Charles H. Green Have you ever had a difficult client? I don't mean the client from hell, I just mean garden-variety difficult. Difficult clients come in lots of different flavors. • There's the client who will not take the time up front to share critical information, explore ideas, or otherwise involve you in the early stages of a project. • There's the client who just cannot make a decision, regardless of how much data or analyses you provide at their request. • There's the client who is frozen by politics or fear or ignorance, who will not face facts about critical issues. • Finally, there's the client with personality issues, who argues, or rejects, or is otherwise disrespectful to you and your team, yet often shows favoritism to someone else or another team. Fortunately, there is a common thread to all of these cases, which--if we understand it--can help us succeed. The common thread has nothing to do with the clients. The common thread is us.

The AGC Pipeline The AGC Pipeline is a publication for AGC’s Municipal & Utilities Division. It covers legislative and regulatory affairs affecting utilities contractors and excavators, educational and networking opportunities, issue alerts calling members to action, and AGC advocacy efforts on behalf of contractors engaged in utility construction. Archive | Subscribe

With America Recycles Day coming up on Nov. 15, members of AGC’s Environmental Forum Steering Committee stepped forward to share their achievements and observations on how construction recycling goes much farther and tackles much larger amounts of material than everyday recycling. We have put together a document, in addition to this article, to really show just what AGC members are doing to promote recycling.

Significantly fewer construction firms are planning to make layoffs in 2012 than at any point in the past few years according to survey results released today by AGC and Computer Guidance Corporation. The survey, conducted as part of the 2012 Construction Industry Hiring and Business Outlook, shows many firms expect key private sector market segments to expand this year even as the overall outlook remains mixed.