MCAA Regional Report, Region G Words: Glenn HottmannArizona - Clemens Hellmann Colorado - No State Chair New Mexico - No State Chair Utah - Alan Johnson Wyoming - Jim Thompson Workforce Development Arizona The enrollment for our Central & Southern AZ held steady in 2014. The Southern AZ Program had 4 apprentices and our Central AZ program had 9 apprentices enrolled. In 2014, we expect to have a total of 5 apprentices enrolled in the Southern AZ program and a total of 13 in the Central AZ program. Our AZ NCCER program made some small steps in 2014. We are currently working with the Maricopa County Regional School District (MCRSD) to establish a new construction technologies program at their new high school campus which is scheduled to break ground in February 2014 and the target date for opening is August 2014. MCRSD has agreed to become NCCER authorized training unit under AMCA’s sponsorship. Colorado No State Chairman New Mexico No State Chairman Utah A labor shortage has started to develop in the construction trades. With the slower economy of the past 5 years, wages have remained stagnant or retreated backwards. This has caused many craftsmen to leave the trade for other types of employment, seeking better wages to provide for their families. E-verify has significantly reduced contractor’s ability to attract young men to come work in our trade, creating another shortage of young men who want opportunity to work but can’t be hired. To address this issue, the Utah Masonry Council, is starting an accredited three year apprenticeship program this coming January, to provide advancement opportunities and training for the younger generation of workforce who want to be a part of this great trade. The Utah Masonry Council continues to promote “Excellence in Masonry” awards each year to architects for designing masonry into their projects, thanking them for their support of our industry. Wyoming No report as of this writing. General Conditions Arizona The general market conditions in Arizona 2013 mirrored the conditions of 2012. Masonry Contractor morale remained low and competitive conditions were even fiercer for those few projects that went out for bid. Participation in some of our annual competitions & events such as the Fastest Trowel on the Block and various member luncheons was down slightly versus 2012. Colorado No State Chairman New Mexico No State Chairman Wyoming No report as of this writing. Economic Conditions Arizona During 2013, the Residential Market finally began to gain momentum. Our residential masonry fence contractors are very busy but are now struggling to find the skilled labor force needed to meet the construction demand. Pricing still remains low and profitability is even lower for our members. Our commercial contractors saw small signs of hope during 2013 with some months having great bidding activity but this was short lived in many cases. This inconsistency has left many of our members skeptical as to whether or not 2014 will be any different than 2013. Colorado No State Chairman New Mexico No State Chairman Utah Utah is tied with two other states, moving from 5th to 6th in the category of having the lowest unemployment in the nation, currently standing at 4.6%. Wall Street reports, Utah ranked 7th highest in the nation for growth rate in GDP. Utah’s residential growth rate has been high but has been slowing down a little due to the drop in multifamily construction. There is a large airport expansion in SLC getting ready to start along with multiple hi-tech companies moving into Utah, creating continued construction opportunity and growth in Utah. Wyoming No report as of this writing. Market Expansion & Initiatives Arizona In 2013, AMCA leaders met with various U.S. congressional representatives to gain their support for the CMU Check-Off Program. Although we have not yet secured the support from an AZ congressional representative in 2013, we are hopeful that in 2014 we will have our first cosponsor. We are also working locally to address the misclassification of employees as independent contractor issue. This practice is prevalent in the residential construction market and we are beginning to see this trend moving into the commercial market. Colorado No State Chairman New Mexico No State Chairman Wyoming No report as of this writing.About: Featured
