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Week of August 26, 2026 · Issue No. 19
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President's Reflections
We Are Winning the Argument. Now We Have to Staff It.
ABC National reports that merit shop apprenticeship enrollment has grown 60 percent since 2020, roughly three times the pace on the union side. That is not a talking point. That is a generation of craft professionals choosing our model, and it settles a debate this industry has been having for forty years.
I want us to be honest about what that growth does not solve. Our region is still short an estimated 60,000 construction workers. Apprenticeship carries someone from helper to journeyman, and it does that well. It does not make them a foreman or a superintendent. Ninety-four percent of workers say leadership capability is essential to their success, and only 32 percent of firms run a formal program to build it. That gap is where schedules slip and margin disappears.
So do both. Put someone into the nine-trade program this fall, and put the person you promoted last spring into crew leadership or project management before the gap costs you a job. On September 27 we will watch this year's apprentices walk at the Dayton Dragons Diamond Club. Every one of them came off somebody's payroll. Your bench is already in the building.
Doug Bolton
President of ABC Ohio Valley
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November 11, 2026 · 9 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Lead What's Next: How Women Can Shape the Future of Construction
A full-day summit at the Cincinnati Airport Marriott in Hebron, hosted by CURT and open to everyone. ABC Ohio Valley members register at the CURT member rate: $349 for the full day or $249 for a half day. If you are serious about widening the leadership pipeline discussed above, this is a room worth being in. Contact CURT directly about a multi-person discount if you are sending a group.
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When the Foreman Becomes the Superintendent
Every promotion and every retirement shifts something on the jobsite. Missed milestones, safety lapses and confused crews follow when the pipeline has gaps. Protecting it is a business decision.
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It Is Not Just a Labor Shortage
The industry has a leadership shortage too, and the gap is widening across Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky. What Milwaukee PIPELINE 2026 signals about where apprenticeship leadership goes next.
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Margin Is Won Before Bid Day
Decisions made before the bid leaves your office largely determine actual costs, margin resilience and cash flow for the next 12 to 36 months. Preconstruction is a financial discipline, not paperwork.
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The Software Is Not the Bottleneck
Ninety-four percent of workers call leadership essential, yet only 32 percent of firms run formal leadership training. Scheduling tools cannot close a gap that starts with the people using them.
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HVAC Apprenticeship Is Outpacing the Field
Nonunion registered apprenticeship participation grew roughly 60 percent from 2020 to 2025, against about 20 percent on the union side. What that means for staffing mechanical work this fall.
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Davis-Bacon Did Not Go Away
A federal court permanently vacated three provisions of the 2023 rule in June 2026, and the headlines read like relief. Every core obligation remains in force: wage determinations, certified payroll, fringe benefit accounting, classification accuracy and recordkeeping. This is a regional bidder briefing on exactly what changed, what did not, and where the classification mistakes that trigger findings still tend to happen on federally funded work.
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Merit Shop Apprenticeship Is Growing Three Times Faster
ABC National reports 60 percent enrollment growth against roughly 20 percent on the union side, while this region stares down a shortage of 60,000 workers. The chapter's nine-trade program is how that national number becomes a bench of trained people on your payroll: structured recruiting, hands-on hours paired with classroom instruction, and advancement based on demonstrated skill rather than seniority.
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You Do Not Need More Data. You Need Findable History.
Daily reports, RFIs, photos and submittals pile up faster every year, and preventable rework and disputes persist anyway. The difference is not volume, it is whether an inspector's finding from eight months ago can be located in under a minute. A clean, searchable inspection history shortens decisions, shortens disputes and keeps a punch list from becoming a claim.
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2026 Construction Benchmarking Report
Barnes Dennig's biennial study of 62 local general and specialty contractors is available to members, and it answers the questions peer conversations usually dance around. What are firms in this market paying by position? Average gross revenue per full-time employee lands at $899,094. The typical president has 17.8 years of experience and a base salary of $216,773. Retirement match participation climbed to 98 percent from 93 percent in 2024, and contractors name attracting talent, healthcare costs and competitive margin pressure as their top three concerns for the year.
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