Jenny Grounds, BOUDREAUXThe idea of performing market research can often feel like a burden for small marketing groups. The everyday tasks already on your to-do list can easily fill up a 40-hour work week. Where do you find the time to research, compile, and analyze piles of data on top of everything else? Market research doesn’t have to be complex or require robust, expensive studies to be effective. By breaking it into small, manageable pieces, you can gather information that will directly benefit your A/E/C firm without overtasking your teams.

On November 30, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) appealed a Texas judge’s decision to toss out an Obama administration rule that would have nearly doubled the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA) salary threshold for exemption from overtime pay. The Trump administration DOL is defending its authority to create an overtime rule, but not the salary limit set by the Obama administration. The agency filed its notice to appeal the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and once docketed, the agency — through the Department of Justice — will file a motion to hold the appeal in abeyance while the DOL undertakes further rulemaking to determine what the salary level should be.

Thirty-five states and the District of Columbia added construction jobs between September 2016 and September 2017, while 26 states added construction jobs between August and September as some state employment levels were impacted by recent hurricanes, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data released today. Association officials noted that construction employment in many parts of the country would have been higher if more qualified workers were available.

In order to ensure that the AGC Business Development Forum is fulfilling its mission to advise AGC members of new market opportunities, follow and report on trends in the construction market, and advise members on the techniques and tools of BD, the Steering Committee has developed a brief electronic survey. To submit your suggestions and ideas, please click on the following link or copy and paste this link into your browser’s address field: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PBVZTKX.

The Steering Committee is an active group-meeting 8-10 times a year via teleconference and in-person twice a year in conjunction with other AGC events. The current objectives of the Business Development Forum Steering Committee over the next few years are to: Write and share BD Best Practices Develop WebEd Content for Membership Engage the Forum Activate Member Sharing

The Steering Committee is an active group-meeting 8-10 times a year via teleconference and in-person twice a year in conjunction with other AGC events. The current objectives of the Business Development Forum Steering Committee over the next few years are to: Write and share BD Best Practices Develop WebEd Content for Membership Engage the Forum Activate Member Sharing

The Business Development Best Practices are an ongoing effort by the AGC Business Development Forum Steering Committee to bring more BD resources and best practices to the AGC membership. Written and developed by industry experts in Business Development, these best practices cover a wide range of topics, from relationship building and sales to marketing and proposals. This month, the Business Development Forum Steering Committee highlights: Companies spend significant resources on online marketing only to be left wondering why it’s not working. It’s not surprising. Gaining traction through content alone is not easy—especially if you want to do more than build awareness. In her article, “First Contact: Using Incentives and Automation to Spur Web Visitors to Action”, Ida Cheinman, Substance151, walks you through her strategy to nurture your website visitors so that they are ready to be engaged prospects.

California & Oregon Have Biggest Job Gains for the Year, Iowa and Missouri Have Largest Declines; Monthly Changes Reflect Hurricane Impacts, as Texas Adds the Most Jobs but Florida Has Huge Loss

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt signed an agency-wide directive (and accompanying memo) on Oct. 16 that imposes steps to end the practice known as “sue and settle” – which is a quick resolution of citizen suits by environmental groups against the EPA, involving the agency’s failure to comply with statutory deadlines for issuance of regulations. Such agreements are oftentimes reached with little to no public input or transparency, EPA said, calling such a practice “regulation through litigation.” AGC has long expressed concern that special interest groups are using these lawsuits to force the EPA to issue regulations that advance their interests and priorities. The chief executive officer of AGC praised EPA for “putting an end to back room agreements ... [and] making sure that all affected parties have an opportunity to contribute to the discussion about measures needed to protect our environment.”

On October 18, AGC submitted recommendations to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), highlighting the regulatory burden on the construction industry and offered specific program modifications and solutions relating to performing work with USACE.