CFMA - Valley of the Sun

Save the Date: Saturday, September 28, 2013 UMOM Walk for the Homeless Sign up on VOS’ Challenge website: http://umom.kintera.org/walk2013/cfmavalleyofthesun VOS will match up to $1,500 in member donations to help raise funds for UMOM in connection with their Walk at the Phoenix Zoo. Click on the link above to register and/or donate using the VOS’ Challenge Page.     UMOM’s  mission is to provide homeless families and individuals with safe shelter, housing, and supportive services to assist them in reaching their greatest potential.     Let’s all get together and support UMOM!   Questions? Ask Lisa Vaglio, LVaglio@McCarthy.com        

Arizona took a first step Thursday toward using private financing to build highways. The Arizona Department of Transportation announced a proposal from a consortium of some of the nation’s largest highway construction companies to build the controversial South Mountain Freeway from Chandler to Laveen using private dollars, but not tolls. The unsolicited proposal is the first under a reworked 2009 law allowing the state to team up with private investors to build or manage projects. The consortium is composed of Kiewit Development Co., Kiewit Infrastructure West Co., Sundt Construction Inc. and Parsons Corp. Nebraska-based Kiewit is the nation’s third-largest contractor, according to trade publication Engineering News Record. Parsons, of California, ranks 48th and Sundt, based in Tempe, 64th. Read more here: http://www.azcentral.com/community/ahwatukee/articles/20130725south-mountain-freeway-private-money-plan.html?nclick_check=1

look what you are missing!!!! Make sure you "like" the VoS CFMA page! Make sure you "tag" yourself! Go to Valley of the Sun CFMA today! Leave comments! add you own pictures!   go to Facebook today and check out all the fun!

When : July 26th Today is All or Nothing Day. How will your day go? Will you have it all....or nothing. (Sounds to me, a little like "Deal, or no Deal?") How would one describe All or Nothing Day . It is certainly as day of extremes. If you're a gambler, it's a day to go for broke. A little drastic day, perhaps. There's definitely no grey area in how you spend this day. We hope you have it all on All or Nothing Day , and every day.  

Hiring a young person can be an enriching and performance-boosting act. Young workers under the age of 25 account for around 8 percent of the construction workforce. Youth are enthusiastic and eager to learn and contribute to the team. They can be a true asset to the business. There are differences that need to be addressed when hiring young workers compared to older, more experienced workers. First, youth are computer-savvy and often want to know where they’re going. They’re at a stage in life where they are new to the workforce and it likely will be necessary to offer them a career and not just a job. For contractors hiring young workers, here are three tips to help attract and retain this demographic. Read more here: http://enewsletters.constructionexec.com/managingyourbusiness/2013/04/three-tips-for-hiring-youth-in-construction/#print

The Senate voted to move forward with a $54 billion Transportation spending bill Tuesday in a 73-26 vote that split upper chamber Republicans. Nineteen Republican senators voted in favor of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bill, even though it would spend significantly more that a $44 billion House bill. The Senate bill also exceeds President Obama’s requested funding level. Conservatives had heavily criticized the bill, and the Club for Growth argued when it was approved in committee that Republicans who supported it were “tone deaf.” GOP leaders did not whip against the procedural motions on Tuesday, but sources said it was possible there could be a filibuster against the bill later this week if it is not improved on the floor. The Transportation bill is the first of 12 annual spending bills the Senate has taken up. Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/312837-19-republicans-help-move-transportation-spending-...

A long-planned Veterans Affairs hospital being built in Denver, already hundreds of millions of dollars over its $604 million budget, has turned into a billion-dollar boondoggle for the agency. The contractor, Kiewit-Turner, blames the VA for ignoring agreements to submit plans that can be built within budget and has asked a federal board overseeing civilian contract disputes to let the company walk away from the job. Problems with the building emerged in January, when letters between the builder and the VA revealed the project to be running some $200 million over budget, with Kiewit-Turner blaming a pricey design that was only partially completed by the time it entered into the contract. The two sides subsequently agreed — via a handwritten agreement — to build the hospital within the original budget, with the VA in charge of submitting a new, pared-down design reflecting a number of cost-saving measures. But in a July 8 complaint to the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals, ...

                               Tell us about the Current Supply of Skilled Workers in Your Area Over the past several months, we have received a number of reports, most of which were anecdotal, about sporadic shortages of skilled construction workers in certain parts of the country. At the same time, overall construction employment, while rising steadily, remains well below peak employment levels. As a result, we are having a hard time gauging the extent of worker shortages and if and where those shortages may be impacting construction projects. Please take a few brief minutes to complete the following survey so we can conduct a more complete and accurate assessment of if, where and to what extent there are actual shortages of skilled craft workers and/or qualified construction professionals. Your input will help us correctly c...

Just to keep you updated & informed.....   Valley of the Sun CFMA is happy to announce we now have a Facebook page!  Check us out:   https://www.facebook.com/VoSCFMA   Tag yourself, post photo's, join in the fun today!!   Make sure you "Like" us while you are there!      

CFMA Awards On May 17, 1999, CFMA’s Executive Committee unanimously approved the creation of the Joe Quigley Memorial Award in memory of former national president and Valley of the Sun Chapter leader, Joe Quigley. As a remembrance of Joe Quigley, who was a founding member of the Valley of the Sun Chapter and served as its third president. Under his leadership, the Chapter developed its highly successful golf tournament to raise money for college scholarships. Joe’s commitment to local chapter activities, and CFMA in general, epitomizes the dedication and commitment of CFMA volunteers. The Memorial Award recognizes outstanding chapter participation and activity. It is given each year to that CFMA General or Associate Member who exemplifies the following: Enthusiasm in the promotion of CFMA at the chapter level Contribution at the local chapter level (including participation in CFMA functions and committees) Activities that support CFMA’s Mission, Core Purpose, and Core Values...

Look! We made #25! Congratulations VoS CFMA!!

Work can begin on the $1.3 billion State Route 91 project in Riverside County, Calif., after it was granted a $421 million loan from the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act. The design-build project includes extension of two express lanes, adding an additional lane in each direction and reconstruction of seven interchanges. "This funding allows us to do something major to this corridor, rather than just trying to build a lane at a time here and there," said John Standiford, deputy executive director of the Riverside County Transportation Commission. Engineering News-Record (7/10)    

There were awesome, informational speakers..... awesome, inspirational speakers.... fantastic views, banana boats..... small, barely-there yachts..... great panel discussions..... well-represented seminars..... well-deserved awards..... but then it was time to go home! See you in Vegas in 2014!

A hard hat made of high-density polyethylene created from sugarcane ethanol is now being manufactured by MSA Global, a safety-equipment manufacturer in the U.S. The GRN -- think green -- hard hat "may be the first industrial safety product made almost entirely of renewable resources -- "almost" because the suspension system is made of nylon and conventional plastic," according to the company. ASME.org (7/2013) naaaaa, not really!

Monday Night activity - Padres vs. Phillies - extra innings made for a long night! Tuesday Night activity - the San Diego Air & Space Museum Welcome to Ripley's Believe it or Not  (a traveling exhibit that happened to be there!) The obligatory 2 headed cow...... My new ride! Robert Wadlow - the world's tallest man - 8'11.1" - 498 lbs - b.1918 d. 1940 Say Cheese! Say Group Shot! The fun after the museum... ....continued late into the night!

Every topic attracted VoS members! All rooms were packed. Hard to see all those VoS people! But you can pick them out if you look carefully. Kind of like "Where's Waldo?" except the game is now called "Where's VoS?"