ConstructorCast

Contractors may have millions of dollars of equipment, tools and materials stored on their job sites. On this episode, John Wallen of HUB International discusses how to position your firm to best manage the risk of theft. That includes being aware of the coverage details of your insurance policies, taking a multi-layered approach to keeping sites secure and deterring theft, and considering “Internet of Things” (IoT)-based solutions. Also hear tips and best practices on filing a theft report and insurance claim.

Guest:

John Wallen CPCU, Vice President at HUB International, Wisconsin Construction Industry Practice Leader

www.hubinternational.com

Resources:

Best Practices for Deterring Crime at Construction Sites

https://www.constructormagazine.com/best-practices-for-deterring-crime-at-construction-sites/

Solving a Billion-Dollar Problem

BEST PRACTICES FOR PREVENTING EQUIPMENT THEFT FROM CONSTRUCTION SITES

https://www.constructormagazine.com/solving-a-billion-dollar-problem/

National Insurance Crime Bureau

https://www.nicb.org

In part two of this series, we explore how artificial intelligence (AI) can streamline critical construction project workflows by automating time-consuming and repetitive processes like building a submittal log and tracking changes to specs over the course of a project. Bryan Rumple of Mortenson and Sameer Merchant of Autodesk Construction Solutions discuss document management challenges and how AI technology can improve productivity and reduce project risk.

Guests:

Bryan Rumple, Lead Project Management Controls Engineer at Mortenson

https://www.mortenson.com/

Sameer Merchant - VP of product development at Autodesk Construction Solutions

https://construction.autodesk.com/

About Pype: https://pype.io/

Pype, part of Autodesk Construction Cloud, is a suite of construction software solutions that use AI and machine-learning algorithms to elevate your efficiency from preconstruction through closeout – specifically for project requirement identification, submittal log creation, and project closeout.

About Autodesk Construction Cloud:

Autodesk Construction Cloud is a construction project management platform that connects people and data across the building lifecycle, from design through operations.

On this episode, Josh Levy of Document Crunch, Paul James of BOND Brothers and Brian Perlberg of ConsensusDocs dive deep into how AI and Machine Learning are being used to assess contract risk and inform approaches to construction risk management. They discuss finding the right balance using technology versus operational discretion when bidding contracts, negotiating contracts, administrating projects, and managing insurance compliance. Hear their first-hand experiences on how AI powered contract review software for the construction industry can reduce costs, improve efficiencies and lead to a better industry understanding of what is fair and considered a best practice.

Guests:

Josh Levy, Co-Founder at Document Crunch

www.documentcrunch.com

Paul M. James, Senior Vice President, Risk Management & General Counsel at BOND Brothers, Inc.

https://bondbrothers.com

Brian Perlberg, Executive Director and Senior Counsel at ConsensusDocs

https://www.consensusdocs.org

Document Crunch, curated by legal professionals and risk management experts in the construction industry, harnesses state of-the-art artificial intelligence/machine learning technology to quickly identify what curators believe are the most important provisions in contract documents, and to also provide key insights and rationale, as well as sample contract provisions and other language.

Special Offer for ConstructorCast listeners:

Register at https://agc.documentcrunch.com/ for

• Free Upload ($300 Value)

• 10% off All Future Uploads at Document Crunch

On this episode, President and CEO at Gilbane Building Company Mike McKelvy covers everything you need to know about Construction Safety Week 2021 – happening May 3rd through May 7th. Mike shares his excitement to be the chairman of this year’s event and his passion behind the “Holistic Safety” theme; walks through the wealth of planning resources and communication tools that firms can use to participate; and talks about lessons learned, future goals, and how he keeps him team engaged in safety initiatives. Also hear from some Construction Safety Week partners who are offering free training and resources. Kevin Cannon, head of AGC’s safety and health services, ties it all together with what you need to know about OSHA’s National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction, which is happening the same week.

Featured Guests:

Michael E. McKelvy, President and Chief Executive Officer at Gilbane Building Company and Chairman of National Construction Safety Week 2021 -- https://www.gilbaneco.com/

Kevin Cannon, Senior Director of Safety & Health Services at AGC of America -- www.agc.org/safety (via email at [email protected])

Additional Resources-

1. Construction Safety Week: https://www.constructionsafetyweek.com/

a. Planning Resources: https://www.constructionsafetyweek.com/plan-for-safety-week/

b. Certificate of Participation (via AGC): https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KYH2BD8

c. Media Coverage Request Form: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/H8RPZGZ

2. OSHA National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction: https://www.osha.gov/StopFallsStandDown/

a. Resources: https://www.osha.gov/StopFallsStandDown/resources.html

b. Certificate of Participation: https://www.osha.gov/StopFallsStandDown/index.html#cert

c. Media Coverage Request Form: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/H8RPZGZ

3. AGC Construction Safety Week and OSHA Falls Stand-Down Webpage: https://www.agc.org/industry-priorities/safety-health/2021-osha-falls-stand-down-construction-safety-week

Here you will find additional information to help you plan your event, including the resources referenced by Procore, Milwaukee and Fastenal in this episode.

As construction continues to be an essential industry in helping our nation’s economic recovery, firms are fighting the growing workforce shortage and looking to recruit more women than ever before. Women are making an impact in the industry by bringing new skill sets, opinions, and experiences into the office and the field – and a diverse workforce leads to stronger companies. Yes, there are certainly challenges. But perceptions and cultures are changing. During “Women in Construction Week 2021,” AGC’s ConstructorCast celebrates the successes and talks about what women have done to further the industry.

In this episode, leading women – Lori Dunn-Guion of Swinerton, Maura Hesdon of Shoemaker Construction Co., and Lauline Mitchell of BBI Construction and current NAWIC National VP – share their stories and insights on how to recruit, train and empower women in construction. Listen to find out what attracted them to construction, the skills that have helped them succeed in the industry, and the tools for building a more welcoming, safe, and inclusive workplace.

Guests:

Lori Dunn-Guion, Division Manager at Swinerton - https://swinerton.com/

Maura Hesdon, General Manager at Shoemaker Construction Co. - https://www.shoemakerco.com/

Lauline Mitchell, Project Manager at BBI Construction - http://www.bbiconstruction.com/ and 2020-2021 NAWIC National Vice President

Resources:

* All the additional resources shown below can be found on https://www.agc.org/news/2021/03/09/agc-celebrates-women-construction-week

U.S. Department of Labor workforce statistics:

• Women make up close to 50 percent of the total workforce - https://www.dol.gov/agencies/wb/data/facts-over-time/women-in-the-labor-force#civilian-labor-force-by-sex

• Women comprise only 10.9 percent of the current construction workforce - https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat18.htm

AGC’s Culture of CARE Sexism in the Workplace Toolkit - https://buildculture.org/make-an-impact/#educate-&-train (consists of three toolbox talks and a discussion guide to help “pledged companies” prepare for and successfully hold discussions with their employees about sexism in the workplace and create actionable next steps following those conversations)

Constructor Magazine “How Personal Protection Equipment for Women Pays Off” (March 3, 2021) - https://www.constructormagazine.com/vested-interest/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ConstructorMagazine+%28Constructor+Magazine%29

National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) Home Page - https://www.nawic.org

AGC/NAWIC Partnering Agreement - https://www.nawic.org/nawic/Partners.asp

Block Kids Building Competition / NAWIC Education Foundation - https://nef-edu.org/home-page/k-12-education/block-kids-building-competition/

NAWIC Emerging Professionals Committee - https://www.facebook.com/EPNAWIC/ (email at

[email protected])

Mentoring Young Women in Construction (MyWIC) Philadelphia - https://nawicphl.org/mywic

Shoemaker Construction Co. Wins AGC Diversity & Inclusion Award (May 5, 2019) - https://gbca.com/agc-news-resources/shoemaker-construction-co-wins-agc-diversity-inclusion-award/

GBCA’s Construction Leadership Council (CLC) Coffee Chat with Maura Hesdon of Shoemaker Construction Co. - https://gbca.com/uncategorized/clc-coffee-chat-with-maura-hesdon-of-shoemaker-construction-co/

Swinerton Equity & Inclusion - https://swinerton.com/who-we-are/equity-inclusion/

Swinerton Empowering Women in Construction (Blog) - https://swinerton.com/blog/empowering-women-in-construction/

The Protect the Right to Organize (PRO) Act bill now making its way through Congress attempts to overturn decades of federal policy. Despite its name, the PRO Act does much more than protect an employee’s right to organize and engage in collective bargaining. In fact, the PRO Act would expand the economic weapons available to unions at the bargaining table, at the workplace, and beyond. While the union-favoring legislation presents obvious concerns for open-shop contractors, union contractors may not realize the detrimental impact it could have on them. AGC’s CEO Stephen Sandherr explains on this episode exactly HOW and WHY this bill has potential to cause significant disruption in the construction industry, both for firms and the workers they employ, and upset the delicate balance of rights and restrictions established over decades by the NLRB, courts, and Congress.

AGC of America Opposes the misleadingly named “Protecting the Right to Organize” (PRO) Act because it will dangerously wreck the balance between an employee's right to bargain collectively and an employers' right to manage their business.

Learn more: https://www.agc.org/protecting-right-organize-pro-act

Take action: https://advocacy.agc.org/proact

Additional Information:

The PRO Act legislation contains provisions that are of particular concern to union contractors, see AGC’s 10-page white paper titled The PRO Act: What Union Contractors Need to Know - https://www.agc.org/sites/default/files/Files/Communications/PRO_Act_White_Paper.pdf

Companion one-pager: Impact or PRO Act on Union Contractors - https://www.agc.org/sites/default/files/Files/Advocacy/PROACTunionimpact.pdf

PRO Act – Labor Law Reform Legislation Introduced in Congress (Feb. 11, 2021) via AGC News - https://www.agc.org/news/2021/02/11/pro-act-%E2%80%93-labor-law-reform-legislation-introduced-congress

AGC Statement: New “PRO Act” Will Hurt Construction Workers, Undermine Their Privacy And Make It Hard For The Economy To Recover, Official Warns - https://www.agc.org/news/2021/02/04/new-%E2%80%9Cpro-act%E2%80%9D-will-hurt-construction-workers-undermine-their-privacy-and-make-it

This episode highlights some of the more unique and innovative aspects of how construction firms have adapted their operations and established new work routines to mitigate against the spread of the virus – so they can continue to work in a SAFE and ESSENTIAL manner. Learn from your peers as you hear Frank Baxter (Skanska USA Building), Mayone Sallows (Butz Family of Companies) and Felipe Serrano (The Beck Group) share how they are making use of technology advancements as well as some rudimentary systems to shift behaviors and change practices during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Guests:

Frank Baxter | EHS Director | Skanska USA Building -- https://www.usa.skanska.com/

Mayone Sallows | Safety Coordinator | Butz Family of Companies -- https://www.butz.com/

Felipe Serrano | Assistant Project Manager | The Beck Group -- https://www.beckgroup.com/

AGC’s COVID-19 webpage at https://www.agc.org/coronavirus shows how the construction industry is protecting workers and the public.

From there you can access the association’s https://workingsafe.agc.org site that highlights examples of safety plans and special safety stand-downs designed to make sure every employee knows and follows new COVID-19 guidelines.

AGC also features short safety tips (in English and Spanish) and pictures to illustrate how contractors across the country are routinely practicing social distancing, adding more hand sanitizing stations, and disinfecting projects more frequently, for example -https://workingsafe.agc.org/weekly-safety-tips/.

Related Resources

“How Is the Pandemic Driving Documentation Technology Usage in Construction?” by Grant Hagen, Virtual Design and Construction Manager, The Beck Group appeared in the Associated General Contractors of America Tech Brief - https://www.naylornetwork.com/ngc-nwl/articles/index-v3.asp?aid=637206&issueID=71021 (September 2020)

AGC Project Innovation & Delivery Forum – Volunteer Opportunity:

The mission of the forum is to align the execution of construction projects with the latest innovations in safety, quality and productivity, and to educate the industry on best practices in order to deliver quality projects on time and on budget.

Visit www.agc.org/projectdelivery to learn more and to join the forum.

There’s real potential that we will be printing large concrete buildings in the future. But on this episode, Ryan Shults of Gilbane Building Company and Steven Koehler of Linbeck hope to convince you that contractors can easily benefit from Desktop 3D printing technology right now. They share how they are using 3D printing in various construction applications to help them get, plan and execute projects.

Guests:

Ryan Shults | VDC Manager | Gilbane Building Company - https://www.gilbaneco.com/

Steven Koehler | VDC Coordinator | Linbeck - https://www.linbeck.com/

AGC Project Innovation & Delivery Forum – Volunteer Opportunity:

AGC members can also join the Project Innovation & Delivery Forum. The mission of the forum is to align the execution of construction projects with the latest innovations in safety, quality and productivity, and to educate the industry on best practices in order to deliver quality projects on time and on budget. Visit www.agc.org/projectdelivery to learn more and to join the forum.

The 2021 competition is now open for one of the country’s most rigorous business safety competitions – AGC’s Construction Safety Excellence Awards (CSEA), sponsored by Willis Towers Watson. This episode highlights AGC-member Faith Technologies – the 2020 Grand Award Winner. Faith’s CEO Mike Jansen and their VP of Safety Rocky Rowlett talk about their safety program, their video series called Charged! and share some of their very own best safety practices. Also hear WTW’s Construction Safety and Risk Control Leader Mike Fredebeil discuss an incredible additional benefit of the safety excellence awards: the annual publication of a free document that includes hundreds of “Safety Management Best Practices” gathered from the competing companies’ submissions. AGC’s safety lead Kevin Cannon fills in all the details so you know how to get involved and benefit from the sharing of ideas and strategies.

Guests:

Mike Jansen, CEO at Faith Technologies

Rocky Rowlett, Vice President of Safety at Faith Technologies

Mike Fredebeil, North American Construction Safety and Risk Control Leader and certified safety professional with Willis Towers Watson

Kevin Cannon, Senior Director of Safety and Health Services at AGC of America

Additional Resources:

• Faith Technologies – https://www.faithtechnologies.com/

• Faith Technologies “Charged!” Video Series – https://www.faithtechnologies.com/news/video-gallery/ The Charged! Videos can also be found on Faith’s company blog https://blog.faithtechnologies.com/ and social media channels, including Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.

• Willis Towers Watson – https://www.willistowerswatson.com/en-US

• AGC Construction Safety Excellence Awards – www.agc.org/csea

o 2021 CSEA application

o AGC WebEd: Overview of the 2021 CSEA – Thu, Oct. 22, 2020 at 2:00 PM ET - REGISTER: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/3457861124914414094

o CSEA Safety Management Best Practices (see right sidebar for links to 2017 – 2020 reports)

Since the start of the pandemic, the construction industry has shed more than 400,000 jobs as demand for projects has stalled in many parts of the country. In this episode, Ken Simonson, AGC’s chief economist; Allison Scott, Autodesk’s Director of Construction Thought Leadership and Customer Marketing; and Steven Sandherr, the chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America will talk about the key findings of the 2020 Construction Workforce Survey, observations about how the coronavirus is impacting the sector’s productivity and what AGC will be doing to support the construction industry going forward.

Full report of the 2020 AGC Construction Workforce Survey and Fact Sheets by State: https://www.agc.org/news/2020/09/02/coronavirus-has-caused-significant-construction-project-delays-and-cancellations-yet