What Have We Done for You Lately

Q3 2026

By: Dave Simpson, Carolinas AGC President & CEO

Like the hot temperatures these days, Carolinas AGC is sizzling with what we’ve got going on, including for starters:

Approval this summer by the NC General Assembly of $1 million for our CAGC Foundation to continue workforce development efforts as the $5.5 million for a similar grant, approved several years ago, winds down in 2026.

With record opening-day registrations, look for 900 attendees at our 2026 Summer Summit & Expo, commercial construction’s biggest annual event in the Carolinas. Details here.

CAGC continues to grow our Association Health Plan, recently adding five new member companies. With over 500 individual employees participating, we are proud to offer affordable health, dental and vision coverage exclusively for our members in North and South Carolina. Learn more here.

We’re closing in on our goal of 500 members in our Young Leaders program. At 400 strong already, we’re asking for your assistance in helping us obtain that goal. Please spread the word to your staff regarding membership in the CAGC Young Leaders Program.

Government Relations

In Both Carolinas: CAGC recently in Charlotte joined representatives of AGC of America, Crowder Constructors, Inc., Reeves Construction Co. and the NCDOT to highlight the importance of long-term transportation investment and the need for a new federal highway and transit bill in both Carolinas. The event highlighted Charlotte's ranking among the nation's top five major metro areas for construction job growth. Special thanks to CAGC BOD Treasurer Paul Edwards of Reeves Construction for helping put together this timely event at a jobsite off I-85 in Charlotte.

CAGC Board Chair Lynn Hansen, CEO of Crowder Constructors, represented the Carolinas at both the Charlotte media event and AGC of America's national virtual press conference, where she was the only general contractor featured alongside AGC CEO Jeff Shoaf in urging Congress to pass a long-term transportation bill that supports jobs, safety and economic growth.

North Carolina: CAGC strongly supported legislation that was approved this summer by state lawmakers, adding $1 million for purchasing more blue-light trailers for use in work zones as we continue work with lawmakers focusing on the use of speed cameras to enforce speed limits in work zones.

CAGC continues to oppose SB 1047, which has a Job Order Contracting provision in it. That would cause unneeded, expensive and wide-ranging changes to the current public bidding system in NC. The bill is in House Rules, and we are trying to keep it there, but we probably won’t know more until July 27when the NC General Assembly reconvenes its session.

We held a well-attended CAGC NC Legislative Day on May 13^th that included a jobsite tour of the NC Museum of History project with coordination led by CAGC BOD Chair Elect Marty Moser of Barnhill Contracting. CAGC also is serving on the Friends of Wake County Steering Committee in Raleigh to support a $600 million school bond that will be on the ballot in November.

South Carolina: Special thanks to Gov. Henry McMaster and the General Assembly for approving legislation modernizing the SCDOT. The new law abolishes the DOT Commission, strengthens internal auditing, expands project delivery methods and sets stricter timelines for municipal project approval.

The Legislature approved the Small Business Regulatory Freedom Act, designed to reduce unnecessary state regulations and increase legislative oversight of rulemaking. It also requires state agencies to compile more detailed economic analyses for proposed regulations and requires legislative approval for regulations expected to have a significant economic impact (at least $1 million over five years).

Following the primary elections in June, the big race to watch in November is for governor: state Atty. Gen. Alan Wilson (R) v. lawmaker Jermaine Johnson (D).

Utility Division:

CAGC held our first Digging Deep Utility Division Update meeting both in person and online. Speakers included CAGC Chair Lynn Hansen, Division Chair Matt Bares and a special presentation by BRS, Inc., including past CAGC BOD Chair Brad Barringer, on documenting damages, best practices and using the DIRT Reporting Tool.
The CAGC Utility Division’s quarterly newsletter featured information on new SC 811 laws, and the NC/SC ACEC Joint Committee is continuing research on PFAS and PFOS and how regulating these forever chemicals may impact construction.

CAGC Foundation & Workforce Development

We’re working on partnerships with the SC Department of Education and SC Technical Colleges to bring CAGC Construction Bootcamps to SC.

Our new Career Service Network helps Construction Bootcamp graduates transition from training to employment by connecting them with CAGC member companies, entry-level job opportunities, and valuable career resources—all in one place.

We recently applied for five sizable grants to bolster our Foundation workforce efforts.

Richmond Community College successfully launched its first CAGC-sponsored Construction Bootcamp, reaching full enrollment as students seek careers in commercial construction amid the region’s rapid growth, including the development of an Amazon AI data center and other major infrastructure projects.

Meetings & Membership

Q2 was a successful quarter, as we welcomed 75 new member companies year-to-date. We enjoy seeing all the new faces at our CAGC events, especially the CAGC Donuts with Contractors and Young Leader events, which continue to be a big hit in both Carolinas along with our CAGC Connects networking.

In celebration of our members, CAGC published its Spring Edition of the CAGC hardcopy magazine which featured the Pinnacle Award and Construction Excellence winning companies, along with their project partners. CAGC also put out press releases to hundreds of media outlets throughout the Carolinas announcing these awards and other CAGC actions.

We continue to focus on bringing expert-led, member-only briefings and peer discussion to help our industry stay ahead of emerging cyber-security threats. In June we featured Brad Southwell, Practice Lead for Risk & Compliance at Worksmart, to discuss ransomware issues. His information was well received.
We are revamping our Student Chapters for Future CAGC Leaders. If you or someone you work with would like to serve as a Student Chapter Liaison, please check out that link.

The next few months will be packed with exciting opportunities to grow your business and expand your network! Join us at District Connects, Donuts with Contractors, Contractor Showcases, and more to build relationships, make valuable connections, and discover new opportunities.

We held a CAGC Specialty Contractors Committee meeting, chaired by Division Chair Daniel Poaps, at our Charlotte office this quarter, and had solid discussions involving the Specialty Trades. The CAGC Membership Committee, led by Chair Josh Byers, is playing a key role in recruiting new members and helping with renewals.

Don’t forget, as CAGC members, to take advantage of our Capitol Hill representation and the many other benefits available through our excellent partnerships with AGC of America and ARTBA.

Finally, on the heels of our great nation’s 250^th Anniversary, we thank all of you CAGC members for your teamwork and continued support and leadership.

Best,