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Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Greater Tennessee Chapter News & Updates

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ABC: Tennessee ranks 12th in nation for construction business climate

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21— Tennessee ranks 12th in state rankings for construction business climate, according to the 2021 Associated Builders and Contractors Merit Shop Scorecard. Tennessee returned to the top tier of the rankings this year based on the state’s continued encouragement of fair and open competition. Rounding out the top five, South Carolina ranked third, Georgia ranked fourth and Wisconsin ranked fifth. Other states to receive an A ranking in 2021 include Arkansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, Indiana, Iowa, and West Virginia. “The resiliency of our outstanding industry has been on full display throughout the year,” said Ben Brubeck, ABC’s vice president of regulatory, labor and state affairs. “From economic and regulatory headwinds to talent shortages, supply chain bottlenecks, high inflation rates and a lingering pandemic, ABC member companies continue to invest in their people and deliver work safely, ethically and profitably. The top states in this year&rsq ... Read the rest of entry »

Nashville ranks tenth best city for construction workers, more skilled laborers needed

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Despite an improving economy, a new analysis shows construction employment declined in more than 200 metropolitan areas across the country.

But not in Nashville-Davidson County, where the number of jobs is growing. In fact, a new report from IPP Magazine places Nashville in the top ten cities with the highest demand for construction workers.

Recently, the National Association of Realtors said they believe Nashville will become a top 10 market for commercial construction in 2021.

But, this demand for development comes with consequences. Experts say we need to train more people if we want to keep this construction going.

Nashville building permits continue piling in, proof building here is robust.

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Tennessee construction industry celebrates passage of construction industry worker protections

NASHVILLE, TENN., April 8th. – The state’s construction industry today celebrated the passage of HB 1112/SB 1150 (Rep. Kevin Vaughan/Sen. Jack Johnson), which would protect local workers from overreaches by local governments in drastically changing construction industry standards.  “Too often, local governments get it wrong when it comes to modernizing construction industry standards,” said Associated Builders and Contractors Greater Tennessee President/CEO, Clay Crownover. “This legislation will ultimately protect local workers and businesses by preventing local governments from overreaching beyond state and federal law when it comes to construction industry standards.” This legislation would protect worker’s privacy by making it illegal for local governments to ask for the personnel information of employees, bars the requirement of contractors to abide by safety laws in excess of what is required under federal occup ... Read the rest of entry »

Tennessee construction industry expresses opposition to changes in Metro Construction Industry Standards

NASHVILLE, TENN., March 17th. – The state’s construction industry today expressed opposition to Metro legislation, 2021-676, that would radically change Metro Nashville’s procurement code and construction industry standards, saying the measure is based on non-objective and unsubstantiated data that do not accurately reflect the state of the industry or its record in Nashville and could tilt the balance of the Procurement Board, which plays a major role in awarding Metro contracts, against merit shop contractors and workers.  “This legislation hurts the very people it is intended to help, the workers of Nashville. The legislation invades the privacy of local workers and requires compliance with extreme safety standards that are undefined, do not currently exist, and for which Metro is without authority to promulgate. It will increase construction costs for the city and kill local construction jobs. Safety and fairness in contracts are our members’ numbe ... Read the rest of entry »

Governor Lee appoints ABC Greater Tennessee President/CEO, Clay Crownover, to Economic Recovery Group to Reboot Tennessee Economy

Nashville, Tenn. -- Today, Governor Bill Lee established the Economic Recovery Group, a joint effort between state departments, members of the legislature and leaders from the private sector to build guidance to safely reboot Tennessee’s economy.

“COVID-19 has not only created a public health crisis, it has hurt thousands of businesses and hundreds of thousands of hardworking Tennesseans,” said Gov. Lee. “As we work to safely open Tennessee’s economy, this group will provide guidance to industries across the state on the best ways to get Tennesseans back to work.”

The group is led by Tennessee Department of Tourism Development Commissioner Mark Ezell.

“This public-private partnership will prioritize connection, collaboration, and communication across industries, the medical community and state government” said Ezell. “We’re grateful to these leaders for serving at a critical time in our state’s history.”

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February’s Construction Spending Decline Indicates What’s to Come, Says ABC

WASHINGTON, April 1—National nonresidential construction spending fell 1.8% in February, but is up 2.5% compared to the same time last year, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published today by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, spending totaled $795.1 billion for the month. Private nonresidential spending declined 2% on a monthly basis and is down 0.7% compared to February 2019.  Public nonresidential construction spending was down 1.5% for the month, but is up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. “Data characterizing the economy prior to the coronavirus outbreak continues to trickle in,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “While nonresidential construction spending declined in February, according to today’s data release, the decline was modest and overall performance was not substantially different from prior months. “However, with communities in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, California an ... Read the rest of entry »

Knox and Davidson County SAFER AT HOME ORDERS

To further combat the spread of COVID-19, the Metro County and Knox County Health Departments have issued a Safer at Home Order — directing all residents of Nashville and Davidson and Knox Counties to stay inside their homes, and immediately limit all movement outside of their homes beyond what is absolutely necessary to take care of essential needs.

Construction and facilities design businesses have been deemed essential at this time.For full details, follow the links below. 

Read More: Davidson County

Read More: Knox County

Nashville Business Journal: Delays loom at construction sites. For now, contractors are taking their temperatures

Mike Meagher, whose construction company is building two Midtown high-rises, has ordered a dozen laser thermometers to check the temperatures of work crews. And he's limiting how many people ride in a buckhoist, an elevator that can fit as many as 30 workers.

At the Fifth + Broadway project downtown, where 550 people work each day, Dennis Georgatos has nixed the routine "stretch and flex" group gatherings that mark the start of a shift and help orchestrate the day's activity.

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Construction Dive's 'mini megacities' to watch: Nashville, Tennessee

Commercial contractors know that government roadblocks and regulations can slow even the most booming construction market while business-friendly policies can stoke development.

The latter is definitely the case for Nashville, Tennessee, which boasts one of the strongest economies of any U.S. metropolitan area. These days, builders and businesses there not only enjoy unprecedented economic growth but also the support of elected officials from city council members to the governor's mansion, with Tennessee’s Republican Gov. Bill Lee, who ran a mechanical contracting business for 20 years before entering politics. A longtime member of Associated Builders and Contractors, Lee understands how the principals of a free enterprise approach supports local businesses and industry.​

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Nashville Morning News: Nashville's booming growth continues & that means career opportunities!

Hear ABC Greater Tennessee President, Clay Crownover on Nashville Morning News discuss the booming growth for Nashville and what that means for the construction trades. Link

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