BL Harbert Receives Honors from AGC's BuildSouth Awards
Every year the Association of General Contractors (AGC) accepts nominations for one of the industry’s most prestigious awards. The Alabama AGC Chapter, alone, receives hundreds of entries in multiple categories including Building Construction, Design-Build, Highway Construction, International, Construction Management, Heavy Industrial Construction, and Municipal Utilities Construction.
This year BL Harbert was the proud recipient of three AGC BuildSouth Awards. BL Harbert International was recognized at the annual awards banquet on January 11, 2018, at The Club in Birmingham.
New Design-Build | U.S. Embassy Compound – Mbabane, Swaziland
New International | U.S. Embassy Compound – N’Djamena, Chad
New Building Construction Honorable Mention | Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum Addition
These projects demonstrate excellence in project management, innovation in construction techniques and materials, sensitivity to the environment and local surroundings, and BLHI’s contribution to the community. Congratulations to the project teams, and all involved, for making these projects a success!
In addition to the three awards BuildSouth Awards, BL Harbert International was pleased to receive the first-ever Gary Savage Workforce Development Award. Former U.S. Group President Gary Savage served as the 2017 AGC of Alabama President. In his role, he focused on workforce development and getting youth involved in the construction industry at a young age and retaining them throughout their career.
From AGC of Alabama:
“The workforce is the backbone of our industry. It has been the focus of Alabama AGC and its members for nearly 100 years.
Alabama AGC contractor members employ more than 150,000 workers, worldwide who build everything from interstates to embassies. Construction jobs require education, creativity and skill. They cannot be exported or automated. Skilled craftspeople build the spaces where we work, play and live our lives. Skilled craftspeople are at the heart of our industry.
While Alabama AGC members have long recognized this, 2017 President Gary Savage took the association’s involvement to a different level, focusing in on the industry’s widening efforts to recruit, place and educate field personnel. Gary called upon members to participate directly in the recruiting and placement process. He was involved in creating skills-education programs to participate in the first round of grants awarded by the Craft Training Board.
Along the way, Gary created a strong and active workforce committee at the AGC and worked with the Craft Training Board. He also brought new workforce ideas to Alabama from around the country.
As our industry continues to grow and utilize a more sophisticated workforce, the Alabama AGC’s ongoing effort first put in place by Gary will change the face of our industry in the state.”