VOICEThe The official magazine of The Construction Users Roundtable In collaboration with CII Issue 4, 2019 REGISTER NOW! CUR T’ s 2020 National Conference is Coming Up! Is a Recession on the Horizon? Or Will 2020 be a Year of Growth? Pessimistic Predictions, OR Optimistic OutlookThe Construction Users Roundtable 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS INDUSTRY LEADERS: 7 A Message from Jim Ellis, CURT President 9 A Message from Gregory Sizemore, Esq., CURT Executive Vice President 11 A Message from Stephen Mulva, CII Director GET TO KNOW CURT: 13 CURT Comments 16 Committee Conversations ON THE COVER: 18 Pessimistic Predictions, OR Optimistic Outlook FEATURES: 27 Taking a Deep Dive into Labor: Workforce 2030 31 Looking Back, Looking Forward LEGAL BRIEF: 34 Mitigating the Risk of Contractor Default 37 INDEX TO ADVERTISERS Published By: Matrix Group Publishing Inc. 5605 Riggins Court, Second Floor, PO Box 41270, Reno, Nevada 89504 Toll Free Tel (866) 999-1299 Toll Free Fax (866) 244-2544 www.matrixgroupinc.net President & CEO Jack Andress Operations Manager Shoshana Weinberg (sweinberg@matrixgroupinc.net) Publisher Jessica Potter Editor-in-Chief Shannon Savory (ssavory@matrixgroupinc.net) Senior Editor Alexandra Kozub (akozub@matrixgroupinc.net) Editors Jenna Collignon, Kaitlin Vitt Finance/ Administration Lloyd Weinberg, Nathan Redekop (accounting@matrixgroupinc.net) Director of Marketing & Circulation Lloyd Weinberg (distribution@matrixgroupinc.net) Sales Manager – Winnipeg Neil Gottfred Sales Manager – Hamilton Jeff Cash Matrix Group Publishing Inc. Account Executives Albert Brydges, Andrew Lee, Bonnie Petrovsky, Brenda McPhee, Brian MacIntyre, Cheryl Klassen, Colleen Bell, Frank Kenyeres, Jim Hamilton, Julie Welsh, Kevin Harris, Marlyn Beek, Renée Kent, Rob Gibson, Sandra Kirby, Tanina Di Piazza, Tenisha Myke, Terri Erkelens Advertising Design James Robinson Layout & Design Kayti Taylor ©2019 Matrix Group Publishing Inc. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without the prior written permission of the publisher. The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of Matrix Group Publishing Inc. Published For: The Construction Users Roundtable 4100 Executive Park Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45241 Tel: (513) 563-4131 Fax: (513) 733-9551 E-mail: construction-users@curt.org Web: www.curt.org On the Cover: In this issue’s cover story, Anirban Basu, Chairman & CEO, Sage Policy Group, Inc., provides a sneak peek preview of his presentation that he’ll give at CURT’s 2020 National Conference (February 10-12, 2020). Is a recession on the horizon, or will construction and the economy boom in 2020? Learn more starting on page 18. To update your subscription information, email distribution@matrixgroupinc.net. Note, all past issues are available for free at www.curt.org if you prefer to read the electronic version. CURT 2020 National Conference February 10-12, 2020 Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass Phoenix, Arizona Member Meeting May 5, 2020 Cincinnati, Ohio Safety / Lean Construction Summits May 6, 2020 Cincinnati, Ohio International Construction Summit August 24, 2020 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Member Meeting August 25, 2020 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Workforce Development / Offsite Construction Summits August 26, 2020 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Member Meeting / Awards of Excellence Gala November 17, 2020 Cape Coral, Florida Productivity and Contracting / Technology and Procurement Summit November 18, 2020 Cape Coral, Florida CURT 2021 National Conference February 8-10, 2021 Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass Phoenix, Arizona JOIN CURT AT THESE UPCOMING EVENTS Up-to-date details can be found at www.curt.org.The Construction Users Roundtable 7 INDUSTR Y LEADERS A Message from the CURT President And just like that summer has faded and as I write this in early October, Winter has walloped several states with record-level snowfalls. Before it hit, weather forecasters saw it coming. We may not always like what the weatherman has to say, but when it comes to predicting major weather occurrences, they’re pretty good at forecasting what’s on the horizon. For the rest of us, it’s not as easy. Take the Super Bowl, for example. Ask 10 panelists who they think is going to win in January, and you may get 10 different answers back – despite the fact that they’re all working from the same data. Throw in an injury or player scandal, and all their predictions will shift again. Now let me tie this to construction. Our industry is intertwined with the economy. Ask 10 economists if they think a recession is on the horizon for 2020, and you may get 10 answers back – again, despite the fact that they’re all working with similar data. Throw in a trade deal gone south or late-night negative tweet, and all their predictions will shift again. The reality is, we do our best to predict what’s around the next bend, but at the end of the day, our best defense is training and the team we surround ourselves with. I’d like to offer that CURT can fill both these roles for you and your companies. Our training line-up for the upcoming year covers all the topics you need to stay current on, from doing business in international locations, to ensuring the next generation of construction professionals are ready for what’s coming their way, to off-site construction, to safety, to lean, to workforce development. Please check out the full line-up on page 5 or visit www.curt.org’s event page. Now, the next area is where CURT truly shines. Our network of industry professionals are the John Elways, Barry Sanders, and Joe Montana’s of construction. Our membership is made up of some of the safest and most innovative companies around. The people who represent these businesses know their stuff and they’re willing to share what they’ve learned in order to benefit the entire construction industry. We’re lucky to be in such good company. Over the years our members have benefited greatly from the fact that CURT is a team – we all want our industry to be successful for generations to come, so we’re all enthusiastic about sharing our own experiences for the collective good. This has included presentations on how a company is working towards Zero Injury, or the success an owner has experienced using off-site, or how a contractor is building the workforce of tomorrow with huge success. Individually, we don’t know everything. Collectively, we are pretty darn impressive! I challenge you to find another group whose members are as focused on the greater good of our industry, than our esteemed members. If you’re not a member of CURT, I’d like to invite you to learn more about what we’re all about. Give us a call or attend an upcoming meeting and see what we’re focused on in person. Track me down and ask how being a member of CURT has helped me in my professional career and how the education I’ve acquired at CURT events has benefited me personally, as well as my employer. If you’re a member of CURT who has been sitting on the sidelines, I’d like to invite you to play ball. We need your expertise on our Committees and at our events. Reach out and let us know how you’d like to get involved! Finally, if you’re a member of CURT who is engaged with what we’re doing, thank you. We could not achieve what we have without your commitment of time and knowledge and we will continue to need your leadership. We truly appreciate what you have helped us accomplish. The new year is going to be here before you know it. I look forward to connecting with you at the National Conference in February. It is sure to be a great event with opportunity to network, learn and transfer our industry knowledge and advocate value. Jim Ellis President SABIC, Global Engineering Manager Engineering and Project Management Connect With CURT in 2020 If you’re not a member of CURT, I’d like to invite you to learn more about what we’re all about. Give us a call or attend an upcoming meeting and see what we’re focused on in person. Track me down and ask how being a member of CURT has helped me in my professional career and how the education I’ve acquired at CURT events has benefited me personally , as well as my employer.made. kept. 2020 National Conference February 10-12, 2020 Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass RICHARD BARNES Internationally Recognized Mediator ANIRBAN BASU Economist with a Personality BRENT DARNELL Author, Speaker, and Authority on Emotional Intelligence JEFF HENDERSON Celebrity Chef and Author ROSS SHAFER Change Expert and so much more! REGISTRATION NOW OPEN VISIT NC.CURT.ORG FOR MORE INFORMATION JIM GLORIOD CEO, Aon Construction Services Group U. S. CAL BEYER Director, Risk Management, Lakeside IndustriesThe Construction Users Roundtable 9 INDUSTR Y LEADERS A Message from the CURT Executive Vice President Please consider this your official invitation from me, to CURT’s National Conference in February. The line-up is excellent. The weather will be warm and sunny. There will be great things for you, your spouse, and your family to do, and the entire CURT team will work to ensure your conference experience is rewarding and fun. The CURT National Conference is the perfect place to learn from industry experts, exchange ideas with other attendees, find suggestions for the challenges you’re facing, and discover the industry’s latest tools and products in the exhibit hall. Perennial favorite, Anirban Basu will return to deliver expert economic insight on what we can anticipate moving into 2020. As a prelude, Anirban wrote this issue’s cover story, which starts on page 18. I encourage you to read it in preparation for his fast-paced presentation! Ross Shafer, Emmy Award winning Change Expert, is ready to help you create an adaptive work culture that is able to handle whatever new trends society throws at you. He will share how to assess the risk of inaction … I believe his word is extinction. Cal Beyer, Director of Risk Management for Lakeside Industries, Inc., will tackle the somber topic of suicide and why suicide prevention is a construction industry leadership issue. Did you know that our industry’s suicide rate is four times higher than the U.S. average? Cal will help us explore why this is and what we can – and must – do to help change the tide. Former Director of the Federal Mediation and Reconciliation Service (contained within the U.S. Department of Labor), Richard Barnes will share how to handle promises that have not been kept. Billions of dollars a year are spent settling disputes. Imagine what we could do if that capital was invested in new projects? The agenda for the 2020 CURT National Conference will also offer break-out sessions. Topics will include global challenges, safety culture, managing labor risk, execution strategies for success, and more. Mark your calendars, book your flights, and secure your room (the negotiated rate is only available until January 17, 2020). I look forward to enjoying the desert temperatures with you in sunny Arizona, February 10-12, 2020! Greg Sizemore Executive Vice President The Construction Users Roundtable The CURT National Conference is the perfect place to learn from industry experts, exchange ideas with other attendees, find suggestions for the challenges you’re facing, and discover the industry’s latest tools and products in the exhibit hall. Join CURT in Chandler in February See you in Arizona for CURT’s National Conference! Next >