Dear Members and Industry Colleagues:

Our recent 80th Anniversary Celebration and Awards Dinner was one for the ages! Let me congratulate the recipients of AZAGC's Build Arizona Awards:

Achen-Gardner Construction, LLC, Ames Construction, Inc., Combs Construction Company, Inc., DBA Construction, Inc., FNF Construction, Inc., Granite Construction Co., Haydon Building Corp., Pulice Construction, Inc., Rummel Construction, Inc., Skanska USA Civil - Rocky Mtn. District, Vastco, Inc./Sundt Construction, Inc. JV.

Also, congratulations to Tim Warren of Enterprise Fleet Management who received the Affiliate of the Year award from his peers in the association.

One of the highlights of the event was the recognition of our Life Directors. Thirteen attended the dinner and are pictured below. Karl Ronstadt was our most tenured Life Director in attendance having presided over our association in 1972.

Left to right: John Kraemer, Jeff Williamson, Mike Hoover, Gary Haydon, Jody Sims, C.R. "Bob" Joy, Steve Basila, Tom Royden, Jim Combs, Karl Ronstadt, Chris Jarrett, Bob Johnson, and Leroy Breinholt

Additional pictures of the event can be viewed by clicking here.

Every person that serves as president or chairman of the association is considered a Life Director. Each of these individuals has given selflessly to the AZAGC, and their contribution is greatly appreciated. Thank you Life Directors for your service to the association.

The evening featured video vignettes of Life Directors answering questions about the challenges they faced running the association. The biggest hit was the blooper reel that ended the program. Click here to view it. The remaining videos will be posted to the AZAGC website soon.

As I mentioned at dinner, it is interesting to note that the AZAGC has been working for 80 years protecting your interests. Placards with excerpts taken from the minutes of our meetings dating back to 1934 were displayed at each table. Some of the topics included our continual scuffles with the cities and counties on force account work, prompt payment, and specification reviews with the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) to name a few. One excerpt that caught my eye was the following:

"The AGC has fought successfully every proposal submitted to the last session of the Legislature which would divert from the Highway Department any of the funds now accruing from the gasoline tax.  This fight, of course, is a perennial one and we expect to go through the same procedure next year. Your organization has continually called to the attention of legislators that any diversion of gas tax would be in direct violation of the Hayden Cartwright Act and would imperil the federal aid now coming into the state for the construction of roads."

That was written on April 5, 1935 -- what an incredible testament to AZAGC's consistent and continual protection of infrastructure funding.

Like I said to you in January and at the dinner, AZAGC must continue its mission to not only be the voice of the construction industry, but also to continue to protect taxpayers by protecting the money intended to build Arizona's roads.

Thank you for your continued support of the association.

Sincerely, 

Doug Declusin, Chairman

Arizona Chapter Associated General Contractors