ASSOCIATION NEWS
CAGC establishes
Construction Careers
Camp for teens
Carolinas Associated General
Contractors (CAGC) says it is cele-
brating the success of the inaugural
Construction Careers Camp, held re-
cently in partnership with Durham
Technical Community College and
the North Carolina Community Col-
lege System.

Students had a great time at CAGC’s first
construction camp in partnership with Durham
Technical Community College.

Photo Credit: Durham Technical Community College.

The diverse group of 10 campers,
ages 14 to 17 years, included three
young women. Nine of the 10
campers were African American. Cur-
rently, women make up less than 10
percent of the jobs in construction
and African Americans represent an
even smaller percentage of the in-
dustry’s workforce at just 6.1 per-
cent (2017 Bureau of Labor
Statistics). “At a time when the construction
industry is facing a significant worker
shortage, the diversity of the camp
participants holds promise for future
recruiting efforts aimed at targeted
populations that are currently under-
represented in the construction in-
dustry. CAGC has found a willing and
capable partner in the NC Commu-
nity College System (NCCCS) and the
local community colleges who are
very supportive of our efforts to in-
crease training for construction trade
programs,” Betsy Bailey, CAGC’s
North Carolina government relations
division director, said in a statement.

The week-long camp, held at the
Durham Tech campus, was run by
faculty at Durham Tech through three
experienced instructors, and fea-
tured hands-on use of construction
tools and equipment. Each demon-
stration began with “safety first”
where campers were required to
wear safety goggles while operating
machinery, and then they were given
a thorough safety demonstration be-
fore being allowed to operate any
equipment. The final project, the construction
of a tool shed, incorporated every-
thing the students learned through-
out the week: planning, design, math
and measurement, correct use of
tools and materials and—most im-
portantly—how to work effectively as
a team. Each day, contractors from
the surrounding community helped
with instruction and talked about the
rewarding careers within their com-
pany. C.T. Wilson Construction provided
a special drone demonstration, and
on the final afternoon campers par-
ticipated in a Habitat for Humanity
project. To continue fostering these
campers’ interest, CAGC will connect
them to local contractors for future
internships or pre-apprenticeships.

Funding for the camp was provided
from a state appropriation to the
NCCS for an outreach campaign de-
signed to increase awareness of and
interest in construction careers.

CAGC said in a news release that
it is excited to expand the camp at
Durham Tech and create additional
camps in community colleges
throughout North Carolina next sum-
mer. If you are interested in working
with CAGC to start a camp in your
area, contact Bailey at bbailey@car-
olinasagc.org. NC Subcontractors Alliance
(NCSA) selects new
leadership The North Carolina Subcontrac-
tors Alliance (NCSA), an affiliate of
the National Subcontractors Alliance
(NSA), has selected its new officers
for the 2018-2019 fiscal year. The
new officers are:
• President, Joseph Teeter, senior
project manager at Axiom Founda-
tions, LLC;
• Vice-president, Billy Graves, presi-
dent/CEO at W. B. Moore Electric
Company; • Treasurer, Michelle Frankum, con-
troller at Horsepower Site Serv-
ices; • Secretary, Don Hanson, partner at
Noble Insurance Advisors; and
• Director at large, Brady Nails, con-
tract coordinator at Binswanger
Glass Additionally, the NCSA created a
board of advisors to assist the board
of directors:
• Legal advisor, B. David Carson,
partner at Johnston Allison &
Hord; • GC Council representative to the
board, Josh Freeman, project
manager at Messer Construction;
• Past presidents, Chris Paone,
Christopher Bryan Company, Duff
Regan, Regan and Associates and
Art Rouse, director at National
Subcontractors Alliance
GC Council Members for 2018-
2019 include Edifice, Inc, Messer
Construction, Miles-McClellan Con-
struction and Myers & Chapman, Inc.

The NCSA was originally incorpo-
rated in 1976 as the Metrolina Char-
lotte Chapter of the American
Subcontractors Association (ASA)
and was later incorporated into the
ASA of the Carolinas.

“In 2015, upset with the financial
strain of supporting a large Washing-
ton, DC based organization with a
national focus, the NCSA voted to
leave the ASA and in 2016 became
an affiliate of the National Subcon-
tractors Alliance,” NCSA past presi-
dent Art Rouse said in a statement.

Rouse said the NSA is an alliance
of independent associations across
the country representing more than
3,500 subcontractors nationally. “The
NSA provides support to its affiliates
to provide networking, education and
advocacy to members. The NSA also
has an attorney’s council consisting
of all the chapter attorneys that
meets twice a year to discuss legal
issues that affect subcontractors.

The North Carolina Construction News — Summer 2018 — 17