AGC of Alaska team reinforced value of construction industry in 2021

By Associated General Contractors of Alaska staff

s you page through our 2021 annual report, we challenge you to ask yourself where your business—or our industry—would be without the force-multiplying efforts and leadership of AGC of Alaska and AGC of America combined. Working through our long-established partners and leveraging our respected relationships with government agencies, we successfully kept construction classified as an essential industry through the height of the pandemic.

The pandemic accelerated our efforts in all areas of our mission of advocating, educating, and promoting our members and Alaska’s construction industry. AGC helped shape the parameters of the national infrastructure bill that’s poised to bring millions of dollars in federal funding to our state. At the local level, we were the first group to expand learning opportunities to our audience in a virtual, more convenient manner to the student. AGC has consistently promoted the message that construction is essential, which has since converted into a state/nationwide workforce development campaign.

Through it all, your engagement has helped us become more effective advocates—and helped us keep our members informed.

Continue reading for highlights from our 2021 Annual Report:

The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally changed the way contractors performed their essential work amidst ever-changing local and state orders, mandates, and protocols. To support the industry’s ability to safely carry out work, AGC’s staff, Legislative Affairs Committee, governing board, and lobbyist worked diligently with our members to advocate for priority legislation and policies at the state and local level, working with elected officials to ensure contractors had a voice in decisions affecting the industry.

Online Plans: As of October 25, 2021, AGC listed more than 2,300 jobs to our Online Plans site, making our members among the first to know about new jobs/projects out for bid across the state of Alaska. In 2021 AGC member firms were awarded more than $561 million in projects solicited in our Online Plans system.

401(k) Retirement Program: In 2021, due to efficient budget management and an expanding market, the plan had a higher than anticipated fee balance, which led the trustees to waive participant administrative fees for a three-month period, allowing funds to remain in participant accounts, which continued to experience earnings growth.

Political Action Committee Fund: AGC raised $50,000 from our annual PAC raffle and contributed $20,660 in an election year towards legislative candidates who support the construction industry in Alaska. Those contributions and relationships have proved invaluable as we navigate our advocacy efforts without the ability to walk the halls of the Capitol building.

Labor Relations: In 2021 AGC successfully facilitated five collective bargaining agreements between contractors and organized labor groups. In addition, we strengthened our labor relations efforts by revitalizing the AGC Union Contractors Committee and meeting regularly on issues of concern.

Throughout 2021 AGC ran a series of targeted digital advertisements alongside social media advertisements promoting our “Build Alaska” campaign, which promotes opportunities for skilled trade careers, directing viewers to our workforce development website, webuildalaska.com. This landing page is a one-stop shop for those seeking information about how to start their career in Alaska’s construction industry.

Workforce development has long been a focus of AGC’s, and to help address this issue, AGC hired a new Training & Workforce Development Coordinator in October to direct the efforts of our Build Alaska campaign and spearhead the facilitation and expansion of our educational training programs for AGC members.

In lieu of our annual in-person “Speed Interviewing” event this year, members from AGC’s CLC & Education, Training & Workforce Development committees developed a hiring page on AGC’s website featuring pre-recorded video interviews of eight UAA construction management program students. From there, potential employers could browse through candidates’ interviews, which resulted in job offers for seven UAA construction management students with AGC member contractors.

AGC continues to support UAF students through collaboration with the Fairbanks Task Force. Student projects such as the steel bridge and concrete canoe competitions, scholarships, networking events, and internship opportunities provide benefits to both AGC members and UAF students pursuing higher education in construction-related fields.

We pride ourselves on knowing that we represent the best of the construction industry and make it part of our mission to inform the general public, local and national government, other contractors, and agencies of our members’ dedication to excellence and their achievements.

Throughout 2021, AGC published four editions of our award-winning Alaska Contractor magazine, which featured twenty AGC member profiles, eight statewide project updates, dozens of columns on construction industry financial services, occupational health and safety, legal and human resources updates, along with expert advice and guidance related to the construction industry for state and federal agencies, private groups, and other trade organizations.

In January 2021, AGC and the Construction Industry Progress Fund virtually presented the 2021 Alaska Construction Spending Forecast to our membership, which highlighted the economic benefits of Alaska’s construction industry and provided our members with an informative review and estimate of construction activity in the state of Alaska for the year ahead.

Ensuring that our members have consistent access to certified training programs for required onsite safety protocols is a vital part of our programs and services provided by AGC. AGC members receive discounted registration for a variety of training programs and have access to nationwide continuing education programs through our partnership with AGC of America.

As a result of the pandemic, the Alaska District of the US Army Corps of Engineers suspended their facilitation of the Construction Quality Management, or CQM, certification training. To address the gap in training, AGC of Alaska partnered with AGC of California to offer Alaska members discounted access to their virtual CQM training. AGC of Alaska has facilitated CQM certification training for more than 127 students.

Through a partnership with Procore, AGC virtually facilitated the Project Manager Development Program, or PMDP certification, for forty-one students in 2021.

When in-person training opportunities were disrupted, AGC piloted the first test course of a virtual Certified Erosion and Sediment Control Lead, or CESCL training, which was blessed by the Alaska Stormwater Steering Committee for CESCL certification. Since developing and implementing the program, AGC has facilitated virtual CESCL training for more than 756 students throughout Alaska.

In 2021 AGC awarded more than $30,000 in scholarship funds to students statewide who are pursuing higher education in a construction-related field.