Kimberly Hansen will speak at ABC's March 24 luncheon at Deerwood Country Club. Kimberly is the System  Director of Design and Construction for Baptist Health. She's  worked in all facets of the A/E/C industry over the last 25 years and is a Professional Engineer, Certified General Contractor and a LEED Accredited Professional.  

Join us at Deerwood on Friday, March 24 for look at Baptist Health's current and upcoming projects. RSVP via email to events@abcfirstcoast.com. Thanks to All Weather Contractors for sponsoring this month's luncheon!

Fire up your Crockpots! ABC's Young Professionals invite ALL members to take part in our Chili Cook-Off event scheduled for Thursday, March 23 at 6:00 pm. You do NOT need to be a Young Professional to compete in this event. You DO need, however, to bring six quarts of your best chili.

Entry details and contest rules are now available. Space will be limited, so get your team together and sign up now. Multiple entries from each company will be allowed on a first come first serve basis. Top honors will go to the chili chosen by YOU and other event attendees. Just $10 to taste and vote for chili. (Beer and soda's included to cool you down between spoonfuls.)    Sign up now!

ABC's annual Legislative Conference will be held in Tallahassee this year on March 15-16.

This annual conference is designed to make it easy for ABC members to serve as effective citizen lobbyists. We'll be briefed on all the issues, given up-to-the-minute status updates on our bills, and then we'll head off to the Capitol in teams mixing first-time attendees with LegCon veterans.  Will you consider joining us?  You will learn something, you will have fun, and - most importantly -  you will make a difference. Register here.

Are you thinking about entering ABC's Excellence in Construction competition this summer? We're offering a FREE class just for you.  The Entry "How To" workshop will be held Monday, April 3 and is presented by EIC veteran John Fischer, The FaverGray Company.

John will walk class participants through the entry process, answer your questions and share helpful hints and ideas to make your EIC entry the best it can be.  Details here.

Many of the most successful entrepreneurs and business leaders work longer hours and get less return on investment of time and money than they would like.

If you would like to see your business consistently  run better and grow faster  join us on Wednesday, April 5, for a powerful, inspirational talk presented by  John Ward of the Business Traction Center. In this  complimentary 90-minute workshop John will introduce you to the Six Key Components™  of a successful business. Click for details and registration info.

What is NexGen? NexGen is a four-month leadership development program comprised of a series of educational events designed to enhance the leadership skills and knowledge of young, high-potential construction professionals. 

New course and application dates have been announced! Applications/nominations are due June 1, 2017 and classes commence in July. A complete program guide and application materials can be downloaded here. Questions? Call Karin at (904) 731-1506.

If you are looking for help during the summer and interested in providing opportunities for great young people, Creekside High School has students available. Internships provide valuable experience and help maintain student's interest in the design and construction industry. Students are open to both paid and unpaid internship opportunities. If unpaid, St. Johns County will cover the insurance for the student. Creekside students have experience working on multiple team-oriented projects and have solid presentation and teamwork skills. Many candidates have participated in the ACE Mentoring Program, http://www.acementor.org/affiliates/florida/northeast/about-us/. In addition, students are familiar with standard Microsoft programs such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint and Microsoft Project.

Students who have finished their Junior year are expected to have AutoDesk User level certifications in AutoCad and Inventor. All Juniors have had hands-on experience with AutoDesk AutoCad Civil 3D and have some introductory understanding of surveys. Juniors also have AutoDesk Revit experience and are expected to pass a User level certification test. Some juniors also will have their AutoCad Professional certification by the summer. Finally, students will also have significant experience with SolidWorks, a program similar to AutoDesk Inventor, and some will be certified at the professional level of SolidWorks. References from firms such as STV, Arcadis and Gannett Fleming, can be provided on request.

For the Summer of 2017, please respond by March 17th to Kevin Davenport at kevin.davenport@stjohns.k12.fl.us. Please also contact Kevin with any questions about the program or available students.