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Central VA’s 3rd Annual In-House Craft Competition 11/17 CV

Central VA’s 3rd Annual In-House Craft Competition 11/17 CV

CENTRAL VIRGINIA’S 3RD ANNUAL IN-HOUSE CRAFT COMPETITION
Friday, November 17, 2023  |  8:30AM – 5:00PM
REGISTRATION OPENING SOON

Join us for an exciting competition on November 17th, 2023. Nine apprentices across three trades will battle it out to see who will be top apprentice in their trade. Electrical, HVAC and Plumbing will each have a special project that must be completed within certain time restraints. Their tasks will include plans/drawings, pre-material lists, hands-on activities and general knowledge. Come on out and see who will be TOP APPRENTICE of 2023!

The first place winner of this competition will fly to Kissimmee, FL, to compete in the National Craft Competition in March of 2024 at ABC National Convention.

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Event Sponsor $1,200 – includes name on website, signage at event as event sponsor, name on award certificates, name on t-shirt, special recognition during announcements
T-Shirt Sponsor $1,000 – includes name on event t-shirt, website, event marketing material and award certificates, signage at event
Equipment Sponsor $700 – includes name on website, signage at event, name on equipment (where visible), name on event t-shirt, marketing materials and award certificates
Tool Sponsor $500 – includes name on website, event marketing materials and award certificates
Refreshment Sponsor $400 – includes signage at event, name on website, marketing materials and award certificates
Select during registration or email Sherrie Dickerson to register as a sponsor

LOCATION
ABC-VA Central Virginia Training Facility
1600 E Parham Road, Richmond, VA 23228

COST
Registration opening soon

SUBSTITUTIONS/CANCELLATIONS
Substitutions are welcome at any time if the originally registered individual(s) can no longer attend. Please note: a reservation constitutes a financial commitment unless cancellations are made within 72 hours of the event.

QUESTIONS?
Sherrie Dickerson

2023 Hampton Roads Apprenticeship Graduation 6/23 HR

2023 HAMPTON ROADS APPRENTICESHIP (ELECTRICAL [TECA] & HVAC) GRADUATION CEREMONY
**Please email Rachel Fronius or call 757-855-8220 for information on how to register.**
Friday, June 23, 2023  |  The Westin, Virginia Beach  |  5:30PM – 8:30PM

Dress Attire: business casual (no shorts or jeans)
RSVP Deadline: Friday, June 9, 2023. No cancelations after Friday, June 9, 2023.

To register via email or in person:
Download attendee registration form

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Platinum Sponsor $1500
: Includes four (4) event tickets, bar sponsorship, company logo on event signage, marketing material and programs, company recognition during the event
Gold Sponsor $1000: Includes four (4) event tickets, company logo on event signage, marketing material and programs, company recognition during the event
Silver Sponsor $750: Includes two (2) event tickets, company logo on event signage, marketing material and programs, company recognition during the event
Bronze Sponsor $350: Includes company logo on event signage, marketing material and programs, company recognition during the event
Program Sponsor $650: Includes one (1) event ticket, ad in program, company logo on marketing material and programs, company recognition during the event
Photo Booth Sponsor $850 (max of two): Includes two (2) event tickets, company logo on event signage, marketing material and programs, company recognition during the event, company logo on printed photo booth pictures
Select during registration or email Rachel Fronius to sign on as a sponsor!

COST
$55 Members/Non-Members
$20 Child (13 & under)

SPONSORS – THANK YOU!
2023 HR Grad Sponsors Web 15MAY23


**Please email Rachel Fronius or call 757-855-8220 for information on how to register.**

Questions?
Contact Jamie Carrow

Top Talked-About Tech at the 2023 ABC Joint Tech Summit

The 2nd annual ABC Joint Tech Summit was held on Thursday, April 27, in Tysons, VA. This event, hosted by the ABC chapters of Chesapeake Shores, Greater Baltimore, Metro Washington and Virginia, brought together over 200 construction professionals to learn and talk about cutting-edge construction technology and safety. Construction Executive featured the event and summarized the full-day experience perfectly:

Read below or view the article on Construction Executive’s website.

At the 2023 ABC Joint Tech Summit in Tysons Corner, Virginia, on April 27, there was talk, of course, of various construction technologies, including AI, VR, autonomous vehicles, impairment detection, digital twins, blockchains and Spot the Robot Dog. All this different tech, however, was discussed for the same two reasons: safety and efficiency.

While some companies are just discovering the vast uses for and benefits of smart technology in construction, other companies are already well into adoption and implementation. Here is a breakdown of some of the contech showcased at the Joint Tech Summit, which was presented by four ABC chapters: Chesapeake Shores, Greater Baltimore, Metro Washington and Virginia.

AUTONOMOUS MACHINES 
The talk of the Tech Summit was Spot the Robot Dog from Boston Dynamics. Spot can walk, run, crawl, climb stairs and tortuous terrain, right itself from a fall, return to its charging port when its battery runs low and is compatible with a variety of add-ons, like 360 cameras. Spot is controlled via tablet and can be programmed to run on its own, allowing for increased worker and jobsite safety and productivity.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Even if you aren’t using ChatGPT to forge full-length documents, you probably still use artificial intelligence daily. If you’ve ever googled anything, you know the search engine will generate the rest of your search and offer suggestions; if you’ve ever typed an email, you know it will offer to fill in the rest of your sentence. That is generated by AI.

If you wear a smart watch, you have had your steps, heart rate, temperature, decibel exposure and overall health score monitored by AI. Beyond sending emails and reminding you to stand up every hour, simple, everyday AI such as ChatGPT and wearables are great tools to implement in construction.

For example, text-based AI is a great tool for organizing data: filing reports, ensuring those reports actually get completed and filed and that the data within them is consistent. AI of this nature can also help mitigate risk before it even exists by conducting a risk analysis and producing predictive analytics based on reports collected.

Wearable AI is also a great tool for directly monitoring and mitigating worker safety. In addition to performing a predictive analysis, wearables analyze physical scenarios, which can be anything from high heat exposure to falling to near-accidents. AI knows when a worker was, is and could be at risk and how to intercept, diminish or avoid that risk for optimal worker safety and jobsite efficiency.

VIRTUAL REALITY
There are more uses for virtual reality than playing video games—although some of them can feel very much like a video game. VR together with AI is being used in parts of the construction industry to run training scenarios. This allows for data to predict problems and generate solutions for trainees to test within a controlled environment. With tools like reality capture from OpenSpace, contractors can also surveil jobsites remotely when a virtual workspace is created from the digital capture of the real workspace, allowing work to be done whenever and from wherever, optimizing productivity and eliminating variable risk factors.

IMPAIRMENT DETECTION
One piece of tech drew more attention and questions than the others at the summit. As cannabis becomes legalized for recreational and medical use in more states, impairment detection was the popular product of the day. The DRUID app, founded by Impairment Science Inc., is a portable cognitive behavioral assessment tool that is run not unlike a concussion test: A worker takes an initial test to produce a baseline measurement of cognitive and motor functions. Then that baseline is measured against future testing. This simple, noninvasive, privacy-protecting product can not only mitigate safety risks by measuring physical impairment, but can also pinpoint potential mental health risks.

Impairment Science COO Chris Bensley also argued that in some states, DRUID might increase productivity and an employee candidate pool by negating the need for cumbersome drug-testing procedures.

Of course, there is even more contech to be talked about—and maybe even discovered—such as 3D printing, BIM, NFTs. Some of this technology has been around for years already, yet is only now starting to gain popularity within the industry. While some people fear a tech takeover, losing their jobs to robots and machines and computers, if the construction industry embraces it, technology might actually teach more than it takes. In the end, the technological revolution is not simply about specific technologies and their specifically designed purposes.

“It is about technology innovation that is happening across the globe,” said Tech Summit speaker Kris Lengieza, vice president of global partnerships and alliances for Procore, “and how we can put some of those things to work for us in our industry.”

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Peter Rowland of Smartapp.com demonstrates his company’s smartboard technology

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2023 Northern Virginia Apprenticeship Graduation 6/9 NV

2023 NORTHERN VIRGINIA APPRENTICESHIP GRADUATION CEREMONY
Friday, June 9, 2023  |  Holiday Inn, Sterling, VA  |  5:30PM – 8:30PM
ABC Virginia is excited to host our 2023 apprenticeship graduation on June 9 at the Holiday Inn in Sterling! Join us for an outstanding evening of recognizing tradesmen from electrical, HVAC, plumbing, carpentry and drywall that have committed to a career in construction. #webuildVA

Please note: all guests must be pre-registered. Attire is business casual. Children 12+ only.

To register via email or in person:
Download attendee registration form

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
BAR $600

Two (2) tickets to event, signage at event
DRAWING $600
Two (2) tickets to event, signage at event
GIFT $600
Two (2) tickets to event, signage at event
Select during registration or email Maureen Nanna to sign up as a sponsor

GRADUATION TICKET
$76 per attendee

AGENDA
5:30PM Cocktail Reception
6:00PM Dinner & Ceremony
Speaker TBA

LOCATION
Holiday Inn
45425 Holiday Drive, Sterling, VA 20166

Questions?
Contact Maureen Nanna

Circle of Winners: Multiple ABC-VA Member Companies Receive Awards at the 2023 ABC National Convention

ABC Virginia today announced multiple member companies won national awards presented during the 33rd annual Excellence in Construction Awards during ABC Convention 2023 in Orlando, Florida, on March 16. Categories include the Excellence in Construction Awards, National Safety Excellence Awards and IDE (Inclusion, Diversity & Equity) Awards, with some members identifying with other chapters.

Excellence in Construction® (EIC) Awards
The EIC awards are the construction industry’s leading national competition that honors general and specialty contractors for world-class, safe and innovative construction projects from across the country.

Congratulations!
Hensel Phelps, Archer Hotel Tysons Corner—Eagle Winner
Hensel Phelps, Marriott International Headquarters Hotel and Office—Pyramid Winner
Harkins Builders, Inc., Brightview Columbia—Pyramid Winner, identifying with ABC Metro Washington
David Allen Company, Marriott HQ Hotel—Eagle Winner, identifying with ABC Metro Washington
Ruppert Landscape, A Washington DC Temple—Eagle Winner, identifying with ABC Metro Washington

National Safety Excellence Awards
The National Safety Excellence Award is given to members that have demonstrated remarkable achievements in leadership, safety and innovation. The awards were presented to 49 contractors across the country.

Congratulations!
LEEBCOR Services—Excellence Winner
Hourigan—Pinnacle Winner

Inclusion, Diversity & Equity (IDE) Awards
The National Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Excellence Awards recognize members that display exemplary IDE leadership in their company, workforce, supply chain and community with best-in-class recruitment policies, retention practices and training and mentoring programs.

Congratulations!
Hensel Phelps—Excellence Winner, identifying with ABC Rocky Mountain

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Archer Hotel HP Exterior 4

Excellence in Construction Eagle Award Winner – Archer Hotel Tysons Corner, Hensel Phelps