PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Technology Shaping Our Industry Isn’t it amazing to think about all the tech-

Jon Ball, President AGC of California

nology advances that have occurred in the world in just the last 20 years or so? We are living in what historians will call a high tech explosion, even more transformative than the Industrial Revolution (1800-1940). Once upon a time, we contractors lamented about how our industry seemed to be the only one stuck in the past. Construction “Means and Meth- ods” were stale, old-fashion, and inefficient, and totally lacking in creativity. “Old School” construction industry stan-

Like any key

decision, take a little time, and be sure to include your smartest and most trusted people in the decision making process. If that “cool new app” is truly that great, it will still be great (or even better) in a couple months, after you have taken your time to check references, run some Beta tests, and see what else is out there.

dards are being challenged. These challenges, fueled by our youth, are bombarding us with new “apps” on a daily basis. There is literally a software product for every administrative process you can think of… estimating, project tracking, subcontractor/vendor database man- agement, accounting, payroll, safety training, etc. Space does not allow me to list them all. Twenty years ago, who had an IT Depart-

ment? Today, who doesn’t have staff dedicated to keeping your company’s technology flow- ing? If we have a computer crash today, it se- verely impacts our ability to communicate and our ability to build. As a contractor, we face many challenges. If

we do not hire the right people, we may fail. The owners we choose to work for is another critical decision. If we take on the wrong proj- ect, at the wrong time, with the wrong team around us, we will take a financial beating. Today, we face tremendous pressure on

which technology to use. Vendors bombard us with daily opportunities for purchasing their latest products. “Your most successful com- petitors have tried it, and they like it!” Like any new product, the devil is in the de-

tails. My advice? Like any key decision, take a little time, and be sure to include your smartest and most trusted people in the decision mak- ing process. If that “cool new app” is truly that great, it will still be great (or even better) in a few months, after you have taken your time to check references, run some Beta tests, and see what else is out there. AGC of CA (AGCC) can help you see and

process all of the new technology opportuni- ties that are now available. And guess what – some of this stuff may actually help your ef- ficiency, productivity, and profitability! Back on July 8, AGCC held its first Tech

Forum in Fremont at the ARC Document So- lutions Technology Center. Despite being a first-time event, it was a sellout. At least eight different vendors gave presentations about their new apps, while additional industry ex- perts discussed the state of technology in the construction industry today. Many different sectors of our industry were including general contractors, subs,

present,

insurers, and even owners (Stanford and Uni- versity of California) in attendance. The vari- ous presentations were punctual, informative, and relevant. Most were presented by princi- pals of their firms. Following a few hours of information sharing, we had the chance to re- fuel and rehydrate. The entire Forum was well- received by all attendees, and well planned by Joe Lish, Claire Koenig, Sophia Taft, and Ryan Famularo. By popular demand, we will be scheduling

more of these, so stay tuned! One final comment: As I write this article,

your AGCC Executive Committee has just concluded our Strategic Planning meetings in Monterey. For two productive days, we had thoughtful

and insightful discussions about our future. I am so proud to be your AGCC President, and I want to express my gratitude to the Past Presi- dents, Officers, and the entire Executive Com- mittee for their dedication to our industry and our association. Paula and I look forward to seeing all of you

in Rancho Mirage, October 21-24 at the AGCC 2015 Annual Conference, “Desert Harvest”. I hope to see you there!

Jon Ball

4 September/October 2015

California Constructor