News

2018 STEP Award Winners

We are so thankful to congratulate all of our STEP Award winners for 2018. Way to step up to improve the safety of your company and represent the Merit Shop Philosophy!

Tennessee faces worker shortage

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (NEXSTAR) - There's a troubling flip side to Tennessee's record low unemployment - a worker shortage. State lawmakers are hearing about it from companies and businesses in their districts.

"We desperately need workers in Tennessee, not just in manufacturing and construction, but across the board in hospitality," said Toby Compton with Associated Builders and Contractors.

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ABC Calls for Expanding Apprenticeship Opportunities in Congressional Testimony

On behalf of Associated Builders and Contractors, Mike Holland, chief operating officer, MAREK Companies, testified today before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions about the need to modernize and expand apprenticeship opportunities in the United States. Read the press release...

Persuader Rule rescinded

In 2014, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) began a campaign to hold McDonald’s USA, LLC liable for alleged unfair labor practices committed at restaurant locations owned by McDonald’s franchisees. The NLRB took the position that corporate McDonald’s controlled employment relations at franchise locations enough to qualify as a joint employer with the franchisee. Read our Press Release...

Rio Grande Fence Co. Invites Requests from ABC Members for Annual Good Friday Service Project

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--Jan. 25, 2018--Rio Grande Fence Co. of Nashville is inviting requests and ideas from ABC members to aid a local non-profit in greater Nashville for RGF’s annual Good Friday Service Project.  Each year, Rio Grande Fence Co. selects a local project and provides all materials and installation of a new, commercial grade fence at no cost to a deserving organization.  If old, deteriorated fence needs to be torn out, RGF will include the removal as well.  For 2018, Rio Grande Fence Co. is again inviting requests from fellow ABC members for the selection process.             Preliminary site work can begin as soon as Monday, March 26th and 100% of Rio Grande Fence Co.’s employees will be on site to complete the installation on Friday, March 30th. Ideal projects could include any facility or location needing a perimeter security and peace of mind upgrade installed by The Commercial Fence Professionals™.&n ... Read the rest of entry »

University of Tennessee ABC Student Chapter competes in ABC project management competition in Orlando

Last week, four students from the University of Tennessee ABC Student Chapter ventured to Orlando, FL for ABC's 2017 Leadership Week to compete in the ABC Student Chapter Construction Management Competition. Students participating included, Brandon Jones, Jacob Smithers, James Sims, and Andy Rosen. Faculty staff, Charlie Parker and Angela Smith attended as well, along with ABC Regional Director Clay Crownover.   This year’s Construction Management Competition project focused on the construction of the Universal Aventura Hotel— a 17-story structure with 600 guestrooms, lobby and public and support spaces. The project consisted of structural and architectural concrete, curtainwall glazing and high-end finishes; and related mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection and building systems. The hotel tower is adjacent to a precast parking garage structure being constructed under a separate contract—which added extra coordination challenges to the project’s scope. &l ... Read the rest of entry »

The Construction Industry Alliance’s Suicide Prevention Summit was a tremendous experience of information

The Construction Industry Alliance’s Suicide Prevention Summit was a tremendous experience of information, lived experiences and inspiration. Keynote international speaker Sally Spencer-Thomas gave a compelling presentation, including her own story. Sally aims to change the conversations we have about mental illness and suicide. Even the language describing these situations people live with needs to alter. (See photos.) She is particularly concerned about the construction industry due to its ranking of highest number of suicides. (CDC 2012) Sally creatively shared how the culture (stoic/macho), age (45-52) and race (Caucasian) are risk factors. For companies, for every $1 spent on prevention, $2.50 is saved in productivity. Surviving families estimate that twenty co-workers are affected by one suicide. And so on…  This must-watch video has been extremely effective in getting men to self-assess. Man Therapy  Two kind, brave speakers shared their lived experiences about ... Read the rest of entry »

Demand for Skilled Labor Creates Opening for EdTech Leaders

Roughly 20.5 million students attended American colleges and universities in the fall of 2016, marking an annual increase of about 5.2 million since 2000. This surge, as reported by the National Center for Education Statistics1, comes alongside seemingly endless escalations of tuition expenses and a mounting student loan debt crisis2, which Forbes notes is now the second-highest consumer debt category. Between 2011-2012 and 2016-2017, published tuition and fee prices rose by roughly nine percent in the public four-year sector and 13 percent at private nonprofit four-year institutions, according to The College Board3. ProBility Media Corp. (OTC: PBYA) (PBYA Profile) is providing an alternative to the expenses of traditional colleges with a selection of career training and advancement programs aimed at capitalizing on rising demand for skilled workers. Along with competitors such as IHS Markit Ltd. (NASDAQ: INFO), TrueBlue, Inc. (NYSE: TBI), GP Strategies Corp.  ... Read the rest of entry »

ABC in Knoxville serves on panel to delay Health Insurance Tax

Crownover (ABC- Greater Tennessee, Knoxville) participates in Knoxville Chamber Roundtable Knoxville, TN (August 30, 2017) – Local business leaders met Wednesday at the Knoxville Chamber to discuss how the health insurance tax, or HIT, will impact Tennessee small businesses in 2018 if it is not delayed immediately by Congress. Business leaders called on the state’s senators and representatives in Congress to lower premiums and provide financial relief to the state by ensuring that the HIT does not go into effect in 2018.  “Time is of the essence to delay this tax again,” said Terry Turner, President of the Knoxville Chamber and small business owner of All Occasions Party Rental. “We are all making insurance decisions in the next few weeks for next year and we need certainty from the federal government.” The discussion occurred one week ahead of hearings scheduled by Tennessee’s Senator Lamar Alexander on the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education ... Read the rest of entry »

2017 Contractor Showcase a huge success

ABC's 2017's Contractors Showcase built on it's amazing success from 2016 with a huge networking and business focused contractor showcase this year. The event at the Fairgrounds was full of people networking and learning about what our members offer, as well as building on their business by making the necessary contacts to do so.  We would like to acknowledge the amazing support of our Presenting Sponsor, Columbia CDJRF for bringing out trucks and a van and having staff there, led by Daniel Rhodes, to show the quality of their products. Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat is also a national discount program, so our audience got a firsthand look at what the ABC discount can apply to.  Thank you to our Event Sponsors: Herring Technology, Rio Grande Fence, Sunbelt, Brand/Safway and Corsair Distillery. They all had their products featured front and center, from equipment holding our banner to fencing used to delineate booths to scaffolding and technology and locally brewed liquor. What a great way to ... Read the rest of entry »