Contractors' Lobbying Group Looks Forward, Not Backward
The AGC and Its Local Leader Art Anderson Are High on Commercial Construction Here, Despite Passage of I-695

Article by Michael Barrett

 

The construction industry, with all of its many and varied specialties, has taken the passage of Initiative 695 about as hard as any field in the public sector can. And to hear Art Anderson of the Associated General Contractors of Washington talk about it, time for pouting is over; working with the state Legislature is what's needed now.

We're not pouting; if anything, we're disappointed,  says Anderson, a tall, dapper former athlete who manages AGC's Northern District office at the Talbot/Haggen Building in Bellingham.

I have a tremendous respect for the voices of the citizenry of the state of Washington,  says Anderson, referring to the 58-percent I-695 ballot victory Nov. 2. “It's a real message to our legislators. They're tired of the way business has been done in the past. 

Practically every aspect of the construction industry will be impacted by the approval of I-695, he adds. It's AGC's job to help lobby Olympia on behalf of its member companies and the industry in general. And loss of work will be apparent, particularly where road construction is concerned.

The initiative, which went into effect Jan. 1, calls for a blanket $30 car-tab fee regardless of vehicle, instead of a tax based on make, model and year of car, truck and motorhome, which averaged about $147 per vehicle last year.

Anderson explains: “695 killed a $2.2 billion transportation package passed (earlier) by Referendum 49. We look at it as having a real negative impact for construction workers involved in infrastructure . . . and road building.  He adds that Whatcom County alone will see reductions of $1.5 million for public works, just under $1 million for health, $841,000 for criminal justice “and the big hit is the WTA (Whatcom Transit Authority) at roughly $6.7 million. 

Having said that, however, Anderson is bully on building in the area.

Construction in the county, he enthuses, “is in good shape. Part of that is the quality of (construction) people who are here. 

 

Association is multifarious

The AGC of Washington, in its own mission statement, “is a professional association of contractors who join together to enhance the performance and representation of our members, to promote the respect and integrity of our industry and to improve the quality of life in our communities. 

Anderson, 59, is the manager of the Northern District office, one of five administrative chapters in the state, not counting the eastern quarter which is run by the Inland Northwest Chapter out of Spokane. The association boasts 104 chapters nationwide, with a head office in Washington, D.C.

Membership includes general contractors, subcontractors and associate members, which can be members of the insurance industry, equipment and building suppliers, architects and the like,  Anderson explains.

Members  about 600 in the state and 50 in Whatcom, Skagit, Island and San Juan counties — receive a wide range of assistance through AGC, including education and training, safety instruction, retro programs, insurance — “not only for field workers but also on the executive level. Safety is imperative; employers want to make sure you go home safely to your family. There's also a lot of networking opportunities among members,  Anderson states.

Arthur E. Anderson was born in Bethel, Alaska, where his parents were teaching for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. They moved to the family homestead between Deming and Nugent's Corner when Art was 6. He eventually graduated from Mount Baker High School, then Skagit Valley College and the University of Idaho, having excelled in basketball.

His father, meanwhile, had turned to commercial fishing. After college, young Art took up the trade, earning enough extra money during nine fishing seasons to buy 30 percent of a small pipeline-installation company in Colorado.

I wanted to go on a ski vacation and ended up in Vail, Colo. You can be a ski bum for only a certain amount of time, then you're looking around for something to do,  he says. “I bought into a small mom-and-pop operation, hooking up the services from houses to the main lines in the street. Denver was really growing. 

One day, a developer asked him to take over a major project. When Anderson gracefully declined, saying he had neither equipment nor experience, the man delivered a new hydraulic track excavator, a loader and other equipment to the site Monday morning. Art's company grew from there over the next 17 years. During that time, he and his Missouri-born wife, Marcia, reared two daughters, Susan and Debbie, who today live with their husbands out of the area.

We went several years without a vacation,  Anderson recalls. “When you get your business to a certain point, you start thinking about such things. We decided to come out here. I wanted to be close to the water. 

He also promised Marcia he would build her a new home, and he did.

After a few years working locally with Wilder Construction and later ARCO on the Alaska North Slope, he went to work for AGC of Washington as its northern manager.

His experience in utility pipeline work, commercial construction, residential construction and management made him the perfect fit for the growing association.

 

Corporate leadership

I operate from a business plan and a mission statement,  Anderson relates. “I have the leadership in the Northwest District, but Dave Huber of Impero Construction (of Bellingham) is district vice president. We take our marching orders from a board of trustees in Seattle. Huber serves on that board and has a leadership role there.

My philosophy — and I played a lot of team sports — is that AGC shows leadership. We do a lot of things together. Anybody can sit on the board, but I like to roll up my sleeves and be a part of the solution rather than part of the problem. 

He continues, “We are member driven. . . . We're always looking for new members. AGC may not be for everybody, and we recognize that. But I encourage everybody in the construction field to belong to an organization. 

These are heady times, he says, referring to the unknown, following implementation of I-695.

What we're looking at now, when the Legislature reconvenes, we''re going to encourage them to share cuts when they start slicing up the budget. We feel we're still going to get access to federal dollars for some of these infrastructure needs, and we're going to encourage the Coalition for No on I-695 to stay together,  he points out.

Other matters that are being discussed, with AGC in the thick of things, are water issues — “quality, quantity, stormwater runoff  — and salmon. “That's going to impact what we (in commercial construction) do.  Another is developments in the Whatcom County area, and Anderson singles out Cherry Point as an example of what can be done.

It's a deepwater port, with upland commercial sites called Gateway Pacific. We feel the moons are in line for that to happen; all the hoops have been jumped through,  he says, also referring to the recent permitting for the ARCO dock. “That could give Whatcom County a shot in the arm. 

He notes the excellent relationship AGC has with Whatcom County Planning and Development Services and contractors in general, which are qualified, diverse and knowledgeable.

We are positioning ourselves in the industry for the coming millennium. It takes resources to get with the latest technology and the ability to communicate,  he says, pointing to the AGC's upgrading of telecommunications, digital and video conferencing as examples.

I have a passion for young people and do a lot of career fairs,  Anderson remarks, “giving men and women some guidance and experience to make career choices. There are excellent, excellent jobs in our industry — very fulfilling ones — and I like to be a part of it.

There's a lot of personal satisfaction in it.