News

Associated Builders and Contractors Praises President's Commitment to Infrastructure Investment in Address to Congress

WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb., 28- Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) issued the following statement from Vice President of Legislative and Political Affairs Kristen Swearingen in response to President Trump’s pledge to commit needed resources to rebuild American infrastructure and to work with the business community to craft a transparent regulatory system that will encourage business investment during tonight’s address to the joint session of Congress: "Associated Builders and Contractors applauds President Trump’s pledge in tonight’s address to the joint session of Congress to commit needed resources to rebuild America's infrastructure and work with the business community to craft a transparent regulatory system that will encourage business investment. We are hopeful that the president’s call to ‘create a level playing field for American companies and workers’ will translate into policies that guarantee that all qualified contractors are able to compete for taxp ... Read the rest of entry »

ABC - Greater Tennessee Chapter releases video to help grow the labor force in Tennessee through craft training

With the current labor shortage and 20% of the current workforce expected to retire soon, ABC - Greater Tennessee has released a video to encourage more interest in the trades. We hope this effort can help to spur more involvement among our members in our many training programs and hope to inspire the next generation of tradesman. For more information, visit our Education page.  

Welcome ABC- Greater Tennessee's Newest Members

Associated Builders and Contractors - Greater TN Chapter would like to welcome the following new Members to our Association as of February 2017


Messer Construction Co.
230 Great Circle Road
Suite 210
Nashville, TN 37228-1726
(615) 256-5006

Messer Construction Co.
120 Perimeter Park Road
Knoxville, TN 37922
(865) 769-3944
Specializes in managing, developing and performing complex commercial construction in the communities in which we live and work, and delivering value to our clients through quality construction experiences.



Beaty Chevrolet
9615 Parkside Drive
Knoxville, TN 37922
(865) 622-7366
Specializes in fleet management



CORT Furniture
280 Industrial Blvd. 
La Vergne, TN 37086
(615) 834-6040
Specializes in providing the best and most affordable furniture rental for home and office.

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

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--Feb. 20, 2017--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 2017, 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, April 10th and 100% of Rio Grande Fence Co.’s employees will be on site to complete the installation on Friday, April 14th. Ideal projects could include playgrounds, sports courts and fields, or any area that needs a perimeter security and peace of mind upgrade. Rio Grande Fence Co. will consider all deserving locations and organizations for its final selection. Deadline f ... Read the rest of entry »

Tennessee Names Ann McGauran State Architect

NASHVILLE- Today the Tennessee State Building Commission voted unanimously to appoint Ann McGauran as State Architect. McGauran is the first woman to serve Tennessee in this capacity since the position was created in 1955.  McGauran is a Senior Architect and Facilities Management Professional who has more than 25 years of architectural and project management experience. Since 2014, she has been working in the Tennessee Department of General Services, most recently serving as the Executive Director of Business Operations, in the STREAM Division. McGauran has substantial experience as an architect in the private sector, including with Vanderbilt Medical Center, where she worked as a project manager and in other capacities.  The State Architect and staff serve as support for the functions of the State Building Commission and also provides oversight for all state capital projects and real estate transactions that are under authority of the State Building Commission, to assure compliance with State ... Read the rest of entry »

Bell & Associates Construction Announces Office Move

Rio Grande Fence Co. of Nashville Wins Third American Fence Association National Fence Contractor of the Year Award

Rio Grande Fence Co. of Nashville Named 2016 National Fence Contractor of the Year -- Rio Grande Fence Co.'s Wins Second Consecutive American Fence Association National Fence Contractor of the Year Award and Third in Four Years -- NASHVILLE, Tenn.--Feb. 9, 2017--Rio Grande Fence Co. of Nashville was named 2016 National Fence Contractor of the Year by the American Fence Association at FENCETECH 2017 in San Antonio, Texas. AFA’s Fence Contractor of the Year Award recognizes a company’s outstanding service to AFA that advances the name, reputation and ideals of the Association on both local and national levels, as well as the company’s integrity and character. Rio Grande has won the award three of the past four years. "Commitment to innovative training in fence industry education and fresh employee engagement concepts separated Rio Grande Fence Co. of Nashville's entry in this year's competition,” said Tony Thornton, Executive Director of American Fence Association. “The fo ... Read the rest of entry »

Member News: Industrial Manager with Turner Construction Company Attains National Design-Build Certification

Huntsville, AL – Brian Knowles with Turner Construction Company’s Huntsville office has successfully completed the requirements for the nationally recognized Designated Design-Build Professional™ (DBIA™) certification. The Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) awarded designated status to Knowles upon his successful completion of coursework and formal examination in all aspects of design-build project delivery. By completing these requirements, candidates earn the right to display “DBIA” after their names, identifying them to design-build end-users and the industry at large as professionals experienced in this form of project delivery. “Congratulations to Brian and all our Turner colleagues who have obtained their DBIA certification,” states Tom Manahan, Senior Vice President and Industrial Construction Executive with Turner. He continues, “An increasing number of our clients see the advantages of the design-build delivery model for many of their proje ... Read the rest of entry »

ABC Economist speaks to ABC of Greater TN Members at membership meeting

Anirban Basu, a leading economist shared a macro look at our local and world economy, with his well-know dash of humor. He went over the estimated global output around the world, with Asia/China/India leading the way. Anticipated population growth and output makes a dynamic difference in the shifting growth of economies around the world. Traditional countries of power have fewer births and in return less people who will be consumers and workers in nations. Anirban looked at the implications of world debt to growth, oil production, employment ratios and so on.  Anirban learned a good life lesson when he tried to pick up girls with his nerdy facts about the Baltic Dry index. That did not work well, however after he abandoned that approach he finally got married. The Gross Domestic Product has many complicated parts. Anirban recommended caution in having high hopes of a the high kind of growth experienced in the 80’s and 90’s. Everyone wants that, but we will have to see how the political ... Read the rest of entry »

Construction Industry Alliance Announces New Resources Aimed at Preventing Suicides

Contact:Jeff Leieritz (202) 905-2104 [email protected] For Immediate Release Construction Industry Alliance Announces New Resources Aimed at Preventing Suicides   WASHINGTON, D.C., Dec. 6– Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today announced new resources made available to its members through its membership in the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention. ABC joined the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA)-led alliance in October 2016 to help provide resources and disseminate information on suicide prevention and mental health awareness in the construction industry, with a goal of building a zero-suicide industry. A 2016 Center for Disease Control (CDC) report showed that construction is one of the most at-risk industries for suicide, with 1,324 of the 12,300 suicides (10.8 percent) studied occurring among individuals who worked in the construction or extraction industries. To fight this epidemic, ABC is encouraging member fi ... Read the rest of entry »