Message from Past President, Steve Samuelson

• By: AGC admin
• On: 03/08/2018 12:43:22
• In: AGC Nebraska Chapter News

AGC Nebraska Chapter Members,

It is hard for me to accept the fact that a whole year has passed since our 2017 Convention.  It was definitely a rewarding experience to have had the opportunity to lead the 2017 AGC Board of Directors as President.  I want to assure our chapter members that every one of the current board members is an active and engaged participant in the planning and decision-making process.  I want to express my sincere appreciation for the time and efforts that these people have been willing to invest in the past year.  I believe that our chapter leadership should be proud of everything that they have initiated and/or accomplished during 2017.

I would like to provide a summary of some of the year's highlights:

• A dues task force was created to evaluate the current dues structure and make any change recommendations to the Board for any proposed changes.  The task force developed a simplified dues structure that was brought to the Board in the form of proposed bylaw changes.  The Board approved a motion to present the changes to the membership for a vote later in the year.
• At the suggestion of several members, the Board recreated a Safety Committee.  The goal is to help facilitate cooperation and sharing of ideas between the safety personnel from member organizations.  We can all benefit by collaborating on safety issues and concerns.
• The Board also created a new General Issues Committee that is tasked to review, discuss, and make recommendations regarding topics that may not be specific to our current committees.  For instance, the Grading & Erosion Committee may raise a discussion regarding erosion control issues on projects.  In some cases, the issue may have significant impacts on the prime contractors and how they organize their projects.  In that instance, it would probably be more appropriate for the topic to go to the General Issues Committee so that input can be gathered and discussed at a more global level.
• Late this year, the Nebraska DOT invited AGC to participate on a task force to help develop a special provision to incorporate lane rental to be used as a criterion on future projects.  The AGC Chapter appreciates that the DOT is willing to recognize our help in the development of these types of policies and procedures.
• At our February board meeting, it was decided to proceed with the development of a structured social media campaign.  We have entered into an agreement with KidGlov, a local marketing consultant, to develop an educational and informational social media campaign that will target Nebraska highway users, voters, and local politicians.  More details will be coming out as this project evolves.  All chapter members will have an opportunity to become involved in this campaign.

As you can see, your AGC chapter leadership has been extremely active in the pursuit of improvement and providing value to our membership.  I, again, want to thank all of the individuals that served on the 2017 Board of Directors.  I also want to recognize and thank Katie, Sheila, and Kelsi.  The staff of AGC Nebraska Chapter is second to no other.  Finally, I want to thank the AGC chapter membership for their support, participation, and commitment.  Without you, we could accomplish nothing.

Thank you for the memorable opportunity to lead the 2017 AGC Nebraska Chapter as President!

Steve Samuelson
Constructors, Inc.
AGC Nebraska Chapter 2017 President