If you weren’t with us at ABC Convention 2022 in San Antonio in March, you missed the event of the year. Yes, I’m biased, but I think seeing thousands of ABC members come together for a week of education, networking and celebration would inspire anyone who is a part of our community, especially after everything we’ve enduring over the last two years.
As always, my favorite part of the show was the competitions and other programs in which we recognized the future leaders of our great construction industry, including the Construction Workforce Awards. Read profiles of our 2022 CWA honorees—Craft Instructor of the Year, Craft Professional of the Year and Young Professional of the Year.
The future was also front and center at our National Craft Championships, which brought together more than 175 young trade professionals from across the country—including electricians, carpenters, pipefitters and welders—to face off in 15 competitions across 12 crafts. It was exciting to watch literal sparks fly on our show floor and to see some of the skilled trade workers who will shape tomorrow’s construction industry.
Also on the workforce front, this issue’s Workforce column focuses on the growing field of construction technology—and the evolving makeup of the industry’s talent pool—by talking with three women contech executives. One of their insights in particular struck me:
“Theconstructionindustryisuniquebecauseit’soneofthefewindustrieswheretechnologyhasadirectandvisibleimpactonthephysicalworld.”
Speaking of the physical world, while it feels so good to get together for a normal convention, that doesn’t mean business is totally back to normal. Our cover story looks at how the pandemic has changed construction and design for commercial and industrial projects. Our industry is highly adaptive and resilient, as you’ll see from the projects we spotlight in multiple market segments.
We are halfway through the year, with lots to celebrate and much to learn. I hope this issue of Construction Executive helps you do both.
