AGMA

Architectural Glass and Metal Association

Interested in Joining AGMA? Take a look at AGMA Member Benefits

Did you know in the last year alone union contractors in our region logged over 1.1 million man hours? You have been busy! It’s time to let AGMA help you continue to succeed and even grow during this period of near full employment.

Consider joining the Architectural Glass & Metal Association (AGMA)! Come join the team providing services and information to create opportunities for its members and contribute to the stability of their marketplace.

Take a look at what we are accomplishing together. If you are interested, either complete the attached application or contact us at 484-444-0129. [Read more…]

Commercial Construction Index Indicates High Revenue, Employment Expectations for 2017

USG Corporation and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce partnered to create the USG + U.S. Chamber of Commerce Commercial Construction Index. Doge Data & Analytics gathered data by surveying commercial and institutional contractors. Nearly all contractors surveyed – 96 percent – expect revenues to grow or remain stable this year compared to 2016, with 40 percent expecting an increase, and only 3 percent expecting a decrease, in revenue.

Sixty-six percent of contractors said they expect to employ more workers in the next six months, indicating growth in a sector that employs approximately 3 million Americans. However, 61 percent of Index respondents reported difficultly finding skilled workers. 

Click here to read the full report.

SOURCE: Glass Magazine

Gov. Christie reverses stance on NJ-PA Tax Reciprocity: Agreement will still stand

Gov. Christie has decided to keep a decades-long agreement between New Jersey and Pennsylvania that allows residents to pay income tax where they live, regardless of where they work — just months after he announced he would end it.

Christie said legislation passed Monday, among other recent measures, will help rein in health care costs for public employees, eliminating the need for the controversial tax policy change. [Read more…]

New Member Benefit! Access your personalized Quality Management System & Quality Assurance Program

New Member Benefit! AGMA members are now eligible to access a customized Quality Managment System (QMS) and Quality Assurance Program  (QAP) via FCA International. 

Quality assurance evaluates and modifies procedures to make sure they provide the desired results.

Thinking about going for NACC Certification? This QAP is a tremendous leg-up in preparing for your certification!

[Read more…]

Spontaneous Glass Breakage – Why it happens

The past few years have seen several highly publicized incidents involving window and balcony glass breaking spontaneously and falling from high-rise buildings in Toronto, Chicago, Las Vegas, and Austin, Texas. While such episodes are rare, the danger they pose has forced building code writers, architects, government officials, and related industry professionals to reconsider which types of glass should be specified for glass applications where strength and protection of passers-by are paramount.

[Read more…]

New Pinpointing Rules & Procedures

The Trustees of the Pinpointing fund released new Pinpointing Rules & Procedures. AGMA members should familiarize themselves with the language changes, including new language that allows for both random, and for-cause, audits. For a copy of the new Pinpointing Rules & Regulations, please contact AGMA at info@agmaonline.org or (215)854-0129.

Engaging the Millennial Workforce

 

As the labor market continues to tighten and more of the nation’s 78 million-plus Baby Boomers head into retirement, construction firms will need to sharpen their hiring and recruiting pencils, say experts at FMI Corp., a provider of management consulting, investment banking and people development services to the engineering and construction industry.

Yet, employers might be missing the mark when it comes to employee retention and engagement in the construction workforce, especially in regards to Millennials, according to the firm’s 2015 “Talent Development in the Construction Industry” report. Employers surveyed for the report said that offering competitive pay, providing an enjoyable work environment and offering training opportunities are the top three methods they use to retain key talent. But when FMI asked Millennials what they felt was most important to keeping them engaged at work they responded with competitive pay (29 percent), work-life balance (23 percent) and personal development (16 percent). (See FMI’s 2015 industry survey: “Millennials in Construction: Learning to Engage a New Workforce”). The takeaway: if training is not offered as part of a comprehensive career development program, then it’s simply a way of paying attention to human “doings” rather than considering employees as human “beings,” FMI says. Still, according to its survey, only 19 percent of employers define career paths for their employees.

Internships can be a great way to not only attract Millennials to the construction workplace, but to retain them as well. Interns are able to get to know a company’s culture firsthand, while leaders are able to educate them about what the company stands for and why it exists. Having a defined and well-communicated vision is the first step in engaging employees in the long term, FMI’s findings suggest.

This is particularly important for Millennials, who want to do more than just punch a clock and take home a paycheck, according to the FMI report. They’re looking to add value, make an impact and find meaning in what they’re doing. Construction firms can leverage these realities by ensuring that younger workers have a clear sense of purpose and an understanding of their roles within the larger plan, FMI advises.

SOURCE: FMI CORP.

MillenialsSurveyReport2015_FINAL

Want Green Advantage Certification? Come get it for FREE!

This is the FINAL opportunity for your office personnel and/or field staff to become Green Advantage certified FOR FREE. Vouchers to receive training and take the $175 test expire at the end of 2015. The opportunity to take the class for free will not be offered in the future.

FTI will hold its last Green Advantage Class on Dec 8, 9, 15, and 16 from 5-8 p.m. each night. 

Right now there are only 4 registrants and the class is in danger of being cancelled. December is tough for many, but the effort to get staff (or yourselves!) to the class will be well worth it!! 

3 quick reasons you and your staff should attend:
– Having Certified Practitioners office personnel is a selling point to GC/Owner/Developers and earns a LEED Innovation Credit.

– Having Certified Associates field employees at a minimum leads to a workforce more familiar with green technologies and systems.

– Green Advantage certifications must be renewed every 5 yrs for Practitioners and 3 yrs for Associates. If your workforce was already certified, they might be nearing their requirement to be certified again. Now is the opportunity to have that re certification cost taken care of by FTI.

Check out more information on the differences in Certified Practitioners and Certified Asociate here. FTI’s Green Advantage training is applicable for both certifications, and via FTI’s voucher, registrants are able to take EITHER test.

REGISTER HERE