January 28, 2008

AGC members take home top awards

The AGC of Washington last Friday honored two of its members with major awards during annual meeting in Seattle. Tim Lee, president of Lakeside Industries, was named Contractor of the Year and James Hawley, general manager for Matia Contractors, was named Affiliate of the Year.

“The AGC is an influential and effective organization due to the ‘silent service' of scores of volunteers,” said David D'Hondt, director of safety and risk management for Absher Construction Co. and 2007 AGC president. “Our strength comes from these volunteers and we thank all of them for their contributions. This year we pay particular tribute to Tim and James for their extraordinary efforts in, respectively, negotiating union contracts and reinvigorating our Northern District government affairs program.”

It is the AGC's policy that the employers themselves direct the negotiations.

“Tim did a great job in a challenging situation as a key member of our labor negotiations team,” said D'Hondt. “To reach an agreement, we had to draw on the resourcefulness of our negotiators. Tim, as a member of the Operating Engineers team, took this on as a personal challenge. He provided energy and direction.”

With the strong economy and recent strike as the backdrop, the AGC negotiating team declared its intention to keep the construction industry attractive by increasing compensation packages to employees while continuing to keep employers competitive, without a strike.

When negotiations with Local 302 broke down, Lee and his company took the lead in reaching out to their employees in Western Washington to communicate the employers' position, discuss the key issues, and urge the workers to participate in union meetings and make their voices heard.

“The end result was ratification of the employer proposal by an almost two to one margin, with no strike,” said D'Hondt. “One union official said they had underestimated the loyalty that the employees felt for employers such as Tim Lee and Lakeside Industries.”

As Affiliate of the Year, Hawley was recognized for his efforts with the AGC's Northern District.

“James has been a guiding force in reinvigorating the Government Affairs Committee in Whatcom and Skagit counties,” said D'Hondt. “He encourages membership participation by setting an example of effective involvement and he has spent numerous hours building relationships with the legislators on behalf of the construction industry.”

Hawley serves on the chapter's Government Affairs Council and has chaired the district's Government Affairs Committee for three years. In addition, Hawley has been active in the creation of the Whatcom County Construction Academy, an innovative program designed for highly motivated students who are seriously interested in a career in construction or related fields.

“From protecting today's construction market to developing tomorrow's construction workers, James is a multifaceted industry leader,” said D'Hondt.

Jerry VanderWood is director of communications at the Associated General Contractors of Washington.

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