Carolinas AGC got off to a fast clip in the second quarter of 2025, including:
- Passage in the SC Senate of badly needed tort reform legislation, with much work left and CAGC member help needed in the House in Columbia in a short time frame.
- Hosting a well-attended NC Legislative Day on April 1st to continue efforts to make highway work zones safer, rebuild Western NC post Hurricane Helene and seek more education funding to help offset the construction worker shortage.
- Closing in on what should be 900 attendees for our Summer Summit & Expo in July in Hilton Head.
- Continuing standing-room only events across the Carolinas for our Donuts with Contractors to highlight upcoming work.
- Topping our annual goal of 350 members, the CAGC Young Leaders program is off to a great start.
- CAGC is helping lead efforts in National Safe Digging Month this April.
- Teaming up with AGC of America to take part in the official April 22nd kickoff in
Raleigh
of National Work Zone Awareness Week.
CAGC Headquarters Upfit Done
With growing pains being felt, renovations recently were completed for our Airport Overlook location in Charlotte. In addition to a snappy office refresh, we now offer more space for training along with a more comfortable experience for larger Boards and Committees that meet regularly in the office.
Government Relations
- North Carolina:
- We continue to work on work zone safety, focusing on the use of speed safety cameras to enforce speed limits in work zones.
- Participating with NCODT in analyzing speeds and crashes in NC Interstate Work Zones to demonstrate that action needs to be taken to protect our workers.
- Working with NCDOT on Hurricane Helene repairs, primarily on size and scope of the projects.
- Collaborating with Legislators to rewrite legislation that would ensure public bidding laws are preserved.
- Supporting legislation that would require only 2 bidders for water/wastewater projects.
- South Carolina:
- Capping 9 years of work to date, we continue concentrating on a heavy lift following the Senate passing our comprehensive tort reform bill that is designed to improve the state’s legal climate. Now, we are working hard in the House with little time left.
Please tell your SC House Members to support tort reform!
- CAGC has worked closely with the SC811 working group on a bill to update the SC 811 laws and it is quickly moving through the legislature, having already passed the House. Similar efforts are underway as well in NC.
100+ CAGC Meetings & Events:
- Our 2025 Calendar continues to offer networking events that can’t be beat across the Carolinas.
- We expect a huge crowd at our annual Summer Summit & Expo in July following 630 attendees at our 2025 Winter Convention in Charleston.
Membership:
- In the 1st quarter, we welcomed 48 New Members-- General Contractors, Specialty Contractors, and Service/Supplier members to the CAGC family, Including 7 new Construction Business Academy members.
- With over 800 members, CAGC continues to bring value to our membership by showcasing existing money saving programs as well as new programs such as our CAGC Association Health Plan.
And as always, please invite a non-member with you to CAGC events. Contact Mike Austell, Jacob Garmon, Wendy White, or Lawson Pope, and they’ll be happy to assist in event registrations.
Education & Training:
- View the full education and training calendar here.
- Immigration Compliance Webinars free to CAGC Members:
- CAGC Foundation now has 2 Certified NCCER proctors which expand our NCCER assessment capabilities.
- Lane the Loader delivered over 600 construction themed books in 2024 and so far, in 2025, Lane has delivered 95 books.
- Young Leaders were videoed reading construction themed children's books to serve as an educator's resource along with lesson plans.
- We have doubled the number of Private trainings delivered from Q1 2024 to Q1 2025.
Construction Bootcamps/Business Academy:
- We’ve continued expanding Construction Bootcamps in direct partnership with North Carolina community colleges. These 8–10-week training programs equip individuals with construction basics, certifications, and job placement — giving you access to job-ready workers.
- So far in 2025, we have hosted 7 Construction Bootcamps serving over 50 students.
- We are expanding the program to high schools and more community colleges across the state with a special effort to help rebuild western North Carolina.
- The Wilmington Construction Business Academy has successfully continued with 8 businesses/13 participants around NC in attendance, with graduation set for April 22.
- The next cohort will start in June in Raleigh. We are currently accepting applications.
CAGC Foundation:
- Our new site (www.cagcfoundation.org) is now live — a dedicated space to display our mission, programs and impact. The new site helps members and partners explore workforce initiatives, apply for support, and stay engaged with our work.
- Annual Impact Report: The CAGC Foundation’s first-ever Annual Impact Report tells the story of how we’re moving the needle on workforce development.
- Scholarships and Career Development Support: We’re helping your future workforce stay engaged in the trades — supporting students, second-chance job seekers and high school graduates through scholarships and career coaching.
Other CAGC Efforts:
- With over 1,000 attendees at the Annual State Construction Conference in Raleigh recently, AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson gave a positive construction outlook but raised concerns about tariff and workforce shortage/immigration issues.
- Carolinas AGC is growing stronger than ever—with a 50%+ increase in LinkedIn followers (now over 7,250), and 8,000 followers on Facebook.
- We honored 13 construction projects, and the contractors and their partners who built those projects, during the 2024 Pinnacle and Construction Excellence Awards Celebration.
CAGC Young Leaders:
- With a record-breaking 355 Young Leaders, CAGC hosted the Young Leaders Workshop and 3 luncheons for our rising workforce to network and grow their leadership skills.
- On April 10th, Young Leaders are hosting the sold-out Sprint Sporting Clays Tournament and on May 14th they will have their Annual Pickle Ball Tournament.
Safety/HR:
- In addition to excellent turnouts for our regular safety meetings, we had a record 165 participants at our HR & Safety Conference in March 26-28 in Myrtle Beach.
CAGC Utility Division:
- We completed work with the NC Legislative Task Force on updates to the NC 811 law. The bill is currently being reviewed by the Legislative Committees and is expected to pass.
- Assisted the SC 811 board and CAGC/SC 811 board member Erik Carlson with updates to the SC 811 law. This bill has passed the House and is being considered by the Senate. The bill is expected to pass and be signed into law soon.
- Confirmed the agenda and speakers for the Utility Division breakout session at the upcoming CAGC Summit and Expo. Topics include updates on NC/SC 811 legislation, AGCA Utility Infrastructure Division updates, CAGC/ACEC Joint Committee Recommendation on Delegated Design, Design Build and Construction Management at Risk in Utility Construction.
- Through our CAGC/NC SC ACEC Joint Committee, we continued development of a Joint Committee Recommendation on Delegated Design in utility construction.
Joining Our CAGC Family:
Dave Simpson, CAE, CAGC President & CEO, who has been with the association since 1989, can be reached at
dsimpson@carolinasagc.org.