Anne Liberto, General Building Contractors Association A brand is NOT a logo. Or a tagline. Or an identity system. A brand is an expectation of experience and a promise delivered. It’s the perception others have about your company – its people, culture, products, and services. Your company builds its brand, or rather the percepton of its brand, with every customer contact, planned or unplanned. Every interacton, no matter how insignificant, shapes your brand’s perception and drives your customers’ behavior. Rebranding is about taking control of what your audiences think – and say – about your brand. It’s a tool for changing existing perceptions and for defining and differentatng a brand, turning it into the most powerful competitive advantage and a weapon against becoming a commodity. A rebrand implies fundamental changes in thinking about your brand before you get involved in tactical details of execution.

On July 26, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) formally published a Request for Information (RFI) on the 2016 changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime regulations. In line with AGC’s regulatory recommendations, this RFI is the first step the DOL is undertaking to revisit the overtime rule that dramatically increased the salary threshold for exempt employees. AGC and its members were concerned that imposing such a large and immediate increase might result in unintended consequences, particularly for small construction companies, construction employers in lower‐wage regions, and construction personnel.

On July 17, 2017, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a revised version of Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. Instructions for how to download Form I-9 are available on the Form I-9 page. Employers can use this revised version or continue using Form I-9 with a revision date of 11/14/16 N through Sept. 17. On Sept. 18, employers must use the revised form with a revision date of 07/17/17 N. Employers must continue following existing storage and retention rules for any previously completed Form I-9.

Lindsay Andrews, Kokosing, Inc. For many construction companies, marketing supports the Business Development department in winning new work. This includes responding to project opportunities through the creation of statements of qualifications, proposals and presentations. Depending on company size, perations staff or team members working in different departments such as HR or Accounting may have marketing responsibilities. In some cases, companies haven’t needed a marketing department until now. If you’re just setting up your marketing department, planning it to support Business Development is priority No. 1. Here are some tips to help you lay the foundation and set your company up for long-term success.

“Contractors, labor representatives and owner-clients in the union construction and maintenance industry are significantly more optimistic about growth opportunities in 2017 and beyond (+20%) compared to last year, but they also report an increasing pervasiveness in union craft labor shortages,” reports The Association of Union Constructors (TAUC) in a recent press release announcing the results of the 2017 Union Craft Labor Supply Survey conducted by it and the AGC-supported Construction Labor Research Council.

On June 15, 2017, President Donald Trump signed an executive order instructing the Labor Department to investigate how it can cut back the federal government’s role in creating and monitoring apprenticeship programs, a move that the White House claims will help fill vacant jobs.

The U.S. Department of Labor has issued a proposed rule to rescind the controversial “persuader rule” issued by the previous administration. AGC plans to submit comments in support of the rescission prior to the August 11 deadline.

Legislation Includes Needed Reforms to Makes it Easier for School Districts to Teach Construction Skills and Improves Employer Engagement

On June 14, 2017, AGC hosted a meeting between AGC members and officials from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). OFCCP requested the meeting for the purpose of identifying problems that construction contractors have in meeting affirmative action requirements related to recruiting and suggestions for improved compliance assistance tools.

Construction staff wages rose by 3.6% in 2016 and contractors are projecting wages to increase an average of 3.4% in 2017, according to the latest Contractor Compensation Quarterly (CCQ) published by PAS, Inc. Based on their Construction/CM Staff Salary Survey, PAS reports that increases appear to have leveled off, as noted in the following chart. PAS also points out that historically predictions are typically about .5% low, so year-end 2017 should exceed 3.4% and maybe even 2016’s 3.6% increase.