News

Associated Builders and Contractors Congratulates President-elect Trump

WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov. 9– Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today released the following statement on the election of Donald Trump as president of the United States.“Associated Builders and Contractors congratulates President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence and looks forward to working with this administration to craft policies rooted in free enterprise that will encourage open competition and result in greater business investment and more construction jobs,” said ABC President and CEO Michael Bellaman. “With his background in real estate and development, Trump is very familiar with the obstacles to economic growth ABC members face, including our broken regulatory system, the increasingly difficult challenge of finding affordable health care coverage for employees, a growing shortage of appropriately skilled labor and the highest effective tax rate of any industry. We are hopeful that Trump will select judicial nominees that respect the traditional princi ... Read the rest of entry »

Associated Builders and Contractors Applauds Court Injunction Against (Blacklisting) Rule

The judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, issued a preliminary injunction late Monday night against the Fair Pay and Safe Work Places Rule which has been dubbed the (Blacklisting) Rule.   ABC is pleased the court ruled that the Obama Administration cannot order private businesses to publicly disclose mere accusations of labor law violations that have not been fully adjudicated. By issuing this decision, the court has maintained the first amendment rights of government contractors and protected them and tax payers from the poorly crafted Blacklisting Rule.  In her decision, the judge said that the groups that initiated this lawsuit earlier this month-including the ABC-had properly demonstrated immediate ongoing injury to their members if the rule is allowed to take effect. Before Mondays action halting the new regulation, the Department of Labor had planned to start its roll out of the executive order today. ABC was represented by Maury Baskin ABC&r ... Read the rest of entry »

Gov. Haslam tours Sacred Heart

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam on Friday toured the Sacred Heart Cathedral construction site, and said the building highlights the importance of the construction trade to the Tennessee economy.

Merit Construction Co., which is in charge of the project, and the Associated Builders and Contractors of Greater Tennessee hosted the governor on a tour of Sacred Heart Cathedral, which is at 711 S. Northshore Drive, adjoining the original Sacred Heart Cathedral of the Catholic Diocese of Knoxville.

Read more at the Knoxville News Sentinel or view our video below. 

Knoxville News Sentinel: Construction track option for students

Associated Builders and Contractors of Greater Tennessee would like to thank Gov. Bill Haslam for recognizing October as Careers in Construction Month in Tennessee. Construction has provided fulfilling, family-supporting careers for American workers for generations. However, industry growth, an aging workforce and a lack of emphasis on the lucrative construction career track in our schools has contributed to a shortage of skilled workers in the industry. This shortage is projected to reach 1.1 million skilled workers over the next decade, according to the Construction Labor Market Analyzer.

That's why ABC of Greater Tennessee has committed over the next year to work with our area schools on promoting the trades within our local high schools and promoting careers in construction.

Read the entire letter at the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Governor Haslam proclaims October Careers in Construction Month

Thank you to Governor Haslam for proclaiming October as Careers in Construction Month in the State of Tennessee #ABCMeritShopProud

You can view the proclomation at this link. 

State of Tennessee seeks input on procurement process

The State of Tennessee has contracted with Arizona State University to assist in “redesigning” the state's procurement process for contractors in the State (not including Higher Ed or TDOT). 

They have created a survey that the state would like to compile responses for to assist them in their actions moving forward.  You can fill the survey out at this link.

ABC Releases the 2016 ABC Employee Benefits Survey

The 2016 ABC Employee Benefits Survey is now open and will remain open until October 15th. This survey looks at benefit practices of ABC member contractors and helps you benchmark your current benefits offerings against your peers. The results are tabulated in the aggregate, as well as by region and company size. If you are not already familiar with this survey and how it can help your company, you can see the 2014 survey results here. Some members use the survey to make or reinforce benefits decisions. It can also be a useful tool for companies offering strong benefits to demonstrate to their employeesthat their benefits are above market. If there are at least 25 members that participate in our state, we will also be able to share state specific results.  The survey is multiple choice and should take 5 minutes or less to complete if you have familiarity with your company’s benefits. Please consider participating, or forwarding this along to the person in your company that handles ... Read the rest of entry »

Stop the Obama Administration's "Stealth Death Tax Increase"

The IRS has set its sights on family businesses.The Obama Treasury Department last month issued proposed regulations that would upend the way family-owned companies are valued, disregarding decades of precedent and exposing family business owners to a death tax hike of 30 percent or more.Make your voice heard. Tell Treasury to withdraw the proposed regulations by clicking the link below.

Please click here and add your company name by Monday, September 26th, and stop the latest assault on family-owned businesses.

2016 General Contractor’s Showcase Postponed

Due to issues with the event location, the 2016 Contractor’s Showcase will be postponed to a later date and new location.  The Contractor’s Showcase has become one of our most popular annual events, with some 600 attendees, and we want to host the best event possible. Unfortunately, the management at the event location made it too difficult for our team to host a great event and other possible locations did not materialize on such short notice. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience that this may cause you and your company.  We do thank the many sponsors, exhibitors, companies and individuals that have agreed to participate and hope that a date and location change will not deter your involvement with the 2016 Contractor’s Showcase. A new location and date for the event will be broadcast within the next two weeks.  Thank you for your understanding, and please accept our apologies for the inconvenience! We do hope to see you at the showcase later in the year! ... Read the rest of entry »

Construction Executive Magazine: What Type of Leadership Is Needed to Sustain a Family-Owned Business Through Economic Changes and Generational Differences?

ABC Greater Tennessee Chapter's Board Chair and President of Stansell Electric Company, David Stansell, recently participated in a Q&A with Construction Executive Magazine. Check it out at the link below. You can check out the full piece here or read David's answer below: My grandfather founded Stansell Electric Company 76 years ago in his garage in Nashville. Soon after the business really got going, he needed extra help, so he invited his two brothers to join the company and gave each of them one-third ownership in the business. This created second-generation problems right away. They had different styles and ideas about how things should be done—just like we do today—but they found a way to make it work.  A big part of what made them successful, and remains a key part of our success today, was a strong sense of shared values. My dad grew the business significantly, especially into some key, niche areas. My brother Jake and I decided it was time to actually write ... Read the rest of entry »