Author: Jeanie Clapp

Bipartisan bill adds protection to highway work zones BY AMY KING The dangers facing highway construction crews, emergency responders, and roadside workers have become impossible for policymakers and the construction industry to ignore. Across the country, workers repairing roads, responding to crashes, directing traffic, and clearing disabled vehicles continue to operate mere feet away from high-speed traffic, often in unpredictable and hazardous conditions. For AGC of America, the growing risks in work zones have become one of the industry’s most pressing safety concerns. Now, a new bipartisan proposal in Congress aims to address those dangers through stronger planning, better data…

The planning, precision, and teamwork that led Michigan Central Station to a Build America Grand Award BY A.D. THOMPSON Austin Giesey’s grandmother grew up about a quarter of a mile from Michigan Central Station. She’d tell him stories about what it was like back then, how her sisters used to walk through the grand building during the holidays, singing Christmas carols with a choir. “However, when I was growing up, the station was a sign of decay,” Giesey, now a senior project manager with The Christman Company, told Constructor. “I’d drive past and think I wouldn’t want to go in…

Inside the culture that has earned AGC’s highest safety honor threefold BY JENNIFER KLING When the lights came up at AGC of America’s annual convention in March, and Sundt Construction was called to the stage at the WTW Construction Safety Excellence Awards (CSEA) program, it was a moment that had never happened before. For the third time, Sundt took home the Grand Award, having previously won in 2006 and 2016. No other contractor in the award’s history has claimed the prize three times. The company’s safety and health program was selected from among 22 first-place winners across six occupational divisions,…

BY EDGAR SANCHEZ, NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER OVER JOBSITE SAFETY SOLUTIONS, MILWAUKEE TOOL, AN AGC OF AMERICA CAPSTONE SUPPORTER Safety across the construction industry has long been shaped by compliance, policies, procedures, and protective measures designed to reduce risk. But as jobsites become more complex and performance demands increase, that approach is evolving. Increasingly, safety is being viewed not as a checklist, but as a connected system, one that integrates equipment, worker behavior, and jobsite conditions to better protect the workforce. This shift reflects a broader industry movement toward proactive, humancentered safety strategies. Rather than reacting to incidents, companies are investing…

Inside the shift transforming construction marketing, business development, and trust BY JEANIE J. CLAPP For decades, construction marketing followed a familiar formula: Promote the project, list the qualifications, submit the proposal. But today, in an industry defined by competition, workforce challenges, and an increasingly informed client, that approach alone is no longer enough. Across the construction industry, marketing has evolved from a support function into a strategic driver of business development — one rooted in storytelling, expertise, and relationships. Marketing Moves from Promotion to Positioning “Construction marketing has evolved from focusing solely on the projects to the people,” said Jennifer…

Why subscription-based platforms are gaining traction with contractors BY TONI PIWONKA, ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT, STRATEGIC TRANSFORMATIONTRIMBLE, AN AGC OF AMERICA CAPSTONE SUPPORTER Construction has always been an industry built on precision, productivity, and progress – and the tools driving that progress are evolving faster than ever. For today’s general contractors, staying competitive isn’t just about having the right crews and equipment on-site. It’s increasingly about having the right technology in place to deliver work more efficiently, accurately, and consistently across every phase of a project. From machine control and GNSSenabled workflows to estimating, scheduling, BIM, data sharing, equipment maintenance, and…

Early hesitation gives way as AI proves itself on the jobsite. BY A.D. THOMPSON It is 5:30 in the morning and the team on the jobsite, coffee in hand, is about to start its planning ritual. Superintendents, foremen, safety reps, and others discuss the day’s objectives, identifying any high-risk activities, reviewing plans, and checking boxes on permits. They are looking for potential bottlenecks related to all the above. And it’s a lot of work. “Two, two-and-a-half hours of each day,” estimated Joshua Bullock, manager of safety for Gray Construction, a member of multiple AGC chapters. Optimally, of course, there is…

From a powerful panel at this year’s convention to the pages of Constructor, three industry pros discuss innovation around tech, corporate culture, and the very human places where they overlap. BY A.D. THOMPSON Lars Herman founded Herman Construction in 2009 and grew it for 10 years. In 2019, it was acquired by Bristol Bay Native Corporation. The transition did not go as smoothly as Herman had hoped. “There was a culture change,” he explained, “and it was a clash I was not expecting at all.” Creating alignment between two teams with very different cultures was challenging. “There’s this group of…

How drones redefine risk management on construction sites BY AMY KING On most construction sites, risk often hides in blind spots — on rooftops, behind façades, and within small misalignments that lead to costly rework or litigation. Contractors are increasingly turning to drones, not as a marketing tool, but as a component of their risk management strategy to reshape how projects are documented, monitored, and protected. Aside from capturing images, drones can also generate defensible data, reduce exposure, and provide visibility that traditional methods cannot match. For many firms, the shift is deliberate. Poettker Construction’s drone program sits squarely within…

Technology is reshaping construction safety, workforce, and operations Technology is moving from the margins to the mainstream on construction jobsites. Tools powered by artificial intelligence, automation, and connected data are helping contractors improve safety, streamline coordination, and gain better visibility into project performance. In this Q&A, Javier Pascual, director business development and preconstruction, Ferrovial, a member of multiple AGC chapters, discusses how these technologies are being applied in the field today, the challenges companies face when adopting them, how workforce roles are changing, and what contractors should consider as digital tools become more integrated into daily operations. Constructor: From your…