AGC of America is proud to announce the launch of our 2017 project award competitions! The Alliant Build America Awards (including the Marvin M. Black Partnering Excellence category) and AGC in the Community competitions are now accepting applications. These programs recognize the nation's most impressive construction projects ranging across the building, highway and transportation, utility infrastructure, and federal and heavy divisions; those contractors excelling in their partnering and collaborative endeavors; and the charitable contractors and chapters giving back to their communities.

Mike Clancy, Cynthia Paul, FMI Corporation Contractors’ get work departments can be like a car with a bad alignment. While everyone is working hard to get where they want to go, some of the effort is being pulled toward the “ditch” of low hit rates, missed opportunities and undeveloped client relationships. All that is needed are a few key adjustments to win your fair share of work.

On June 21, 2016, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) finalized a new and comprehensive set of rules for the commercial use of small drones in all industries, including construction. This action completes a rulemaking process that the FAA began in February of 2015 – in an effort to meet Congressional demands and to stem a rapidly rising tide of applications for individual exemptions from longstanding rules that make no distinction between manned and unmanned aircraft. Through January 20 of this year, the FAA had granted 3,136 of these exemptions for the commercial use of drones, and significantly, 48% of that total were for uses in the construction and engineering.

The 8th annual AGC IT Conference will be a joint venture featuring content from two MS programs from the McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern University. AGC’s IT Steering Committee is very excited to include Northwestern in this year’s conference on August 4 & 5 in downtown Chicago at the Radisson Blu hotel.

Teri Jones, SUNDT As a professional working in the Business Development world, you are probably acutely aware that the reason for your existence is to Develop Business and that entails more than fine dining and golf! Pre-Winning plays a large role in your company’s ability to secure the type of work, and build the type of relationships, that will produce the desired results.

Colleen Kelly, Beacon Occupational Health & Safety Services Has all of the romance drained out of your business proposals? You used to spend hours thinking about the client’s needs and wants. What would their ideal contractor look like? How could I show that we’re the perfect match? But lately, things have become stale. You’re less interested in them and would much rather talk about yourself. If your win rate is going down the tubes, now’s the time to rethink your proposal writing strategy.

Jon O'Brien, Master Builders Association LinkedIn has been called Facebook for professionals, the virtual rolodex, and the headhunter’s haven to name a few. Regardless of what you call this online network, LinkedIn can be important for business development. Before delving into LinkedIn business development advice, let’s look at why LinkedIn is beneficial for the construction industry.

Cynthia Paul, FMI Corporation Have you ever noticed that some people and companies just seem to stand out, and everywhere you turn, they are being quoted or interviewed or are consistently receiving better scores on proposals? They are not much different than others; but, like the old E.F. Hutton advertisement asserts, when they speak, people listen. So what is the difference? In a world of specialized expertise, everyone, from owners of construction projects to your company looking for new talent, wants people with deep expertise and a proven track record of generating results. Being good at what you do, however, is not enough to make you or your company shine; people need to know that you are good at what you do. If you want to stop being that hidden jewel or are looking to make your company’s proposals stand out more, try these few quick tips for getting recognized in writing.

Chuck Fenske, Knoch Corporation In order to execute a successful business development program, it is important to define what business development truly means and what steps are required to make it so. At its core, business development is the strategic manufacturing of revenue growth opportunities. While some use the term as a synonym for sales and others include mergers and acquisitions, business development actually involves a broader scope including corporate strategy, marketing, sales, and human resources. Each of these are prevalent throughout the following steps, which outline a successful business development process.

Chuck Fenske, Knoch Corporation In order to execute a successful business development program, it is important to define what business development truly means and what steps are required to make it so. At its core, business development is the strategic manufacturing of revenue growth opportunities. While some use the term as a synonym for sales and others include mergers and acquisitions, business development actually involves a broader scope including corporate strategy, marketing, sales, and human resources. Each of these are prevalent throughout the following steps, which outline a successful business development process.