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May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and the Associated Builders & Contractors NH/VT (ABC NH/VT) is proud to announce the launch of Wellness Wednesdays, a series of workshops aimed at promoting mental health awareness and well-being within the construction industry.

Taking place every Wednesday throughout the month of May, Wellness Wednesdays will feature engaging and informative presentations on various topics related to mental health and total human health. These sessions will cover critical areas such as substance use disorders, suicide prevention, psychological safety on the jobsite, and hard hat health.

Key Details:

  • Dates: May 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd & 29th
  • Time: 11:30 am - 12:30 pm (EST)
  • Platform: Zoom
  • Cost: $100 per member company grants access to each week's presentation for the entire staff

 

"We are committed to breaking the stigma surrounding mental health within the construction industry," said Jennifer Landon, VP of Education and Workforce Development, ABC NH/VT. "Wellness Wednesdays are designed to provide valuable insights, resources, and support to ABC members, fostering a culture of well-being and safety in the workplace."

Registration for Wellness Wednesdays is now open. Member companies can register their staff by visiting abcnhvt.org/calendar or calling 603-226-4789.

About ABC NH/VT

Associated Builders and Contractors is a national construction industry trade association representing more than 23,000 members. Founded on the merit shop philosophy, ABC and its 68 Chapters help members develop people, win work and deliver that work safely, ethically and profitably for the betterment of the communities in which ABC and its members work. ABC's membership represents all specialties within the U.S. construction industry and is comprised primarily of firms that perform work in the industrial and commercial sectors.

Hollie Noveltsky

CONCORD, NH, December 19, 2023—Associated Builders and Contractors NH/VT Chapter (ABC) today announced the endorsement of Hollie Noveletsky for Congress, NH-1. ABC represents over 285 local contractors and construction-related firms in the multi-family, industrial, commercial and institutional construction sector.  

“Hollie Noveletsky is a contractor who knows firsthand the challenges faced by our industry,” said Josh Reap, President & CEO of ABC. “We know that in Washington, Hollie will be a voice for the New Hampshire construction community, thus earning the support of the Associated Builders & Contractors.” 

Candidate Hollie Noveletsky has been a champion of free enterprise and open competition throughout her career in construction. As the leader of a woman-owned steel fabrication company, she has supported policies that support merit shop construction workers and businesses. Hollie Noveletsky understands the recently announced Biden Administration pro-union mandate to be incompatible with New Hampshire’s construction industry, where over 90% of construction workers choose to work open shop.  

“We need someone who will go to DC to represent New Hampshire and fight for our values. We believe the best person to do the job in NH-1 is Hollie Noveletsky,” added Reap.  

Associated Builders and Contractors NH/VT is the leading voice promoting fair and open competition in the construction industry in New Hampshire and Vermont.  

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Associated Builders and Contractors is a national construction industry trade association established in 1950 that represents more than 22,000 members. Founded on the merit shop philosophy, ABC and its 68 chapters help members develop people, win work and deliver that work safely, ethically and profitably for the betterment of the communities in which ABC and its members work. Visit us at abc.org. 

Fulcrum Associates project, the 11,000 s/f Manchester Fire Station #9, was the New England Journal of Real Estate's featured project of the month. 

"Fulcrum Associates was recently joined by fire leadership, firefighters, local and state officials, and mayor Joyce Craig, to celebrate the ribbon cutting and grand opening of the new Manchester Fire Station #9. This state-of-the-art facility was constructed to replace the aging station, originally built in the 1960s. The new two-story, 11,000 s/f facility comfortably houses two fire trucks, an ambulance, and includes a community room for local neighborhoods. Station #9 serves a densely populated area with mixed occupancy, elderly apartments, large commercial buildings, the South Willow St. corridor, South Beech St., Queen City Ave. and Brown Ave..."

Read the Article

Commercial Craft Apprentices

Last week, ABC NH/VT held a reception to welcome students and contractors participating in our 2nd Vermont Commercial Craft Apprenticeship class which begins Nov. 17 2023. 

This year the apprenticeship program will include 19 students who will be placed at six companies, including DEW Construction, PC Construction Company, ReArch Company, HP Cummings, Kingsbury, and Bread Loaf. More than 30 people attended the welcome reception in support of the program. 

The following is the November 2023 CCA Class Student Listing: 

  1. Sierra LeClaire (DEW)  
  2. Allen Bushey (DEW) 
  3. Andrew Fiske (PC) 
  4. Joshua Newton(PC) 
  5. Cayden Yates (PC)
  6. Molly Metayer (PC) 
  7. Samuel Manchester (BreadLoaf) 
  8. John Champion (BreadLoaf)
  9. Carl Wheeler(Kingsbury) 
  10. Chandler Barnes (Kingsbury) 
  11. David Dennis (Kingsbury) 
  12. Trevor Hood ( Kingsbury)
  13. Davis Bodette (HP Cummings)
  14. Jason Sheldrick (HP Cummings) 
  15. Dylan Burke (HP Cummings) 
  16. Ollie Hurd (ReArch) 
  17. Dakota Ward (ReArch)  
  18. Ted Sheehan (ReArch) 
  19. Cody Blake (ReArch)                            

ABC NH/VT is addressing the workforce shortage locally by serving as the Sponsor of Registered Carpentry Apprenticeship programs in New Hampshire and Vermont. The apprenticeship programs address a critical workforce shortage by connecting employers with individuals interested in learning carpentry. Apprentices receive multiple years of on-the-job training and hundreds of hours of related instruction. We continue to see expanded interest in the programs and at the same time helping to address the workforce shortage.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 3The construction industry added 23,000 jobs on net in October, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On a year-over-year basis, industry employment has increased by 219,000 jobs, an increase of 2.8%.

Nonresidential construction employment increased by 8,400 positions on net, with growth in all three subcategories. Nonresidential specialty trade added 4,200 positions, while nonresidential building and heavy and civil engineering added 2,600 and 1,600 jobs, respectively.

The construction unemployment rate increased to 4.0% in October. Unemployment across all industries increased from 3.8% in September to 3.9% last month.

“The construction industry added jobs for the seventh consecutive month in October,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “Over the past year, hiring has been concentrated in the nonresidential segment, with especially strong employment growth in the nonresidential building category. This is in large part due to the unprecedented surge in manufacturing megaprojects.

“While contractors’ demand for labor remains robust, the rising cost of labor, pushed upward by worker shortages, remains a pressing issue for the industry,” said Basu. “Average hourly earnings for construction workers increased at over twice the rate of economywide wages in October and have risen significantly faster over the past 12 months. With over half of contractors intending to increase their staffing levels over the next six months and fewer than 7% intending to downsize, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index, labor shortages should continue to push wages higher over the next few quarters.”

 

Traditional college pathways continue to be pushed as the preferred route to a lucrative career. Degree seekers spend years learning while potentially racking up tens of thousands of dollars of college debt that must be paid back by a job that may not be in high demand.

In construction, there are more openings for craft professionals than there are individuals available to fill those roles. As a result, average hourly earnings are rising and career advancement opportunities are exceptional. Enrolling in a construction apprenticeship sets you on the path for success early on, and you can earn a living while building your foundation for tomorrow’s advancement opportunities in the industry.

Construction offers more than 20 career paths in specific trades like HVAC, carpentry and pipeline technicians. Apprenticeships help people find and upskill in the specific crafts they find fulfilling, giving them access to one of the leading sectors where workers report the highest levels of job satisfaction, according to a report based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ American Time Use Survey.

Associated Builders & Contractors NH/VT (ABC NH/VT) is addressing the workforce shortage locally by serving as the Sponsor of Registered Carpentry Apprenticeship programs in New Hampshire and Vermont. The apprenticeship programs address a critical workforce shortage by connecting employers with individuals interested in learning carpentry. Apprentices receive multiple years of on-the-job training and hundreds of hours of related instruction. I’m pleased to share that we have several dozen apprentices between the two programs. We continue to see expanded interest in the programs and at the same time helping to address the workforce shortage.

National Apprenticeship Week, Nov. 13-19, reminds us that apprenticeships are the best way to set yourself up for success from Day 1, and America should treat them as such.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 31—Associated Builders and Contractors submitted  comments to the U.S. Treasury Department’s Internal Revenue Service in response to a proposed rule implementing controversial labor policies through changes to the federal tax code by the ABC-opposed Inflation Reduction Act. ABC called on the IRS to provide further clarity and withdraw anti-competitive aspects of the proposal that would increase costs, reduce competition and delay construction of clean energy projects eligible for more than $270 billion in federal tax incentives from the IRA.

“If the Biden administration is truly committed to the Inflation Reduction Act’s stated goal of promoting construction of critical clean energy infrastructure, Treasury and the IRS must significantly revise the proposed rule to clarify prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements and eliminate unnecessarily burdensome provisions that depart from the letter of the law,” said Ben Brubeck, ABC vice president of regulatory, labor and state affairs. “Otherwise, increased costs and widespread delays on clean energy construction projects are inevitable as developers and contractors struggle to understand and comply with cumbersome and unclear regulations.”

“While inflationary prevailing wage regulations and government-registered apprenticeship mandates that limit small business and workforce participation are unfortunately required by the Inflation Reduction Act, the agencies can still take important steps to provide clarity and lessen burdens for taxpayers and contractors. Among many other recommended changes to the proposed rule outlined in ABC’s comments, IRS must ensure clear prevailing wage classifications are readily available to contractors seeking to pay appropriate wages and establish apprenticeship requirements and exceptions that align with actual industry practice.”

The Treasury’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Increased Credit or Deduction Amounts for Satisfying Certain Prevailing Wage and Apprenticeship Requirements, proposes regulations clarifying the applicability of tax credits for the construction of private clean energy projects funded by the IRA––including solar, wind, hydrogen, carbon sequestration, electric vehicle charging stations and more––conditioned on compliance with controversial prevailing wage and government-registered apprenticeship requirements. Effective Jan. 30, project developers who satisfy these regulations are eligible for a 500% increase in tax credits compared to baseline tax credits offered to developers under previous regulations.

“Additionally, the agencies must fully withdraw provisions of the proposed rule that incentivize project labor agreements that restrict competition and unfairly favor unions. Project labor agreements often prevent contractors from utilizing their established workforce,” said Brubeck. “Given that less than 12% of the U.S. construction industry is unionized and the construction industry is facing a skilled labor shortage of more than 500,000 people in 2023, these policies must be removed to ensure that the vast majority of the workforce is able to work on projects receiving IRA tax credits through fair and open competition.”

According to a survey of ABC contractor members published Oct. 24, 98% of respondents stated that controversial prevailing wage and government-registered apprenticeship policies imposed by the Inflation Reduction Act will make them less likely to bid on clean energy projects. 

ABC also led a coalition of a dozen construction and business associations in comments urging the IRS to provide regulatory clarity and to abandon its illegal and coercive scheme to push clean energy project developers into requiring PLAs.

ABC previously submitted comments on Nov. 4, 2022, to Treasury in response to its request for comments on future initial guidance implementing these tax credits. ABC outlined concerns with the IRA’s unprecedented expansion of inflationary prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements and the lack of clear guidance from Treasury as a result of it failing to issue regulations through a traditional notice-and-comment rulemaking.

ABC issued a Nov. 29, 2022, statement on the IRS/Treasury’s inadequate initial guidance.

Following extensive feedback from ABC and industry stakeholders on the November 2022 guidance, this summer the Biden administration announced a formal rulemaking on the matter.

Stakeholders can review ABC and government resources on the IRA tax credits for clean energy projects at abc.org/ira.

On Oct. 26, Associated Builders and Contractors of NH/VT (ABC NH/VT) awarded 11 construction companies Excellence in Construction awards for exemplary work on 15 commercial construction projects completed throughout New England. The EiC awards program is the construction industry’s leading competition that honors contractors for world-class, safe, and innovative construction projects.

“For more than three decades, ABC NH/VT has honored award-winning construction projects like these because the team’s work exemplifies excellence in our industry,” said Josh Reap, president and CEO of ABC NH/VT. “The 2023 Excellence in Construction honorees set the standard in safety, quality and innovation.”

The EiC awards honor every member of the construction team, including the contractor, owner, architect and engineer. The winning projects are selected from entries across NH and VT and are judged on complexity, attractiveness, unique challenges overcome, completion time, workmanship, innovation, safety and cost. A panel of industry experts served as the competition’s judges.

Concord, NH based North Branch Construction received the prestigious 2023 Chairman Award for their outstanding work on the SIG Sauer Experience Center in Epping, NH, a one-of-kind facility offering an opportunity for a hands-on, immersive experience with the SIG SAUER brand. 

The highly prized Chairman’s Award recognizes one project that stands out from the rest. The winning job embodies the industry’s idealized qualities of teamwork, quality, professionalism, and commitment to safety for the betterment of the community.

The projects and companies listed below represent the pinnacle of merit shop construction achievement.

Excellence Awards

  • Charters Brothers Construction, LLC, University of New Hampshire - College Road Utility Upgrades
  • DECCO, Inc, Project Atlas
  • DEW Construction, Maplewood Nursing Home
  • Fulcrum Associates, BAE-MNH 30/31 Renovation
  • Metro Walls, Salem Heights
  • North Branch Construction, SIG Experience Center
  • ReArch Company, Winooski School District Additions & Renovations

Merit Awards

  • Eckman Construction, NH Eye Associates Medical Office Building
  • Eckman Construction, VA Medical Center Clinical Services Project
  • Longchamps Electric, Merrimack College: Collegiate Church Renovations
  • Metro Walls, Southbridge Mills
  • North Branch Construction, Summit on Juniper
  • PROCON, Merrimack College - Student Union and Collegiate Church of Christ the Teacher
  • Sullivan Construction LLC, Wire Belt

Contact Josh Reap, president & CEO of ABC NH/VT for more information about the Excellence in Construction awards, josh@abcnhvt.org or 603-717-1282.

ABC NH/VT is a chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors, a national construction industry trade association established in 1950 that represents more than 21,000 members. Founded on the merit shop philosophy, ABC and its 68 chapters help members develop people, win work and deliver that work safely, ethically and profitably for the betterment of the communities in which ABC and its members work.


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Photo: Members of the North Branch Construction team who received the Chairman's Award for the SIG Experience Center in Epping, NH.

It takes courage to address uncomfortable topics, but Jennifer Landon, VP of Education and Workforce Development is up for the challenge.

Landon recently presented “Grief: A Hidden Safety Risk” at the Women in Safety Conference at Keene State College and at the National Safety Council's 96th Annual Maine Safety and Health Conference. “Grief is a natural and normal response to loss, but it can be a complex and often misunderstood emotion. Grief messes with our brains and our bodies," says Landon. Here are some ‘scary’ facts she talked about at the conference earlier this month: 

  • Unsupported grief in the workplace costs companies up to $225.8 billion every year
  • It’s estimated that 1.5 million children in the US have lost one or both parents by age 15 (this is our future workforce)
  • 90% of those who work in physical jobs are more likely to get injured due to lack of concentration (hence…grief is a hidden safety risk)
  • It is estimated that 1 in 4 employees is grieving at any given time

"Grief can display much the same as mental health challenges," adds Landon. "Experiencing grief is not a sign of weakness or something to be afraid of. It's a journey that looks different for everyone, and there is no right or wrong way to grieve. It's a process that requires time, patience, and self-compassion."

Landon is a Certified Grief Educator & Coach, Construction Suicide Prevention Trainer and Mental Health First Aid Responder. She has presented on the topic of workplace grief at national and regional conferences and has facilitated workshops for associations and organizations. To learn how you can create psychologically safe workplace cultures that are grief sensitive, contact Jennifer.

Thank you to the ABC members who sponsored the Women in Safety Conference: RH White, Contractors Risk Management, White Cap

Andrei Anghel and Robert Mayo Join The Rowley Agency
 

The Rowley Agency, LLC is pleased to announce the addition of Andrei Anghel as an Account Executive in the agency’s Benefits Department. Andrei has previous experience guiding clients through complex circumstances in Real Estate and IT. We are excited to see him apply his passion for building relationships to assist our clients in finding the right benefits solutions to fit their needs. A recent grad from UMASS Lowell, Andrei lives with his wife, Stephanie, and their daughter in Newmarket. He will be working out of our Concord office.

The Rowley Agency, LLC also announces the return of Robert Mayo as an Account Executive in the agency’s Property & Casualty Department. Rob brings with him eight years of P&C industry experience from Utica National and Concord Group as an underwriter and four years of agency experience as an account manager with A.B. Gile, Inc. which The Rowley Agency acquired in 2021. Rob is a native of the Upper Valley and a graduate of Bentley University. Rob lives with his wife and son in Plainfield. He will be working out of our West Lebanon office.

 

Reference
Daniel E. Church
(603) 224-2562

dchurch@rowleyagency.com
https://www.rowleyagency.com