By KERRY SMITH

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – During his first days as the new chief executive officer for the Associated General Contractors of America, Jeffrey Shoaf spoke to more than 200 professionals statewide at the AGC of Missouri’s national conference.

Shoaf took the reins as head of the AGC of America on April 1, succeeding long-time, retiring CEO Stephen Sandherr. Shoaf worked for six years as chief operating officer.

As Shoaf addressed the audience of construction company owners and staff, he emphasized the importance of credibility and reliability demonstrated by organizations such as the Associated General Contractors in advocating for real-world issues faced by those working daily in the built environment.

“Your chapter, the AGC of Missouri, has a great history of delivering over the years,” said Shoaf. “And your leader, long-time President Len Toenjes, also has a history of working with other chapter executives to make their chapters great, too. Your chapter is known for being an expectation lifter in our industry. People from Missouri keep stepping up and making a difference on the national level and it is really appreciated,” he added.

The national organization, Shoaf said, is working daily to advocate on behalf of the construction industry on 32 different regulations including those specific to labor, human resources, safety, environmental and procurement. “We’re trying to fix these regulations because they have unintended consequences for the construction industry,” he said, “or they’re impossible to comply with. When the (Biden) Administration can’t solve things at the Congressional level through laws, it tries to solve them with regulation.”

Since the start of 2024, the AGC of America has been battling state courts over the National Labor Relations Board’s joint employer rule. Through litigation and amicus briefs, the AGC has advocated for members nationwide that the rule was too broad and not relevant to construction. On March 8, Shoaf said, the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Texas handed the AGC and its co-plaintiffs a big win.

Other AGC advocacy efforts that Shoaf and the national team are spearheading include the Federal Highway Administration’s greenhouse gas performance measure. Shoaf reported that the Texas court ruled in the AGC’s favor and the Kentucky court ruled in the AGC’s favor on April 1.

Too many members of Congress underestimate the complexity of construction work, Shoaf said. “We’re not only here to understand the construction market,” he said. “We’re here to shape it. Let’s all of us make our politicians smarter about what you do.”