Best Practices Construction Law : Construction Lawyer & Attorney : Matthew DeVries : Stites & Harbison Law Firm : Green Building & LEED Litigation

I am on the board of the Construction Leadership Council of the AGC of Middle Tennessee.  Earlier today, we presented a check to the Ronald McDonald House Charities to help support their great work for sick children and their families in and around Nashville, Tennessee. 

As I drove back to the office, I thought about the importance of helping others ... and specifically the impact of giving to others.  I recently heard a Jewish reading about giving:

THERE ARE eight degrees in the giving of Tsedakah, each one higher than the next:

to give grudgingly, reluctantly, or with regret;

to give less than one should, but with grace;

to give what one should, but only after being asked;

to give before one is asked;

to give without knowing who will receive it, although the recipient
knows the identity of the giver;

to give without making known one’s identity;

to give so that neither giver nor receiver knows the identity of the other;

to help another to become self-supporting, by means of a gift, a loan,
or by finding employment for the one in need.
 

Contractors are giving at every level.  Last night, Hardaway Construction and LP Building Products won the AGC of Middle Tennessee's Community Outreach award for their participation in the construction of Lighthouse Christian School featured on Extreme Home Makeover. In addition, AGC's Operation Opening Doors is helping renovate a home for a Las Vegas family struggling with medical issues.  

So, at which level are you or your company giving? 

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There's a time in every blogger's life where you simply have to grab your login information by the boot straps, step up to the blogosphere plate, and give a shout-out to another organization's event, such as: 

The Tennessee Builders' Ball brings together industry organizations to solidify support of the designs, Real Estate and Construction Industries, all while raising funds for the ACE Mentor Program of Tennessee.  If you are not signed up or if you have any questions, please send Kelly Dando an email.

In addition to supporting a great cause, the event is a great opportunity to network with other players in the construction and real estate development industries.  Here is a list of participants signed up so far:

RC Mathews * Stites & Harbison PLLC * MJ Harris * Gresham, Smith and Partners * Rock City Construction Co., Inc. * Lewis King Krieg & Waldrop, P.C. * AGC of TN, Middle TN Branch * AGC of East TN * Crowe Horwath LLP * Skanska * The Parent Company * PBG Builders, Inc. * RJ Griffin & Company * Orion Building Corporation * URS * PSI * Thomas, Miller & Partners, PLLC * Tuck-Hinton Architects * Burns Cooley Dennis Inc. * T. W. Frierson Contractor, Inc. * Barge Waggoner Sumner & Cannon * Earl Swensson Associates * supportive desiGN llc * MCDR Construction, LLC * Heery International * Reynolds & Reynolds Janitorial Services, Inc. * DevMar Products, LLC * Builders Exchange of Tennessee * WASCO INCORPORATED * HCA * Vanderbilt University * J&S Construction * ACE Mentor Program of America * Design & Survey Concepts, LLC * Balfour Beatty Construction * TN AGC CompTrust

Are you going to be added to this list? 

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In case you could not get in touch with me on Friday, I was standing in the rain all afternoon.  But it was for a great cause, so please forgive me.  Beginning at 5:30am and lasting most of the day, 15 teams of local contractors and construction service providers weathered the storm for the AGC of Middle Tennessee, Construction Leadership Council's First Annual BBQ in Red Shoes cook-off.  Both Stites & Harbison and Best Practices Construction Law helped sponsor the event.

In everything we do—whether you are a contractor, banker, painter, lawyer, parent—there is room for growth.  On a construction project, you may learn a better way to overcome weather delays.  On a construction loan, you may find a new way to structure the deal to benefit all the parties.  In a lawsuit, you may find a strategical advantage to filing a motion.  And in a BBQ cook-off, you may learn a thing or two.  What did I learn from working four hours in the rain?

Contractors love BBQ cook-offs.  I am not sure whether the attraction is getting an early start to the weekend ... or the thought of an afternoon of meat and beer ... but these guys and gals had a great time. 

Contractors love working hard.  We had over 25 volunteers that helped prepare for the day, set up tables at 5:30am, stand in the rain to sell tickets and t-shirts, and haul away bags of trash at the end of the day.  Just being a part of the team was a rewarding experience.

Contractors love helping others.  I was absolutely overwhelmed at the generosity of the individuals and teams that participated in the event.  The "Sustainable Smokers" from Waste Management took home BBQ Champion award (pictured above).  The event raised approximately $1,500 for Ronald McDonald House Charities, which was a good number given the heavy rain.  Better yet, though, the winning team at WM donated their entire cash prize of $1,250 to increase the total donation to close to $3,000!

The generosity did not end there.  As the teams were cleaning up for the day, the team from Turner Universal donated over 25 pounds of ribs, chicken and brisket to Lambscroft, an outreach that feeds up to 100 homeless individuals every Wednesday and Saturday night. 

Wow ... what a great (rainy) day!

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As a father of five children, I have fully prepared myself for "the" talk.  Already, I have discussed the various scenarios with my daughter about dating, courtship and marriage.  According to this eleven-year-old Princess, the line in the sand of appropriateness ... is ... "just holding hands."  (Whew!)

Last week, the two primary construction industry groups in Tennessee—the Associated General Contractors (AGC) and the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC)—began holding hands.  At the 2009 State AGC Convention in Nashville, leaders announced a new partnership between the state AGC and ABC organizations.  According to Ed Baldwin, President of AGC of Tennessee, "both groups have recognized the importance of partnering as a positive means to achieve excellence in construction and better represent the entire industry." 

The "holding hands" venture has been officially reduced to writing in a "Cooperation Statement" approved by leaders of both industry groups.  According to the statement, the groups have agreed to the following measures:

1. Provide a forum to identify and discuss common areas;
2. Endeavor to build trust and respect between the two groups; and
3. Attempt to avoid surprises in their cooperative efforts.

In response to my inquiry, Dan Brodbeck, President of ABC of Tennessee, said, "Our group is excited about the cooperation agreement with AGC.  We look forward to opening the lines of communication with our partner to address those construction concerns that each of our members currently face." 

Is there any precedence for such a cooperative agreement?  Actually, these two organizations have done more than hold hands, kissed and dated ... they got "hitched" in two states.  In 1994, the Arizona chapters of ABC and AGC merged to form a joint venture called the Arizona Builders Alliance.  More recently, TEXO: The Construction Association was formed in October 2008 as a result of a merger between North/East Chapter of the AGC of Texas and the ABC North Texas.

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