News

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 »

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 »

Governor Haslam, State Rep. Eddie Smith and ABC of Greater TN join ABC to highlight Careers in Construction Month

Knoxville, Tenn., October 14- ABC of Greater Tennessee, Governor Haslam, and State Representative Eddie Smith joined together today to highlight Careers in Construction Month. "The Construction trade industry nationwide is facing about a 1.1 million shortage of the workforce," said State Representative Eddie Smith, "so today we are here to highlight some of the things happening in Knoxville. The construction trades industry needs your help." 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 lo ... Read the rest of entry »

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. 

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 »

Knox Couny Mayor Tim Burchett speaks to Members in Knoxville

On Thursday, September 15th, Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett laid out the political landscape to the ABC Greater TN membership in Knoxville. The event was held at Cherokee Country Club. She the photo gallery on our Facebook page.