Author: Jeanie Clapp
Half the industry is now piloting AI. Two-thirds say they are not ready. BY NATE FULLER, MANAGING DIRECTOR, PLACER SOLUTIONSAN AGC OF AMERICA DISCOUNT PARTNER Between the 2025 and 2026 editions of an industry survey of roughly 400 construction professionals, the share of contractors at least piloting AI rose from 30% to 53%. In the 2026 survey, 68% of respondents said their company is not ready for AI. Half the industry crossed from reading about the technology to running it. Meanwhile, two-thirds of the industry does not believe its own company can carry the weight. Those two numbers describe the…
By bringing everyone into the scheduling mix collaboratively, the latest AI software is rewriting the adage about “too many cooks.” BY A.D. THOMPSON “Scheduling,” said Scotland Foss, head of sales for Planera, “is a team sport.” It seems counterintuitive, perhaps. Even minor changes in a construction plan can cause ripples that affect myriad outcomes. But the latest tech from this software company, which builds, manages, and optimizes CPM solutions for companies including Hensel Phillips, Barton Malow and Balfour Beatty – all members of AGC chapters – harnesses the power of artificial intelligence. The way it’s often done today, a company…
How women’s perspectives help the industry build better BY JEANIE J. CLAPP For years, conversations about women in construction have centered on one question: How do we get more women into the industry? It’s an important question, but it’s no longer the only one. Today, many contractors are asking something more meaningful: Once women arrive, what makes them stay? How do they grow into leaders? And how do companies create an environment where different perspectives aren’t simply welcomed — they’re valued as an advantage? The answers aren’t found in recruitment campaigns alone. They emerge in careers that rarely follow a…
Cass Sobek’s Bowen Prize win invests in Arkansas’ future workforce BY NICOLE NEEDLES For the second consecutive year, the AGC Education and Research Foundation has recognized one of construction’s most impactful field leaders with the Bowen Prize for Great Builders. This is an honor to celebrate the individuals who keep major projects moving forward through leadership, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. The 2026 Bowen Prize recipient, Cass Sobek, project manager for Kiewit Infrastructure South Co., embodies those qualities through his leadership on Arkansas’ transformative 30 Crossing Project. While the award recognizes exceptional construction leadership, its impact extends far…
A guide to improving your experience modification rate and reducing insurance premiums BY MICHAEL CULNEN PRESIDENT & CEO CONSTRUCTION CONCEPTS AN AGC OF COLORADO BUILDING CHAPTER, INC. MEMBER To understand why the experience modification rate (EMR) is so important to construction contractors, it is helpful to first review the history of workers’ compensation, with which the EMR is tied intrinsically. In the early development of the country, employee injuries on the job were common and there was little-to-no insurance protection available. Safety standards were not sufficient to protect workers during their employment and work activities. When people were injured on…
How breaking through a culture of silence could save a life BY CATHLEEN DRAPER Despite growing awareness, construction’s mental health challenges across the industry continue to persist. A 2024 study by The Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) found that nearly half of construction workers surveyed had experienced or were currently experiencing depression. Those findings underscore a broader mental health crisis within the industry. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, construction has the second-highest suicide rate of any industry, with 56 deaths by suicide per 100,000 workers in 2021. That rate is four times the national…
A 3×3 framework for construction leaders BY TABREZ ZAHOORSENIOR DATA SCIENTIST, W.T. RICH COMPANY, INC.AN AGC OF MASSACHUSETTS MEMBER Construction firms today are not short on data. Project management platforms, safety systems, scheduling tools, and financial software all generate reports — yet most leadership teams still find themselves reacting to problems that were visible in the data weeks earlier. The gap is not technical. It is structural. By examining multiple active projects and analyzing how the executive team of W.T. Rich, an AGC of Massachusetts member, made decisions week over week, a recurring pattern emerged: Leaders ask the same three…
Why America’s highway system needs an upgrade Initiated by the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 under President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Interstate Highway System is widely considered one of the greatest public works projects in the 250 years of U.S. history. For the construction industry, it represented an unprecedented era of standardized road building, requiring all routes to be freeways with at least four lanes, controlled access, and no at-grade crossings. When signing the legislation in 1956, the president remarked, “Our highways badly need modernization and expansion to accommodate today’s vastly increased motor traffic.” Seventy years later, that statement still…
Why construction teams are choosing to build differently BY ELSBETH RUSSELL Across the construction industry, owners are facing a difficult reality: Projects are becoming more complicated at the exact moment timelines are shrinking and certainty is harder to achieve. Those pressures are driving renewed momentum behind design-build delivery. Long viewed as an alternative project delivery method, design-build is increasingly being treated as a strategic business tool that helps owners reduce risk, accelerate schedules, improve collaboration, and maintain greater cost certainty throughout a project lifecycle. That strategic shift is the story behind two very different projects: a massive industrial buildout driven…
Innovative concrete pour expands the Gila River Bridge’s lifespan BY AUTUMN CAFIERO GIUSTI Extreme conditions are a way of life in Arizona. Seasonal torrential rains have been known to rapidly produce flash floods, while summer days regularly bring highs of 110 degrees. Add to that a fast-growing population, with more traffic and heavier cargo putting additional strain on state roadways. “We’re seeing more and more longhaul and other cargo trucks transporting goods across the United States. Wear and tear on the roads is higher than it’s ever been, and it’s only going to get worse,” said Amy Haymaker, Arizona area…