EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT Building Lifetime AGC Members


Smooth Passage from Student Chapter to CLC Involvement for New & Next Gen Leaders


By Erin Volk, Vice President, Workforce & Operations, AGC of California


P


eople often ask me what I think is the “most rewarding” aspect of working on the AGC


Construction Education Foundation (CEF) and our various programs and services. Of course, I think that so much of what we do is critical to the continued growth of the industry, by assisting with the development of a strong, future construction workforce. But when I reflect on the moments


that really “hit me” and drive home the impact of what we do, I’d have to say


the most rewarding part of my work at AGC CEF is found when I have the chance to catch up with former scholarship recipients and/or AGC student chapter members – running into them either at an AGC conference or regional event or at their office or on a job site. It is so exciting to find them working for AGC member companies and in jobs they enjoy, and to hear them tell me how much the AGC events, experiences, training and opportunities that they participated in as AGC Student Chapter members impacted their personal and profes- sional lives. Finding out that they have


continued their AGC membership and are now active in the AGC Construction Leadership Council (CLC) is icing on the cake! For me, THAT validates the work we do here at the AGC CEF – hearing their stories and the small role AGC/ CEF has played in them. Every day through our various programs and services, we are impacting the lives of young people and contributing to their education and workforce development. Over the past four years, the AGC


Construction Education Foundation (CEF) and AGC of California have increased efforts to engage AGC


Griffith PE Mercy Canul Stays Connected Through CLC


By Carol Eaton For Griffith Company


project engineer Mercy Canul, mentorship has always been a key driver behind her involvement with AGC of California, starting when she was an active Long Beach State student chapter member and continuing as an active AGC CLC member today. Canul began attending AGC


student chapter meetings during college as a way to connect with people in her prospective field of construction engineering management. She took on leadership roles in her last two years at school, serving as Chapter Treasurer, Vice President and then President. Te opportunity to network with


both students and industry professionals at the AGC statewide meetings she attended proved to be highly beneficial during her time in the Student Chapter. “I met people at events who were giving me career advice, and I listened to what


14 November/December 2016


they were doing in the industry,” she recalls. “Tey started telling me what helped them get in the role they are in, or how they figured out what they wanted to do.” Networking and mentorship


were particularly important to Canul, a native of Inglewood, CA and the first generation in her family to attend college. “I was encouraged at home to work hard, and learn, but I didn’t


have anyone who could guide me in my career. So finding mentors was one of my goals,” she says. “AGC has done that.” It was through her involvement


in AGC that Canul got to know her future employer, Griffith Company. After interning with Griffith for two summers, she joined the company full time in early 2015 as a project engineer. Canul recently finished her first project with Griffith at the Port of Los Angeles. Griffith Company, a founding


member and longtime supporter of AGC of California, has always


encouraged its employees to be involved in the association. “Te CLC has been an important


way for our young leaders to grow in the industry by engaging with a variety of other businesses, both on the State and National levels,” says Griffith Company President Jaimie Angus, 2016 President of AGC of California. “I wish every member would get their people involved to see the true value. “ Canul was eager to continue her


involvement with AGC when she joined Griffith, and the CLC offered a smooth transition. “Tey have a different way of communicating and they connect on a different level that feels open and relaxed for those just starting their careers like me,” she said. While her career journey is still


relatively new, Canul said she is happy with the path she chose. “I love it,” she commented. “I like being out there and being able to be an example to other women that are thinking about a construction career or wondering if it can happen.” 


California Constructor


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