Building on a Century of Success
1920
On January 1, 1920 the Alabama AGC was chartered.
1921
The tagline “Skill, Integrity, Responsibility” is adopted by the association
1925
Members are first introduced to a Code of Ethics for the construction industry.
1929
The stock market crashes; Members vote to establish affiliated bureau memberships of suppliers, equipment and materials.
George Hutcheson Denny Stadium, home of The Universityof Alabama football, was built. of suppliers, equipment and materials.
1930
First national construction census is taken; Earlier in the year, signs of an economic depression outweigh optimism in AGC newsletters.
1938
J.B. Rawls became the Alabama AGC’s Executive Secretary.After this milestone, the Alabama AGC began to grow stronger and more organized. While the Alabama AGC had no permanent staff,J.B. Rawls had assembled a very successful plan room and news bulletin business. Since then, the growth has been continuous and healthy and the chapter comprises the entire state of Alabama.
1939
Auburn University’s stadium, then known as Auburn Stadium, hosted its first game on November 10.
1940
The 1940s were dominated by World War II. Resources, including a labor force, were scarce. Construction was halted and all energies were directed toward defense efforts. To keep defense production running smoothly, labor unions made the promise not to strike during wartime.
1941
On February 20, 1941, in just 10 hours, nearly 1,000,000 people walked through the 3,389-foot-long Bankhead Tunnel that runs beneath the Mobile River.The $4 million construction project continues to shave seven-and-a-half miles off the former Cochrane Bridge route.
1960
When Moss-Thornton and A.E. Burgess cut the roadway through Birmingham’s signature Red Mountain, the development of the city’s suburbs was put on a faster track than ever. The job, costing $1.4 million, began January 29, 1963, and was finished June 30, 1964.
1968
AGC of America founded the AGC Education and Research Foundation to boost interest in the construction field by providing opportunities for education through scholarships.
1969
The Alabama AGC hired 24-year-old Henry T. Hagood, Jr. as its first full-time employee. His first assignment was the associate program, one of the many innovative ideas that allowed the chapter substantial growth.
Talladega Superspeedway opens as Alabama International Motor Speedway.Built at a cost of more than $4 million, it is the biggest, fastest, most competitive motorsports facility in the world. Records for both speed and competition have been established at Talladega.
1970
A 135-day strike shut down construction. During this time, mostcontractors were dependent on a union workforce. AGC worked to helpcontractors open shop operations.
1977
AGC of America initiated National Associate Membership, opening thisassociation to distributors, suppliers, and other members of the industry.
1981
Most contractors were open shop and union influence never recovered.
1982
The Workers’ compensation program, CompTrust began, markinga turning point for the Alabama AGC. The fund officially started with$600,000 in premium. CompTrustAGC was successful because itutilized a strong safety and drug testing program to help companiesimprove their safety records. Led by administrator, TW Pugh, memberspoured into the AGC in record numbers and the fund experiencedsignificant growth.
1990
Alabama AGC became a statewide chapter with the addition of Mobile.The state was divided into eight geographic sections where meetingswere held each month, and each section was represented on the StatewideBoard of Directors.
2001
After the September 11th attacks, AGC of America donated $500,000 to thechildren of the construction-related workers who perished.
2004
Alabama AGC moved into its 40,000-square-footStatewide Headquarters. National AGC PresidentJames D. Waltz visited the building andpresented Alabama AGC with a national certificate.
2005
Alabama AGC had become one of the most successfulworkers’ compensation funds in the state with$25 million in premium. AGC has led the way in thenon-residential construction workers’ compensationfield ever since.
2010
Since 2010, the Alabama Construction Recruitment Institutehas invested more than $1 million a year on recruitment andimage enhancement through the Go Build campaign, whichis paid for by contractors.
2010
The former executive director of the Alabama RoadBuilders Association, Billy Norrell, took on his new role at AGC,succeeding long-time CEO Henry Hagood who retired aftermore than four decades on the job. Norrell is only the thirdfull-time executive in the 100-year history of Alabama AGC.
2015
AGC passed the Craft Training Act and has given out nearly $6 million in traininggrants since 2017. This crucial piece of the workforce puzzle, which is paid for bycontractors, is the perfect complement to ACRI in its efforts to build a statewideworkforce system for the non-residential construction industry.
2017
Eddie Stewart, with Caddell Construction, became the firstAlabamian to serve as AGC of America National President.
2020
Today, Alabama AGC is the largest and most financially soundnon-residential construction trade association in Alabama with1,000 members, $110 million in assets and offices in Florence,Huntsville, Birmingham, Montgomery, and Mobile.