The Georgia Contractor (June / July 2018)

Volume 14, Issue 3 June | July 2018

BREAKING GROUND FOR INNOVATIVE DELIVERY: PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS & DESIGN-BUILD

CONTRACTOR COOPERATION KEY TO SUCCESS

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GEORGIA

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w w w. t h e g e o r g i a c o n t r a c t o r . c o m Editor-in-Chief: Roland Petersen-Frey Managing Editor: Daniel Simmons | (770) 521-8877 Art Director: Pamela Petersen-Frey | (770) 521-8877

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

June | July 2018

On the Cover: A public-private partnership is an agreement that allows private companies to assume what were traditionally public sector roles in infrastructure projects. In a P3, Georgia DOT contracts with a private company to renovate an existing transportation facility or to build, operate, maintain, manage, and/or finance a new one. See the story on page 6. v

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CONTENTS 6

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Breaking Ground for Innovative Delivery Public-Private Partnerships & Design-Build

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Cooperation Key to Success

Every Healthy Relationship is Built on Trust 4

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16 18 21 26 28

Two Big Days, One Limitless Future

CEFGA CareerExpo & SkillsUSA State Championships

Magnificent 7

1+1=7! Leveraging Intangibles for Business Wealth

New Tax Benefits for Equipment Purchases

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA)

World’s Tallest Modular Hotel Opening Soon in New York City

Georgia Contractor News

June | July 2018

ADVERTISERS ACEA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Inside Front Cover

Georgia 811 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Back Cover

GEICC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 IEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Inside Back Cover

Masonry Assoc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

MetroPower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 New South Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

People Ready . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 & 23

Technical College System of Georgia . . . . . . . . . . .5 Urban Ag Council . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Wiregrass Georgia Technical College . . . . . . . . . .21

Work Right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

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Breaking Ground for Innovative Delivery

Public-Private Partnerships & Design-Build

By John Hibbard, P.E. & K. Joe Carpenter, Jr., P.E. | John Hibbard is Director of Operations | Joe Carpenter is Director of P3 at the Georgia Department of Transportation.

It’s no secret that high quality transportation infrastructure contributes to quality of life, helps communities thrive and enhances Georgia’s economy. That’s why aging infrastructure, escalating costs, funding gaps, and limited financial resources necessitate new and innovative approaches to old challenges.

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Take for example, the concept of public-private partnerships – also known as P3s.

While the early history of P3s in Georgia was a series of stops and starts, legislative refinements cleared the way for partnerships between public entities like Georgia DOT and the private sector. Georgia’s statutes authorize the use of various P3 approaches to address the need for improvements to transportation infrastructure. In fact, the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is required to identify projects for consideration as P3s—projects that would provide the greatest reduction in congestion or promote the state’s economic development. Such projects, due to their magnitude and costs, would likely be beyond the Department’s ability to pursue through traditional funding and delivery methods. P3 and design-build frameworks make these projects possible, accelerate their delivery and bring additional transportation options to the traveling public.

INNOVATIVE DELIVERY A public-private partnership is an agreement that allows private companies to assume what were traditionally public sector roles in infrastructure projects. In a P3, Georgia DOT contracts with a private company to renovate an existing transportation facility or to build, operate, maintain, manage, and/or finance a new one. P3s cover various types of innovative contracting, project delivery and financing arrangements. P3s are often structured as design-build (DB) contracts, where design engineering and other preconstruction services are combined with construction into a single contract. A P3 may also bundle and transfer to the private sector partner other responsibilities like finance, as well as long-term operations and maintenance. These are known as Design-Build-Finance (DBF); Design-Build-Finance-Operate (DBFO); and Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Maintain (DBFOM). All are examples of innovative delivery.

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When compared with conventional project delivery, P3 partnerships may expedite project delivery; provide access to additional capital; enable a longer-term view of asset management; and can reduce public cost and debt requirements. As a result, Georgia can offer enhanced and expanded mobility options for the traveling public and for the freight industry. While the public sector is ultimately accountable for the project, P3s allow the state to better allocate limited resources by leveraging private sector innovation and capital. P3s complement GDOT’s traditional and other innovative delivery methods.

In Procurement Georgia Interstate Broadband Deployment—a P3 DBFOM Project. With the

goal of expanding GDOT’s NaviGAtor traffic management system statewide, this is also a first step towards bringing high-speed internet to all Georgians.

GDOT anticipates entering into a long-term contract with a private partner to design, build, finance, operate and maintain a broadband fiber optic cable and small cell wireless network along 1,300 miles of GDOT right-of-way on interstates across Georgia.

Use of existing assets—known as asset recycling—creatively funds infrastructure at no cost to taxpayers and at no additional government debt. The private partner would manage and maintain the network, and, while reserving capacity for GDOT and the state, would also be allowed to lease utilization of the network to third parties. A statement of qualifications from potential partners is due in July. Visit http://www.dot.ga.gov/PS/Innovative/P3.

Under Construction - Transform 285/400 – a P3 DBF Project.

This $800 million improvement project adds flyover ramps, collector-disThis construction crew specializes in forming and pouring concrete tributor lanes and other facilities along Interstate 285 into concrete barriers. Concrete barrier construction is one of the last and State Route 400 in metro Atlanta to help reduce major components to be completed on the Northwest Corridor project. traffic congestion and enhance safety near the I285/SR 400 interchange. The project will improve 4.3 GEORGIA DOT IS PLANNING, miles of I-285 from Roswell Road to Ashford DunCONSTRUCTING OR HAS COMPLETED woody Road and 6.2 miles along SR 400 from the A NUMBER OF P3 PROjECTS. Glenridge Connector to Spalding Drive. Georgia Opening This Summer - Northwest Corridor DOT’s private sector design and construction partner Express Lanes – a P3 DBF Project. worked with the Department to develop an innovaThe NWC project is the largest single road constructive approach to the interchange design. Georgia tion investment in Georgia’s history. The $834 milDOT is responsible for operation and maintenance of lion project adds some 30 miles of barrier-separated the roadway. Completion is anticipated in 2020. Visit reversible Express Lanes on Interstates 75 and 575 in http://www.dot.ga.gov/BS/Projects/SpecialProCobb and Cherokee counties. The project is an exceljects/I285SR400. lent example of a public-private partnership that compressed the design and construction timetable by OTHER P3S INCLUDE: involving private sector innovation. As the state’s first I-75 South Metro Express Lanes opened in January P3 project competitively-procured as Design-Build2017. The $226 million DB project, provides a choice for Finance, it helps create the precedent for future use of drivers in Henry and Clayton counties as well as travelers the P3 model to deliver capital improvements in a fithrough metro Atlanta to pay a toll to bypass congestion nancially-constrained environment. Visit and have a more reliable trip time. It includes the state’s http://www.dot.ga.gov/DS/GEL/NWC . first two reversible toll lanes, spanning 12 miles from SR 8

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155 in Henry County to SR 138 in Clayton County.

I-85 Express Lanes Extension DB project is expected to open to traffic

in fall 2018. The $178 million project adds 10 miles of newly constructed toll lanes north of the existing I-85 Express Lanes. The new Express Lanes are designed to improve traffic flow; increase options for motorists, transit and registered vanpool customers; provide reliable trip times; create jobs; and bring economic benefits to residents.

SR 400 Widening.

This $47 million DB project widens SR 400 in Forsyth County from the McFarland Parkway Interchange to SR 369/Browns Bridge Road. The project is funded with $34 million from Forsyth County and $13 million in state funds. Using accelerated delivery, the contractor opened a segment of the new northbound lane in 2016, ahead of schedule. Completion is anticipated in fall 2018.

LOOKING AHEAD – MAjOR MOBILITY INVESTMENT PROGRAM (MMIP) UTILIzES P3 GDOT’s $11 billion Major Mobility Investment Program consists of 11 initial projects in various stages of preliminary engineering and environmental review that will function together to increase capacity, improve freight movement, provide operational improvements and efficiencies, enhance safety and decrease travel times across Georgia.

The MMIP has six P3s in the preengineering and environmental stage.

Beginning this year, the I-85 Widening project in Gwinnett, Barrow and Jackson counties will be the first to advance to construction, followed by the widening of I-16 and the reconstruction of the I-16/I-95 interchange, both near Savannah. In June | July 2018

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Beams for the reconstructed Mount Vernon Highway bridge 10

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2025, construction is expected to begin on the $1.8 billion I-75 Commercial Vehicle Lanes project. Visit www.GAroads.org.

Public-private partnerships continue to be an excellent tool for addressing Georgia’s infrastructure demands. P3s are also included in the Trump administration proposal “Building a Stronger America,” which emphasizes the need for critical infrastructure improvements across the nation. Among other key points, the president’s plan empowers state, local and private partnerships to drive infrastructure investments. At GDOT, public private partnerships—for appropriate projects—allow the state to better allocate our resources by leveraging private sector and innovative capital.

There is good reason that Georgia continues to be named the number one state for business. P3s are integral to helping Georgia retain this position and to developing and improving our transportation network. v

GEORGIA DOT IS PLANNING, CONSTRUCTING OR HAS COMPLETED A NUMBER OF P3 PROjECTS. Opening This Summer - Northwest Corridor Express Lanes – a P3 DBF Project

In Procurement - Georgia Interstate Broadband Deployment – a P3 DBFOM Project

Under Construction - Transform 285/400 – a P3 DBF Project.

http://www.dot.ga.gov/DS/GEL/NWC

Temporary ramp for SR 400 SB to I-285 WB June | July 2018

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ContraCtor CoopEration KEy to suCCEss

EvEry HEaltHy rElationsHip is Built on trust

How the construction of Lanier Technical College’s new campus demonstrates the importance of communication and relationships in the construction industry.

By Huntly Gordon | President | New South Construction

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he success of the new Lanier Tech campus, the 337,861-square-foot facility that will be home to 5,000 students, can best be attributed to strong relationships and communication. From the project pursuit to the current phase, New South Construction and Carroll Daniel Construction’s joint venture partnership has laid the groundwork to ensure the new school will be up and running when students enter the hallways for the 2019 winter semester.

A LONGSTANDING RELATIONSHIP Lanier Technical College, a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), serves as the foremost workforce development resource for Banks, Barrow, Dawson, Forsyth, Hall, Jackson and Lumpkin counties by providing 12

high quality technical certificate of credit, technical diploma and associate degree programs to meet the needs of area students, employers and economic developers.

Since 1966, the school’s flagship location has been in Oakwood, which has a student enrollment of 4200. Additionally, the college has satellite campuses in four other locations. Due to the age of the existing facility at Oakwood, it was time for Lanier Tech to get a makeover.

With the opening of the new campus, the existing campus will become part of the North Georgia College campus after Lanier Tech vacates the facilities.

The new campus is made up of six structures, including an administration building; an instruction building with classrooms; an industry building for applied technical programs such as welding and mechanics; a health buildGeorgia Contractor

ing for medical classrooms; an economic development facility; and a new conference center overlooking an adjacent lake to the north and the rest of the campus to the south.

Due to the size and complexity, The Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission (GSFIC), the TCSG and Lanier Tech searched for a construction manager with experience in higher education and master planning that has delivered projects on-time and within budget on a consistent basis.

“Selection for a construction manager was led by GSFIC based on qualifications and fee,” says Jeff Brown, New South’s project manager. “Because of our vast experience in working with the state and history of delivering projects on time and in budget, the pursuit of Lanier Tech was the right fit.”

The message was clear from the beginning— deliver a state-of-the-art 21st century campus on time and within budget. The firms’ proven track record and experience with GSFIC, TCSG and Lanier Tech enabled this pursuit to be successful.

From the beginning of the project pursuit, the approach of New South and Carroll Daniel was to get Lanier Tech to look at the two construction firms as one team—coincidentally, Brown and Carroll Daniels’ project PM John Haynes were classmates at Georgia Tech and graduated together.

“It’s just another example of the connections the firms have with one another,” says Brown.

come together to work with a common goal.

“Stevens & Wilkinson and POND are the two firms handling design, and it’s been a great team,” says Brown.

“It was also a strong project pursuit because of New South’s relationship with Stevens & Wilkinson, who we have been working together with for nearly 20 years. As an architecture firm, they have designed many of the building and space types found in higher education communities. They take pride in the design of innovative, forward-thinking and collaborative academic spaces, and it has been great working with them again.”

The solid team relationship and collaborative approach between the design and construction management

Working Together in Lockstep These existing relationships have bolstered the teamwork approach, not only with GSFIC and TCSG, but also the design team that includes Stevens & Wilkinson and POND, which have all June | July 2018

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teams has benefited the project from the get go.

“Getting both the design team and the construction manager involved from day one has allowed the project to be successful thus far, from not only a collaborative approach, but also from a budget standpoint,” says Brown.

“With GSFIC, TCSG and Lanier Tech being involved owners, the overall project approach has been extremely effective. Additionally, the success of this relationship would not have been possible without the leadership of GSFIC’s senior project manager Megan Kocikowski.”

Having GSFIC and TCSG involved has allowed decisions, whether it be a project approach to materials for a finish, to be made more quickly and, in some instances, in real-time. According to Brown, this prevented a lot of lag time.

“Having their constant involvement has helped the team maintain its project schedule because of ability to get approvals rapidly,” he says.

Another benefit was the early involvement of the construction management team during the design development phase. This benefited the design team because it eliminated a lot of the back-and-forth of budget constraints, including making sure the design fits the budget.

They also pulled in the MEP as a design assist approach during design development. This also gave the owner confidence in their budget to have real validation.

“Part of the pre-construction effort involved having the MEP trades on board early to help us work through the different systems and aspects of installation and construction efforts, which also helped maintain a sensible budget,” says Brown.

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In addition to the high level of teamwork during preconstruction, Brown also credits the team’s ability of successfully working with a third-party estimator by ensuring they had real-time cost of the submarket.

Brown knew from day one they would be working with a third-party estimator and explains that New South always welcomes that because it provides a checks and

LANIER TECHNICAL COLLEGE

The owner – Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission and the Technical College System of Georgia (using agency) and Lanier Technical College is the end user.

The contractors – JV with New South Construction Company and Carroll Daniel Construction

The architects – Pond & Company and Stevens & Wilkinson | Landscape design – HGOR

The campus name and location – Lanier Technical College | Hall County, Gainesville, Georgia Cost of project - $93.9 million the financing agency - Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission The time frame - start to finish – Start date: Fall 2016 End date: Fall 2018

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balances system for the owner. The third party is unbiased and gives an outside pricing perspective that allows owners to be more confident in the numbers and is a nice benefit to the owner so they can protect the bottom line.

“At the end of the day, the margin was only tens of thousands of dollars on a $94 million job,” says Brown.

“Again, this demonstrates a whole team effort because of the level of detail we received from the design team.”

This narrow margin is a result of the entire project team working collaboratively and making quick and appropriate decisions relative to scope and schedule. This allowed TCSG and Lanier Tech to get most of the scope into the project at GMP.

Choosing the Right Subcontractors Just as discerning as New South was to select a joint venture partner that shared similar values, they also made sure they selected the right subcontractors. They developed a solicitation list since not everyone can do a job of this size.

After experience and values, the joint venture had to look at manpower and bonding capacity.

“We are essentially talking about six projects simultaneously,” says Brown. “Understanding the history and experience and financials of each vendor was a big part of how we identified subcontractors to invite to bid.”

According to Brown, another factor was making sure there was local participation from subcontractors within the Hall County community by giving local trades and vendors an opportunity to be part of the project. The team also encouraged all subcontractors to purchase available materials locally to help benefit Hall County.

“Working with the State of Georgia, we were allowed to procure a lot of the products early in the process and have it on-hand and readily available for installation instead of having to track material down and wait on lead times for fabrication,” says Brown. “It also helped maintain the budget because it allowed for economies of scale.”

Ensuring Success Until Closeout Brown believes the CM team has been successful to this point because the joint venture also set specific teams for certain types of work. For instance, the civil team blended into a structural team responsible for running and supervising the structural operations of all six buildings. There was an exterior team responsible for all exteriors and materials and then two teams that ran a two-set progression for the interiors.

According to Brown, the accomplishment of the team has come from managing the subcontractors from the progressive flow so no one single team is focused on the entire job—it helps break up the scope so the team can be much more successful.

Says Brown: “It is a great feeling to see the decisions made 18 to 24 months ago coming to fruition and being built on this new campus. It is not every day you have a chance to build a new college campus. Starting with a blank slate and seeing the progression of construction to date has been an amazing experience.” v

Schedule Methodology From a schedule methodology, every major trade needed a minimum of two crews because the buildings are being constructed in two sets of three. For example, there would be two crews of the same trade working in two different places at the same time. From structural concrete and steel to drywall, MEP and finish trades, each scope would require multiple crews to maintain the project schedule.

There was also the chance of having one trade working on finishes in one building and beginning rough-ins on the third building in sequence.

“From an operations standpoint, the success has come from our ability to maintain the two-crew flow between two sets of building operations,” explains Brown.

In order to achieve this two-crew flow, project communication was of the utmost importance. That is why the process included a 4-6 week lookahead every week to make sure all the subcontractors stayed on schedule and adhered to the budget.

The other aspect that helped with maintaining the schedule was from a global material standpoint, which allowed the team to get approvals on all materials and have them ready to install.

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two Big Days, onE limitlEss FuturE

By Allen Allnoch

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t the 2018 CEFGA CareerExpo and SkillsUSA State Championships on March 22-23, all signs pointed to a bright outlook for the future of Georgia’s construction industry.

On paper alone, the numbers were encouraging: 8,246 total attendees – a new event record—including 5,534 students, 1,158 influencers (teachers, parents, counselors and school administrators) and 1,554 industry volunteers, exhibitors and other guests. And on the Georgia International Convention Center floor, the energy was palpable as those thousands of students visited 17 industry “Worlds,” and more than 400 high school and technical college students competed in 18 SkillsUSA contests.

The Worlds included three industries represented for the first time at the Expo: Hand & Power Tools, Fire Protection and Roofing. The latter was perhaps the most visible of all 16

17, thanks to a towering scaffold with an 8/12-pitch roof segment for students to climb.

Ron Heath, Vice President of Roof Depot, led the effort to bring roofing to the Expo after seeing it for the first time the previous year. Scanning the cavernous room from atop the 20-foot-high exhibit, Heath commended CEFGA for its approach to building a sustainable talent pool for the industry.

“For workplace development, this event is perfect,” Heath said. “The K-12 Pipeline is highly important as well, and we’ve hired some people from the Construction Ready program. It’s a great approach— they’re capturing people through each of these means.”

CEFGA’s three-pronged strategy to which Heath alluded—CareerExpo, Construction Ready training for adults and K-12 Pipeline for students —has been expanded to include a fourth component. The CEFGA Connect initiative debuted during the Expo and links students directly with employers. All four work hand in hand toward fulfilling CEFGA’s mission of “Building Opportunities for Georgia.”

“This was our biggest and most successful event by far,” said CEFGA President and CEO Scott Shelar.

“Our industry partners are always very positive about this event, but this year was exceptional. They loved seeing the increased number of students.

They also commented on the quality of the students, noting that many were sincerely curious about careers

Record Attendance at 2018 CareerExpo and SkillsUSA State Championships Illustrates CEFGA’s Impact in Connecting Construction Industry Leaders with Tomorrow’s Workforce

in construction. I think the addition of CEFGA Connect was appreciated by all, both students and employers.

We are just so thankful to all of the employers who make this event possible and to the teachers and counselors who choose to bring their students to our event.”

With Georgia ranking as the leading state in which to do business for five years running, job opportunities continue to grow, as does the need for a skilled construction workforce. And with so many students and influencers gathered in one location for the CareerExpo, employers recognize the event as a valuable investment toward meeting that need.

By Shelar’s estimate, industry representatives served some 24,000 volunteer hours during the Expo. The presence of high-profile names around the show floor—including Home Depot, sponsor of the new World of Hand & Power Tools— speaks to that investment as well.

Jeff Ensell, Recruiting and Development Manager for Mariettabased contractor C.W. Matthews, said his companies keeps six to eight reps on the show floor, plus more in the hands-on World of Heavy Equipment & Utility Contracting outside the building.

“If a student comes by who wants to be a welder, well, we use welders, too,” Ensell said. “If somebody wants to get into construction, we do construction, too. We have all aspects of our business represented, and it’s a big benefit to have so many people involved.”

CEFGA’s leadership in organizGeorgia Contractor

CEFGA Connect Launches at CareerExpo New Initiative Links Students Directly with Potential Employers

ing such a monumental event is not lost on the employers who exhibit and sponsor competitions there.

“They’re talking to the contractors, they’re figuring out what the industry needs, they’re supporting it in all different aspects,” said Nathan Tucker, Tradesman Manager for JE Dunn Construction. “That’s huge for us. We want to support it as contractors, but we’ve got a job to do; we want to try to find [potential employees], but we can’t do that day in and day out, so they help us find people.”

For Matthew Colvin, State Initiatives Director for the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Workforce Division, raising awareness about opportunities in construction is critical to Georgia’s economic future. Schools are fertile ground for doing so; Georgia now has more than 150 high school construction programs, for example, with more than 17,000 students enrolled in them.

“With the older generation starting to retire,” Colvin said, “we’re really trying to get involved with June | July 2018

middle school and high school students, and also trying to educate their parents and their career counselors, who may not necessarily be aware of some of these career paths in the skilled trades. The kids are there, they have talent, they’re driven; we just have to put them in a position where they understand what the opportunities are.”

Thus the importance of the “E” in CEFGA—Education. Chris Bell, Southeast Self-Perform Work Leader for DPR Construction, said CEFGA is “definitely leading the way in Georgia in educating the community about construction careers. And not that it’s just hot, outside work—that there are other things you can do in construction that are fun, that are rewarding, that are challenging.”

Matt Arthur, Technical College System of Georgia Commissioner, agreed. “CEFGA is the leader in building that workforce in Georgia,” Arthur said. “They do a great job of working with high schools, middle schools and colleges, and getting the word out that jobs are available.” v

The 2018 CEFGAExpo and SkillsUSA Championships have always presented a great opportunity for students to network with potential employers. This year, CEFGA took that concept to a new level with its CEFGA Connect initiative.

At the CEFGA exhibit, situated on a high-traffic corner of the Georgia International Convention Center floor, staff members outfitted in bright orange shirts and a row of electronic kiosks beckoned students as they walked by.

Some students had pre-registered for CEFGA Connect, while others applied on site. Both groups had direct access to possible job matches offered by industry exhibitors. Zach Fields, CEFGA Director of School Relations and K-12 Pipeline Coordinator, explained the process.

“What we’ve done is station workbased learning coordinators in every ‘World,’” Fields said. “We want to build the industry networks, and they’re the point person, so we’ll deliver a kid from [the CEFGA exhibit] to an employer match in the World and let the workbased learning coordinator facilitate an interview.”

Some companies went even further and reserved space in one of four designated interview areas around the building. There students and employers were able to sit down and meet face to face against a quieter backdrop.

Some 280 jobs were available during the event. Now that it’s over, CEFGA will continue building its database of open positions and interested students.

“We feel good about that number— it’s a great start for us,” Fields said. “But the most important part is over 50 percent of those job sites are cleared for employment of 16- and 17-year-olds. So we’re starting to break that 18-year-old barrier that we’ve really hamstrung ourselves with in the industry. We’ve made tremendous progress in building awareness and having employers commit to building the workforce.” v

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MAGNIFICENT 7

By Tom Baldwin

1+1=7! leveraging intangibles for Business wealth

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very day, businesses lose money by not understanding or leveraging their investments. When one considers the financials of organizations, it is clear that a significant portion of those investments are not captured in financial statements. Why? Because these are the people-side or soft-side intangible investments the accounting industry has yet to document.

This may be a reason one views these same intangibles as not of significant value.

But your intangible investments can be just as valuable as those that appear on your quarterly report.

The Magnificent 7. There are seven capital investments available to every organization. Two are strictly on the task or tangible work side and five are focused on people and what they produce. This means that five of the seven, or 71%, of all capital investments are on the people, or the soft (intangible) side of the equation. Not surprisingly, there is hidden wealth and power buried in these peopleside investments. When people work together, such as in teams, there is powerful leveraging such that 1+1 is no longer 2, but is more like 1+1=7.

As a simple means to frame the seven investments, all work and efforts can be separated into two components— Task side and People side. The Task side encompasses tan18

gibles such as hard issues and assets, work to be done, things, structures and fixtures. The People side is comprised of the intangibles like soft issues and assets, those who do the work, interactions, teamwork, culture and norms.

Task Side (Tangibles) 1. Financial Investments Financial capital is the monetary currency used to run the business by purchasing materials/resources and investing in people to facilitate its success. There is little mystery here.

Financial capital is one of two currencies of exchange between people who do the work and the work they do. The other currency of exchange on the intangible side is spiritual capital.

2. Physical Investments Physical capital is represented in fixed materials needed for products and services. This includes tangible machinery, buildings, equipment, computers, together with land and labor. The benefit of timely investments here is so the en-

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terprise remains competitive. Importantly, a commensurate investment on the people side—either in human, relationship, and/or customer capital—is necessary to maximize ROI.

People Side (Intangibles)

3. Human Investments Investing in human capital is an easy one. Just as with physical capital investments, without upgrades, technology becomes slow and/or obsolete. It is the same with people; you need continuous upgrades. Training, coaching, education, mentoring, and internships are obvious ways to increase people’s value. Importantly, the value of this investment spreads throughout an enterprise—in organizational capital (patents, processes, procedures), physical capital (innovative products and services), spiritual capital (morale, work satisfaction), and relationship capital (teamwork, customer relations).

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4. Relationship Investments One of the most valuable assets in an organization is relationships. Value is derived from this investment daily from leveraging people’s interactions.

It’s about power and influence. The network of relationships (people inside and outside the organization) that interact with a business represents a significant resource. Building relationship capital delivers a host of ROI benefits resulting from a higher level of trust in products, sales, customer retention, and even resolving disagreements. The multiplier for ROI may appear small, but secondary impact and synergies of relationships can be huge.

5. Spiritual Investments Spiritual capital in a business is derived from the values created by an organization’s leadership. With a great deal of spiritual capital, there is ethical decision-making built into a valuebased culture where the goal is less shareholder gain and more gain for

customers and stakeholders. The culture engendered energizes and enriches the human spirit, fostering social connectedness and personal satisfaction. It spurs people to go the extra mile. It is about ethical leadership and how people are treated. It is about consistency in leadership, i.e., no surprises. Such investments include a conscious effort to build a family culture that honors and supports each other.

6. Customer Investments Customer capital is the relationship value a business builds with its customers. This goes beyond customer loyalty and includes customer feedback to the business, and partnering with the customer to produce new products and services. Value also manifests in the form of referrals and great press about the business from customers. Every executive recognizes the importance of paying attention to the customer. But just being nice (sending holiday cards or gifts) is only a begin-

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ning when it comes to enhancing ROI. Making efforts to partner with the customer is the ideal investment.

7. Organizational Investments

Organizational capital represents the value of an enterprise derived from mostly intangible assets such as processes, procedures, systems, patents, trade secrets, reputation, brand and intellectual property. Organizational investment is a most important investment leaders can make because this is where the memory of the enterprise resides. Building, investing in, and maintaining one’s brand and reputation and protecting intellectual property (trade secrets, patents, processes, and procedures) are critical to sustaining the enterprise. This is where one protects the knowledge, skills, and expertise from being lost when talented people depart from the organization.

Intangibles Control Business Success. As a means to discern which of the Magnificent 7 investments were most critical in a merger or acquisition, the corporate, healthcare, and the accounting industries were studied. In nearly every merger, success or failure was predicated on alignment or misalignment of culture between the merging entities. Culture in the Magnificent 7 schema is established within the collective investments of Human, Relationship, and Spiritual capitals.

These people-side intangible investments reinforce the notion that softside investments have significant impact in generating success or failure in a business.

side investment with a people side one. Thus, if you invest in new technology, be sure to invest in training for personnel.

3. Set goals for each investment: Determine goals and completion dates for each investment.

4. Determine where you are now: Track the success of reaching investment goals.

5. Monitor progress toward goals: Evaluate the investments and how you are doing in achieving goals.

Make corrections or change course as needed.

6. Celebrate success: Reinforce success to encourage new efforts.

7. Repeat steps 1-6 There is no doubt that judicious investing on the people side components when paired with task side investments yields significant ROI. Leveraging the intangibles accentuates

power, creativity, innovation and thereby new products, services, and thus value generation and wealth in organizations! v

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Baldwin Tom is a management consultant, professional speaker, and author of 1+1=7: How Smart Leaders Make 7 Investments to Maximize Value. A medical school scientist, professor, leadership program developer, and founder of an award winning science and technology firm, he leverages his experiences in those fields to provide insight and strategies to fit client needs. Baldwin is a Certified Management Consultant and served as the National Board Chair of the Institute of Management Consultants USA. For more information on Baldwin Tom, please visit www.geoddgroup.com

How do you discover and leverage hidden wealth in your organization?

Here are the steps: 1. Inventory your investments: Identify the investment areas you are focused on.

2. Pair investments: Match any task 20

Georgia Contractor

nEw tax BEnEFits For EquipmEnt purCHasEs

By Al Clark | Smith, Adcock and Company LLP

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he Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), which has been called the most comprehensive tax reform since 1986, contains expanded opportunities to expense business equipment.

Internal Revenue Code (IRC) section 168(k) which previously allowed a current year deduction of 50% of the cost of new equipment was expanded to cover 100% of most equipment, whether new or used. This IRC 168(k) does not have a dollar limit. It does not apply to equipment which was previously used by a business, such as by a related party or in a lease conversion. Even though the TCJA did not become law until December 22, 2017, this new expensing applies to equipment placed in service after September 27, 2017. Unlike many other favorable tax provisions which require an election, this expensing is the default provision and a business would have to elect out if it was not optimal for the taxpayer.

IRC section 179, which previously had a dollar limit of $500,000, was increased to a limit of $1,000,000 for expensing. Unlike the IRC 168(k), which is unlimited, this expensing provision phases out dollar for dollar starting with total costs that exceed $2.5 million, so a business with total equipment purchases of $3.5 million would have no IRC 179 expensing.

This expensing was originally added to the IRC as a benefit for only small businesses, but the new increased limit is a great deduction for small and larger businesses.

While the 2 expensing provisions sound very similar, they have special rules that may make one more favorable than the other. For example, the IRC 168(k) provision has to be applied to all the property acquired in a year that is in the same asset class. There may be circumstances in which a business may not want that much expensing in a single year, in which case using the IRC 179, which can be selec-

tive for the property, would produce a better tax result.

Additionally, IRC 168(k) can produce a loss but the IRC 179 cannot be taken in excess of the taxable income for the year. Expensing in excess of the net income with 168(k) for the year may not be the best move if the company already has substantial net operating loss carryovers, or if it produced a loss which could not be effectively utilized. Expensing to the limit with IRC 179 may not be advisable if future years will also have significant equipment acquisitions such that the carryover of the excess expensing may not be fully utilized in the next few years.

The TCJA did prohibit the deferral of gain on a trade of equipment, vehicles and other tangible property, but with the new expanded expensing provisions, even though the traded item might result in a taxable event, the full expensing of the replacement property can offset the gain, with the net taxable result of pre-TCJA and post-TCJA trades being equal. v

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? Contact Al Clark at 404-252-2208 or AClark@SmithAdcock.com The information herein is general in nature and should not be construed as advice or opinion of Smith, Adcock and Company LLP. It should not be used as a substitute for competent advice which should be obtained from your Smith Adcock professional.

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Georgia Contractor

INTRODUCING PEOPLEREADY SKILLED TRADES PeopleReady’s foundation was built on construction staffing. To provide dedicated support to this industry, PeopleReady’s new sub-brand PeopleReady Skilled Trades focuses exclusively on construction and skilled trades projects. PeopleReady Skilled Trades offers deep expertise in construction, providing both general labor and skilled tradespeople to some of the largest and most respected contractors in the country.

With PeopleReady Skilled Trades, customers have easy access to more specialties and a much larger talent pool while keeping the same specialists and local service team that they know and trust—people who are experts in the construction industry, speak your language, and know your business.

PeopleReady partners with ABC at a national level, helping to shape public policy with assignments on the Workforce Development and Membership Committees. PeopleReady is the National Presenting Sponsor for the ABC Excellence in Construction Awards and holds membership in nearly 50 state and local ABC chapters.

PeopleReady operates more than 650 local branches across the country, more than 40 of which specialize in skilled trades. They are ready to serve the skilled trades staffing needs throughout Georgia. For more information, visit PeopleReady.com/skilled-trades or contact your local branch location.

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is your Company a Joint Employer? it Depends on what the Federal nlrB Decided—or Didn’t

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By Stephen L. Wright | Partner | Taylor English | Atlanta

ack in 1970, pop music band The Kinks had a chart-topping hit song that included the line, “It's a mixed-up, muddled-up, shook-up world.”

That description certainly applies to the recent history of the rules for determining whether two or more employers must be treated as “joint employers” for purposes of dealing with labor union efforts. If treated as employer, a company may be forced to participate in collective bargaining, disclose otherwise confidential financial and business information, and even be called on to fund wages and benefits.

The recent complete reversal in February 2018 of a 2015 decision of the National Labor Relations Board is the most recent episode in an on-going “mixed-up, muddled-up” saga. For the moment anyway, we are in the same position as after the NLRB, then Democrat-dominated, decided the Browning-Ferris Industries decision in 2015.

A broader, more union-friendly definition of “joint employer” remains in place despite a Republican presidential administration. There are no immediate prospects for quick reversal.

A short overview and review of previous episodes is in order. Employer obligations with respect to unionization efforts and labor contract negotiations are regulated at the federal level under the National Labor Relations Act. The Act includes a definition of covered “employer” that is largely ambiguous but does include all persons who act “directly or indirectly” for an employer.

After passage of the Act in the early 1930s, decisions of the NLRB filled in the gaps in the ambiguity around the definition of “employer.” The NLRB is not just an administrative agency with rulemaking authority, but also is a quasi-judicial entity that decides disputes. A body of case law built up over the decades which focused on whether there was an actual exercise of key aspects of control by employers over the employees in question. The key aspects at issue include hiring, firing, discipline, terms and payment of compensation, assignment and direction of work performance. The exercise of control had to be not just potential ability to control, such would be reserved in 24

a written agreement, but “direct and immediate” exercise of that control.

The requirement for actual exercise of control was eliminated in the Browning-Ferris decision by the NLRB in August 2015. In assessing previous Board decisions, the Board found that new “economic realities” merited a broader examination of facts and circumstances where two or more employers are involved. Instead, the test should ask whether the employers “share or codetermine those matters governing the essential terms and conditions of employment.”

The Board concluded that the rule built up over preceding decades requiring actual exercise of control, was not supported by the language of the Act (indeed, the Act is silent on joint employers) and contradicted the common law of employment decided by the states. Per the Board’s decision, the Board was simply returning the criteria for determining joint employer back to its original meaning.

Under the Browning-Ferris decision, gone is the requirement to present evidence of exercise of control actually impacting essential conditions of employment. It is enough that there exists an arrangement between two parties such that the unexercised authority could potentially affect the essential conditions of employment.

For general contractors, the Browning-Ferris decision opened the possibility that retaining aspects of control over a subcontractor’s performance on a project also makes the general contractor the “employer” of record for the subcontractor’s employees. Requirements in subcontracts intended to permit a general contractor to maintain project coordination and order, such as the ability to terminate or exclude unruly subcontractor employees from a work site, could make the general contractor a joint employer even such ability would be actually used only under extraordinary circumstances.

The Browning-Ferris decision came in for heaps of scorn from a broad spectrum of employer organizations, of course. Fear in the construction industry immediately arose that, for example, general contractors would now be sued in collective bargaining disputes to simply add an adGeorgia Contractor

ditional pocket to pressure the subcontractor employer.

There was additional concern that unions would leverage their new broader powers by forcing disclosure by general contractors of project pricing and labor rates and expose sensitive competitive information regarding subcontractor and vendor relationships.

Browning-Ferris was decided by an NLRB Board during the Obama Administration when it was dominated by Democratic appointees. Following the 2016 presidential election and the Republican victory, newly appointed Board members have been all Republicans with the majority on the Board now in Republican hands. The most recent appointee, John Ring, was designated as Chair of the Board by President Trump on April 13, 2018.

With the shift in political winds, so too have the decisions of the NLRB Board shifted, thus displaying the “quasi” part of the Board’s quasi-judicial character. The rebooted Board moved relatively quickly to address the joint employer rule with its decision in December 2017 in the Hy-Brand case. In its decision, the Board tossed out the Browning-Ferris standard for assessing joint employer status and instead reinstituted the “immediate and direct” standard used before the August 2015 decision.

Ironically, and to the detriment of the legal soundness of the decision, the Board upheld an administrative judge’s initial decision that the two employers involved were in fact joint employers. It was just that the judge, who reached the same conclusion, did so by what the Board found to be the wrong standard—the Browning-Ferris standard. The Board’s Hy-Brand decision was weakened because a change of the standard was not required to reach the decision—the companies were still joint employers under both standards. Nothing in the dispute at hand required that the joint employer standard be re-examined.

This “mixed-up, muddled-up, shook-up” joint employer saga, as The Kinks might sing, doesn’t end there.

Upon complaints by Democratic lawmakers pointing out that Board member William Emanuel had a conflict of interest because his former law firm, Littler Mendelson, represents Browning-Ferris Industries in its NLRB case which remains on appeal as of this writing. The NLRB’s Inspector General agreed with the complaint of conflict of interest. This finding led the Board on February 26, 2018 to vacate its December 2017 decision in Hy-Brand. In other words, the Browning-Ferris joint employer standard is again the applicable one.

But wait, there’s more! The appeal of the original Browning-Ferris decision before the U.S. Court of Appeals is now also back on. The Court of Appeals reinvigorated the appeal on April 8, 2018 and made its outcome depend on currently pending motions to reconsider the Board’s cancellation of its Hy-Brand decision.

Whether there will be any final resolution soon depends in part on whether Board member Emanuel and June | July 2018

fellow Board member and chair Ring, both having represented large unionized employers before the NLRB while in private law firm practice, face further issues of conflict of interest and recusal. With Emanuel recused from deciding both Browning-Ferris and Hy-Brand, the Board is at a deadlock with two each of Democrat and Republican members.

What does the future hold? It’s hard to say, but without resignations of Board members, the potential for deadlock remains through at least the rest of the current term of the president. Should a Democratic administration be elected in 2020, the pendulum on the Board will surely swing again towards favoring the Browning-Ferris standard.

The joint employer standard may well continue to switch back and forth as presidential administrations change, revealing the NLRB as truly a political body. This brings with it on-going uncertainty and risk for businesses. Whether a company is made to participate in collective bargaining may well change with the political winds.

A final resolution, however, might come in the form of legislation. The “Save Local Business Act” would be enacted by a bill now pending before the Senate. The bill, H.R. 3441, would reinstitute the “direct and immediate” standard of pre-Browning-Ferris in the Act and make the standard apply also to the Fair Labor Standards Act. It passed the House last year but has been stuck in a Senate committee since November 2017. There is no indication it will capture much attention during the remainder of the congressional session especially with mid-term elections looming. Should one of the chambers change to the Democrats with the November 2018 election, the bill would almost certainly be dead.

The bottom line is that the Browning-Ferris joint employer standard will remain the law of the land for the foreseeable future barring some upheaval in the NLRB Board’s composition. So perhaps The Kinks’ “mixed-up, muddled-up, shook-up world” is not really the right description. Perhaps we should look to Led Zeppelin’s “The Song Remains the Same” would be a more appropriate theme song. v

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worlD's tallEst moDular HotEl opEning soon in nEw yorK City

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Construction of CitizenM Led by NY, Nj & FL Based Rinaldi Group

he grand opening is drawing close for the world's largest modular hotel, the CitizenM located at 189 Bowery in Manhattan. The creation of the highly unique and ultra-trendy project was orchestrated by one of the leading construction firms in the U.S., New York, New Jersey and Floridabased Rinaldi Group.

Modular construction is one of the fastest growing real estate trends in the country following its major success in Europe as well as Asia. The CitizenM hotel is expected to feature roughly 300 rooms, all assembled using sealed, fully furnished, prefabricated units.

Among the many advantages to modular construction are the saving of considerable cost and time which particularly in Manhattan, limits street closures, keeping them clear and safe for pedestrians. Modular construction methods reduce a project's completion time by as much as 50 percent, allowing companies, residents and guests to occupy the space far ahead of the typical building schedule.

"The modular building process can significantly reduce the cost of labor, materials and transportation plus, by its uniformity of design, it minimizes waste,” remarked Rinaldi Group CEO Anthony Rinaldi. “It’s also superior environmentally and lessens the amount of traffic congestion which is key in urban areas such as Manhattan.”

The modular construction industry is experiencing dramatic growth across the U.S. In recent years, the Permanent Modular Construction or PMC industry rose from approximately $2 billion in annual sales to over $3 billion and currently drives roughly $6 billion of annual construction industry activity.

CitizenM will offer an exterior and interior rooftop 26

bar and lounge called CloudM with sweeping, 360- degree views of the Manhattan skyline. There will also be a fitness center, a double-height lobby, lounge and café at the property.

The CitizenM’s construction team, Rinaldi Group, is led by its founder, CEO and president Anthony Rinaldi.

Rinaldi Group is considered one of the pioneering firms in domestic modular-building projects. In addition to hotels, the Rinaldi Group are among the country’s leaders in the construction of condos, healthcare facilities, landmark buildings, libraries, municipal facilities and performing arts centers.v

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IEC ATLANTA/GEORGIA CHAPTER ILLUMINATES AN ELECTRICAL PATH AT 2018 SKILLS USA

IEC Atlanta/Georgia Chapter participated in 2018 CEFGA Skills USA held at the Georgia International Convention Center on March 22nd and 23rd. IEC is always up for connecting with the future of the industry and showing the path to the world of electrical.

So much to do and see at Skills USA and IEC was in the center of it all with its trademark IEC tent and electrical demonstrations.

Students were drawn to know more about the electrical field. IEC representatives, Workforce Development Coordinator, Delast Muhammad and Associate Executive Director of Workforce Development, Todd Hawkins alongside IEC instructor, Harvey Hamric of Jordan Electric, were onsite to guide the way.

Friday morning competitors started with a “Champion Breakfast” and then the 8 college and 3 high school competitors presented their skills in the industrial motor control contest.

See pictures here.

The judge panel was chaired by IEC instructor, Mike Gunter with Penco’s Jay Paxton and John Campbell and 4th year IEC instructor James Wesley judging the competition. The winner will win Georgia’s title and represent the state at the Industrial Motor Control contest at Skills National, June 20th to 22nd in Workforce Development Coordinator, Delast Louisville, Kentucky. As a side note, Skills USA moves to Georgia in 2021!

Muhammad meeting with students.

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

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

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CONGRATULATIONS TO THOMAS & HUTTON’S NEW SOCIETY FOR HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT SENIOR CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL

Thomas & Hutton (T&H) is pleased to announce that Human Resources (HR) Manager, Candice Clifton has recently earned the Society for Human Resources Management – Certified Senior Professional (SHRM-SCSP) credential. The SHRM-SCP is an accreditation designed for professionals at the senior level who operate in a strategic role, develop policies and strategies, oversee HR operations, analyze performance metrics, and contribute to the alignment HR strategies with organization goals. The SHRM-SCP exams measures how effectively HR professionals implement knowledge in the workplace.

Candice Clifton has been with Thomas & Hutton since January 2007. As HR Manager, Candice leads the overall HR function and is responsible for developing and Candice Clifton implementing programs in the areas of benefits, employee relations and HR programs and policies.

Thomas & Hutton celebrates 72 years of creating transformative communities. Founded in 1946 in Savannah, GA, Thomas & Hutton is a privately-held professional services company providing engineering, planning, landscape architecture, surveying, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and consulting services to public and private clients.

Thomas & Hutton has offices in Savannah and Brunswick, Georgia; Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Nashville, Tennessee. For more information, visit www.thomasandhutton.com v

GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TRANSFERS WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM INTO THE TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYSTEM OF GEORGIA.

Georgia’s workforce development system is focused on connecting talent with opportunity through the provision of career services, education, and training. Through strong interagency collaboration and a focus on excellent customer service, Georgia’s employer-driven workforce system supports and stimulates the State’s economic growth.

Governor Nathan Deal, in his January State of the State Address, announced that the state administration of the Workforce Investment Opportunity Act grant will move from the Georgia Department of Economic Development to the Technical College System of Georgia effective July 1. The Technical College System is the current administrator of the state’s Adult Education and Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act grant postsecondary funding.

Governor Deal saw the opportunity to better coordinate between partner agencies and programs to enable the seamless flow of customers between programs and areas of the state. This strategic move will enable Georgia to further align Workforce Investment Opportunity Act funding with federal and state partner programs.

After the July 1 effective date, state staff will relocate to the Technical College System of Georgia offices and begin to coordinate programs, staffing structure, and service delivery for an increased regional awareness and planning among the local areas in order to provide better customer service to Georgia’s citizens and businesses. The Technical College System of Georgia Office of Workforce Development will be led by Assistant Commissioner Joe Dan Banker. v

CONTRACTORS PROFIT BY ExPANDING INTO FUNCTIONAL FABRIC WALL SYSTEMS

Contractors are discovering a new profit center by installing versatile, stretched fabric wall finishing systems instead of going with the usual options of paint, traditional upholstery, or wrapped panels.

The benefit of a stretched fabric wall surface is that it transforms a wall into a beautiful, functional surface. It is tackable like a bulletin board; has acoustical properties that reduce noise and sound transmission through walls; and can withstand high impact in high wear areas so is very low maintenance. The system is also versatile since refreshing the walls or updating the colors requires only changing out the fabric.

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Various multi-panel designs can be installed from railroad track designs to abstract, curved, and custom shaped patterns using flexible track. With so many options, site fabricated wall coverings can be used to conform to most architectural features.

Each panel consists of three parts: a fabric covering, a backing material, and a fabric mounting frame. The fabric covering is stretched over the backing and held taut by the fabric mounting frame. This allows the panel surface to spring back when struck, effectively mitigating visible damage allowing for years of performance. The excess fabric is rolled into the frame for a clean look. The frame and backing can be reused, and the fabric changed out as desired.

The backing fills in the frame and covers the wall, providing a pinnable bulletin-board like surface for tacking things up, along with impact resistance and the ability to absorb reverberated sound waves that would otherwise bounce off the walls. The fabric mounting frame holds the fabric in place.

The system can also install over unfinished drywall, so there is no need to mud, texture or prime; just tape the drywall joints. Additionally, the system can adjust to match out-of-true conditions so it can be installed on walls, ceilings, soffits and alcoves with no unsightly gaps. For more information about fabric wall systems, call (866) 622-2996; e-mail fmsales@fabricmate.com; visit www.fabricmate.com; or write to Fabricmate Systems at 2781 Golf Course Drive, Unit A, Ventura, CA 93003v

2018 IEC POWER SHOW RETURNS TO COBB CIVIC CENTER

Once again IEC held the largest southeast tradeshow at the Cobb Civic Center. On May 1st doors opened to the 2018 Power Show and career seekers, contractors, product vendors, students and the community, arrived ready to share, learn and engage in the electrical industry.

From 2p to 7p around 700 tradeshow guests learned about products from various manufacturers providing quality tools, equipment and services to the electrical industry. Prior to the start of the Power Show, IEC gave extra attention to IEC contractors by hosting a career fair with onsite interviewing sessions. If you are an electrical contractor growing in this market, or one with more than its share of the market, the 2018 Power Show had all the information and tools needed to move you in the right direction and further ahead.

IEC contractors and guests were also able to partake in the continuing education courses available for free for anyone who was interested and signed up. Apprentices and future apprentices saw demonstrations of skill as IEC 4th year apprentices competed against time in the annual wire off. In that moment years of training and personal drive come together to show the skill level of some of the best students IEC has to offer. To the 1st, 2nd or 3rd year student out there, “Yes” you can possibly compete at a Power Show and earn an opportunity to represent the Atlanta/GA chapter at a national competition one day!

While education and job interviewing were in process, raffle drawings happened throughout the event. Gift cards, tools, coolers, Braves tickets and more were just a drawing away for anyone in attendance. With so much going on, IEC also offered a delicious barbecue meal with sides for event goers.

Work force recruitment, employee development, continuing education, legal representation, competitions, prizes, food and more were conveniently located under one enormous roof. Everything was there at the 2018 Power Show.

Each year Executive Director, Niel Dawson thinks of more great things to improve on an already grand event. With the addition of the career fair last year, IEC has already experienced its doubling in attendees and contractors. Vendors come with top information and engaging experiences like IDEAL’s ongoing wire contest, giving event goers the electrical experience first-hand. Prizes were all day and the food continues to gratify guests! We can’t wait to see what next year brings.

See pictures from this event at www.iecatlantaga.org. IEC is a trade association for merit shop electrical contractors and offers a wide array of training programs for apprentices and experienced electricians.

In addition to the electrical apprenticeship training program, IEC provides personnel referral including loan/borrow programs, and provides a broad range of informational resources for electrical contractors in Atlanta and Georgia. v 30

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