Georgia Branch, AGC was recently honored as the recipient of AGC of America’s Chapter of the Year award. The award was presented earlier this year at AGC’s national convention in Las Vegas – and it happens to coincide with the chapter’s 80th anniversary celebration.
The award, which is being celebrated all year long by Georgia Branch, AGC members throughout the state, capped what Mike Dunham, executive vice president of Georgia Branch, AGC, calls "an exceptionally strong year for the chapter, where member participation reached an all-time high and member growth was the highest in nearly a decade."
"Several years ago, we set out to develop a strategic plan to help our chapter grow as an organization, to increase the participation of our members, and to significantly enhance our ability as an association to serve those members," Dunham says. The plan, he adds, included some "bold initiatives across the state, among them the institution of monthly meetings outside of Atlanta in five other locations across the state."
Hand in hand with this expansion, Dunham says, came an increased focus on workforce development issues statewide. He explains that the increased presence throughout Georgia opened the door to what he calls "some significant workforce development programs" as Georgia Branch, AGC member firms across Georgia worked with local schools to help address the needs of the school systems and the industry alike.
"Workforce development is our No. 1 challenge," Dunham says, and he underlines the fact that this expansion across Georgia has been a significant factor in addressing the issue.
Dunham adds that yet another result of this growth across Georgia has been the opportunity to offer "more and more" continuing education programs to contractors through Georgia, not just in Atlanta.
To achieve these goals, he adds, would not have been possible without the hard work of the Georgia Branch, AGC staff.
"I have to give credit to the Georgia Branch staff," Dunham says. "Our staff got in there and worked hard to help achieve those goals."
Receiving the Chapter of the Year honors is plenty of excitement in itself. But at the same time, Rick Allen, president of R. W. Allen, LLC in Augusta and 2007-08 Georgia Branch president, was named Chapter President of the Year. Additionally, Georgia Branch, AGC’s Dunham was named Chapter Executive of the Year.
