For the second year in a row, AGC of America’s Business Development Forum, partnered with The Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS), to offer free one-on-one BD “Check-Ups” for AGC Convention attendees to review and offer guidance on their BD and marketing related efforts. Subject matter experts from across the nation were paired with attendees to answer questions and challenges relating to BD planning, sales, proposals, client presentations, branding, brochures, websites, social media, and more.
Mauricio Henderson, 37, is the President of Perseverance in Denver, Colorado. Mauricio joined AGC's Business Development Forum for access to a peer network to get other peoples perspectives on industry challenges and share information that can add value to other organizations. Mauricio states that the "BD Forum is beneficial because we all have blind spots and it gives us a platform to help member organizations grow and become more effective." Mauricio is a tremendous advocate for the construction industry by engaging the youth in the construction workforce and helping the construction business community.“I have been given a unique talent to connect others to amazing construction employment opportunities and information. I continue to make a tremendous impact in diverse communities that surround all of us. My passion is connecting someone to an employment opportunity or providing valuable information and them just smiling and saying thank you. I hope we all can succeed together." A graduate of the Tidewater Building Association Pre-Apprenticeship Program, Mauricio started his career as an electrical helper. After working in the trade for a year, he began his electrical apprenticeship at Tidewater Community College. During this time, he had the opportunity to work on numerous construction projects such as residential, commercial, maritime, and industrial. After working in the electrical trade for over ten years, he started his own construction workforce company called Perseverance. With his passion to help others, he knows that true leadership is not about how far you advance but how far you help others advance.
Because AGC understands that Business Development is a crucial topic in the construction industry that interests and affects all of our members, we will be offering several BD-related educational sessions and networking opportunities.
AGC of America’s Business Development Forum, is partnering with The Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS), to offer free one-on-one BD “Check-Ups” for AGC Convention attendees to review and offer guidance on their BD and marketing related efforts. Subject matter experts from across the nation will be paired with attendees to answer questions and challenges relating to BD planning, sales, proposals, client presentations, branding, brochures, websites, social media, and more.
On Jan. 31, the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (OSD) released the final version of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). The Department of Defense (DOD) will begin including the final CMMC model as “go/no go” in all new solicitations starting in late summer/early fall of 2020. On the same day, defense officials held a news conference discussing the final version of CMMC. For further information on this, click “learn more.”
On Jan. 16, Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) introduced bipartisan, AGC-backed legislation to prohibit federal agencies from using reverse auctions on federal construction contracts. On Dec. 19, the Senate unanimously passed a companion bill to this measure. Reverse auctions in federal contracts typically require contractors to bid against each other in real time with ever increasing lower prices in order to win a particular contract. Several federal agencies have advised against this practice due to the administrative burden it requires, as well as acknowledging that the guaranteed low price at time of bidding often does not mean the project will be lower in cost at the close. AGC supports commonsense procurement reform to improve the delivery of federal construction projects.
AGC of America’s Business Development Forum, with support from The Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS), will offer free one-on-one Business Development (BD) “Check-Ups” to AGC Convention attendees to review and offer guidance on their BD and marketing related efforts. Subject matter experts from across the nation will be paired with attendees to answer questions and challenges relating to BD planning, sales, proposals, client presentations, branding, brochures, websites, social media, and more. The Free Business Development and Marketing Check-Up booths will be open Tuesday and Wednesday March 10 & 11 from 9:30-11:30 am PST. To learn more and sign up ahead of time please contact paige.packard@agc.org.
On Jan. 7, the Senate confirmed AGC-backed nominee Jovita Carranza to lead the Small Business Administration (SBA). Administrator Carranza previously served as Treasurer of the United States at the Department of the Treasury under President Trump and served as Deputy Administrator for SBA under President George W. Bush. Prior to these appointments, Administrator Carranza spent 30 years working for the United Parcel Service (UPS). As administrator, she will be a key voice in shaping the administration’s pro-business agenda and advocating on behalf of the nation’s small businesses and contractors.
On Dec. 19, the House passed H.R. 5430, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act (USMCA). The passage of this legislation represents a major first step towards ratification of the newly negotiated trade pact between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The Senate is set to consider USMCA in the new year. AGC has long supported this measure due to the significant economic impact trade with our North American neighbors has on the construction industry. Ratification of this new agreement will help ensure that trade impacting the construction industry supply chain remains free, fair, and certain.
For the eleventh year in a row, AGC of America has been named as one of the nation’s top lobbying operations by Capitol Hill newspaper The Hill. The publication’s annual ranking of top lobbyists lists AGC CEO Steve Sandherr as a top lobbyist. Sandherr said the listing is a really an acknowledgement of the quality of the association’s government relations team, noting that the team secured $7.6 billion in federal highway funding that Congress had planned to cut, a disaster aid package with billions of dollars dedicated to rebuilding impacted communities, and regulatory reforms to lower the bureaucratic burden on the industry, among other accomplishments this year.