FCCI Insurance Program to Benefit Associated Builders & Contractors Indiana/Kentucky Chapter Members

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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – June 1, 2016 – FCCI Insurance Group (FCCI), a group of financially sound, middle-market commercial property and casualty insurance companies with a Midwest regional office in Indianapolis, Ind., and a strong field presence in Indiana & Kentucky, has partnered with the Indiana/Kentucky chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), Inc. to provide commercial package, auto and umbrella insurance coverage and surety bonds to eligible contractor members.

FCCI Contractors Select is a comprehensive approach to commercial insurance and risk management. Eligible ABC contractor members will have access to: insurance coverage tailored for contractors; a local designated insurance service team providing professional risk control and claim expertise; construction-focused education seminars; online risk management resources; and the FCCI HR & Employment HELPLINE – an online resource providing HR management, risk control and employment law information.

FCCI Contractors Select also features a group dividend plan based on the combined loss experience of participating members.

FCCI Surety writes contract surety bonds for a variety of contractors’ and subcontractors’ needs. With a Treasury listing of more than $50 million and a 24/7 online bond system, FCCI has the financial strength and the quick response time contractors need.

FCCI is excited to partner with the ABC Indiana/Kentucky chapter and the following independent agents: Assured Partners of Indiana LLC; Assured Partners NL; BB&T Insurance; Brown & Brown; Energy Insurance; E M Ford; Gibson Insurance Agency, Inc.; Lawton Insurance; MJ Insurance, Inc.; Old National Insurance; Sterling Thompson; Stewart Brimner Peters & Co. Inc.; The Underwriters Group; USI; and Van Meter Insurance.

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About FCCI – Working through independent agents in 18 states, FCCI provides commercial property and casualty insurance to more than 18,000 policyholders and commercial and contract surety to more than 17,000 bonded principals. Established in 1959 and rated A (Excellent) by A.M. Best Company, FCCI is headquartered in Sarasota, Fla., and has regional offices in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Mississippi and Texas. For more information, please call 800-226-3224 or visit www.fcci-group.com.

About Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. (ABC) – Associated Builders & Contractors is a national association representing nearly 22,000 chapter members. Founded on the merit shop philosophy, ABC and it’s 70 chapters help members develop people, win work and deliver that work safely, ethically, profitably and for the betterment of the communities in which ABC and its members work. ABC is the merit shop construction industry’s voice with the legislative, executive and judicial branches of the federal government and with state and local governments, as well as with the news media. ABC’s mission is the advancement of the merit shop philosophy, which encourages open competition and a free enterprise approach that awards contracts based solely on merit, regardless of labor affiliation.

2016 Merit Shop Construction Awards Competition

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We are now accepting applications for the 2016 Merit Shop Construction Awards competition! I encourage you all to consider participating. It is our goal to recognize and publicize the outstanding work of our members. Such recognition builds a greater awareness within our industry of the quality of projects performed and completed by Merit Shop companies.

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2016 APPRENTICESHIP GRADUATION

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Associated Builders and Contractors of Indiana (ABC) hosted its 2016 Graduation Event for Indiana apprentices on Friday, May 20. The event recognized 77 graduates across ABC’s Indiana training sites

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Governor Pence’s “Start Your Engines” tour

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ABC Indiana/Kentucky was excited to be invited to participate in Governor Pence’s “Start Your Engines” tour of Indiana.

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‘Build Your Future’ Expands to Indiana to Help Close the Construction Skills Gap

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With construction companies expected to hire more than 61,000 workers in Indiana through 2017, a new partnership between Build Your Future (BYF) and the Indiana Construction Roundtable Foundation is committed to meeting the demand for qualified craft professionals while helping individuals achieve their career goals. Build Your Future Indiana is a unique collaboration of employers, state agencies and industry associations that encourages residents to learn about construction careers and training opportunities now emerging in the state and to qualify for and obtain careers in these high-demand occupations.

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NHS Prep Academy Job Fair

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The 3rd Annual Job Fair for the Construction Prep Academy was a huge success!   The contractors were eager to meet young people interested in pursuing construction as a career.  Students took this networking opportunity seriously and were well prepared for their interviews.  All sixteen of the Indianapolis-based ABC students were given three interviews by the fifteen companies represented.

The companies that participated were:

  • Baumgartner & Co. Asphalt
  • Brandt Construction
  • Commercial Trade Source
  • Dilling Mechanical
  • Emergent Construction
  • Ferrer Mechanical Services
  • Fluid Waste Services
  • Fredericks, Inc., Contractors
  • Gaylor Electric
  • Glenmark Construction
  • Gordon Plumbing
  • Kemna Masonry Restoration
  • Merritt Contracting
  • Myers Construction
  • Tech Trades

In just over one week, there have been eleven job offers and numerous second interviews scheduled. Three students have already accepted positions and will be starting their career in construction as soon as they graduate!

2015 ABC Year in Review

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See how ABC advanced the merit shop philosophy and helped members win work, develop people and deliver work safely, ethically and profitably for the betterment of our communities in 2015.

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BWI Joins the Patriot Family

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We are pleased to announce that as of March 1, 2016, BWI, Inc. has joined Patriot Engineering and Environmental, Inc. (Patriot), expanding our service capabilities and expertise in the disciplines of weld and steel inspection.

BWI and Patriot have a history of successfully working together for nearly 10 years. Our companies hold similar values and philosophies regarding the services we provide to our clients. This transaction will further support Patriot to deliver a broader range of services and deliverables to your projects, adding additional value and reducing risk to our service line.

If you have any questions about this exciting news and what it will mean for you and your projects, please contact us at any time. We look forward to introducing you to our new partners and associates.

Corporate Office: 6150 E 75th Street Indianapolis, IN 46250
Phone: (317) 576-8058

Offices also in Terre Haute, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Lafayette, Bloomington; IN
and Louisville, KY, Dayton, OH, Nashville, TN, Carmi, IL, and New Orleans, LA.

To learn more about Patriot, please visit us at www.patrioteng.com.

Kentucky Ranks 37th for Construction Business Climate According to ABC’s Merit Shop Scorecard

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Contact: Jeff Leieritz:(202) 905-2104; [email protected]

Louisville, Kentucky, Dec. 18 – Kentucky is a poor place for contractors to do business according to a
scorecard launched today by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). “Building America: The Merit Shop
Scorecard” reviews and grades state-specific information significant to the success of the commercial and
industrial construction industry. The scorecard website, meritshopscorecard.org, identifies states, such as
Kentucky, where strategic improvements need to be made to create an environment where merit-shop
contractors are well positioned to succeed and states that have created contractor-friendly business
environments.

“Kentucky policymakers have significant room for improvement in creating a business environment where
contractors can excel,” said J. R. Gaylor. “Kentucky policymakers can help reduce the cost of public
construction to taxpayers and make it easier for contractors to expand their operations and create more
jobs in Kentucky by adopting free enterprise-based policies such as banning anti-competitive and restrictive
PLA and prevailing-wage mandates and supporting right-to-work and workforce development programs.”
The merit shop philosophy is the belief that people and companies succeed based on free enterprise
principles within the free market system, which is characterized by open and fair competition and diverse
participants. Those who adhere to the philosophy believe employees and employers have the right to
determine wages and working conditions through either individual or collective bargaining, as they choose,
within the boundaries of the law. They oppose violence, coercion, intimidation and the denial of the rights
of employees and employers. Furthermore, they believe it is incumbent upon all branches of government
to be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars and that government should award contracts based solely
on merit to the lowest responsible bidder, regardless of labor affiliation.

ABC sees Governor Matt Bevin as a Governor that will provide an era of new leadership that will create an
economy based on free enterprise principles that are essential to making Kentucky a top tier state in job
creation and job growth. Kentucky’s current high rating (b) in Career and Technical training is consistent
with ABC’s ongoing effort to sponsor construction in Kentucky high schools as a pathway to the lucrative
career opportunities in the skilled trades. Without corresponding construction job opportunities after high
school, students are stymied from realizing the great career options in construction. Hopes are high for the
new Bevin Administrations leadership in education and workforce development.

The Merit Shop Scorecard was developed with input from ABC chapters and industry stakeholders across
the country. States were evaluated based on their policies and records on seven key issues:
 Project Labor Agreements (PLAs)
 Prevailing Wage
 Right to Work
 Public-Private Partnerships (P3s)
 Workforce Development
 Career and Technical Education
 Job Growth Rate
Criteria and definitions are available on meritshopscorecard.org. The scorecard will be updated with
exclusive state construction unemployment rate estimates from economist Bernard Markstein, Ph.D.
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Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) is a national construction industry trade association
representing nearly 21,000 chapter members. Founded on the merit shop philosophy, ABC and its 70
chapters help members develop people, win work and deliver that work safely, ethically, profitably and for
the betterment of the communities in which ABC and its members work. Visit us at abc.org.