AGCW Northern District Report: Action Alert | WSDOT fish-passage update | Coalition urges passing of transportation bill

WSDOT update on
fish-passage program

The Washington State Department of Transportation will be hosting an industry-wide Fish-Passage Program Update, via Zoom, on Feb. 24 at 1:00 p.m. The meeting will provide an update to all project-delivery partners on how things are shaping up related to the anticipated ‘21-‘23 biennium fish-passage delivery plan and a brief look at the years beyond that.
WSDOT fully recognizes that funding for fish passage is still being determined by the Legislature. However, they would like to take this opportunity to present their current ’21-’23 plan so that contractors can begin contemplating delivery of an anticipated $700M+ program from an industry perspective. Attendance will be limited; click here for info and to register.

Business, labor, transit coalition urging passage of transportation package
Transportation investment must be a priority for lawmakers. That’s the consensus of a coalition of business, labor and transit groups as expressed in recent Seattle Times op-ed.
Steve Mullin, president of the Washington Roundtable, Larry Brown, president of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, and Alex Hudson, executive director of the Transportation Choices Coalition, penned the op-ed and point to the damage the pandemic has already done to the economy and transportation revenues.
AGC is also urging the Legislature to pass a transportation package. AGC is a member of the Keep Washington Rolling Coalition, which recently sent a letter to all legislators. Read more...

One week left
for BWA entries
The 2021 AGC of Washington Build Washington Awards -- brought to you by Moss Adams -- call for entries is now open! This is the perfect time to highlight your best and brightest projects, programs and people. There are 32 different categories in which you may enter and you can enter in multiple categories. The entry deadline is 5:00 pm, March 1st. AGCW will host a virtual awards show on Thursday May 20.

Click here to get all the info on this year's BWA program.

2021 Northern District Contractor Exchange
Specialty contractors, don't miss this great opportunity. The first annual AGC Northern District Contractor Exchange is being held virtually on March 18th; 9-10 AM. General contractors want to meet with you!
At this free event, specialty contractors meet with all GCs online in six-minute face-to-face video interviews to discuss capabilities, qualifications and upcoming project opportunities.
General contractors registered to attend include:

Chad Fisher Construction Granite Construction

Credo Construction, Inc. Interwest Construction Inc

Dawson Construction Red Tail

Faber Construction TRICO Companies, LLC

Fisher Construction Group TBD

Interested in attending? Email your first name, last name, company name and certifications (e.g. MBE, WBE, etc) to Lance Calloway. A registration link will be forwarded to you via email, prior to the event.
Notes: Specialty contractors will have the opportunity to meet with all participating contractors in one session. There is only room for one registration per specialty contractor. If you have more than one person on your team, please have them gather in the same room where you will be logging-in the day of the event. If more than one person is registered, we will cancel all but one registration. Registrations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. If the session is full, we'll let you know.

Goldfinch Brothers teams with Rotary
to fund scholarships
(Rotary Club of Everett) Two long time Everett institutions have joined to fund new scholarships for graduates from Everett schools.
Goldfinch Brothers, Inc. (GBI), in business here since 1892, will contribute $2,000 for each of two scholarships – one in construction management, the other in applied trades. The Everett Rotary Youth Foundation will add $1,000, for a total of $3,000 for each scholarship. The Rotary Club of Everett was chartered in 1917.
“We are very excited to be able to give back to the community in partnership with Everett Rotary Youth Foundation,” said Greg Goldfinch, GBI CEO. “These scholarships reflect GBI’s commitment to paying it forward to the construction community to help build a better tomorrow with the next generation of leaders. Read more…

Biden reaffirms commitment to
registered apprenticeship
Rolls Back Industry Recognized Apprenticeship Program
(AGC of America) On February 17, President Biden met with the leaders of building-trades unions in his effort to lay the foundation for infrastructure legislation after Congress considers a $1.9-trillion COVID-relief bill. At the meeting, the president reaffirmed his support for the National Apprenticeship Act that would provide nearly $4 billion to expand registered apprenticeships through grants and streamlining the approval process. AGC is supportive of prioritizing the apprenticeship system. However, the association will oppose all attempts to bar access to funding opportunities or other benefits when a program is not aligned with a labor union. Read more…

What a Marty Walsh-led Labor Department could mean for construction
(Construction Dive) Groups on both sides of the union issue say that Boston mayor Marty Walsh’s construction experience is a plus for the industry.
When Walsh, a former construction-union leader, appears before a Senate committee in the first round of hearings for his nomination as Secretary of Labor, it's likely that many in the construction industry will be wondering how he might influence the federal policies and regulations under which they work. Read more…

Uncertainty brings more opportunities
for private contractors
(Construction Executive) While the industry continues to experience an increase in residential construction, other sectors are not doing as well. Private contractors in sectors that are declining should consider changing how they do business, what they produce or both.
According to a press release, Investment in Nonresidential Structures Up a Meager 3% in Final Quarter of 2020, issued by Associated Builders and Contractors on January 28, 2021, Anirban Basu, chief economist for ABC, said “The near-term outlook for nonresidential construction is not especially optimistic. Investment in structures was up just 3% on an annualized basis during 2020’s final quarter after declining by 33.6% and 17.4% in the year’s second and third quarters, respectively.” Read more…

February 23 - 8:30 AM
Workforce Development - AGC Core-Plus Construction: Reaching out to high schools to develop the future construction workforce.
As we are all aware, construction is facing a workforce shortage as we have more skilled tradespersons retiring from the industry than we have entering. In an effort build the future construction workforce, AGC’s Educational Foundation has developed Core-Plus Construction with an objective of introducing students to the basics of construction and about careers in the construction industry through hands-on learning along with interfacing with those currently in the industry. This is a great opportunity for today’s high-school students to learn about various aspects and benefits of working in the construction industry through a fully integrated curriculum while hearing from those working in the industry.
Please join Sarah Patterson, AGC Educational Foundation's workforce-development director, and Lance Calloway, AGCW Northern District manager, in rolling out this workforce and educational initiative to AGC member firms. You'll hear how the program’s curriculum works and how your firm can add value to the program with opportunities for members of your team to connect with students in the classroom about the benefits of working in construction. Register today…

March 5 - 10:00 AM
The Post(?)-Pandemic Outlook for Construction
A year ago, construction was hit harder in Washington than in nearly any other state. Since then, the industry has rebounded strongly, but there are signs that the recovery is stalling.
Where is construction headed nationally, statewide, and around Washington? What help or hindrance is likely to come from "the other Washington?"
AGC of America chief economist Ken Simonson will peer into his crystal ball to discuss these questions, along with the outlook for different project types, materials costs, and supply-chain issues. Register today…

March 11 - 8:00 AM
Alliance Northwest 2021
Alliance Northwest is the largest business-to-government conference in the Pacific Northwest. This virtual event will again feature keynote speakers, high-quality workshops and virtual matchmaking sessions with government agencies and prime contractors.
Who should attend? Businesses interested in selling to the government and prime contractors; GCs and government buyers seeking to outreach small and diverse businesses. Click here to visit the Alliance Northwest website. Save the date and register today…

The AGC Education Foundation continues to offer virtual continuing-education classes in a live, interactive, remote environment. They're working closely with instructors to maintain high-quality training programs and are finding great success in the virtual environment. Visit the AGC Education Foundation website for more information on upcoming classes and programs.

Supervisory Training Program Unit 2:
Oral and Written Communication
March 1 (5:00 pm – 8:00 pm) | Remote Class
Register here

Lean Module 1 - Foundation Course:
Initiating the Change to a Lean Culture
March 5 (7:30 am – 11:30 am) | Remote Class
Register here

Foreman Training Program
March 8-17 (5:00 pm – 8:00 pm) | Remote Class
Register here

First-Aid/CPR with AED
March 10 (7:00 - 11:00 am) | Anacortes
Register here

GC/CM: General Contractor/Construction Manager Workshop
March 18 & 19 (9:00 am – 3:00 pm) | Remote Class