Author: Jeanie Clapp

A Closer Look at the Emerging Roles in Today’s Construction Industry BY JEANIE J. CLAPP This year marks the 100th anniversary of Columbia Construction, an AGC of Massachusetts member – a firm with projects spanning the academic, corporate, healthcare, hospitality, interiors, science + technology, and energy sectors. But Columbia’s centennial story is more than a milestone — it’s a reflection of the construction industry’s transformation. New roles in wellness, belonging, innovation, energy and technology show how the industry has expanded its scope while staying true to its foundation: building safely, efficiently and with purpose. The Past When Columbia President Shaun…

Construction of data centers is surging, but labor and supply-chain challenges persist. BY NICK FORTUNA Across the country, AGC members have been building large data centers at breakneck pace to fuel the rise of artificial intelligence, and by any metric, the race is just getting started. Technology giants such as Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta and OpenAI have pledged trillions of dollars toward the construction of giant data centers, and in July, President Trump issued an executive order to streamline their development through accelerated permitting, financial incentives and the easing of environmental regulations. Data centers used about 4.4% of total U.S.…

Just about any business venture can be a gamble, but the construction industry is rife with risk across the spectrum. From rising tariffs to rising temps, here are some of AGC’s top concerns. BY A.D. THOMPSON Though no era is without its challenges – and certainly not without its risks – if ever there were a time when contractors, whether trade or specialty or general, could choose their work rather than beg for it, says Brian Turmail, it’s now. But owners, too, says Turmail, vice president of public affairs and workforce development at AGC of America, have leverage. “They’re more…

Healthcare construction is undergoing significant transformation, particularly as contractors leverage prefabrication and emerging technologies, while the sector faces uncertainty over tariffs, supply chain concerns and workforce shortages. BY KATIE KUEHNER-HEBERT The shift toward prefabrication and offsite manufacturing is picking up serious momentum across the sector, as hospitals and clinics are under pressure to open faster, safer and with greater cost control, said Dan Parker, vice president of sales, Wells’ Mountain States division, located in Brighton, Colorado. On a recent Wells project, the contractor enclosed 80% of a five-story, 138,000-square-foot medical office building in just 12 days using prefabricated, single-source façade…

How are audits and warrants impacting construction? What could trigger an investigation? How can you protect your business and stay cool? An AGC attorney has answers. Bruce Buchanan, senior counsel at Littler Mendelson in Nashville, Tennessee, a member of multiple AGC chapters, has been practicing law for 43 years, the last 18 of which have been focused on immigration, though his specialty, even in that field, is rare among his kind: compliance. It’s a field that has always included ICE audits, internal I-9 audits, IR (immediate relative) investigations and the like, but since Jan. 20 – when an executive order…

How Ryan Companies is elevating future builders As labor shortages and a widening skills gap continue to affect the construction industry, data from a recent AGC of America workforce survey, done in partnership with NCCER, show that nearly four out of five contractors currently have one or more unfilled craft positions and two-thirds have at least one unfilled salaried positions on the books. However, one construction firm has found a creative and effective way to address both issues at once: pairing seasoned superintendents with younger colleagues who are learning the ropes. Adopting this approach has allowed Ryan Companies, a member…

The evolution of head protection in the workplace BY SCOTT GREENHAUS In the realm of occupational safety, head protection has come a long way from its beginnings as a simple hard hat. The transition from hard hats to helmets represents a remarkable evolution in the goal to keep workers safe in a wide range of industries. From early designs to modern innovations, the progression of head protection underscores its critical role in keeping construction workers safe. Birth of the Hard Hat Hard hats made from leather, canvas or steel first made their appearance in the early 20th century. The first…

Helix Electric hosts immersive training experience for interns BY NICK FORTUNA It’s a three-day trip to sunny San Diego with all expenses paid, but for the new interns at Helix Electric, it’s anything but a vacation. Each summer, Helix Electric, a member of multiple AGC chapters, hosts first-year interns at its corporate headquarters for an immersive learning experience aimed at introducing them to careers in electrical contracting. This past June, about two dozen college students, fresh from the spring semester, showed up for Intern Foundations Training, which includes hands-on technical training, mentorship from executives and team-building activities. In a classroom…

How innovation and infrastructure are reshaping airport construction BY KATIE KUEHNER-HEBERT As air travel rebounds with full force, so does the demand for smarter, more sustainable and passenger-friendly airport terminals. Leading this charge is Harvey Milk Terminal 1 at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) — a $2.4 billion, multiphase redevelopment project that’s not just raising the bar but rewriting the playbook. Hensel Phelps was one of the general contractors on the project, and Rosendin Electric was the technology systems design-builder and systems integrator. The project is notable not only for its size and complexity but for its groundbreaking results. The…

How SOTF empowers America’s elite veterans to strengthen the construction workforce BY ELSBETH RUSSELL When U.S. Army veteran Gareth Gorman made the leap from a decorated military career into civilian life, he knew the transition wouldn’t be easy. What he didn’t expect was that the organization guiding him through that transformation — the Special Operators Transition Foundation (SOTF) — would eventually become his new professional home. A 21-year retired Green Beret, Gorman went through the program as a fellow before becoming SOTF’s partner engagement specialist and working to engage with potential donors. Gorman’s story is emblematic of what makes SOTF…