SOUTHERN REGIONAL COUNCIL OF CARPENTERS EMPLOYER E-NEWS | | |
Welcome to this edition of the Southern Regional Council of Carpenters' Employer E-News. Through these email newsletters, we hope to keep our current and potential employer partners up to date on happenings in our organization and on ways we can help you meet your goals.
The SRCC consists of nearly 25,000 experienced, safety-conscious craftspeople who build and maintain all types of structures, including industrial, commercial, residential, and heavy-civil, and who work in manufacturing and production facilities. We operate in 11 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.
| | EXECUTIVE SECRETARY-TREASURER & CEO MESSAGE | | |
I want to personally thank you for taking the time to join us for our Employer E‑News from the Southern Regional Council of Carpenters.
As the leading organization representing construction professionals across eleven states in the South, we operate at the center of one of the fastest-growing construction markets in the country. Our members, staff, and leadership are on the front lines of that growth every day, delivering a workforce that is trained, prepared, and committed to getting the job done right the first time.
This newsletter is designed to give you more than updates - it’s a clear view into how we are driving value for our signatory partners. Inside, you’ll find industry insights, examples of successful projects built through strong labor-management partnerships, and a look at how we are investing in the next generation of skilled professionals through our training fund.
But as strong as this market is, we all recognize the same challenge: a persistent shortage of qualified, experienced labor. That challenge is not temporary, and meeting it requires discipline, investment, and the right partner.
We take pride in being the bridge between demand and capability, connecting employers with a workforce that is not only skilled, but scalable, reliable, and aligned with the expectations of today’s jobsite.
If you are looking to strengthen your workforce, improve project outcomes, and position your company for sustained growth in the South, I encourage you to engage with us directly. Our team stands ready to connect, understand your needs, and deliver solutions that move your business forward.
Together, we’re not just building projects - we’re building the future of this region, and we’re ready to build it with you.
Kavin E. Griffin, Executive Secretary-Treasurer & CEO, Southern Regional Council of Carpenters
| | America's Return to the Moon:
Brought To You By the SRCC | | |
April 1st, 2026, the United States officially began its return to the moon with the successful launch of the Artemis II from Cape Kennedy, Florida.
Members of the Southern Regional Council of Carpenters were a vital part of the project, led by contractor Bechtel National, in assembling the massive support scaffolding for the Mobile Launcher 2, one of NASA's largest projects in its history and the base for the entire mission.
The project will remain in use until May 2027. You can learn more about our members' work on the project here.
| | Laying the Groundwork for a Solar Future | | The South is one of the fastest-growing regions in the nation for the solar industry. As solar continues to increasingly become part of our energy grids, the build-out presents a huge opportunity for contractors and workers alike.
In Gaffney, South Carolina, GEM Inc. has been carrying out floor layout and elevation benchmarks with SRCC millwrights. The $330 million project will manufacture solar panels and provide hundreds of jobs in the region.
GEM Inc. has worked closely with the SRCC for the duration of the project. You can find out more about the project and the skills SRCC members bring to the table here. | |
The Southern Regional Council of Carpenters prides itself on our members skills, professionalism, and dedication to continuing training to ensure that they're at the top of their craft.
We represent construction professionals in every aspect of carpentry and millwrighting, and employ business representatives to work with you to make sure that you have the staff you need to get your job done on time and safely at the highest quality.
With a new quarter comes new changes in workforce needs for contractors in the South. Our experts in the field across our 11-state reach, led by Victorino Sanchez, Director of Business Services for the SRCC, see many opportunities across the South.
"With all of the work on the horizon, we are excited and poised to support our partnering contractors, and we welcome the opportunity to grow our membership and expand our market share," said Victorino Sanchez, Director of Business Services for the SRCC.
Interior systems carpenters and general carpenters remain in consistently high demand, along with system integrators and scaffolders. Other ones include certified riggers (specifically in Charlotte, North Carolina) and tradeshow carpenters. Sanchez notably details the importance of millwrights with TWIC, Safety Essentials, and an active status in DISA drug-screen policies.
The SRCC is currently working with contractors on several projects involving these experienced carpenters and millwrights. Data center projects are one of the South's biggest strengths, as are solar fields.
EV automotive and battery manufacturing, and new power generation, are also on the rise in the region.
In terms of commercial and residential construction, high-rise and entertainment development projects are in demand, as well as public infrastructure projects like county jails and civic projects. Sanchez specifically highlights petrochemical high-speed rotating equipment overhauls as a major industry as well.
The SRCC maintains its commitment to meeting employers' needs. One aspect of our work that we're proud to support contractors with is our assistance in staffing your projects with a skilled, knowledgeable workforce and the institutional strength to ensure that you're able to finish your projects on time, on budget, and to the exacting standards we hold ourselves to.
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Meet Our Team:
Director of Business Services Victorino Sanchez
As Director of Business Services, Victorino Sanchez is your point of contact for any business and contracting needs your organization requires. An experienced construction professional himself, Victorino understands the highly specific skills and staff that construction sites require.
For more information about how the Southern Regional Council of Carpenters can assist with your staffing and jobsite needs, please email Victorino at VSanchez@SouthernRCC.ORG
| | Building the Next Generation of Construction Professionals | | As part of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, the Southern District Training Trust Fund provides high-quality apprenticeships and continuing education in communities across the South, with over 25 training facilities across the region.
Our programs cover every aspect of carpentry and millwrighting and offer best-in-class education and continuing on-the-job training for everyone, from complete newcomers starting their careers in the trades to experienced workers working towards their journey and master levels.
Not only are we training the next generation of skilled technicians, but we're also proud to work with contractors to provide specialized training for any project you may have.
At a time when skilled labor is increasingly hard to find, the Southern District Training Trust Fund makes hiring vetted, trained professionals one less challenge for contractors. You can find out how to work with the SDTTF here.
| | Nashville Combine Provides Hands-On Opportunities for Potential Professionals | | If you watch football, you're probably familiar with the idea of a combine. Every year, players from across the country showcase their skills in order to get a shot at the NFL.
The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners took this idea and applied it to the construction industry, allowing folks from the community, both experienced and inexperienced, to come try their hand at skilled trades work.
The results speak for themselves: at our most recent combine in the Nashville area, over sixty community members came out to show their skills at interior systems and scaffolding.
Over a third of the folks who attended the combine were hired on the spot, with others coming on for an apprenticeship with the Southern District Training Trust Fund.
Brian Coker, a superintendent with Valley Interior Systems, was able to hire directly for the interior systems projects on the new Tennessee Titans stadium, which his contractor is handling.
“We’re finding and recruiting, and reaching out to do what we can to hire people who want to build a career in this industry,” said Coker. “When you can see someone doing the work, even if they don’t know how to do the work, as you speak to them, you’re looking for that coachable moment.”
You can find out more about our recent Nashville combine here. |
Meet Our Team: SDTTF Executive Director Jimmie Jordan
A veteran millwright with experience on the job and in the training center, as Executive Director of the Southern District Training Trust Fund, Jimmie Jordan Jr. oversees over 25 training centers, training thousands of construction professionals in carpentry and millwrighting yearly.
The SDTTF not only works with trainees, but it also coordinates with our partner contractors to ensure that trainees are up to date on the skills and state-of-the-art technology needed to thrive in our industry.
If you are interested in working with the SDTTF for your workforce needs, please email Jimmie at JJordan@SDTTF.ORG
| | After Successful Combine in Austin, SDTTF Continues Focus on Texas with Upcoming Combine in Amarillo | | |
As part of our mission to grow the number of skilled craftspeople in the South, the Southern District Training Trust Fund will host a combine in Amarillo, Texas, after a successful interior systems combine in Austin, TX. We will also be returning to Austin to host another Interior Systems combine on July 30.
Contractors looking to staff their job sites with qualified individuals will be in attendance, as well as leaders with the SRCC and SDTTF.
Our Austin combine, held in conjunction with Performance Contracting Inc., was focused on interior systems and led to the hiring of over 45 new employees.
"These combines that we have set up now, we've got a really great structure in place. We have a program set up, and it's mobile, so wherever the market is growing, we can go to that area and set these events up," said SDTTF Executive Director Jimmie Jordan Jr. "Everyone who attended our combine who brought the right attitude and work ethic had the opportunity to be on the job as early as the next week."
Registration for the upcoming Amarillo and Austin combines is free for community members. Please feel free to contact us if you are a contractor interested in joining us at our upcoming combines or at future events.
SAVE THE DATE
Join us at our next combine:
Austin, TX: July 30, 2026
Interior Systems
Amarillo, TX: August 22, 2026
Interior Systems & Scaffolding
Visit WWW.SDTTF.ORG for more information.
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Meet Our Team: SDTTF Operations Director Anthony Valdez
Anthony comes to the SDTFF after years as a construction professional.
As Operations Director, Valdez oversees our combines, community outreach, and the day-to-day activities of our training centers.
If you would like to be involved in the upcoming Amarillo combine, either as a sponsor or hiring partner, please email Anthony at AValdez@SDTTF.ORG
| | UBC Provides the Cutting Edge for Contractors | | |
The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners is proud to offer training opportunities to contractors and construction entrepreneurs, as well as the next generation of trades workers, at our International Training Center in Las Vegas, NV.
These training programs are an excellent way to facilitate improved comunications between every level of a project, amplify your knoweldge of the industry, and meet (and possibly hire) highly skilled apprentices.
"When you hear about the UBC's training center in Las Vegas, you probably think about new apprentices and professionals working on their journeylevel credentials," said Southern Regional Council of Carpenters Chief Operations Officer - Council Operations, John West II.
"While we do offer those programs, we also offer highly sought-after programs for the contractors we work with. In these trainings, contractors can improve their skills in workplace relations, entrepreneurship, and project management."
Below you'll find more information about two of our upcoming trainings in Las Vegas.
Collaborative Leadership: Building Jobsite Leaders focuses on leadership, communication, entrepreneurship, coaching, and collaboration among project stakeholders, including contractors, the project manager, facility manager, and owner. The program will be held for the Southern District July 27-29. The program improves the flow of information up and down chains of command.
Through the 3rd Year Apprentice Program, seasoned apprentices learn how professionalism, productivity, skill, and attitude contribute to their own success as well as that of their employers. This program will be held Aug. 27-29, and company owners and managers are needed to participate in a panel discussion in which 180 apprentices will have the opportunity to ask questions.
If you would like to attend either of these trainings, please reach out to John West II at JWest@SouthernRCC.org. You can find out more about the International Training Center here.
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Meet Our Team: SRCC Chief Operations Officer - Council Operations John West II
A second-generation member of the Southern Regional Council of Carpenters, Chief Operations Officer - Council Operations, John West II, works with contractors and the UBC International Training Center in Las Vegas to set up trainings with industry leaders on best practices in the project management and labor relations aspects of our industry.
If you are interested in attending one of UBC's trainings in Las Vegas, please email John at JWest@SouthernRCC.ORG
| | Precision Machinery Contractors wins SEA Best in Class Award | | |
One of the SRCC's partner contractors, Precision Machinery Contractors, LLC, recently took home honors at the 39th Annual Safety Excellence Awards. The awards celebrate the safety achievements of contractors and companies along the Texas Gulf Coast.
Precision Machinery Contractors, LLC was named Best in Class in the Hard Craft Medium category at this year’s event.
| | Latest Trends in Materials and Building Prices | | |
According to the latest reports from the U.S. Census Bureau, nonresidential construction spending continued to grow despite increases in prices for construction materials since November, 2025.
One of the biggest drivers of construction in the US is spending on data centers, which increased in April to over $50 billion, up 28% over the past year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Construction material prices have continued to rise since Nov 2025, and are currently on an uptick according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:
| | Work outlook for builders throughout the region continues to remain positive as nearly every category of building continues to grow outside of manufacturing and private nonresidential builds. | | Preventing Heat Illness in the Summer Months | | |
Safety Spotlight
With weather trends for Summer 2026 expected to be hotter and drier than normal across the United States, including our work area across the Southern Region, staying safe on a job site is one of our main priorities. To protect against heat illness, OSHA has provided several resources to prevent heat hazards in the workplace.
Weather Outlook
As we roll into Summer 2026, reports from NOAA predict with a 70% confidence range that we will experience a below-normal hurricane season. The National Weather Service agency is forecasting 8-14 named storms, with 3-6 expected to become hurricanes and only 1-3 major hurricanes.
The NOAA and the National Weather Service’s 2026 summer outlook predicts that El Niño has a 82% chance of emerging in the Northern Hemisphere by July and sticking around through the winter. This will likely lead to above-normal temperatures throughout the summer months and the chance of high tide flooding along the Gulf and Southeast Coasts.
According to the World Meteorological Organization, nearly all parts of the globe should prepare for hotter-than-normal temperatures July-August of 2026.
| | | National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction | | We are constantly working to improve our relationships with our employer partners as well as our safety and skills training programs. If you have any ideas, concerns, or suggestions, please reach out to an area manager or council representative. | | | | Our Company | Contact Us | FAQs | Privacy Policy |
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