Contractors and others are beginning to report diverse impacts on building projects and products from the coronavirus outbreak. Today Boston’s mayor, Martin Walsh, ordered construction sites in the city to shut down but also was reportedly preparing to order more construction of medical facilities. A consultant to construction lenders sent a summary on March 9 of reports from draw inspections (site visits for the lender to verify that work to support requested construction funds has been completed): “we’re hearing delays from [general contractors]. Delayed delivery of drywall, glass, steel, HVAC and electrical equipment from China and curtainwall from Italy.

On last Friday's Words with Wayne, hear about the Idaho AGC's ongoing Contractor Education Breakfast Series, the AGC/ITD Highway Forums, and gear up for AGC of America's convention in Las Vegas next week!

The coronavirus outbreak continues to spread globally each day but the impact on U.S. construction remains speculative. So far, there do not appear to be any reports of cancelled, deferred or interrupted construction projects, nor of delays or shortages of construction equipment, parts or materials. However, the disruption to Chinese production and shipping is increasing, adding to the likelihood that some construction products and projects will be affected.

As promised, here is the FULL interview version of this week's Words With Wayne, a one-on-one interview with Governor Brad Little covering industry issues.

On this week's episode of Words With Wayne, Wayne reaches out from the AGC Western Chapters meeting in San Diego to keep you updated on what we're doing on the local and national political scene.

We beat the pavement every day trying to get the word out to parents, educators, career counselors, and students:  the trades are a great place to have a career.  

We came across this article on Parents.com from one parent to another, "Teens Need to Know They Can Make Money in Trade Careers" and thought we'd share.  We aren't the only ones spreading the word.  Click the article title to read what blogger Katie Bingham-Smith has to say about her son entering the trades.

The employment cost index—a measure of compensation (wages, salaries and benefits, including required payments), which the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) posted today for the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2019, showed mixed results for the quarter and year.

Seasonally adjusted construction employment increased from December 2018 to December 2019 in 34 states and the District of Columbia and declined in 16 states, an AGC analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

On today's episode of Words With Wayne, learn about our training, get a legislative update, and tune in for a few reminders of our upcoming events.

For the first time since March, contractors’ bid prices rose less from November to December (0.1%) than the cost of purchased materials and services (0.5%), based on an AGC analysis of producer price indexes (PPIs)