ASSOCIATION NEWS
Durham County home
builders raise alarm about
labor shortages caused by
Trump administration’s
immigration policies
The Home Builders Association
of Durham, Orange and Chatham
Counties has raised the alarm that a
severe labor shortage is putting
pressure on housing prices and its
members’ ability to deliver homes
in a timely manner.
“We’ve had to lengthen our con-
struction times,” the Durham Her-
ald-Sun reported association
president Gian Hasbrock as saying.
His company, CalAtlantic, is build-
ing the Southpoint Trails subdivi-
sion in south Durham. “We have a
building that needs plumbing done,
but our plumbing contractor doesn’t
have enough people for a crew.”
“It would be foolish to not ac-
knowledge that a definite propor-
tion of these workers are without
documentation,” Hasbrock
said. “They are scared stiff, and
their quality of life is undermined by
that, just as you or I would be un-
happy working in the shadows.”
The 600-member association has
asked lawmakers for legislation “to
foster a welcome environment for
foreign-born skilled laborers,” ob-
serving that one in four of the
area’s construction workers are im-
migrants, it said.
“I don’t want to represent that
we have the solutions,” Hasbrock
said. “We are just raising our hands
and asking to change the conversa-
tion around immigration.”
Brad Barringer receives
AGC Past President’s
Lifetime Achievement
Award Brad Barringer, retired
president of BRS Inc. in
Richfield, has been
awarded the Associated
General Contractors
(AGC) of America’s Past
President’s Lifetime
Achievement Award dur-
ing the recent AGC annual conven-
tion in New Orleans.
The award honors an AGC mem-
ber who has demonstrated, over an
extended period of time, extraordi-
nary commitment to AGC and the
construction industry, The Carolinas
Associated General Contractors
(CAGC) reports. “This award is not
presented every year. It is only pre-
sented when all past presidents
agree that the recipient spent a lot
of time, energy and treasure mak-
ing the construction environment
better for all of us. Brad met all of
the criteria,” CAGC reported. “He is
always committed, always tena-
cious and always blunt.”
“The construction industry is bet-
ter, and safer, because of Brad and
his hard work and passion,” AGC
president Art Daniel said. “He, like
many of us, cares about his em-
ployees and Brad works to keep
them safe. When agency regula-
tions threatened more harm than
help, Brad educated regulators on
how to make their rules more effec-
tive. He looked for inequities that
could hurt good people and hurt
good contractors and let his pas-
sion lead the way.”
CAGC says that when Barringer
recognized contractors were being
held responsible for damages to
underground utilities because of
other’s failure in the 811 process,
he was determined to hold all
stakeholders accountable for their
respective responsibilities.
“Brad knew firsthand that there
were a lot of variables to consider
whenever there was an
accident. He wanted everyone to
admit their portion of the problem
and commit to eliminating acci-
dents. He worked tenaciously at the
state and federal level with
his chapter, national AGC and
in the Common Ground Al-
liance. It was an uphill battle,
but Brad’s tenacity improved
safety by forcing contractors,
locators and underground fa-
cility operators to admit
14 — March-April 2018 — The North Carolina Construction News
shared responsibility and make
safety a priority. This was not a one
year battle, but a constant unrelent-
ing decades long activity that Brad
committed to.”
“I couldn’t be more surprised and
honored by this award, but I have
to recognize my wife Ruby who
traveled with me by car, train and
plane to meetings across the coun-
try for years,” Barringer said at the
convention. “BRS stands for Brad,
Ruby and Sons, without Ruby we
would just be, well you know.”
ABC Carolinas’ members
in Wilmington support
community libraries project
Associated Builders and Contrac-
tors (ABC) of the Carolinas’ mem-
bers have lent time and material
support for a Wilmington Housing
Authority initiative to build nine Lit-
tle Free Libraries in its communi-
ties. The libraries include children’s
books, self-help books on parenting
and a few novels.
Supporting companies included:
Adams An Oldcastle Company, WM
Jordan, Pink Trash, Sunbelt Rentals,
Premier Electrical Staffing, Preci-
sion Walls, Herc Rentals, Thomas
Construction Group, East Coast
Contracting ECS Southeast, Brinn
Glass, Copycat Print Shop, Inc.,
SPC Mechanical, Standard Glass,
Sherwin Williams, A & N Roofing,
84 Lumber, ABC of the Carolinas
and Fox Hill Construction.