ABC Alabama Chapter

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About ABC

As construction companies have struggled to find their niche and succeed in today’s market so have associations. Gone are days that companies have the leisure to simply renew or join an association that is not providing value and is not relevant to the construction industry. ABC is forced to ensure that we are providing an indisputable value to the construction community in our state and beyond. After exploring this website and getting to know our staff you too will be convinced that ABC is your voice.

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Workforce Development

ABC of Alabama truly understands that any construction company is only as strong as their workforce. Every statistic that we have gathered clearly shows a huge decline in construction workforce and also clearly documents a shortage for the next 3 to 5 years, this is why you will find workforce development at the forefront of ABC’s agenda. Someone in the state of Alabama clearly must take a leadership role in maneuvering through the various workforce development efforts throughout Alabama and find a solution that works, a solution that produces apprentices and craftsmen for the future. ABC is that Association. Along with the apprenticeship and craft training aspects of workforce development, ABC of Alabama also concentrates on professional management education and an exclusive Future Leaders in Construction (FLIC) program. We encourage you to learn more by browsing this site or contacting our office.

Government Affairs

Over the last 3 to 5 years ABC of Alabama has raised their political presence in Alabama. Noted House and Senate members have clearly stated that ABC of Alabama has become the voice for contractors in Montgomery. This section of our website is established to provide you the information you need to be aware of what ABC is working on for you in Montgomery and also in DC. As a member you may also choose to receive our weekly legislative briefing while the Alabama Legislature is in session. Whether you choose to access us through the website or through the electronic newsletter you will clearly and quickly learn ABC is the voice for contractors in Montgomery. It seems redundant to say that everyone should get into politics or get out of business but that message has never been more true. Your support of ABC ensures we have everything we need to continue to be your voice.

Safety

Aside from governmental affairs and workforce development ABC has truly embraced the concept of safety on the job site. We encourage you to allow your safety professional within your company to become active on ABC’s safety committee. You may also choose to be involved in the Alabama Safe Day awards program, you can find more information on that under the awards section of this website. The ABC safety committee is a group of safety professionals that meet monthly with OSHA, MSHA and other leading safety groups in the state to ensure the message of job site safety is delivered to our membership and beyond. The safety committee is also made up of end users and owners making this committee truly effective and a great business development tool for your company.

Awards and Events

Associated builders and contractors has certainly become the premier Association in promoting our members in the area of job site safety and excellence in construction. Our association holds what is quite possibly the largest Excellence in Construction banquet and Safe Day banquet in the United States among our peers. Below you’ll find quick links to our Excellence in Construction Banquet, Safe Day Banquet, STEP Awards and Accredited Quality Contractor program (AQC).

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Tweets

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Government Affairs

ABC Passes Sales and Use Tax Revision Legislation

9 May 2013

Associated Builders and Contractors of Alabama’s priority legislation for Session 2013 just received final passage and is in route to Governor Bentley’s desk for signature. HB419/Sales and Use Tax Revision Legislation will completely revise the material transmittal process for public works projects in Alabama, easing a major administrative burden and saving many hundreds of thousands [...]

FEA Video: You May Already Be A Loser

11 April 2013

Today, the Free Enterprise Alliance launched a powerful new video to help Americans visualize their share of the national debt. With Tax Day just around the corner we satirized the famous Publisher’s Clearing House awards videos, “You May Already Be A Loser” is a punch in the gut to you as a taxpayer — and [...]

Quicklinks

2013 Legislative Priorities | The below briefing provides an executive summary of the issues ABC of Alabama’s Board of Directors feel relevant to the commercial construction industry for Session 2013. As new bills surface the Board may elect to add additional items to this agenda.

ALISON | Monitor our bills-We encourage you to use the below link to monitor any house or Senate bills you may find on our tracking report or on the legislative priority sheet above. Simply locate the house or senate bill number and then visit this website. Once you enter that bill number you can view the status of where it is in the legislature. Of course you can also contact ABC staff at any time.

Alabama Economic Impact | Talk with the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) and you’ll get a complicated picture that groups commercial and residential construction into one broad category. Their reports state that construction contributes $7.6 billion to the state’s gross domestic product, totaling 4.5 percent of all economic activities generated by Alabama businesses.

Associated builders and contractors manages a political action committee. The officers for the ABC merit pack are Geoff Golden, Robin Savage, Tim Hightower and Jay Reed. For more information regarding the ABC Merit PAC or to request a contribution please contact Jay Reed.

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Workforce Development

ABC Plays a Key Role in use of NCCER Curriculum in Alabama

14 May 2013

Alabama’s two-year and technical trade colleges are moving toward wider adoption of NCCER (National Center for Construction Education and Research) curriculum for craft training. ABC-Alabama was one of the original prime movers in the development of NCCER training materials in response to needs by more than one hundred of the nation’s largest contractors and industrial owners in the [...]

Hope for Alabama’s Economic Future?

18 January 2013

Beverly Callaway blames Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite. This satellite, launched by Russia in 1957, set off the space race and an emphasis on education in science and mathematics to combat the presumed superiority of America’s arch cold war enemy. “That was when vocational education began to decline,” Callaway says. “Everything and everybody was focused on college education. Funding was cut for career training; trade and craft training moved into community colleges if it moved at all.”

Quicklinks

The Go Build campaign is designed to educate young people on the value of learning a trade, dispel their misconceptions about the construction industry and inspire them to consider building a career as a skilled construction tradesman. Through this advertising, public relations and social media campaign, ACRI aims to provide better opportunities for construction tradesmen, more highly skilled employees for construction businesses and enhanced economic development for Alabama and the nation.

FLIC or Future Leaders in Construction is a year long course for the top up and comers in the commercial construction industry. Applications for the 2013 are now avaliable.

To stay very competitive, contractors are looking for ways to improve productivity and profitability. Our LEAN Course helps contractors and suppliers do just that. Click the link above to learn more about the next class.

The Construction Education Foundation of Alabama (CEFA) was conceived in 2001 with the idea to consolidate each of their training programs into one in order to provide unified, accredited craft training for the State of Alabama.

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Safety

2013 Safest in the Industry

11 April 2013

ABC of Alabama recently held it’s annual Safe Day banquet. This banquet honors those who have shown outstanding corporate safety and health plans that exhibit superior safety initiatives.

Progressive Discipline

21 January 2013

by Bart Wilder – Hoar Construction Chair, 2013 ABC Safety Committee Creating a safe workplace begins with a proactive approach to identify safety and health hazards in the working environment and establishing means to mitigate such hazards. This proactive approach encourages employees to be trained and coached in safe work practices and utilizes discipline [...]

Quicklinks

All the latest safety & training resources.

Established in 1989 by the ABC National Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) Committee, the Safety Training and Evaluation Process (STEP) program was developed and written by contractors, for contractors. There is no charge for this service (unless you are applying for STEP Platinum), and your responses are strictly confidential.

“13 for 2013” Priorities

Check back month to month to read more from the minutes of the 2013 Safety Committee Meetings.

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Awards

Cornerstone Award Winner Jim Rein

28 December 2012

“This award is for Harbert the company, not for Jim Rein.” This is a quote everyone expected Jim Rein to make as he was presented the 2012 ABC of Alabama and Alabama Construction News Cornerstone Award for his lifelong commitment to the industry.

Quicklinks

EXCELLENCE IN CONSTRUCTION | ABC’s Awards of Excellence Program has become the premiere competition within the construction industry that recognizes outstanding construction projects across Alabama.

The Accredited Quality Contractor Program was launched in 1993. It is an accreditation program which publicly recognizes and honors those construction firms which have documented their commitment in four key areas of corporate responsibility.

ABC’s 2013 Safe Day Awards showcase companies that have outstanding corporate safety and health plans and exhibit superior safety initiatives. One select professional will be honored as the Safety Director of the Year. This year’s awards luncheon will be held on Friday, April 5 at the Westin Hotel in Birmingham.

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News & Events

ABC Announces 2013 Future Leaders in Construction Course

23 April 2013

ABC Future Leaders In Construction Presented By: FMI James C. Schug Senior Consultant Jim is a senior consultant with FMI, management consultants and investment bankers for the engineering and construction industry. He specializes in building profits by developing customized strategy and best-inclass operations with his clients. With more than a decade of experience as an [...]

National Craft Championships

28 December 2012

Returning to Birmingham, Fulkerson got busy hosting a familiarization visit for the competition planners. The result is as many as 1,000 persons–craft professionals, their families, and students from engineering and building science programs from around the U.S.–will descend on Birmingham in the spring of 2013 and 2014.

Quicklinks

ABC of AL is changing the way you think about conventions, we have the future of what conferences will look like already planned for you. The new breed of conventions will be all about Business Connections and providing undisputable value or as we now call it — BizCon 2013.

Craft trainees from chapter and member firm training programs across the country come together to compete in the annual National Craft Championships, the embodiment of ABC’s continuing commitment to foster growth and excellence in training among our nation’s future workforce.

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Membership

By now everyone has read the famous quote that says everyone should give back to an industry from which they draw, in other words everyone should be part of an association that is truly doing something to promote their industry. That association is ABC of Alabama. We encourage you to join by simply filling out an application and become involved in an association that truly is relevant to your company when it comes to increasing productivity, driving down cost and spurring economic development. Those three measures coupled with our political action in Montgomery, Washington D.C. and in the workforce development arena make us the association that is the voice for contractors in Alabama.

PDF Application

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Contact Us

1830 28th Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35209

Phone: 205.870.9768 | Fax: 205.879.5090

Jay Reed, President

Jay serves as the President of the Association and is a registered lobbyist for the Association. He is publisher of Alabama Construction News, ABC’s publication. Reed is founder of Alabama Employers for Immigration Reform, served on Governor Riley’s Immigration Commission and presently sits on the Board of the Alabama Council of Association Executives. Jay is also ABC National’s Chapter President’s Council of his peers. Weekends find Jay at Smith Lake with his Boykin Spaniel. He enjoys leisure reading of James Patterson and is currently enrolled in an Academy for Excellence in Association Management, centered around The Race for Relevance. Reed recently began his 16^th year with ABC of AL.

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Todd Walker, Vice President

Workforce Development

A graduate of Auburn University, Todd is ABC’s Vice President and is responsible for the chapters role in workforce development, marketing, communication and strategy, in regards to membership services. Todd is married and has two young boys, he loves his church and enjoys quality time with his family.

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Jenny Wilson

Assistant to President/Accounting

Jenny joined ABC in 1996. During her time at ABC, she has held numerous roles in the association. She is currently the assistant to the President and responsible for handling all his secretarial needs. Jenny is also responsible for the everyday accounting needs of the association. She lives in Hayden with her husband Josh and son Baylin.

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Charles Hall

Member Services/Meetings and Events

A native of Montgomery, Alabama, Charles graduated from Faulkner University with a degree in Business Administration. He is the associations contact person for member service questions and requests, as well as meeting and event questions and registrations. Charles enjoys the outdoors and many weekends can be found camping or hiking in one of Birmingham’s surrounding parks.

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George Pierce, Advertising/Sales

Alabama Construction News

George, a native and graduate of Auburn, Alabama, graduated in 1975 with a degree in Industrial Management. He is married with 3 children and 4 grand children with a 5^th grand child on the way. His hobbies include outdoor sports, especially hunting and boating.

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