Skilled Construction Trades and Respected Contractors
Building Wisconsin Together ®
Welcome to Construction Business Group's Industry Updates. This monthly e-newsletter will help us communicate the important initiatives that we have underway and relevant updates on issues that impact Wisconsin's construction industry.  
Message from Executive Director Robb Kahl
CBG 2022 Annual Conference
CBG will be hosting our 2022 Annual Conference at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells on Thursday, April 21 and Friday, April 22. If you have not registered yet, there is still time. Some of the most notable speakers are:

  • Governor of Wisconsin Tony Evers
  • PSC of Wis. Chair Rebecca Cameron Valcq
  • WisDOT Secretary Craig Thompson
  • DWD Secretary-designee Amy Pechacek
  • WisDOT DBE Program Chief Madalena Maestri
  • Director of the Marquette Law School Poll Charles Franklin
  • Green Bay Packer Alumnus Antonio Freeman

Additional session topics include: State and Federal Updates to Payroll Fraud, Worker Pay Issues and Davis Bacon; the Pipeline of Pipeline Projects in Wisconsin; Successfully Navigating the New WisDOT DBE Requirements; and a 2022 Election Outlook. The speakers are high-quality professionals from all over the Midwest.
  
Attendees of the conference include building trade professionals, contractor association staff, contractor executives, energy company representatives and government officials. The CBG conference provides multiple socializing opportunities, including complimentary dinner on Thursday night and breakfast on Friday morning.
  
Click here for a copy of the tentative agenda. RSVP to Vikki Schaal at v.schaal@cbgwi.com. For hotel reservations go online: https://book.passkey.com/e/50281153. 
Building Wisconsin Together®
Addressing the ongoing workforce challenges
Explore - Educate - Engage
The US Chamber of Commerce issues a quarterly commercial construction index that measures the pulse of the industry. The fourth quarter report for 2021 shows that contractor confidence on new business and revenue are fairly stable from previous quarters but the backlog confidence continues to increase.
However optimistic industry may be about future opportunities for work – there are significant concerns related to workforce with 91% of contractors reporting moderate to high levels of difficulty finding skilled workers and almost half of respondents turning down work due to skilled labor shortages.

Through the Building Wisconsin Together campaign, Construction Business Group remains engaged and committed to helping the industry address these workforce challenges by creating a pipeline of future Local 139 members. Our approach is to help young adults:

  • EXPLORE what an Operating Engineer does
  • EDUCATE while still in high school
  • ENGAGE in job shadowing or work opportunities

CBG is providing the energy and planning behind these critical initiatives, and we need your support to make them happen! Here are a few ways you can get involved:


How can you help? Promote the event within your community and volunteer to assist with the event. We need operators and apprentices to assist at the event with the equipment, tours, and discussion. We also need employers to participate in the employer panel.

This popular and well-attended bi-annual event held at the Coloma Training Center is an opportunity for students, parents, and educators to: 

  • Tour the training center, including the indoor training arena
  • Test their skill on equipment simulators
  • Gain hands-on experience with mini excavators
  • Learn about apprenticeship opportunities
  • Interact with current apprentices and Operators
  • Hear from employers about opportunities that exist and what they are seeking in employees

To learn more about any of these opportunities to help youth explore, educate or engage in the Operating Engineers, please contact Laura Cataldo at 608-616-2835 or via email:  laura.cataldo@bakertilly.com
Building Wisconsin Together®
From the News Stand
A U.S. Department of Transportation Announces $10 Million to Help Minority- and Women-Owned Businesses Compete for Federal Highway Contracts
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) today announced $10 million in funding from the Fiscal Year 2021 Disadvantaged Business Enterprise/Supportive Services (DBE/SS) program to help eligible small businesses compete for federal highway contracts in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“With these funds, state transportation departments will help minority- and women-owned businesses across the country create jobs and better compete for resources for transportation projects nationwide,” said Deputy Federal Highway Administrator Stephanie Pollack.

President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continues funding for the DBE/SS program for Fiscal Years 2022 through 2026. The funding is provided to State DOTs, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Territories for the purpose of administering programs that provide training and assistance to DBEs to improve their ability to compete on federally assisted contracts.
A DBE is a for-profit, small business owned and controlled by minorities, women or other socially and economically disadvantaged individuals or, in the case of a corporation, one in which 51 percent of the stock is owned by one or more such individuals. More information about DBE eligibility can be found at https://www.transportation.gov/civil-rights/disadvantaged-business-enterprise.
US Department of Labor to Offer Virtual Prevailing Wage Seminars
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) will offer compliance seminars for contracting agencies, contractors, unions, workers, and other stakeholders to provide information on the requirements governing payment of prevailing wages on federally funded construction and service contracts.

The virtual prevailing wage seminars will include video trainings on a variety of Davis-Bacon Act and Service Contract Act topics that participants can view at their convenience, followed by corresponding virtual Question & Answer sessions, which will be offered live on multiple dates throughout the year to accommodate participants’ schedules. 
 
Sessions on Davis-Bacon compliance are scheduled for:
 
  • March 29,
  • June 14, and
  • September 13
 
Sessions on SCA compliance are scheduled for:
 
  • March 30,
  • June 15, and
  • September 14
 
The training is a component of WHD’s ongoing efforts to increase awareness and improve compliance with federal prevailing wage requirements.
While seminar attendance is free, registration is required. More information, including the links to video trainings and virtual Q&A session dates, will be provided to registrants in the near future.
 

For more information on the Davis-Bacon Act, the Service Contract Act, and other federal wage laws, please call the Department’s toll-free helpline at 1-866-4US-WAGE (487-9243) or visit https://dol.gov/agencies/whd.

Gov. Evers Announces More Than $86 Million for Diverse Business Investment and Diverse Business Assistance Grants
Funding will support small businesses through Community Development Financial Institutions and chambers of commerce statewide
MILWAUKEE — Gov. Tony Evers today awarded more than $86 million in grants to support small businesses in communities disproportionately impacted by the pandemic that have historically had difficulty accessing credit and capital. 

“We’re continuing to build a strong and resilient economy that works for everyone, and that means encouraging business development in communities that have been hit hard by the pandemic and often face barriers to getting the tools and resources they need to be successful,” said Gov. Evers. “By supporting local businesses and entrepreneurs, these grant programs will ensure job growth, stronger communities, and a brighter, more equitable future for Wisconsin.”
U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division publishes NPRM to update the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts
On March 18, 2022, the Department published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), Updating the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Regulations in the Federal Register.

Publication of the NPRM in the Federal Register begins the comment period that will be open for 60 days and closes on May 17, 2022. Anyone who submits a comment (including duplicate comments) should understand and expect that the comment will become a matter of public record and will be posted without change to www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided.
ARTBA Offering Industry Leadership Program
The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) is accepting nominations until April 1 for its Industry Leader Development Program that provides rising leaders in the transportation industry with a comprehensive overview of infrastructure funding, regulatory, economics and safety policy issues. This year's program is being held May 15-17 in Washington, D.C., in conjunction with ARTBA's Federal Issues Conference.
 
Several WTBA members are graduates of the ILDP.
 
Construction Business Group | 608-240-4170 | www.cbgwi.com