November 19, 2021
CEO REPORT
Building a Shared Commitment to Construction Advocacy

The 2020-2023 AGC of Minnesota Strategic Plan gives strong direction to the need for a more consistent and elevated presence in the public policy advocacy space. Supporting and sustaining construction markets by creating pro-construction public policy initiatives is the number one issue AGC firms identify as their top value proposition when it comes to membership. The greatest challenge we face today in delivering on this shared value proposition is the rules of engagement have changed and our industry advocacy model has not evolved.

The most effective tool of today’s policy advocacy is quite simply money. Organizations that consistently raise significant sums and direct those resources toward issues affecting their core values remain relevant and effective in telling their members’ stories. Storytelling remains one of the most effective tools to make the case to policymakers. In the construction space, we are too often left on the sidelines as more urgent issues take prominence and command the attention of policy makers. We need even better access to policy makers and more consistent messaging to break through the din of competing voices and elevate our industry concerns with greater urgency.
Advocacy Assessment

In responding to these changed conditions, the AGC Board of Directors has taken bold action that will create a shared responsibility model among all members to financially support advocacy measures while helping assure AGC’s voice remains strong with policy makers. Structural changes have been made to the 2022 AGC dues statement that now include a specific itemized ‘Advocacy Initiatives” assessment for every AGC member. Advocacy assessment levels are structured in accordance with each firm’s membership status (General Contractor, Specialty Contractor, Affiliate) and are scaled according to reported prior year market performance volume. If all members step into this shared obligation, AGC will annually generate resources that elevate our advocacy presence to be on par with other business and labor peer organizations.
Purpose and Governance

Assessments will be used to capitalize two distinct building & highway advocacy accounts that have been created to legally accept corporate dues contributions. All proceeds will be used to promote initiatives and coalition efforts benefitting the construction industry in the public policy sphere. It is important to be clear...these funds DO NOT support candidates for elective office and by law are prohibited from disbursements for elective office expenditure. 

Additionally, the governance of each fund will be managed by a board created from the AGC Executive Committee and the chairs of the AGC Legislative Committee. Equipped with AGC staff guidance, they can direct to use the money towards research, lobbying, media events, ad buys, campaign sponsorship, and other advocacy tools. In committing to this structural approach to advocacy, the AGC board has recognized that every member has a stake in building and sustaining our industry market opportunities and that consistent, reliable access to advocacy resources is necessary to ensure long-term success in this space.

I am excited for the many new opportunities this change will bring to enhance AGC’s advocacy footprint and I am grateful for the bold action taken by your board of directors to respond to fundamental change. This was a challenging decision that was not taken lightly and was thoughtfully measured against the need to invest more effectively in the most important value proposition of AGC membership. Thank you for your generous strategic investment in AGC and for supporting the work of your board of directors. Together, we are Your Trusted Resource – AGC of Minnesota.
The Resource: Why Does Advocacy Matter?

In this latest episode of AGC's podcast, AGC Director of Government Affairs Laura Ziegler and I discuss the opportunities for the association in the political sphere, and how members can be involved in positioning AGC to make a strong impact on legislative issues affecting the industry. Listen on our website or on SoundCloud.
Advocacy is a Member Benefit

Finally, I hope you'll take few minutes to view this short video on the benefits that AGC's advocacy efforts provide to our members. We'll be highlighting our various member benefits over the next few weeks, and you can view all the videos here.
COVID-19 NEWS
Track the Mandates: AGC-MN Chart Available

The mandates have different requirements and standards. AGC-MN created this chart to help track which standards you may be required to follow and what that means.

OSHA ETS Challenge

AGC America filed a petition to challenge the OSHA ETS. All cases have been consolidated in the Sixth Circuit Court, a federal court of appeals based in Ohio. The Court has not taken action yet—the cases still are being consolidated which takes administrative time. Already there are motions before the Court to stay enforcement of the ETS and to hear the case en banc (a hearing with all of the 11 judges, not the typical 3 judge panel).

Impact of ETS Challenge

The 5th Circuit stayed enforcement of the ETS before the cases were consolidated. This means that, for now, OSHA is not waiting to enforce the ETS standards. As the 6th Circuit takes over the case, it could continue or end the stay. In Minnesota, where the ETS is triggered by MNOSHA enacting, MNOSHA has indicated that it is planning on adopting the federal policy by reference without change and will hold off doing so until the federal litigation is clearer.

The challenges and stay to the OSHA ETS have no impact on other mandates including the federal contractor mandate and owner mandates.

When To Begin Compliance

If you are subject to mandates other than ETS, then you must comply with those mandates.

The ETS mandate still has an enforcement date of January 4, 2022. This date may move depending on the status of the court actions, and it may not move. We should know more in coming weeks.

A lost point is that the ETS not only is an emergency temporary standard, but also is a notice of proposed rulemaking with comments closing on December 6, 2022. OSHA could issue a permanent safety rule based upon comments received and this permanent rule would supersede the emergency temporary standard. The rule also would be harder to challenge than the ETS.

Delaying compliance is a game of chicken. The safe option is to begin preparation for compliance, such as creating your policy, deciding how you will administer the burdens of the mandate, purchasing supplies, and, as it becomes clearer that a mandate will impact you, continue to move toward compliance.

Meetings with Unions

AGC-MN’s Labor Cabinet has begun meeting with the trades regarding the COVID mandates. If you are signatory to any collective bargaining agreement, watch for an email, webinar notice, and weekly update the week after Thanksgiving.
If you have any COVID related questions, feel free to contact Mike.
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS NEWS
Technical Committees with MnDOT Set for December

AGC and MnDOT have joint technical committees to discuss current and future issues in the respective technical areas. They meet once in the Spring and once in the Winter. All five technical committee meetings will take place in December via Zoom. Bituminous will have a hybrid option.

If you are interested in joining one or more committees or have items for the agenda, please contact Laura Ziegler at lziegler@agcmn.org.

Joint MnDOT-AGC-MAPA Bituminous Committee
Wednesday, Dec. 1st from 2:30-4:00 PM
Hybrid option available – Zoom available and In person option is the day before the Annual Asphalt Conference at Minneapolis Marriott Northwest
7025 Northland Drive North

Bridge
Monday, Dec. 13th from 9 AM – 11:30 AM
Will also recognize 2019 and 2020 Bridge Award Winners

Grading and Base
Monday, Dec. 13th from 1:00-2:30

Concrete
Tuesday, Dec. 14th from 2:00-3:30 PM

Alternate Procurement
Wednesday, Dec. 15 from 1:00-2:30 PM
EDUCATION & EVENTS
Register today for the industry event of the year!

The 2022 Minnesota Construction Summit is the industry event of the year, bringing together construction industry professionals for two days of inspiration, education, and networking!

Here's just a small sampling of some of this year's educational offerings!

  1. Public Owners Panel: What Keeps Them Up at Night?
  2. Cultivating a Culture of Respect, Inclusion, and Civility (Dr. Jermaine M. Davis)
  3. MnDOT Duluth/Twin Ports Interchange Project Case Study (Harrison King, Andy Reynolds)
  4. Survival Tactics and Resilience Strategies in the Aftermath of Construction Crises (Cal Beyer, Rob Dahl)
  5. Law and Ethics in the Construction Industry (David Lillehaug)
  6. Keynote addresses by Jack Uldrich and Chris Heeter
2021 AGC Business Meeting and Holiday Reception

Join us on December 7 at the 2021 AGC Holiday Reception at the Metropolitan Ballroom and Clubroom! This annual event is our chance to celebrate another wonderful year with our peers in the commercial construction industry. Register here for the holiday reception, and come a half hour early to participate in the annual business meeting!
Annual Business Meeting Notice
  
Notice is given to the voting members of Associated General Contractors of Minnesota, a Minnesota cooperative organization (the "Association"), that the December 2021 annual meeting of the voting members will be held at the Metropolitan Ballroom and Clubhouse (5418 Wayzata Blvd, Golden Valley, MN 55416), at 4:00 pm on Tuesday, December 7, 2021, for the following purposes:

  1. To approve the December 1, 2020 Annual Meeting Minutes.
  2. To ratify and approve the acts of the Association's Officers and Directors.
  3. To approve the Treasurer's Report.
  4. To receive the Nominating Committee's Report and elect Directors of the Association.
  5. To transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment(s) thereof.
Give and Receive!

When you come to the holiday reception, bring an unwrapped toy to donate to Toys for Tots! Everyone who donates will be entered into a drawing for a $100 American Express gift card.
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!
GENERAL NEWS
One More Week to Participate in the 2021 Salary Survey!

The biennial AGC of Minnesota-sponsored Specialty and General Contractor Executive and Staff Salary Survey will close on November 30. This survey provides important information regarding previous and anticipated compensation increases, bonuses, fringe benefits, etc. Participants can determine how their compensation practices compare to peer firms of similar size and type. Most non-craft job classifications are covered.
 
This survey is administered on a confidential basis by PAS (nationally recognized construction industry compensation analysts) as a service to AGC of Minnesota specialty and general contractor members. The survey is entirely between the contractor and PAS. Complete confidentiality is guaranteed. Only one survey should be submitted per firm, so please coordinate this within your team.

Please note: 
  • Survey results are available free of charge and are limited to respondents only.
  • Contractors who do not participate will not receive a report
  • Copies will not be made available for purchase.
  • Deadline for submission: November 30, 2021.

AGC members - contact Renee for the survey link!
One of the Most Overlooked Aspects of Social Media in Business is the Power of Personal Brand

It’s no secret that the world has changed, and we are seeing shifts in how people make decisions. Digital and social media have reshaped our world. There are over 60 billion messages shared on digital platforms each day, and the average person is exposed to between 4,000 and 10,000 ads daily. This bombardment of stimuli has changed how we communicate and market.  Learn more

Shelly Peterson, Founder and CEO, Promoting Me, LLC.  3rd Generation female construction professional who spent 26 years in the construction industry is now helping businesses and individuals make a name for themselves.
Minneapolis Fed Quarterly Survey:
Closes Monday

Please take this 5-minute survey to help the Minneapolis Fed and Bank President Neel Kashkari better understand current business conditions at your firm, and across the industry more broadly.

All responses are anonymous. To maintain anonymity, please do not include any self-identifying information in comments. If you receive a survey alert from multiple partners, please only respond to the survey once.

Your input is greatly valued, and Minneapolis Fed appreciates your time and insights on these important matters.
MEMBERSHIP NEWS
AGC Members Can Save on Holiday Gifts

AGC member firms qualify for discounts on everything from Verizon phone plans to Staples office supplies and Sherwin Williams painting supplies. But your discounts through National Purchasing Partners also extend to companies like 1-800-Flowers, Harry & David, Omaha Steaks, Simply Chocolate, Cheryl's Cookies, and more!

Learn more about all your discount options here.
Now is the time to become an AGC Annual Partner for 2022!
Check out the media kit
or contact Jennifer to create partnership customized to your needs.
Your Trusted Resource

Associated General Contractors of Minnesota 

525 Park Street, Suite 110 |  St. Paul, MN 55103
651-632-8929