Evolution of Our Association

ver the past year I have had the pleasure of participating in the daily workings at the Associated General Contractors, or AGC, of Alaska as your 2024 board president. The year has been filled with changes and constant adjustments by our staff, board members, and volunteers to meet the challenges facing our industry. If you are new to AGC or have been away from the association for a while, you might not be familiar with what we’ve been working on.

Highlights of the past year include committee restructuring and updates to AGC’s bylaws, policies and procedures by the Board Development Committee. Additionally, the Workforce Development Committee completed a pilot program and playbook for connecting with high school students. The Board of Directors made a commitment to invest in upkeep and modernization of our Anchorage office and this spring created an endowment to support construction management programs throughout the state of Alaska.

The dust had hardly settled from the celebration of our 75th anniversary when work started on revising our bylaws, which were of similar vintage. With the help of a seasoned professional, we amended and aligned our governing documents to protect the organization and provide structure and clarity to guide future generations of leaders. The amended bylaws were approved at the spring board meeting, and policies and procedures will be updated by the end of the year. Earlier this fall, the Board Development Committee scheduled a workshop for all of AGC’s committee chairs and leadership, facilitated by a local nonprofit governance expert who provided training to ensure each committee is well structured, focused, and aligned with AGC’s mission.

Workforce development is one of the most pressing challenges facing our members and industry. Our own Workforce Development Committee convened a task force to complete a pilot program to develop best practices to engage with high school students and translate those best practices into a working playbook so the model can be replicated by members in other schools. The playbook is the culmination of hundreds of hours of work meeting with educators, developing curriculum, testing workshops with students, and refining the lessons learned into a useful tool, and the timing of its completion couldn’t be better. The Academies of Anchorage launch will provide an opportunity for AGC members to get in front of hundreds of Alaskan students who are interested in careers in our industry, and this playbook will be an important tool in the toolbox to ensure our efforts are efficient, effective, and relevant.

After AGC’s Fairbanks office moved to leased space this spring, the board focused its attention on the Anchorage office building. A list of deferred maintenance items was compiled, as well as necessary updates to the common areas in the building. These repairs and updates will protect our investment, while providing a desirable working and meeting space for our members and staff.

When the full board of directors met in Fairbanks this spring, they voted to provide a one-time gift of $200,000 to the University of Alaska Foundation. That contribution, along with gifts from other members and a matching university-funded investment from UA President Pat Pitney, created an endowment that will benefit our industry for years to come. This is a continuation of the successful effort over the past two years by a group of AGC members to increase enrollment and engagement in construction management programs at all three UA campuses. The earnings from the endowment will be used to support these statewide programs, and AGC will be given three seats on the board that assesses need and allocates funds. This investment will provide a permanent link between AGC and our home-grown construction management programs to ensure the programs meet our industry’s needs and are accountable to its end user.

It has been an exciting year to serve as your board president. I’m humbled by the opportunity and proud of the work that our staff and volunteers have undertaken. As some of these projects near completion, others will emerge, and I know that our team is up to the challenge of meeting them head on. Just like your business, AGC will always respond to change and evolve to serve our members. Listen for the next mission that we will undertake and see how you can help our association continue to evolve in 2025 and beyond.