ABC’s STEP Safety Management System in 2019. During the selection process, contractors were judged on self-evaluation scores, lost workday case rates, total recordable incident rates, leading indicator use, process and program innovations, and video interviews conducted by members of ABC’s National Safety and Health Committee. The National Safety Excellence Awards are presented in three major North American Industry Classification System code categories: NAICS 236 – Construction of Buildings; NAICS 237 – Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction; and NAICS 238 – Specialty Trade Contractors. STEP, the standard for developing world-class safety management systems in construction, is designed to help both large and small contractors evaluate every aspect of their corporate safety and health programs and identify opportunities for improvement. According to ABC’s annual Safety Performance Report, the average STEP Diamond company is more than eight times safer than the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ average for the entire industry based on their total recordable incident rate. CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

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LE GAL up dat e

OSHA CHANGES ITS APRIL GUIDANCE REGARDING THE DUTY TO RECORD POSITIVE COVID-19 SCREENS

BY: JERRY L. STOVALL, PARTNER, BREAZEALE, SACHSE & WILSON, L.L.P.

On May 19 OSHA issued yet another Guidance regarding an employer’s duty to record positive COVID-19 screens. This Guidance, effective May 26, walks back some of the more lenient language of OSHA’s Guidance issued just last month. Under OSHA’s prior Guidance, most employers only had to record a positive COVID-19 screen if objective evidence indicated that the infection occurred at work. Effective May 26, OSHA’s new Guidance indicates that all employers covered by the record keeping regulations must investigate a positive COVID-19 screen and treat the case as work-related if it is “more likely than not” the result of workplace exposure. OSHA says it will still use discretion when investigating a failure to record or report, which implies that it will be reticent to issue a citation if an employer can prove that it conducted a reasonable investigation after learning of the positive screen. The Guidance indicates that in most cases when an employer learns that an employee is infected, an

investigation will be sufficient if the employer: •Asks the employee how she believes she became infected; •Discusses with the employee her work and out-of-work activities that may have led to the infection; •Reviews the employee’s work environment for potential COVID-19 exposure, taking into special consideration any other workers who have been infected. Although the Guidance does not specifically require it, employers should consider documenting their investigation. I would recommend that employers quickly develop a standardized form to use for such investigations. You can find the new Guidance here: www.osha.gov/ memos/2020-05-19/revised-enforcement-guidancerecording-cases-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19

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Up dat e s f ro m A B C N A T I O N A L

ABC JOINS NATIONAL INITIATIVE TO ADDRESS INEQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY WASHINGTON, D.C., June 23- ABC today announced it is partnering with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on a national initiative to address inequality of opportunity. As a partner on this important initiative, ABC will also host local and industry dialogues to further the discussion.

“Now more than ever, diversity, inclusion and equity must be the forefront of all business decisions,” said Brad Lewis, chair of ABC’s Diversity Committee and corporate director of supplier diversity for Hensel Phelps. “On behalf of ABC and its 21,000plus members, we look forward to partnering with the U.S. Chamber to address the inequity in our country, develop action items that can be implemented in our workplaces and communities and meet the needs of a 21st century workforce.”

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 11— ABC Vice President of Health, Safety, Environment and Workforce Development Greg Sizemore and National Association of Home Builders Chief Executive Officer Jerry Howard issued the following joint statement today on the D.C. Circuit Court’s decision to reject a lawsuit brought by the AFL-CIO to compel the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to issue an “emergency temporary standard” for infectious diseases/COVID-19:

“We applaud the D.C. Circuit’s decision, which affirms that OSHA’s comprehensive response to the COVID-19 outbreak currently eliminates the need for an emergency temporary standard for infectious diseases and COVID-19 covering all employees. The government is learning new information about COVID-19 and how best to mitigate related hazards on an almost daily and sometimes even hourly basis, which is why a static, intransigent rule would not be an appropriate response. OSHA’s resources “The moral case for greater diversity, are better deployed by developing equity and inclusion in the workplace is timely and situational-specific guidance indisputable, and there’s overwhelming documents, which can be adjusted evidence that greater diversity benefits and adapted as the agency and public the American economy, businesses, health authorities better understand communities and employees,” said U.S. the pandemic. Chamber President Suzanne Clark. “We are proud to partner with ABC on “In the construction sector, even this initiative and help develop a robust without a COVID-19 outbreak, safety plan of action.” and health is always our No. 1 priority. As representatives of residential, This national initiative will build on nonresidential and industrial the work already undertaken by ABC’s construction contractors across the Diversity Committee—formed to better country, we remain committed to reach underrepresented communities collaborating with state and local within the construction sector—and health officials, as well as across provides leadership and direction to market sectors, to diligently identify chapters and member companies to and implement new health and safety promote diversity as an empowering protocols on our jobsites to protect competitive advantage through construction employees amid the education, awareness and business COVID-19 outbreak.” practices. CONSTRUCTION EMPLOYMENT ABC, NAHB APPLAUD D.C. SEES RECORD REBOUND IN MAY, CIRCUIT COURT DECISION TO SAYS ABC REJECT LAWSUIT TO COMPEL WASHINGTON, D.C., June 5—The OSHA TO ISSUE EMERGENCY construction industry added 464,000 TEMPORARY STANDARD FOR net new jobs in May, according to an INFECTIOUS DISEASES/COVID-19 Associated Builders and Contractors 23 www.abcpelican.org/newsletter

analysis of data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. May represented the largest monthly increase in construction jobs since the government began tracking employment in 1939, a drastic improvement from April, which recorded the industry’s largest monthover-month job loss. While nonresidential construction employment lost more than 570,000 jobs on net in April, a total of 237,000 net new jobs were added in May with job gains in all three nonresidential subsegments. May 2020 nonresidential employment was 286,000 jobs lower compared to May 2019. The construction unemployment rate fell to 12.7% in May, up 9.5 percentage points from the same time last year, but down 3.9 percentage points from April 2020. Unemployment across all industries fell to 13.3% in May, down from 14.7% in April. “One way to look at this stunning jobs report is to suggest that economists missed the mark by approximately 10.5 million jobs,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “Economists polled by Dow Jones had forecasted a decline exceeding 8 million jobs. Instead, the economy added a bit more than 2.5 million jobs. It’s also possible that economists missed the mark by two to four weeks, as the economy opened up faster than most economists expected and consumers have been far more willing to engage the economy than many thought possible given the ongoing personal and public health risks presented by COVID-19. “For contractors, this is purely good news,” said Basu. “With the economy beginning its recovery sooner and more dramatically than anticipated, fewer projects are likely to be postponed or canceled. Combined with rising contractor confidence, as indicated by ABC’s Construction Confidence Index, this will also help accelerate the recovery of state and local government finances.”

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COV E R S T ORY S U M M ER 20 20

HOW THE CONSTRUCTION WORKFORCE SERVE OUR FRONTLINE HEROES BY ERIKA WALTER, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR MAY 28, BATON ROUGE GENERAL

During Phase 1 of our state’s reopening, ABC Pelican was fortunate to host Workforce Feeding Frontlines, a community event for the Merit Shop construction workforce and many of our member companies to show appreciation to frontline healthcare workers and nonprofits by preparing and delivering them meals. The nearly 40 ABC Pelican companies that participated in Workforce Feeding Frontlines, which took place in the open lot of the Baton Rouge General’s Bluebonnet Campus, served meals to healthcare workers and custodial staff on the campuses of Baton Rouge General, Ochsner Health, Our Lady of the Lake and Woman’s Hospital as well as local nonprofits focused on feeding those in need. Erik Showalter, President of the Baton Rouge General Foundation, said the frontline workers at the Baton Rouge General were beyond grateful for Workforce Feeding Frontlines. “It means everything to them,” Showalter said. “To not CONTINUED ON PAGE 27 www.abcpelican.org/newsletter

COVE R S T ORy S U M M ER 20 20 C ON TIN UE D only to receive the food, but to see the community out here supporting what they do, feeding them and showing them the support, it means the world to them. It gives them so much morale and it keeps them going.” A big THANK YOU to these nearly 40 ABC Pelican Member companies that participated in the form of donations, cooking, volunteering, assembling, transporting and delivering the meals: 24HR Safety, ACE Enterprises, Arkel Constructors, Arthur J. Gallagher, Baker Gulf Coast Industrial, Beard Construction, Barriere Construction, Bengal Crane and Rigging, Better Pumps and Solutions, Brown & Root Industrial Services, Bottom Line Equipment, Cajun Industries, Catering Cajun, The Cook Hotel at LSU, Eastern Services, Eustis Engineering Services, EXCEL Group, Five-S Group, Great River Industries, ISC Constructors, LaPorte CPAs & Business Advisors, Merit Electrical, MMR Group, On-Site Medical Solutions, Patriot Construction, Performance Contractors, Prime Occupational Medicine, Primoris Services Corporation, Rauch-Milliken International, Sochem Solutions, Safety and Environmental Management Systems, Southern Earth Sciences, Tiger Industrial Rental, Trillium Construction, Turner Industries, Westgate, Wood Group, and Workbox. We truly could not have accomplished the enormous task of feeding 3,000 without your help and service! Ben Fromenthal with Beard Construction Group serves as the 2020 Chair of the Member Services Committee. Fromenthal not only helped organize logistics and volunteers, he also cooked hundreds of plates of jambalaya. “These healthcare workers are being put to the test as far as when it comes to danger,” said Fromenthal. “This was our way to say thank you for what you’re doing, for serving the community, for being here to protect our health, to be by the people’s sides that have been affected by the virus,” The day began bright and early for our cooks as they prepped thousands of servings of Cajun cuisine, jambalaya and pastalaya specifically, for the heroes. 27

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Later that morning, dozens of volunteers arrived to assemble the entrée, sides of salad, potato salad and rolls and desserts like bread pudding, brownies and homemade chocolate chip cookies. More volunteers then arrived to load the boxed meals on to trailers, SUVs and pickup trucks. Delivery volunteers then drove all over the Baton Rouge area to provide lunch for and to thank the health care heroes. CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

COVE R S T ORY s u m m er 20 20 c on tin ue d Stephen Toups, President of Turner Industries, current board member and former chair of ABC Pelican, said events like Workforce Feeding Frontlines are a powerful reminder that while we are all in this pandemic together, the healthcare community is charged with the enormous task of beating this virus. “This is a way to give back,” Toups said. “A whole bunch of great volunteers got together and decided to do what we know how to do, and that’s get together in a crisis situation, figure out the logistics and serve where we are needed most.” Safety was a priority and focus of the event. Each volunteer and participant had to visit a wellness tent upon arriving, where they were assessed by medical services providers who also took their temperature. Attendees were also required to wear face coverings and specific PPE if they came in contact with the food. “We were privileged to bring together many of our members in a safe environment to show thousands of frontline healthcare workers how grateful we are for their service,” said David Helveston, President and CEO of ABC Pelican, as the event wrapped. “ABC Pelican is voice of the Merit Shop Construction Industry across much of Louisiana, and we used that unified voice at this rewarding event to say, ‘thank you’ to the true heroes of the pandemic.”

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Nation al E xc ellen c e i n c o n structio n awa rds

ABC PELICAN MEMBERS CLAIM TWELVE EIC 2019 CHAPTER AND NATIONAL HONORS APRIL 6

ABC National announced its 92 award winning construction projects for the 30th annual Excellence in Construction® (EIC) Awards, and ABC Pelican members took home an impressive 16 of those awards. The 92 projects to earn an EIC award are collectively worth nearly $2.9 billion. Here are the ABC Pelican Member Companies who earned an EIC award from ABC National: Aggregate Technologies, Barriere Construction, Brown & Root Industrial Services, Cajun Industries, GROUP Industries, ISC Constructors, Performance Contractors, Sealevel Construction, Starcon and The Newtron Group. “The craftmanship of ABC members and their hardworking employees continues to raise the bar when it comes to how we define excellence in construction,” said 2020 ABC National Chair Tim Keating. “It’s an honor to recognize these 92 award winners for their respective commitments to building safely, on time and on budget, as well as contribute to the communities in which they work.” These are the projects and awards received by each of our member companies: Aggregate Technologies Pyramid Award: Harbor Island Existing Dock Demolition Barriere Construction Pyramid Award: CN Livingston Siding Project Brown & Root Industrial Services Eagle Award: Veolia - Burnside Converter Replacement & Capital Expansion Project Cajun Industries Eagle Award: ExxonMobil Dock 5 Project Eagle Award: Dow St. Charles Operations – LP6 Debottlenecking Project Pyramid Award: Cleco Bayou Vista-Terrebonne T-Line

Pyramid Award: Rubicon AP HyCO GROUP Industries Pyramid Award: DOW Fender Control Building ISC Constructors Pyramid Award: Marathon Garyville-10-22 Substation Installation Project Performance Contractors Eagle Award: Valero - SRU 30 Waste Heat Boiler Turnaround Eagle Award: Phillips 66 - Lake Charles Gasoline Isomerization Project Pyramid Award: Cornerstone – Alkylation Tank Farm Project Sealevel Construction Eagle Award: Falgout Canal Flood Control Structure Starcon Eagle Award: 2018 Maintenance and Turnaround Program The Newtron Group/Triad Electric & Controls Eagle Award: Valero Diamond Green Diesel Expansion Project Pyramid Award: Shell Tiger AO4 Project “These construction projects are the best of the best across the country,” said David Helveston, President and CEO of ABC Pelican. “Construction is one of Louisiana’s strong suits and that’s proven through our member companies’ construction and completion of projects like these; they truly stand out above the rest. The EIC National Awards symbolize the countless hours and endless dedication that the men and women in our workforce commit to innovation, quality, safety and excellence, ensuring that construction remains a pillar of this state.” Of the 16 projects listed above, 12 projects by ABC Pelican Member companies received awards for outstanding merit shop construction projects for the CONTINUED ON PAGE 33

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Nation al E xc ellen c e i n c o n structio n awa rds C O N TIN UE D ABC National EIC Awards and the ABC Pelican EIC Awards Banquet in December 2019. Each construction project show-cases the exceptional talent in our industry and the overall commitment to building safely, on time and on budget.

three purposes -- administrative offices, laboratory and control room. Proactively tackling the project, the design-build team determined the most efficient way to create the 100 percent-sealed structure, while battling logistical and design challenges.

Fred McManus, COO of Brown and Root Industrial Services and 2006 Chair of the ABC Pelican Board of Directors, said it’s an honor for Brown & Root to earn a national EIC award.

Performance Contractors, Inc.: Phillips 66 - Lake Charles Gasoline Isomerization Project: To achieve the Lake Charles Gasoline Isomerization Project’s goal of consistently producing premium-grade gasoline for the demanding market, Performance executed civil and general mechanical work simultaneously to meet milestones of the aggressive project schedule.

“Each time I’ve accepted an ABC National Eagle Award on behalf of my company, I am always humbled that my team’s hard work and dedication meets the prestigious standards set by the merit shop’s premier competition,” said McManus. “However, building a better and stronger Louisiana through countless safe and innovative practices is the most rewarding aspect of delivering Brown and Root’s project successfully.” Here are the 12 ABC Pelican Member projects that received chapter honors in December 2019 and national honors from Associated Builders and Contractors for the 30th annual EIC Awards: National Excellence in Construction Eagle Award Winners: Brown & Root Industrial Services, LLC: Veolia Burnside Converter Replacement & Capital Expansion Project: Brown & Root completed the converter replacement and major capital expansion project while integrating into an existing chemical process and overcoming a historic high river, complex logistical footprint and accelerated timeline. The project was executed on-time with zero recordable injuries. Cajun Industries, LLC: ExxonMobil Dock 5 Project: Cajun’s accomplishments on the ExxonMobil Dock 5 Retrofit project were due to a state-of-the-art safety program, exceptional due diligence, quality craftsmanship, thorough communication, and flawless execution. Despite difficulties, Cajun completed the multi-phased endeavor in two locations with a successful startup. GROUP Industries: DOW Fender Control Building: Dow Beaumont’s “shelter in place” facility serves

Performance Contractors, Inc.: Valero - SRU 30 Waste Heat Boiler Turnaround: The Valero SRU 30 Waste Heat Boiler Turnaround included removing structural columns and beams while still supporting the main structure, along with making one of the largest welds that Performance has ever made at 415 inches. Sealevel Construction, Inc.: Falgout Canal Flood Control Structure: Self-performing 95 percent of the work, Sealevel installed the levees, piles, riprap and automated barge. This infrastructure completes the southern portion of the Morganza to the Gulf Hurricane Protection Plan, providing 1025 linear feet of flood protection for Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes. Triad Electric & Controls, Inc.: Valero Diamond Green Diesel Expansion Project: This project was a world-class construction endeavor that has once again endorsed Triad’s reputation for excellence in the industry. With more than 119,000 manhours performed in a very compressed time frame, this project was completed with a perfect safety record. National Excellence in Construction Pyramid Award Winners Cajun Industries, LLC: Rubicon AP HyCO: The project at Rubicon in Geismar, La included more than 100,000 manhours and was completed in only 12 months. Cajun completed a challenging project with no recordables, while upgrading an operating plant in difficult space limitations on time and within budget. CONTINUED ON PAGE 34

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Nation al E xc ellen c e i n c o n structio n awa rds C O N TIN UE D Cajun Industries, LLC: Cleco Bayou VistaTerrebonne T-Line: Cajun installed 128 battered helical piles and steel grillage foundations for six transmission towers by using land equipment and barge equipment resources. This project consisted of a year and a half for conceptual planning and nine weeks of construction. ISC Constructors, LLC: Marathon Garyville-10/22 Substation Installation Project: This project was awarded to ISC as part of the Substation Replacement Program designed to strategically improve the electrical infrastructure of select process units by replacing single-ended and radially fed substations with new secondary-selective substations fed from Main Substation 35-7. Performance Contractors, Inc.: Cornerstone – Alkylation Tank Farm Project: Cornerstone’s Alkylation Tank Farm Project was a true challenge with the client expediting the schedule upon award of the project to half of original planned duration. Performance successfully completed the project on schedule, working seven days a week, through the holiday season, without injury. Triad Electric & Controls, Inc.: Shell Tiger AO4 Project: Triad was awarded a $30 million contract for electrical and instrumentation construction for the Shell Tiger AO4 Project as part of a grassroots expansion at Shell’s Geismar refinery. Triad successfully completed 757,698 manhours without an OSHA recordable. The EIC awards program is the industry’s leading competition that honors both general and specialty contractors for innovative and high-quality merit shop construction projects. The EIC awards honors all construction team members, including the contractor, owner, architect and engineer. The winning projects, selected from entries across the nation, were judged on complexity, attractiveness, unique challenges overcome, completion time, workmanship, innovation, safety and cost. We look forward to celebrating these #ABCMeritShopProud projects in conjunction with the 2020 ABC Convention in August! www.abcpelican.org/newsletter

PELICAN CHAPTER, ASSOCIATED BUILDERS & CONTRACTORS

PERFECT YOUR TRADE THROUGH CRAFT & TECHNICAL COURSES IN BATON ROUGE Established in 1980, ABC Pelican has educated more than 25,000 craft professionals, provided a variety of professional continuing education offerings, and promoted construction as a career to tens of thousands. Perfect your trade with us through nationally accredited curriculum developed for the construction industry!

CRAFT COURSES • NCCER Core • NCCER Electrical Levels 1-4 • NCCER Millwright Levels 1-5 • NCCER Heavy Equipment Levels 1-2

• NCCER Instrumentation Levels 1-4 • NCCER Mobile Crane Levels 1-2 • NCCER Pipefitting Levels 1-4

Pelican Chapter, Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnic origin, religion, sex, handicap, union affiliation or veteran status. Persons who enroll in ABC Training Center courses acknowledge that they are physically fit to participate in these courses. In the event of an accident or injury, participants will hold harmless from all liability and/or loss or damage, the Pelican Chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. or its agents. This information is subject to change without notice due to enrollment numbers and requirements. Completion of all or part of a training program does not guarantee employment. While it is our goal to train for the construction/maintenance industry, our primary purpose is to train our members’ employees.

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(Must have at least 3.5 years field experience) •NCCER Construction Site Safety Technician (CSST) •Project Coordinator (three semesters) •First semester: Print Reading •Second semester: Estimating •Third semester: Planning and Scheduling

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19251 Highland Road Baton Rouge, LA 70809

SUPERVISOR CLASSES

NEW: Fall 2020 Dates Spring 2021 Dates Early Registration: May 4 – 28 (current students only) ICC/GBRIA Registration:

Early Registration: October 1- 29 (current students only)

June 1 – 30

ICC/GBRIA Registration: November 2 - 30

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Semester Begins: January 11, 2021

Hours of Operation: Monday - Thursday, 7:30a to 6:00p

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BA T ON ROUGE t r a i n i n g c en t e r update

KEEPING SAFETY FIRST AS WE WELCOME STUDENTS BACK

BY KELLY CARPENTER, DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION The training center staff worked hard on policies and procedures for students to gradually return to class on June 1. It is and will continue to be the utmost importance that all individuals associated with the Baton Rouge Training Center continue to adhere to local and federal guidelines as we return to school safely. With the help from both the Safety Committee and Education and Manpower Committee, we believe we have outlined a clear path to execute a smooth transition for students. These classes began on June 1 with the 25% capacity restriction: oElectrical & Instrumentation 400 oHeavy Equipment & Mobile Crane 200 oPipefitting 400 oMillwright 500 oSpecialty Classes – CSST, Print Reading, Estimating and Planning & Scheduling oWelding Below is the outline that ABC Pelican developed to insure we have social distancing, health and safety practices in place for the students, instructors, visitors and staff. Many of these new policies have now become part of ABC Pelican’s best practices for better health and hygiene and will continue to be implemented going forward. I’m happy to report that these first few weeks of classes have run smoothly and that the staff and instructors are happy to see the students return to campus. •Daily temperature checks and questionnaires provided by a third-party medical vendor to all students at the gate of our campus •Students who register a temperature over 99.9 degrees at the gate of our campus are required to: oSelf-quarantine for 14 days OR oProvide us documented proof of one negative COVID-19 test result before returning to campus. •Keeping daily logs on file from all students, visitors and staff •Requiring that face covering must be worn by students and instructors while on campus

•Providing handwashing stations at each entrance of our buildings and hand sanitizer dispensers at entrance of each classroom and lab •Placing decals on the floor of the buildings on campus, positioned in 6-foot intervals throughout all buildings to enforce social distancing guidelines •Arranging the classroom seating to accommodate for social distancing requirements •Allowing no breaks and no smoking on campus to discourage students and groups from congregating •Offering restroom breaks for one individual at a time •Turning off vending machine and water fountains to limit touch points. Students are planning accordingly to bring their own drinks and snacks. ABC staff and instructors are looking forward to welcoming the next group of students to our Baton Rouge Campus on August 3 to continue the remaining classes from the Spring 2020 semester. The plan is to continue with similar policies and procedures that have been adapted for the summer session. Here are the Spring 2020 classes we plan to resume on August 3: oElectrical & Instrumentation 100, 200 & 300 oHeavy Equipment & Mobile Crane 100 oPipefitting 100, 200 & 300 oMillwright 100, 200, & 300 oSpecialty Classes – CSST, Print Reading, Estimating and Planning & Scheduling oWelding

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PELICAN CHAPTER, ASSOCIATED BUILDERS AND CONTRACTORS

COMMERCIAL ELECTRICAL CLASS OVERVIEW:

•Our four year program meets DOL apprenticeship standards •We offer NCCER Electrical Levels 1-4 •Available to indenture students once they have completed the Core curriculum and are employed by an electrical contractor that agrees to requirements below

LOCATION:

Baton Rouge Training Center 19251 Highland Road Baton Rouge, LA 70809

COST*:

$1,100/student employed by Member **Books $1,350/Nonand materials Member included. Cost student

based on 15-student minimum.

REQUIREMENTS:

•OJT documents submitted on at least a monthly basis •Wage updates submitted as required. •Mandatory attendance to meet classroom hours requirements •Company must be listed with ABC and the DOL as an apprentice employer.

Registration or questions: Call the Baton Rouge Training Center at 225.752.0088 or email Danielle at dlabbe@abcpelican.com

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WHEN: Classes are on Fridays from 1:00p to 5:00p and begin Friday, August 7, 2020

Pelican Chapter, Associated Builders & Contractors

Uncommon

LEADERSHIP 2020

Join the 23rd Uncommon Leadership Class in learning the disciplines and practices of leading others. Hosted by ABC Pelican and Human Dynamics, this seven-week leadership development course for ABC Pelican Members will strengthen your management and leadership skills in your career.

DURING THE SEVEN WEEKS, YOU WILL LEARN HOW TO: •Take greater personal accountability for achieving organizational results •Recognize and understand diverse behavioral styles •Constructively manage conflict and achieve breakthroughs in performance •Assist in the growth and development of people •Develop an audience centered approach to presenting •Strengthen listening and creative problem solving skills

SAFETY REGULATIONS WILL BE FOLLOWED PENDING NECESSARY GUIDELINES

LOCATION: ABC Pelican Chapter 19251 Highland Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70809

COST: $3495/person (includes lunch and class materials)

CLASS SCHEDULE: August 6: Kick-off Meeting September 10: Foundations September 17: Dealing with People September 24: Crucial Conversations: Part 1 October 1: Crucial Conversations: Part 2 October 8: Presentation Skills October 15: Situational Leadership October 22: Transformation/Graduation

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so ut h w e st t r a i n i n g c en t er update

OUR STUDENTS AND INSTRUCTORS ARE EXCITED TO BE BACK

BY BLAISE THEARD, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST, SWTC

The Southwest Training Center safely resumed all Spring semester classes on June 1 and accelerated welding and electrical courses on June 22. We plan to resume Fall night classes on August 3. The following health and safety measures have been implemented to protect everyone on campus: •Requiring daily temperature checks for all individuals on campus •Maintaining 6ft of distance from one another •Installing hand washing stations outside building entrances •Mounting hand sanitizer stations throughout campus •Requiring masks for all individuals on campus •Minimizing frequent touch points throughout campus •Limiting frequent gathering areas •Sanitizing our campus daily •Reducing lobby capacity •Spacing classroom desks at least 6 feet apart •Reducing classroom capacity •Reducing computer lab capacity We plan to continue many of these safety best practices into the future at the Southwest Campus. Students and instructors are excited to be back training in the labs. While we all wish the resumption of classes was under different circumstances, everyone is receptive of the safety guidelines and requirements that we have put in place.

39 www.abcpelican.org/newsletter

In both our industry and craft training, safety is always a high priority. The ABC SWTC will always do what it takes to complete the task safely. Our goal as training center staff and instructors is to educate, mentor and produce high quality craft professionals for the benefit of their career goals and for our industry. The additional steps we are taking to ensure our students and instructors are training safely will only improve our quality of training. However long these uncertain times will last, we will absolutely do whatever is necessary to continue providing superior hands-on training as safely as possible.

PELICAN CHAPTER, ASSOCIATED BUILDERS & CONTRACTORS, INC.

PERFECT YOUR TRADE THROUGH CRAFT TRAINING IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA Established in 1980, ABC Pelican has trained more than 25,000 craft professionals, provided a variety of professional continuing education offerings, and promoted construction as a career to tens of thousands. Perfect your trade through nationally accredited curricula developed for the construction industry with us!

Questions? Contact: Kirby Bruchhaus, Director of Education (kbruchhaus@abcpelican.com | 337.882.0204) Blaise Theard, Workforce Development Specialist (btheard@abcpelican.com | 337.882.0204)

• NCCER Core Classroom • NCCER Scaffolding Level 1 • NCCER Electrical Levels 1-4 • NCCER Millwright Levels 1-5

CRAFT COURSES

• NCCER Heavy Equipment Levels 1-2

• AWS Welding Levels 1- 3 (afternoon & evening)

• NCCER Instrumentation Levels 1-4

• NCCER CSST Safety 100 Hours

• NCCER Pipefitting Levels 1-4

NCCER Accredited Assessment Center

About ABC Pelican Pelican Chapter, Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnic origin, religion, sex, handicap, union affiliation or veteran status. Persons who enroll in ABC Training Center courses acknowledge that they are physically fit to participate in these courses. In the event of an accident or injury, participants will hold harmless from all liability and/or loss or damage, the Pelican Chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. or its agents. This information is subject to change without notice due to enrollment numbers and requirements. Completion of all or part of a training program does not guarantee employment. While it is our goal to train for the construction/maintenance industry, our primary purpose is to train our members’ employees.

222 Walcot Road Westlake, LA 70669

NEW: Fall 2020 Dates Spring 2021 Dates Early Registration: May 4 – 28 (current students only)

Early Registration: October 1- 31 (current students only)

Contract Employee Registration: June 1 – 30 Open Registration: July 1 - 30

Contract Employee Registration: November 4 - 28 Open Registration: December 1 - 23

Semester Begins: August 3, 2020

Late Registration: December 1 – 31 (current students only)

Hours of Operation: Monday - Thursday, 7:30a to 6:00p

337.882.0204

Semester Begins: January 4, 2021 abcpelican.org

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cra f t c om p et i t o r p r o f i les

MEET THE ABC PELICAN CRAFT PROFESSIONALS WHO WOULD HAVE REPRESENTED US AT THE 2020 CRAFT CHAMPIONSHIPS

APRIL 2020, LOUISIANA

Editor’s Note: Keeping safety and health at the forefront of all we do at ABC Pelican, shortly before this newsletter was published, contractors determined it was not appropriate to send competitors to the rescheduled competition in August because of COVID-19. We are saddened that this year’s competitors could not represent ABC Pelican in Nashville, but we look forward to future competitions. While we’ve all had to wait a little longer for the annual national convention, our craft competitors have taken advantage of those extra months to fine tune their skills in electrical, instrumentation, millwright, pipefitting and welding as they prepare for the postponed 2020 National Craft Championship in Nashville in August. These craft professionals qualified for the National Craft Championship by competing with about 40 others in ABC Pelican’s craft competition back in December 2019. These talented individuals exemplify the best of the best in the industry across our state.

Lionel Beckett

Justin Blanchard

ABC Pelican staff caught up with these craft professionals to learn more about who they are, how they are preparing for the competition and why they chose a career in construction. Get to know the stories behind who will be representing our chapter on the national stage next month. Lionel Beckett – Millwright – Turner Industries Group Q: What do you look forward to about representing ABC Pelican in Nashville? A: I look forward to meeting new people and enjoying myself no matter the outcome. And, of course, I look forward to doing my best.

Trey Hebert

Q: What are you nervous about? A: Honestly, everything makes me nervous. But I know I can do it, so I’ll just get there and get the job done and do it safe. Q: What would it mean to you if you placed? A: It would mean so much more than words can explain. Placing is something you work hard for each and every day. I hope to CONTINUED ON PAGE 42 41 www.abcpelican.org/newsletter

Zeke Mahaffey

cra f t c om p et i t o r p r o f i les C O N Tin ue d make ABC Pelican and Turner proud. Q: What do you think sets you apart? A: Honestly, no idea. I would say I try to remember the small things. That seems to get you in the end. I also think I do well at prioritizing safety first. Justin Blanchard – Instrument Fitting – ISC Constructors Q: Why did you choose to pursue a career in construction and specifically instrument fitting? A: I’ve always been good with my hands - my dad was a mechanic and taught me how to fix the vehicles around the house. I also took shop classes in high school like wood working and welding, and I fell into electrical, first residential, then commercial and eventually industrial. The industrial field is where I found out about instrument techs and the work they do, which is working with small but very important electronics. I also learned the technical skills that goes with the trade, which really intrigued me to learn more and pursue it as a career. Q: What advice would you give to others who are considering a craft as a career? A: Considering a craft is a great idea and can lead to great opportunities. The field is lacking in good, skilled craft professionals and there will always be an opportunity to learn and improve in whatever craft you decide to pick up. Q: What goals and dreams would you like to accomplish in your future in the workforce? A: I would like to be hired by a local plant that helps out the community, and also hone my skills in the instrument trade to be the best tech I can be. Trey Hebert – Welding – Turner Industries Group Q: What do you look forward to? A: I look forward to experiencing all that this great competition has to offer and seeing all of the companies coming together to compete. Q: What are you nervous about? A: I’m nervous about how many people will be competing in the competition. Q: What would it mean to you if you placed?

A: It would mean a lot to me to earn this for Turner because of everything this company has done for me. Q: What do you think sets you apart? A: All of the hard work that I have put in to becoming a good welder and all of the people who are pushing me to do my best! I also know I am pretty good at putting the root in at pipe welding. Zeke Mahaffey – Instrument Fitting – ISC Constructors Q: Why did you choose to pursue a career in construction and specifically instrument fitting? A: Construction was my first job. I had some experience with the residential electrical field and family friends helped get a job in residential construction. Working with my hands and learning several new things I always had a knack for. Eventually I became a stand-alone craft professional and I could have started my own company, but I wanted to learn more. I wanted to do something more challenging. My father worked as an analyzer technician and recommended I try my hand at instrumentation. It seemed complicated enough to keep my interest and I had a network to get me there quickly. Q: What advice would you give to others who are considering a craft as a career? A: Go for it. If you enjoy working with your hands and learning new things, then it’s absolutely for you. First, if you like seeing the progress and the work you’ve done with your own hands, you’ll love it. Second, it pays fairly well and there are lots of other benefits. Q: What goals and dreams would you like to accomplish in your future in the workforce? A: I’d like just to know as much as I can about the trade. I’d like to be able to answer any question that could be asked. I just love to learn. Gavin Oldham – Millwright – Turner Industries Group Q: What do you look forward to most? Is there anything that makes you nervous? A: It is an honor to represent ABC Pelican in this national competition, and I couldn’t be more thankful for this privilege that ABC Pelican and Turner Industries have given me. I look forward to placing and CONTINUED ON PAGE 43 www.abcpelican.org/newsletter

cra f t c om p et i t o r p r o f i les C O N Tin ue d meeting new faces. I am nervous about the possibility of losing focus or encountering the unexpected. Q: What would it mean to you if you placed? A: If I place in the millwright competition, it would put unlimited opportunities in front of me. Q: What do you think sets you apart from other competitors? Anything you consider yourself exceptionally good at? A: The thing that separates me from other competitors is my personality and my ability to work good under pressure. I tune out the noise and focus on what I need to do.

because there is something out there for everyone. Networking is more important than many realize. And finally, you’ll never regret the experience. Q: What goals and dreams would you like to accomplish in your future in the workforce? A: Honestly, I’d just like to accomplish gaining as much experience and knowledge as I can. Enough experience and knowledge to be in a position of training and preparing the next generation of Millwrights in the latter years of my career. But before that, I’d like to work outside the country. Travel some, see what it’s like in different parts of the world.

Seth Oubre – Electrical – EP Breaux Electrical Q: Why did you choose to pursue a career in construction and specifically electrical? A: I’m a third-generation electrical worker; I work with my dad and my grandfather for the same company. Actually, I left college for this line of work. Q: What advice would you give to others who are considering a craft as a career? A: My advice is that trades will never be out of demand. Someone will always need to turn on the lights and make sure the sink is running, and something will always need to be built or fixed.

Gavin Oldham

Q: What goals and dreams would you like to accomplish in your future in the workforce? A: In the future, I’d like to be able to say I was one of the best to do this job. I take pride in most of my work. Austin Pardue – Millwright – Turner Industries Group Q: Why did you choose to pursue a career in construction and specifically millwright? A: I chose to become a millwright because I enjoy working with my hands. This came from my history of auto mechanics as both a hobby and career. I was in search for a mechanical-based career that would fulfill my passion while separating my hobbies. Q: What advice would you give to others who are considering a craft as a career? A: My advice would be this: do your research on multiple crafts, not just one. Finding something you enjoy doing in this industry will not be a problem 43

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Seth Oubre

Austin Pardue

MEM BE RS H IP U PDA T E

CONGRATS TO THE PELICAN CHAPTER MEMBERS WHO HAVE RECEIVED A BEAM CLUB AWARD BY ANNA ZEBEAU, DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP

At the end of 2019, five Pelican Chapter members had reached a level in ABC National’s Beam Club. The Beam Club was established in 1966 and recognizes ABC members who have displayed their commitment to grow the association with their ability to recruit quality members into the association. Beam Club members have made ABC the world’s largest association of merit shop contractors and continue to be the foundation for the future of ABC and merit shop construction. When a new member joins the Pelican Chapter, a member sponsor is listed on the application to receive credit for encouraging the new member to join the chapter. All sponsors are tracked in the database cumulative over the years. Members who sponsor new members are given one point per new member. Once a member reaches 5 sponsored members, they officially become a Beam Club Level Member and are enrolled in the Beam Club by their chapter. Beam Club activity is ongoing from year to year, with members’ point totals continually accruing and advancing members to the next Beam Club award level.

We congratulate all of these Beam Club recipients. We greatly appreciate their support for the Merit Shop Philosophy and for their involvement and passion for the organization and chapter!

Thad Rispone

Recently, these five Pelican Chapter members were awarded for reaching a certain level in the Beam Club: •Thad Rispone with ISC Constructors reached the Merit Plus Level (15 -24 sponsored members) and received a plaque and a $150 gift card. •Jeremiah Johnson with Bottom Line Equipment reached the Merit Level (10 – 14 sponsored members) and received a plaque and a $100 gift card.

Jeremiah Johnson

Ray Neck

•Ray Neck with Turner Industries reached the Beam Club Level (5 – 9 sponsored members) and received a plaque, lapel pin and a golf shirt. •Ben Fromenthal with Beard Construction reached the Beam Club Level (5 – 9 sponsored members) and received a plaque, lapel pin and a golf shirt •Beth Olinde with Workbox reached the Beam Club Level (5 – 9 sponsored members) and received a plaque, lapel pin and a golf shirt.

Ben Fromenthal

Beth Olinde www.abcpelican.org/newsletter

WE L C OM E T O O U R N EW M EM B ER S

GET TO KNOW OUR NEW MEMBERS Eastern Services Company Brad Kincaid 38004 Cornerview Road, Geismar, LA 70734 225.450.3226 Joined: June 2020 Contractor: Structural Metal Erection/Rigging Sponsor: Ben Fromenthal, Beard Construction

Champion Civil Services Michael LeBlanc 3185 Balis Drive, Suite 120, Baton Rouge, LA 70808 225.329.2767 Joined: June 2020 Contractor: Concrete www.championcivilservices.net About Champion Civil Services: Champion is a newly launched business that serves general and industrial contractors throughout the Southern United States. Our management team has nearly 60 years of industry experience. We go above and beyond what is expected to deliver exceptional concrete services every time.

Converge Management Services Marcel Lemoine 10431 Siegen Lane, Baton Rouge, LA 70810 225.757.1856 www.converge-mgt.com Joined: June 2020 Industry Professional: Accounting/Business Services Sponsor: Beau Leitner, Doyle Electric About Converge Management Services: Converge works closely with clients and their chosen CPAs to provide information they need in order to do their jobs effectively. Their goal is to make the CPAs job easier and more valuable to the client.

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Fr om t he p r es i d en t

IF SAFETY IS OUR MOTTO, THEN MENTAL WELLBEING MUST BE A KEY SAFETY INITIATIVE, ESPECIALLY NOW BY: DAVID HELVESTON, PELICAN CHAPTER, ABC

2020 has been a challenging year for our nation and the construction industry. We’ve experienced a global pandemic with stay-at-home orders and governmentmandated closures of businesses, a collapse of oil prices and contraction of construction activity, record unemployment rates, and protests on racial inequities in our country, just to name a few. These are unprecedented and often stressful times. I’ve seen ABC Pelican companies address the pandemic with a strong safety plan and procedures that prioritize their employees’ health. Yet as much as we prioritize the physical health and safety of our employees and coworkers, the time is long overdue for us to expand that safety focus to include mental health. More construction workers die by suicide each day than by all other workplace-related fatalities combined. With a suicide rate that is four times greater than the national average, the construction industry is facing an enormous crisis. Whatever our role in construction, we have a responsibility and a calling to value and uphold the mental wellbeing of the employees and colleagues around us. Lowering these terrible statistics around suicide in construction starts with understanding the warning signs and proactively doing something about those signs. We must understand what we can do to build up these at-risk individuals. •If you’re a manager, supervisor, or any position of leadership in your company, have an open-door policy. Change your mindset and view asking for 47 www.abcpelican.org/newsletter

help as courageous, not disgraceful. Advocate for comprehensive mental health and suicide prevention polices in your company. Try to keep crews together that consistently work together so that they can build strong relationships. •Get to know your coworkers and employees by building a trusting relationship. Each one of us is more than a name and a skill set, who have a story, families, goals and unique personalities. Effort to understand the types of lives they live outside of the workplace community. •Communicate, communicate, communicate. Ensure employees and coworkers understand how you and your company prioritize mental wellbeing and suicide prevention. Give colleagues and employees the space to open up during a time and place that’s comfortable for them. •Raise awareness by educating colleagues and coworker to recognize signs of mental distress. As ABC Members, safety is in the very DNA of who we are as individuals, employees, citizens, family members and friends. If safety is a motto we profess in life and on the job, then mental health must be one of the key safety initiatives that we focus on. For educational resources on or ways to get involved in suicide prevention in the construction industry, visit preventconstructionsuicide.com.

Le gal gue st c o lu m n

PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM FLEXIBILITY ACT OF 2020 SIGNED INTO LAW

BY: BOB BARTON, MANAGING PARTNER; ASHLEY CARVER MEREDITH, ASSOCIATE; RYAN GONZALES ASSOCIATE, TAYLOR PORTER LAW FIRM President Donald Trump signed into law the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020. The Act modifies provisions related to the forgiveness of loans made to small businesses under the Paycheck Protection Program. The following is a summary of the Act’s key provisions: •The Act extends the covered period during which borrowers may use loan proceeds for eligible expenses from 8 weeks to 24 weeks or until the end of the year, whichever comes first, and borrowers have until December 31, 2020, to restore reductions in employee headcount and wages. Borrowers that received their PPP loans prior to the enactment of the Act, however, may choose to opt out of the extension and continue using the original 8-week covered period if the shorter covered period produces a more favorable result for the borrower. •For borrowers that are unable to restore reductions in employee headcount to pre-pandemic levels, the Act provides two new exceptions to the loan forgiveness rules. Under the first exception, a borrower will not be penalized for a reduction in the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) employees if the borrower, in good faith, is able to document an inability to rehire individuals who were employees on February 15, 2020 and an inability to hire similarly qualified employees for unfilled positions on or before December 31, 2020. Under the second exception, a borrower will not be penalized for a reduction in FTE if it is able to document an inability to return to the same level of business activity as such business was operating at before February 15, 2020 due to compliance with requirements established or guidance issued by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration during the period beginning on March 1, 2020 and ending December 31, 2020, related to the maintenance of standards for sanitation, social distancing, or any other worker or customer safety requirement related to COVID–19.

payment. As currently written, if a borrower does not spend at least 60% of the loan amount on payroll costs, none of its loan amount will be forgiven. Members of Congress have indicated, however, that technical tweaks could be made to restore the bill to a sliding scale which would allow for partial forgiveness. •PPP loans made after the enactment of the Act will have a minimum maturity of 5 years. Though existing PPP loans maintain their 2 year maturities, the Act allows lenders and borrowers to mutually agree to modify the existing 2-year maturity to conform with the 5-year maturity provided in the Act. •The Act eliminates a CARES Act provision that makes PPP loan borrowers ineligible for deferment of payroll taxes. Employers now would be able to defer paying the relevant payroll taxes regardless of whether the borrower receives forgiveness of a PPP loan. On June 17, the SBA, in consultation with the Department of the Treasury, posted a revised, borrower-friendly PPP loan forgiveness application implementing the PPP Flexibility Act of 2020. In addition to revising the full forgiveness application, SBA also published a new EZ version of the forgiveness application that applies to borrowers that: are self-employed and have no employees; or did not reduce the salaries or wages of their employees by more than 25%, and did not reduce the number or hours of their employees; or Experienced reductions in business activity as a result of health directives related to COVID-19, and did not reduce the salaries or wages of their employees by more than 25%. The EZ application requires fewer calculations and less documentation for eligible borrowers. Both applications give borrowers the option of using the original 8-week covered period (if their loan was made before June 5, 2020) or an extended 24-week covered period. These changes will result in a more efficient process and make it easier for businesses to realize full forgiveness of their PPP loan.

•To be eligible for loan forgiveness borrowers now must use at least 60% (rather than 75%) of the loan amount for “payroll costs” and may use up to 40% for: i) payment of *All updated documents can be accessed at SBA.gov as interest on any covered mortgage obligation; ii) payments of the PPP loan rules continue to be updated* rent on covered rent obligations; or iii) any covered utility www.abcpelican.org/newsletter

Louis iana S tat e F i r e M a r s h al UPDA TE

INNOVATIVE CONSTRUCTION THROUGH COVID-19

BY: ASHLEY RODRIGUE, STATE FIRE MARSHAL PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIRECTOR As the state now sits almost four months into its fight against COVID-19, it may seem as though Louisiana’s economic future is as uncertain as it was on Day 1. But the State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFM) is doing all it can to keep the business community, including the construction industry, moving forward. Just recently, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Louisiana would remain in Phase 2 of opening safely for another month. While it is understandable that that announcement hit many hard, we believe it is an opportunity to see the entreprenuerial spirit that has been sparked by COVID-19 get a little brighter. And that’s where you step in. If you’ve had an opportunity to review any of the Phase guidelines issued on OpenSafely.la.gov, you will have found, in almost all of them, several options for business owners to aim to accomplish in order to maximize their customer count while keeping the health and safety of those customers, and employees, as a top priority. Some of those options have no doubt led to calls to your companies seeking innovative ways to achieve those safety measures in an economic, feasible and logical way. And we have been very impressed by what has come out of that effort. From building unique partitions at restaurants to developing creative queing layouts for lines, the partnership between the construction world and the retail and hospitality worlds have taken into account the usual fire safety standards with the new COVIDconsiderate standards. And we anticipate seeing that partnership grow now with another 28 days under Phase 2 limitations. 49 www.abcpelican.org/newsletter

One sector that may be receiving a lot of inquiries right now is HVAC. While live indoor music is still not allowed, businesses are able to seek permission to bring the music back to life. But there’s a laundry list of requirements that have to be met when submitting that proposal which includes ways to ensure the air in a building is at optimum quality and performance to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as best as is known at this time. And we’ve already been hearing from several of you about best practices and best systems out there for the business community to consider. That kind of feedback is much appreciated as we know you all are the true experts in your respective fields, many of which we are just now learning the basics of out of necessity. The SFM wants you to know we’re here to help you navigate this new market of demand, and if it hasn’t found you yet, we encourage you to go find it. Take a look at the guidance documents on OpenSafely. la.gov to see what you may be able to offer the various business types in order to help them offer more, and therefore make more, safely. Again, THANK YOU for what you do!

January 09: Installation Banquet 23: BRTC Fall Graduation February 13: Young Professionals Kick-Off 13-14: Critical Issues Summit with AGC 20: SWTC FFA District Competition 20: Merit Mixer: TOPGOLF 17-20: BRTC Blood Drive March 03: BRTC Open House 05: SWTC FFA Area Competition & Jambalaya Cookoff 13: Spring Golf Tournament 21: CANCELED: Touch A Truck with Junior League April 02: CANCELED: BRTC HS Craft Competition 09: POSTPONED: ICC/Membership Breakfast 21: CANCELED: ABC of LA Legislative Day at the Capitol 21: CANCELED: ABC of LA Legislative Reception May 20: YP Webinar 21: CANCELED: BR Crawfish Boil 28: Workforce Feeding Frontlines 28: CANCELED: SW Crawfish Boil

June 17: ABC National Virtual Legislative Day Brief 18: POSTPONED: BRTC Spring Graduation 26: CANCELED: SW Brunch & Learn XX: CANCELED: SWTC Spring Graduation July 16: EIC 101 15: YP Luncheon 29-31: CANCELED: ABC of LA State Convention August 06: Uncommon Leadership Kickoff 17-19: NEW DATE: ABC National Convention (EIC Awards Gala, National Craft Competition) September 18: SW Fishing Tournament 28: Fall Golf Classic October XX: Update on Labor & Employment Law 01-03: NEW DATE: ABC of LA Fishing Rodeo 16: Annual Clay Shoot 22: CANCELED: BRTC Build Your Future Day XX: SWTC Build Your Future Day November XX: BRTC Craft Competition XX: CFMA/ABC Construction Forum December 09: Excellence in Construction Awards

19251 Highland Road • Baton Rouge, LA 70809 • 225.752.1415 • 225.751.9470 222 Walcot Road • Westlake, LA 70669 • 337.882-0204 • 337.882.6757 Register for events at www.abcpelican.org or by contacting Macie at mmorgan@abcpelican.com www.abcpelican.org/newsletter

ABC PELICAN COVID-19 REOPENING INFORMATION

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES

Safety first

We prioritize safety because it’s in our DNA. During this time, staff is implementing additional hygiene habits, sanitation standards and social distancing rules in the admin offices as we beat COVID-19.

By appointment only

We place the utmost value on the safety of our members. For the foreseeable future, we are only accepting member visits by appointment only.

Staff

Virtual committee meetings

As we continue to follow the guidelines established by federal and local authorities, staff will work partially in the office and remotely. Email is the best way to reach us during this time.

Until a staff liaison notifies you otherwise, all committee meetings will continue to be held virtually.

BATON ROUGE & SOUTHWEST TRAINING CAMPUSES

June 1, 2020

Limited classes resume on June 1. ABC will be in touch with students regarding when and how. If you need more info, training center staff is available by phone (numbers below) May 19 - 28, 8a - 2p. After June 1, you can reach staff during normal hours (7:30a - 6:30p).

Temperature checks

Each student’s and instructor’s temperature will be checked daily before they are allowed in our buildings.

Face coverings

Students and instructors are required to bring and wear a face covering for each class, per CDC guidelines. ABC Pelican will provide face coverings if needed.

Social distancing rules Social distancing rules apply while on our training campuses. Students and instructors must stand six feet apart and avoid sharing tools and equipment.

Disinfecting daily

After we wrap classes each evening, our staff and cleaning crew will thoroughly disinfect the classrooms, restrooms, equipment, tools and lab space.

Hand Hygiene

Additional hand washing stations and hand sanitizer stations are provided; students and instructors must engage in frequent hand washing (at least 20 seconds) or use hand sanitizer after interacting with common areas.

QUESTIONS: ADMIN OFFICE: 225.752.1415 | BRTC: CALL 225.752.0088 | SWTC: 337.882.0204 51 www.abcpelican.org/newsletter

Associated Builders and Contractors Delivers Value to Members in the Coronavirus Era Since March, ABC has supported members and chapters with an expansive array of information, guidance and advocacy to help them survive a grave crisis and the worst economic decline in generations.

Education

Media Relations

Social Media

35 1,000 435 +

member webinars

7,400+ attendees

Economic Analysis

reports on backlog, contractor confidence, spending, employment, materials prices and forecasts

Action Alerts

9,600 messages to Congress

96 Senate 312 House offices reached

stories placed in trade, business, national and local media outlets

posts on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram

12,000+

Newsline

stories on coronavirus

more than

impressions

COVID-19 Daily Update

ABCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all-member newsletter

610,000+

engagements

184

32,000

posts on federal affairs developments

Resources for Members and Their Employees

Resources for Chapters

readers each week

abc.org/coronavirus

160+

resources, including federal and state actions, analysis and Q&As

65+

emergency preparedness and safety resources

35,000+ page views

nationalconnections.org/coronavirus 72 71

36 74

13 38 37 53 23

8 50

70 73

58 10

51 45 60 9

1 63

62 61

66 16

85+ resources to ensure

continuity of operations and support state and local advocacy 2,600+ page views

In April, President Donald Trump announced that ABC was named to one of the Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups. June 2020 www.abcpelican.org/newsletter

ABC N AT ION A L 20 1 9 Y EA R I N R E V IE W

LOOKING BACK AT ABC’S VALUE ADD IN 2019 Based on the merit shop philosophy, ABC helps members develop people, win work and deliver that work safely, ethically and proﬁtably for the betterment of the communities in which they work. Below are highlights of how Associated Builders and Contractors achieved this philosophy last year and how the Pelican Chapter contributed to that philosophy on a national scale. You can read the full year in review by visiting abc.org.

ETHICS AND COMPLIANCE: The Trump administration’s regulatory reform efforts saved American families and business owners $13.5 billion in ﬁscal year 2019. PROFITABILITY: ABC helped members and their employees save more than $35 million through its discount programs. COMMUNITY: ABC celebrated $10.9 billion in award-winning projects built nationwide.

WAYS THAT ABC DELIVERED VALUE IN 2019: THE MERIT SHOP: Merit shop construction expanded in 2019, with the percentage of nonunion workers in the industry increasing from 87.2% to 87.4%. DEVELOP PEOPLE: ABC members invested $1.6 billion to educate nearly 1 million course attendees in apprenticeship, craft, safety and construction management education programs. WIN WORK: ABC members won $7.55 billion in large-scale federal contracts, demonstrating their market leadership. WORLD-CLASS SAFETY: Top-performing members that participate in ABC’s STEP Safety Management System were 680% safer than the industry average.

PELICAN CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS IN ABC NATIONAL’S 2019 YEAR IN REVIEW: ABC STUDENTS ATTEND WHITE HOUSE PLEDGE TO AMERICA’S WORKERS EVENT Two graduates of ABC Pelican Chapter’s Baton Rouge Training Center and one from the ABC Heart of America apprenticeship program attended the one-year anniversary celebration of President Trump’s Pledge to America’s Workers at the White House. Last year, ABC pledged to educate and upskill at least 500,000 construction workers over the next ﬁve years during the kick-off event. Tim Gros of ISC Constructors, a graduate of the Pelican program, also appeared on Fox News and NBC to talk about the CONTINUED ON PAGE 54

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ABC N AT ION A L 20 1 9 Y EA R I N R E V IE W co n tin ue d event and careers in construction.

ABC HOSTED MORE THAN 130 LAWMAKER VISITS AT MEMBER JOBSITES AND CHAPTER EVENTS The ABC Pelican Chapter hosted Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), Louisiana business leaders and Republican gubernatorial candidates Eddie Rispone—an ABC member—and Rep. Ralph Abraham for a roundtable discussion and tour of its baton Rouge Training center on March 18.

ABC PELICAN CHAPTER HOSTS MORE THAN 1,000 STUDENTS AT BUILD YOUR FUTURE DAY The future of Louisiana’s industrial sector depends on successfully engaging high school students in construction careers. This event included safety exhibits, simulators, hands-on craft demos and more than 60 contractors.

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how s oc ial m ed i a i s a t o o l f o r O UR in dus try

SOCIAL MEDIA IN CONSTRUCTION BY: DAVID HELVESTON, PELICAN CHAPTER, ABC

Originally published in BIC Magazine, May 2020

I recently came across some incredible statistics on social media. I believe the data gives context for how our society and businesses communicate and, more importantly, how our industry can capitalize on social media. Nearly half of Earth’s population are active social media users. On average, each of those active social media users has more than seven social media accounts and spends 142 minutes a day on social media. About 10 new social media users were added per second between October 2018 and October 2019. Approximately 81 percent of small and medium-sized businesses and 91 percent of large retailers use social media. An impressive 97 percent of construction industry professionals also use social media, with LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter as the top three platforms. Clearly, we live in an age where social media and social media marketing are integral in communicating and doing business in the construction industry. Is this industry — including you and your business — using social media and social media marketing well? Building credibility and growing your brand are two benefits my chapter has reaped. Social media can create credibility when you are transparent with your audience. Openness and honesty build trust. The spread of the coronavirus created an unprecedented and rapidly evolving new reality for the world, our economy and businesses. As an association and industry that places the highest priority on health and safety, we kept members and craft students updated on social media in a thoughtful, relevant manner about events and courses. Social media can grow your brand awareness and business when you “sell” well and build relationships. ABC Pelican’s LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram profiles are constantly interacting with users. Students “check in” at our training centers on a test day, and we wish them well. Member companies participate in a golf tournament, and we thank them for their support. Committee members share takeaways from the latest safety meeting, career fair or education program we offered, and we share and promote that content. When we post about craft training courses or upcoming educational programs, we provide links and contact information so the audience can take the next step to learn more or sign up. 55 www.abcpelican.org/newsletter

While I don’t consider myself an expert, I have seen the effectiveness of quality social media platforms in telling the story of this ABC chapter and our membership, reaching new audiences and growing brand awareness. But there are some implementation methods that have worked for my chapter as we’ve grown our social footprint in the community and industry: • We learned our audience and when they are on social media. Analytics, which are easy to find on most platforms, give a wealth of knowledge on demographics, what time they view content and what they like to see. The construction industry is full of early risers, so we aim to post content earlier in the morning. Our audience also checks content during their downtime, so we post on the weekends and evenings as well. • We post in real time. Louisiana culture prioritizes sports, so if a big win happens, we post about it right then. When we host a member event, participate in community activities or hold a graduation, we post about it that day. We live tweet, add to our stories and say “stay tuned for more.” • We create authenticity by doing something the social media audience loves: telling a story. We share stories about our craft graduates, high school students, instructors, members and staff. We go behind the scenes of events. Do not underestimate the power of storytelling. • We keep the content consumable. We post content and use language our audience can relate to. • We are consistent with content. Our audience knows to go to our platforms for news on chapter activities, RSVP reminders, links, photos, news, competition results, etc. We post #MemberMondays, #TeacherTuesdays and fun throwbacks. Remaining consistent in the fast-paced digital age we live in reinforces trust and credibility. I’d encourage you to consider your company’s overall social media strategy to evaluate whether it is meeting your branding goals and providing meaningful content. Ensure that it’s timely, honest, consistent and consumable.

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COVID AND T EC H N O L O GY

COVID-19 SHOWCASES IMMENSE POTENTIAL OF CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY

BY: CHRISTOPHER GUDERIAN, DENHOLTZ PROPERTIES

COVID-19 has brought dramatic and lasting changes in countless ways. Uniquely, the hands-on nature of construction has presented a wide range of challenges to the industry. Seemingly overnight, long-established construction best practices for in-person meetings, onsite tours and financial tracking procedures were rendered unfeasible, inefficient or dangerous as social distancing mandates took hold. Suddenly, construction firms were tasked with redefining how projects were managed and executed in the era of COVID-19 and beyond. Construction technology quickly emerged as a key component in solving the myriad of issues arising from the new normal. Prior to COVID-19, the need for multiple contractors and subcontractors to be onsite and the fact that every project is truly unique along with well-established industry best practices made the industry technology adoption rate glacial at best. The COVID-19 pandemic has sped up an industrywide adoption that would have taken years to complete under ordinary circumstances. Through deployment of construction technologies and platforms, development firms have been able to maintain safety and efficiency on jobsites while positioning their companies for long-term flexibility and profitability. Although necessity has brought on widespread technological adoption across the industry, two core advantages will ensure that it is here to stay.

project managers to migrate many in-person tasks to a virtual format. Now, almost every aspect of a job can be made available through a phone or tablet. Contractors and subcontractors can easily access up-to-date blueprints and plans, while also checking on the status of the job remotely, which limits how many people are needed onsite and also reduces the length of time they will need to be there. Additionally, managers have been able to rely on contractors and subcontractors to upload daily timestamped photos of job progress, allowing managers to virtually visit jobsites and conduct inspections. Furthermore, the adoption of 360-degree video hardhat cameras is taking these virtual visits to the next level by providing a comprehensive snapshot of jobsites in real time. Through project management platforms, managers can now visit multiple jobsites, perform rigorous inspections, and instantly mitigate problems in a single day without leaving their offices or homes.

Along with virtual project management tools, managers are also leveraging video conferencing tools and cloud-based, construction-specific document markup tools to virtually review plans with contractors and subcontractors. In the past, all those involved in a job would need to drive to a single location and spend countless hours poring over paper plans that would then need to be revised and recirculated. Now, all members of the construction team can quickly jump on a video call to go over a plan and make edits in real EFFICIENCY time. Once reviewed, new plans can be instantly uploaded Maximizing efficiency while ensuring the safety of those on to ensure that every contractor and subcontractor on the site the jobsite has always been the core focus of construction receives the revisions. Through this virtual and collaborative project managers. As COVID-19 struck, managers were approach, managers are now able to oversee the markup forced to balance efficiency and safety amidst a fluid and process more efficiently while saving contractors and evolving situation. Virtual, cloud-based project management subcontractors time and confusion. platforms quickly emerged as possible answers to solving this dilemma. While some firms had adopted these PROFITABILITY platforms as ancillary parts of the construction jobsite With skeleton crews in many offices, receiving prompt prior to COVID-19, they immediately became crucial and accurate payment has been an issue throughout the components for managing a jobsite during the pandemic. industry. As many construction management firms will increase levels of remote work even after COVID-19, this Cloud-based project management platforms have enabled problem will not be disappearing anytime soon. 57 www.abcpelican.org/newsletter

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COVID AND T EC H N O L O GY C O N T I N UE D The adoption of new technologies provides a solution to this problem as well. Now, contractors and subcontractors can bill directly though the same project management app they use to track the phases of a job. This not only ensures prompt payment but allows managers to have a real time view of job costs and allows development teams to have an unparalleled overview of project financials at any time. Promoting increased efficiency and collaboration, construction and development teams can now work together to better understand projects’ soft and hard costs, while identifying possible opportunities or problems well in advance. While understanding expenses is vital during a time when material shortages and elevated labor costs are an unfortunate reality, the enhanced collaboration and transparency presented by virtual project management tools will offer opportunities to realize increased profitability down the road once COVID-19 subsides. Additionally, a tech-driven approach has paid immediate dividends for construction managers as it has limited the amount of time that jobsites sit dormant and unprofitable. These frameworks currently being developed for a techdriven jobsite will also serve as replicable templates to quickly get projects in the ground and keep them on track in

the future. THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY The adoption of construction technology due to COVID-19 will have deep, lasting impacts on the entire industry. With the increased ability to coordinate virtually, managers can streamline projects while expanding the geographic reach of their contractor sourcing. As project managers continue to place increased value on construction technology and are able to pick from a larger pool of prospective vendors, contractors and subcontractors who are reluctant to adapt to technology will find it increasingly difficult to be successful in the post-COVID-19 world. It is clear that technology provides an invaluable array of solutions to many of the industry’s most immediate challenges as it faces the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the long-term increases in efficiency and profitability will be hard to ignore once the pandemic is over. As it has for many other industries, technology will transform the construction industry and allow tech-driven construction firms across the world to execute even more ambitious and, ultimately, profitable projects in the years to come.

LOUISIANA Alexandria • Baton Rouge Covington • Kenner • Lafayette Lake Charles • Monroe • Shreveport

TEXAS Beaumont • Bryan • Corpus Christi Houston • Longview • Lufkin San Juan • Tyler • Victoria

UPTIME IS EVERYTHING Doggett Machinery Services understands what it means to provide unsurpassed up-time and support; an equipment partner you can depend on.

doggett.com www.abcpelican.org/newsletter

2 02 0 M e m be r s h i p R en ewa l U pdate

85.87% RENEWAL RATE

BY ANNA ZEBEAU, DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP

Where has this year gone? But here we are, mid-year 2020! ABC Pelican Chapter’s fiscal year began on January 1, 2020. I first want to personally express my sincere appreciation to all of our ABC members who renewed their annual membership and participated in events and meetings earlier this year. Membership in this association is an intangible benefit that is sometimes difficult to understand, but the Value that is realized by each of you renewing each year is what we hope you will recognize when remitting your membership dues.

addressed. This past year, we have made a concentrated effort in regards to legislative issues in the areas of Construction / Public Bid; Employment; and Business Issues. In addition to our legislative services and training opportunities, ABC Pelican Chapter is also committed to providing services, discount programs, educational conferences/conventions and disseminating vital information that will ultimately enhance your company’s profitability and help you remain as a valuable servicing company to your customers.

This year the Pelican Chapter reached 85.87% renewal rate with Please remember all of the efforts of this organization and our ability to be a valuable resource hinge on you continuing to 322 members renewing. To-date, the chapter stands at 335 support and participate in ABC Pelican Chapter as a “Member members. In Good Standing”. We thank you again for your membership Each year, the Board of Directors and the ABC Pelican Chapter renewal and we remain committed to being an important advocate representing your company’s needs. Help me to Staff work diligently on training opportunities, programs help you in growing this Chapter! I look forward to your and in making decisions that will add greater value to your membership and to ensure that your best interests are being involvement in the remaining months of 2020!

2020 ABC PELICAN MEMBERSHIP

24HR Safety, LLC 3M A & B Concrete Coring Company AAA Rent-All, Inc. Abatix Corp ACE Enterprises, Inc. Action Industries, Inc. Advanced Office Systems, Inc. Aggregate Technologies, Inc. AKM, LLC - Volks Constructors Division All Crane Rental of Louisiana Alliance Safety Council Alliant Insurance Services, Inc. Allrite Electric, Inc. American Covers, Inc. American Mat & Timber Co. American Piledriving Equipment, Inc. American Rigging and Supply Co. Angelle Materials Angelo’s Lawn-Scape of Louisiana, Inc. Apache Industrial Services, Inc. APC Construction, LLC APTIM ARC Document Solutions Arco Distributors, Inc. Ardaman & Associates, Inc. Ardent Services, LLC Arkel Constructors, Inc. Ashworth Industries Austin Industrial B & H Distributors, Inc. Baker GCI Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz Baldwin Redi-Mix Co., Inc. Barriere Construction Company, LLC Baton Rouge Bolt, Inc. / Bayou Metric Baton Rouge General Bayou Inspection Services, Inc. Bayou Supply & Safety Beard Construction Group, LLC Bechtel Corporation 59 www.abcpelican.org/newsletter

Bengal Crane & Rigging Bernhard MCC, LLC Better Pumps and Solutions, LLC Bevel Tech Group, Inc. BIC Alliance, Inc. Bill Spitzer & Associates Blue Cross & Blue Shield/LA Bluewater Constructors, Inc. Boh Bros. Construction Co., LLC BOSS Light Tower Rentals, LLC Bottom Line Equipment, LLC BRACE Integrated Services Brammer Engineering, Inc. BrandSafway, LLC Braud Company, Inc. Braun Intertec Breaux Petroleum Products, Inc. Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, LLP Brecheen Pipe & Steel Co., LLC Briggs Equipment Brown & Brown Insurance Brown & Root Industrial Services, LLC BXS Insurance Cajun Industries, LLC Cajun Ready Mix Concrete, LLC Capital One Bank Catering Cajun, LLC Chaffe McCall LLP Champion Civil Services, LLC Champion Graphic Communications Chaney Mechanical, LLC Chustz Electric, LLC Classic Industrial Services, Inc. Claymar Construction Clean Harbors Environmental Services CLM Equipment Co., Inc. CMC Corporate Solutions Coastal Welding Supply Cody’s Transportation Systems, LLC COMET-Comprehensive Occupational Med Eval & Command Services Inc.

Consolidated Electrical Distributors, Inc. Contractor’s Source, Inc. Contractors Supply & Equipment Co. Converge Management Services, LLC Cook Hotel & Conference Center At LSU Corporate Services, LLC Cort Business Services Cory, Tucker & Larrowe, Inc. Cotton Culinary, Inc. Crawler Supply Company, LLC Crowne Plaza Baton Rouge CSM Industrial CSRS, Inc. CWL Contractors, LLC D.M.I. Contractors, Inc. DarkHorse Industries, LLC Deca Systems, Inc. Delta Fuel Company DEWALT Ditch Witch of South Louisiana Diversified Materials & Consulting, LLC (DMC) Doggett Machinery Services Doyle Electric, Inc. Draeger, Inc. Dunham Price, LLC Dykes Electric, Inc. Eastern Services Company Embassy Suites by Hilton - Baton Rouge Emergent Method Emery Equipment Sales & Rentals EnerMech Mechanical Services Entergy Louisiana Enterprise Fleet Management EnviroCon Systems, Inc. Epic Piping, LLC Equipment Share, Inc. Ernest P. Breaux Electrical Eustis Engineering, LLC EXCEL Group Eye Wander Photo Fabricated Steel Products, Inc. CONTINUED ON PAGE 60

2 02 0 M e m be r s h i p R en ewa l U pdate FallTech Feld Weinstein Group at Morgan Stanley Ferrara Transport Services, LLC First Louisiana Insurance Five S Group Fluor Corporation Fugro G. T. Michelli Company, Inc. Gainey’s Concrete Products, Inc. Gallagher Gas and Supply Geaux Apparel Gerry Lane Buick - GMC Gerry Lane Chevrolet Gexpro Glencoe Equipment, L.C. GLO Resources GM Cable Contractors, Inc. Golden Nugget Lake Charles Casino Hotel Gonzales Electric Service, Inc. Grady Crawford Construction Company, Inc. Great River Industries Greenberry Industrial Group Industries, LLC Gulf Coast Occupational Medicine, Inc. Gulf Coast Pre-Stress Partners, LTD. H&E Equipment Services H. Rocker Electric Company, Inc. Hahn Sales / Sensors, Inc. Hancock Whitney Bank Hannis T. Bourgeois, LLP Hargrove and Associates, Inc. Hartmann Building Specialties HD Supply Construction & Industrial White Cap Hebert Steel Company, Inc. Helix Resources, LLC Hendrix Precision Maintenance Services Holes Incorporated HORNE LLP HR Solutions, LLC Human Dynamics, Inc. Hutco, Inc. Hydra-Lube, Inc. Iberia Bank Iberville Insulations, LLC IMSCO Industrial Cooling Towers Services, LLC Industrial Fabrics, Inc. Industrial Info Resources, Inc. Industrial Supply & Rental, Inc. Industrial Thermal Services, LLC Instrument Piping Technologies, LLC Insulations, Inc. Investar Bank ISC Constructors, LLC J.W. Grand, Inc. JM Test Systems, Inc. Jones Walker, LLP JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. JPS Equipment Rental, LLC KJ’s Services, Inc. Kostmayer Construction, LLC L. S. Womack, Inc. LafargeHolcim LAPCO Manufacturing, Inc. LaPorte CPAs & Business Advisors Lard Oil Company L’Auberge Casino and Hotel Baton Rouge Lemoine Company, LLC Lockton Lodge Lumber Company, Inc.

Louisiana CAT Louisiana Rents - The CAT Rental Store LPR Construction Co. Mac-Nett Industries, Inc. Maginnis Construction Company, LLC MAPP Construction, LLC Mason Construction, LLC Maverick Testing Laboratories MED-PRO Medical Professional Protective Clothing Merit Electrical, Inc. MESH, LLC Michael J. David Painting Contractor, LLC Milwaukee Tool MMR Constructors, Inc. Modern Metals Recycling Momentum Constructors, LLC Momentum Rental and Sales Moody-Price, LLC Moore Industries, LLC Motion Industries - Drago Supply Division MRC-McJunkin Red Man New Industries, LLC North American Hose & Fittings Northern Safety and Industrial NPC Services, Inc. nVent Thermal Management Ochsner Health System Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. Ohmstede Industrial Services On-Site Medical Solutions PALA-Interstate, LLC Patriot Construction & Equipment, LLC PBC Industrial Supplies, Inc. PCL Industrial Construction Company Peak Media - Baton Rouge Pelican Promotions and Advertising Specialties PeopleReady Skilled Trades Percy J. Matherne Contractor, Inc. Performance Contractors, Inc. Performance Publishing Peri Formwork Systems, Inc. Peterbilt of Louisiana Phelps Dunbar, LLP Phillips Electric Company Pine Bluff Sand & Gravel Co. Port Aggregates, Inc. Postlethwaite & Netterville, APAC Pot-O-Gold Waste Services Preferred Electric, Inc. Premier Office Products, Inc. Price LeBlanc Nissan Prime Occupational Medicine Primoris Services Corporation PSS Industrial Group Quality Bolt & Screw Corporation Quality Concrete R & R Construction, Inc. Ralph’s Industrial Electronic Supplies Ram-Fabricators, LLC Rauch-Milliken International, Inc. Raygen Services, LLC Red River Bank Red-D-Arc Welderentals Regal Construction, LLC Regions Renaissance Baton Rouge Hotel Rene’s Industries, Inc. Repcon, Inc. Republic Services RES Contractors, LLC ResponsAble Safety Staffing

RFI, LLC Rhorer Mutual Industries, Inc. Richard Construction, Inc. Richard Oil and Fuel, LLC RIGID Constructors, LLC RiskWise Safety Consulting, LLC Safety Council of Southwest Louisiana SAMUEL Scott-Macon Equipment, Inc. Sealevel Construction, Inc. SEMS SITECH Louisiana, LLC SJB Group, LLC Slats Lucas Aggregates, LLC Sochem Solutions, Inc. Sorrento Lumber Co., Inc. Southern Earth Sciences, Inc. Specialty Industrial, LLC Specialty Products & Insulation (SPI) Spiral Metals Corporation SPX Flow Bolting Systems STARCON International, Inc. Stine Lumber, LLC Summit Electric Supply Sun Coast Resources, Inc. Sun Industrial Group, LLC T. Baker Smith Tandem Instrumentation & Electrical, Inc. Taylor, Porter, Brooks & Phillips, LLP Ten “M” Vending Terracon Consultants, Inc. Thompson Engineering, Inc. Tiger Industrial Rentals TJC Group TMA Environmental, Inc. Tolunay-Wong Engineers, Inc. TorcSill Foundations, LLC Total Safety Total Tire Solutions, LLC Trade Construction Co., LLC Tradesmen International Traveler’s Alliance Group, LLC Triad Electric & Controls, Inc. Trillium Construction Turnaround Welding Services Turner Industries Group, LLC Turtle & Hughes, Inc. TWA Erectors, LLC United Office Supply & Equipment Co., Inc. United Rentals, Inc. United Safety United Site Services Vivid Ink Graphics Vulcan Materials Company WASKEY Waste Management Welding Testing Lab, Inc. WESCO Distribution Westgate, LLC Wholesale Electric Supply William S. Nadler, Jr., Inc. Wood Group USA Woodard Electric Work Designs, LLC Workbox, LLC Workforce Group, LLC Worley Wray & Associates Zachry Group

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LSU C M T e am P r o f i le

HERE’S HOW THE LSU CM TEAM IS ADVANCING TO THE ABC NATIONAL CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT COMPETITION FINALS We’d like to congratulate the LSU Construction Management Competition Team for making it to the ABC National CM Competition finals! Through much hard work, especially during such odd and unprecedented times, a team of four LSU CM students will be traveling to Nashville in August to represent Louisiana’s construction industry at the national competition. Brian Hooks with The Newtron Group serves as the LSU CM mentor and has assisted the team in prepping for the annual competition for the past five years. “It’s a great honor for the team this year,” Hooks said. “This is the third year in a row that the LSU team has made it as a finalist, and to me, it shows the continued dedication and support from the LSU CM program along with the ABC Pelican YP’s.” Once COVID-19 all but shut down LSU, the obstacles and challenges were stacked against this team. “The students could have called it quits and dropped out, but they did not and their determination and drive showed face, as they worked remotely with one another and held digital meetings to complete the project,” remarked Hooks. We caught up with the 2020 LSU CM competition team, including Team Captain Annalise Rabito, Co-Captain Adam Burkhalter, John Davis, Rebecca Davis, Will Gibson, Lindsey Harrell, Evan Hood, William Rosevally, Corbett Russell, Martin Sipiorski, Bria Sosa, and Kiersten Weidel about how it feels to make it to the final round of the competition, the challenges they conquered along the way and their plans after they graduate. Annalise Rabito (team captain) Q&A: Q: What does it mean to you to be a finalist for the 2020 ABC National Construction Management Competition? A: Being a finalist in the 2020 ABC National Construction Management Competition is an incredible honor and means so much to me. Being a finalist is an elating feeling because it means that we are among the best student teams

in the country. It feels amazing to have worked so tirelessly at something and your work is paying off. I am so grateful to have had such a strong, smart, and supportive team to work alongside with this semester. Through the obstacles that we had to hurdle this season, we stayed focused and determined and made it to the finals. I am excited to take part in the 2020 competition and bring home first place for LSU!

Q: What have you enjoyed most about your participation on the 2020 Construction Management Competition Team? A: It is hard to select one thing that I enjoyed the most about this competition season because I loved many aspects of it. But, my overall favorite thing must be the relationships that are created throughout the process. We get to work with and be mentored by industry professionals who truly care about our academic, career, and personal success. I cannot express my gratitude to all the people who have assisted our team and myself throughout this process. I value the relationships that have been built through ABC and I hope to continue building relationships with new members and other industry professionals in the future. Q: What year are you in school and what are you majoring in? A: I am a senior studying construction management at LSU. I plan to graduate in December 2020 with my Undergraduate degree. Adam Burkhalter (co-captain) Q&A: Q: What does it mean to you to be a finalist for the 2020 ABC National Construction Management Competition? A: Honestly it’s amazing and a really proud feeling. Not only of this team to achieve this milestone, but also the fact that we were able to do so in one of the most challenging times of our lives. Q: What challenges did the team face in completing this project remotely during quarantine? A: Our biggest challenge was the difficulty of collaborating on the estimate right at the very end. Seeing as most of our CONTINUED ON PAGE 63

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LSU C M T e am P r o f i le c o n t i n u e d estimating work was completed on computers at LSU, when the school shut down some of our previously completed work was effectively lost. Finding out what needed to be redone and what information we still had via video and home calls was very challenging. I really took for granted being able to meet and collaborate in person. Q: What have you enjoyed most about your participation on the 2020 Construction Management Competition Team? A: Definitely our team. We have a great mix of people all carrying unique and special talents. Q: What was your biggest lesson learned through this experience? A: Document everything and save, save, save! Also estimating takes a ton of time when you are being thorough. Q: What year are you in school and what are you majoring in? A: I’m a Junior majoring in construction management Q: What is next for you? A: This summer I’m interning at Kiewit in Texas and hope to go into the civil field. Q: Is there anything else you would like to share about this experience? A: It’s been great co-leading this team with Ani. I’ve grown a lot in terms of leadership and problem solving and am extremely excited to see where this goes. John Davis Q&A: Q: What challenges did the team face in completing this project remotely during quarantine? A: The team faced many challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some things we could control, but unfortunately some that we couldn’t. As a team, we made sure that we handled the tasks we could control, and got help on the tasks that we couldn’t. It was extremely hard for us to collaborate at first, but we ended up defeating our obstacles and finished on time. Q: What year are you in school and what are you majoring in? A: I am currently a Senior in Construction Management, and I will be graduating in December 2020.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to share about this experience? A: Being a part of the ABC Pelican program these past four competitions has taught me so much about the importance of working as a team and creating a plan for the best results from both my peers and myself. It has given me the chance to hold multiple internships in the construction industry totaling about three years while I’ve been attending LSU. I joined my freshman year to further my knowledge of my major and help branch out my network, and it has turned out to bless me in ways that I couldn’t imagine. I have also met some lifetime friends along the way. Rebecca Davis Q&A: Q: What does it mean to you to be a finalist for the 2020 ABC National Construction Management Competition? A: Reaching the finals is such an exciting and rewarding feeling. Every year, LSU’s team strives to do better than the year before. We established the goal of making it to the finals at our first meeting and committed to working hard and making sacrifices in order to present ABC with our best work. Being able to successfully accomplish that goal is a big win for us. Q: What challenges did the team face in completing this project remotely during quarantine? A: Our biggest challenge during quarantine was a shortage of software and technology. Before LSU closed its campus, our team had the privilege of meeting and working in LSU’s estimating lab, complete with all the programs necessary to carry out the project. The lab was a great resource for our team from a productivity standpoint. Having to switch gears to our personal laptops and losing our communal workspace on a last minute’s notice was stressful, however it was nothing my team could not handle. In the construction industry, it’s important to be able to effectively handle and adapt to any unforeseen problems that arise during a project, so at the end of the day, I view the challenge presented from quarantine as an added learning experience aside from the CM competition itself. Q: What have you enjoyed most about your participation on the 2020 Construction Management Competition Team? A: The best thing about being a member of the team was the opportunity to gain more concrete exposure into the CONTINUED ON PAGE 64

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LSU C M T e am P r o f i le c o n t i n u e d industry. Being on the team gave me the ability to network and learn directly from professionals in CM as well as the ability to dive in and work on a project similar to one that I may be a part of in the future. I was able to be exposed to a real-life project and given the ability to become familiar with essential tasks and processes used to carry out construction. Being able to have that hands-on approach in college is only setting me up for success in my future endeavors by creating early learning experiences and challenges. In fact, I’ve already experienced this advantage while interning in the preconstruction department at Palmisano this summer. Q: What year are you in school and what are you majoring in? A: In the Fall, I will be entering my fourth year of college with plans to graduate in December of 2021.

2020 LSU CM COMPETITION TEAM

Adam Burkhalter (co-captain)

John Davis

Rebecca Davis

Will Gibson

Lindsey Harrell

Evan Hood

Will Gibson Q&A: Q: What does it mean for you to be a finalist? A: It means that I’ve been working with a great team. We all have bright futures ahead of us. Q: What challenges did the team face during quarantine? Access to technology. Everything was a scramble with most of us having to resort to estimating with homecooked excel sheets. A few of us had school laptops, fortunately. Q: What have you enjoyed most about your participation in the 2020 CM competition team? A: Getting to see and work with many different aspects of a real-world, multi-million dollar project. Put more simply, the whole experience.

Annalise Rabito (team captain)

William Rosevally

Q: What was your biggest lesson learned? A: That even with almost having a college degree, I still have a lot to learn. I look forward to growing as a person and doing great things. Q: What year are you in school and what are you majoring in? I’m a Junior majoring in construction management.

Corbett Russell

Martin Sipiorski

Q: What is next for you? A: An internship with an industrial contractor and beginning my electrical engineering degree online once I CONTINUED ON PAGE 65

Bria Sosa

Kiersten Weidel

www.abcpelican.org/newsletter

LSU C M T e am P r o f i le c o n t i n u e d graduate. Lindsey Harrell Q&A: Q: What does it mean to you to be a finalist for the 2020 ABC National Construction Management Competition? A: It means the world to be a finalist for the 2020 ABC National Construction Management Competition. To be able to see all our hard work and dedication pay off and to be able to represent our school at the finals is an amazing feeling. It has been such a sigh of relief for myself and I’m sure my teammates as well to see our hard work come to fruition and to have the opportunity to compete in the finals. It makes all the late nights working on the project worthwhile. Q: What challenges did the team face in completing this project remotely during quarantine? A: One challenge that our team faced in completing the project remotely during quarantine was communication. Once LSU announced school was closing, many students were left scrambling to move home or just trying to adjust to the change. Typically, it was easy to communicate to each other when we would all be in the same place for our meetings but communicating solely through a texting platform provided a new type of challenge. Luckily our team leaders stayed persistent and kept everyone accountable and we were able to complete the project on time and to everyone’s satisfaction. I am very proud of my team and how everyone came together on the last leg of the project to make sure everything was complete. Q: What have you enjoyed most about your participation on the 2020 Construction Management Competition Team? A: I enjoyed meeting and getting to know my teammates. Majority of my teammates I had not known before being accepted onto the team. I enjoyed being able to create new connections and friends along this journey. We were able to share advice about classes and tips to getting internships. It was an experience I will always remember. Q: What year are you in school and what are you majoring in? A: I am senior this upcoming year and majoring in Construction Management. Q: What is next for you? A: Since I still have a year left of school, I plan to join the

competition team again in the fall and hopefully help recruit new members to grow and build off the experience and knowledge that the outgoing team members provided. Evan Hood Q&A: Q: What challenges did the team face in completing this project remotely during quarantine? A: Communication, for sure, was the most difficult thing. We had deadlines we needed to meet while having school online from different cities. It wasn’t easy. We mapped out a plan in the beginning of the competition and stuck to it the best we could given the circumstances. Q: What was your biggest lesson learned through this experience? A: You cannot let your pride get in the way of work. It is okay for you to not know something. There is no such thing as a dumb question. It is always good to double check yourself. You have a whole support system behind you with your teammates and ABC Pelican’s Young Professionals Group. Q: What year are you in school and what are you majoring in? I am a senior majoring in Construction Management. I graduate in December 2020. Q: Is there anything else you would like to share about this experience? A: I highly recommend joining any sort of competition team. It puts you out of your comfort zone and forces you to open your eyes to see a bigger picture. It opened my eyes to the fact I have so much more to learn. If you are detail oriented and do not mind being pushed, this type of competition is for you! William Rosevally Q&A: Q: What was your biggest lesson learned through this experience? A: Communication. I knew teamwork would be a big factor but having to complete the project in quarantine made us figure out how to communicate more effectively. Q: What have you enjoyed most about your participation on the 2020 Construction Management Competition Team? A: I thoroughly enjoyed the people I worked with and the relationships I formed with them. The people I worked CONTINUED ON PAGE 66

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LSU C M T e am P r o f i le c o n t i n u e d with were friendly and always eager to help. This made it much easier to work and learn more about construction and what goes in to making a project run efficiently. Q: What year are you in school and what are you majoring in? A: I am going into my senior year of college hoping to graduate in December 2021 with my undergraduate degree in Construction Management at LSU. Corbett Russell Q&A: Q: What does it mean to you to be a finalist for the 2020 ABC National Construction Management Competition? A: For our team to be selected as a finalist shows that our hard work has paid off. It meant that we put together a successful project with little baseline to work off. Q: What challenges did the team face in completing this project remotely during quarantine? A: One of the challenges we faced was a technological challenge. Before COVID-19, we could meet at LSU’s new computer labs to work on the project and discuss methods of estimating and management. After that, we had to meet online to accomplish the same goals. Q: What was your biggest lesson learned through this experience? A: As an estimator, one of the biggest lessons I learned was to be confident in my work. This was the first major estimate I put together, and without a similar project to compare to, it was hard to know if I was on the right track. But, with help from the professionals and industry experts, I am confident in my bid. Martin Sipiorski Q&A: Q: What does it mean to you to be a finalist for the 2020 ABC National Construction Management Competition? A: It is a great feeling of accomplishment to be a finalist. To see all of our hard work pay off in the end is such a great feeling. Q: What challenges did the team face in completing this project remotely during quarantine? A: Obviously communication became a very big challenge for us. Having troubles navigating each others’ available hours so we can collaborate was something that we had to figure out early on into the quarantine.

Q: What have you enjoyed most about your participation on the 2020 Construction Management Competition Team? A: It gave me a better understanding of what an actual construction project requires because I did not have any experience to bring to the table when I first started the competition. Q: What was your biggest lesson learned through this experience? A: All through school you hear the professors say “communication, communication, communication!”, but you don’t really think much of it. The lesson learned here was how very important communication is in this field. Anyone can learn how to estimate or figure out what the safety rules are, but the communication of everyone involved on this project is how you get the best outcome. Everyone checks each other, brings new ideas to the table, and combines the experiences they have to create a great product. Q: What year are you in school and what are you majoring in? A: I will be going into my 5th year of college at LSU majoring in Construction Management. Q: What is next for you? A: I hope to grow my abilities in the field and graduate from LSU. I want to focus my efforts into sustainable building because I feel that is the future of construction, and I want to be a leader in this area. Q: Is there anything else you would like to share about this experience? A: This experience has pushed me to want to compete again in this competition next year, and has become a highlight of college education. Bria Sosa Q&A: Q: What challenges did the team face in completing this project remotely during quarantine? A: Completing this project during quarantine turned out to be a very difficult task. Many of the challenges we faced pertained to completing the estimate. Most of us did not have the estimating software on our personal computers, and those of us who did were unable to access the software due to a password change. We also had difficulties working around the software issue because we only had one hard set CONTINUED ON PAGE 67 www.abcpelican.org/newsletter

LSU C M T e am P r o f i le c o n t i n u e d of plans and due to social distancing guidelines, we were unable to meet as a team to work together on the project. Q: What have you enjoyed most about your participation on the 2020 Construction Management Competition Team? A: Working together as a team. We had such a range of personalities in the group and it was a great experience getting to know everyone while also working towards a common goal. Q: What year are you in school and what are you majoring in? A: I am a senior majoring in Construction Management. I will be graduating Fall 2021. Kiersten Weidel Q&A: Q: What does it mean to you to be a finalist for the 2020 ABC National Construction Management Competition? A: This year has been the first year on the team. Prior to joining the team, I heard of other teams making it to the finals and third place. I knew this team was a product of the LSU Construction Management Department and strongly supported by ABC. I was not surprised or shocked that LSU would do so well this year. Being a part of the team completely changed my perspective. Having a very limited experience in estimating and being head of that subsection for the competition, I was challenged in ways I never expected. I was convinced, especially with the pandemic, there was no chance we could end up a finalist. When I first heard that we were finalists, I was shocked. I could not believe that despite all of the challenges, we had made a finalist position. I could not be more proud of the team. Q: What challenges did the team face in completing this project remotely during quarantine? A: When the pandemic hit, we had little time to collect anything saved on computers in the computer lab on campus. We moved to working on the project at home and soon ran into many technical issues. Most of us relied heavily on the software and available amenities that the LSU computer labs provided. Computers provided to us had limited capabilities due to outdated software. Many complications arose with virtual labs students had used in the past. Accessing the software was nearly impossible and we were forced to complete a majority of the remaining project “by hand.” Everyone’s schedule was thrown off and 67 www.abcpelican.org/newsletter

having large meetings online very difficult. Few people were capable of assisting and these strict limitations left our submissions down to the wire, much as I imagine would occur with actual construction companies. Despite our increased efforts to complete the project early and monthlong extension, we pulled our bid together and submitted only hours before the deadline. Q: What have you enjoyed most about your participation on the 2020 Construction Management Competition Team? A: This group has built a strong sense of reliability and camaraderie. I have most enjoyed gaining accountable peers and resources that will last past college and into my career. Q: What was your biggest lesson learned through this experience? A: My expectations of how much work this competition would be were much less than it turned out to actually be. This competition has taught me better practices in how to balance my responsibilities because I was a full-time student and balancing work, class work, and this project. I also learned that if I ever get the opportunity to learn estimating with a company, I should take it. I could learn a lot from that experience even if, in my career, I am never an estimator. Q: What year are you in school and what are you majoring in? A: I am beginning my fourth year at LSU in construction Management. Q: What is next for you? A: This fall I have accepted a co-op where I will work fulltime in Garyville, LA at Marathon. I graduate the following Spring semester, May 2021. While these LSU CM majors are traveling to Nashville next month, we want to commend every single member of the competition team for making this far in the competition: Adam Burkhalter, John Davis, Evan Hood and Annalise Rabito. Geaux Tigers!

PELICAN CHAPTER, ASSOCIATED BUILDERS & CONTRAC TORS, INC.

15 MONTHS OF MEMBERSHIP FOR THE PRICE OF

12 MONTHS Become an ABC Pelican Chapter member now and enjoy 15 MONTHS OF MEMBERSHIP FOR THE PRICE OF 12 MONTHS! Any company that joins effective October 1, 2020 will receive the remainder of 2020 and all of 2021 for the price of 12 months of membership. WHY BECOME AN ABC MEMBER? • Business development opportunities • Governmental relations representation nationally & locally • Access to craft training for employees • Members only discount programs

Start enjoying all of the benefits ABC membership can offer today! *Membership application and payment must be submitted to ABC by September 15, 2020*

For more information, contact Anna Zebeau at azebeau@abcpelican.com or 225.753.2541. www.abcpelican.org/newsletter

PELICAN CHAPTER STAFF AT TH E TI M E O F P UB LICAT ION , OUR ad mi n o f f i ce i s acce pt in g m em ber v is i t s by a p p o i n tm en t on ly t o en sure a l l r e m a i n s a f e. IF YOU A RE ON A C OM M I TTE E , E M A I L YOUR STA FF lia ison s A B OU T U P CO MI N G Com m it t ee M EET IN GS. CHAPTER OPERATIONS (225) 752-1415 David Helveston President & CEO

dhelveston@abcpelican.com

Macie Morgan Member Relations Coordinator

mmorgan@abcpelican.com

Katie Routh Director of Administration krouth@abcpelican.com

jarceneaux@abcpelican.com

J uly

ABC-LA Govt Affairs Call Thursday, July 2 3:30 p.m. ewalter@abcpelican.com Member Services Wednesday, July 8 9:00 a.m. HELD VIRTUALLY lruss@abcpelican.com

Lindsey Russ Director of Member Services lruss@abcpelican.com

Health, Safety & Environment Thursday, July 9 7:30 a.m. HELD VIRTUALLY kblanchard@abcpelican.com

Erika Walter Director of Communications ewalter@abcpelican.com

Education & Manpower Thursday, July 9 2:00 p.m. HELD VIRTUALLY kblanchard@abcpelican.com

Anna Zebeau Director of Membership azebeau@abcpelican.com

SW Steering Tuesday, July 14 11:30 a.m. HELD VIRTUALLY btheard@abcpelican.com

FINANCE (225) 752-1415 Janie Arceneaux Director of Finance

20 20 UPCO MIN G C O MMITTE E MEETINGS

Kathy Serwan Senior Accountant

kswerwan@abcpelican.com

Membership Growth Wednesday, July 15 8:00 a.m. VIA TELECONFERENCE azebeau@abcpelican.com Budget & Finance Wednesday, July 22 4:00 p.m. VIA TELECONFERENCE jarceneaux@abcpelican.com

Mikah Armstrong Finance Assistant

marmstrong@abcpelican.com

BATON ROUGE TRAINING CENTER (225) 752-0088 Kacie Blanchard Associate Director of Workforce Support

Danielle Labbe Director of Workforce Development kblanchard@abcpelican.com dlabbe@abcpelican.com Tiffany Buuck Alexis Montelius Administration Administration tbuuck@abcpelican.com amontelius@abcpelican.com Kelly Carpenter Director of Education

kcarpenter@abcpelican.com

SOUTHWEST TRAINING CENTER (337) 882-0204

ICC Monday, July 27 12:00 p.m. VIA TELECONFERENCE kblanchard@abcpelican.com ABC Pelican BOD Meeting Wednesday, July 28 3:30 p.m. VIA TELECONFERENCE krouth@abcpelican.com

Aug ust

SW Steering Tuesday, August 11 11:30 a.m. SW Training Center btheard@abcpelican.com

Kirby Bruchhaus Director of Education

Justina T Montgomery Administration jthomas@abcpelican.com

Member Services Wednesday, August 12 9:00 a.m. HELD VIRTUALLY lruss@abcpelican.com

Christina Domingue Administration

Blaise Theard Workforce Development Specialist btheard@abcpelican.com

Health, Safety & Environment Thursday, August 13 7:30 a.m. BR Training Center Kblanchard@abcpelican.com

kbruchhaus@abcpelican.com

cfrederick@abcpelican.com

Ivelynn Soileau Administration ifuselier@abcpelican.com

69 www.abcpelican.org/newsletter

Education & Manpower Thursday, August 13 2:00 p.m. BR Training Center kblanchard@abcpelican.com

Membership Growth Wednesday, August 19 8:00 a.m. VIA TELECONFERENCE azebeau@abcpelican.com Budget & Finance Wednesday, August 19 4:00 p.m. ABC Board Room Jarceneaux@abcpelican.com ICC Monday, August 24 12:00 p.m. ABC Board Room kblanchard@abcpelican.com

Se pte mb e r

SW Steering Tuesday, September 8 11:30 a.m. SW Training Center btheard@abcpelican.com Member Services Wednesday, September 9 9:00 a.m. HELD VIRTUALLY lruss@abcpelican.com Health, Safety & Environment Thursday, September 10 7:30 a.m. BR Training Center kblanchard@abcpelican.com Education & Manpower Thursday, September 10 2:00 p.m. BR Training Center kblanchard@abcpelican.com Membership Growth Wednesday, September 16 8:00 a.m. ABC Board Room azebeau@abcpelican.com Budget & Finance Wednesday, September 16 4:00 p.m. ABC Board Room jarceneaux@abcpelican.com ICC Monday, September 28 12:00 p.m. ABC Board Room kblanchard@abcpelican.com ABC Pelican BOD Meeting Tuesday, September 29 3:30 p.m. ABC Board Room krouth@abcpelican.com

oc tob e r

Member Services Wednesday, October 7 9:00 a.m. HELD VIRTUALLY lruss@abcpelican.com Health, Safety & Environment Thursday, October 8 7:30 a.m. BR Training Center kblanchard@abcpelican.com

Education & Manpower Thursday, October 8 2:00 p.m. BR Training Center kblanchard@abcpelican.com SW Steering Tuesday, October 13 11:30 a.m. SW Training Center btheard@abcpelican.com Membership Growth Wednesday, October 14 8:00 a.m. ABC Board Room azebeau@abcpelican.com Budget & Finance Wednesday, October 21 4:00 p.m. ABC Board Room jarceneaux@abcpelican.com ICC Monday, October 26 12:00 p.m. ABC Board Room kblanchard@abcpelican.com ABC Pelican BOD Meeting Tuesday, October 27 3:30 p.m. ABC Board Room krouth@abcpelican.com

N OVE MB E R

SW Steering Tuesday, November 10 11:30 a.m. SW Training Center btheard@abcpelican.com Member Services Wednesday, November 11 9:00 a.m. HELD VIRTUALLY lruss@abcpelican.com Health, Safety & Environment Thursday, November 12 7:30 a.m. BR Training Center kblanchard@abcpelican.com Education & Manpower Thursday, November 12 2:00 p.m. BR Training Center kblanchard@abcpelican.com Membership Growth Wednesday, November 18 8:00 a.m. ABC Board Room azebeau@abcpelican.com Budget & Finance Wednesday, November 18 4:00 p.m. ABC Board Room jarceneaux@abcpelican.com ICC Monday, November 23 12:00 p.m. ABC Board Room kblanchard@abcpelican.com

Pelican Chapter, Associated Builders and Contractors 19251 Highland Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70809

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MERIT SHOP MESSAGE SUMMER 2020

19251 Highland Road Baton Rouge, LA 70809

225.752.0088

abcpelican.org/newsletter

Summer 2020 Newsletter

Articles inside

ABC Pelican Membership Renewals

State Fire Marshal’s Office Update

COVID and Technology

Uncommon Leadership Info

Legal Guest Column

Welcome New Members

Letter from the President

Craft Competitor Profiles

Membership Update

ABC National Updates

Pandemic and the Supply Chain

39 Training Center Updates

Commercial Electrical Course Info

Legal Update

Governmental Relations Update

Tips to Boost Morale