How one ABC San Diego member’s life experience shaped her career in building one of the country’s most successful construction safety training businesses. by Marjorie Del Toro, President and CEO of California-based ehs International, Inc. (ehsInc). My passion for saving lives was not born in a classroom or boardroom—it was born from tragedy. When I … Continued
Construction entrepreneur Steven Cabaj talks about how his leadership philosophy is deeply rooted in his father’s immigrant entrepreneurial journey and his own experience building a company from the ground up. Associated Builders and Contractors, San Diego (ABCSD): Talk about your father’s journey from Polish immigrant to entrepreneur and how it shaped your approach to running … Continued
Coastlines to Cranes episode resources for Fentanyl on the Jobsite with Bill Perno: Part 1 + Part 2 This is the resource hub for our two-part episode series, Fentanyl on the Jobsite, on our podcast Coastlines to Cranes. Part 1 focuses on what fentanyl is, how it’s showing up, and what warning signs can look like at … Continued
New bill adds annualization requirements, ends DIR exemptions, and tightens California prevailing wage compliance. By Shandon Harbour, President & CEO of ABC San Diego No doubt you’ve been hearing about a bill in the California Assembly – AB 889. In essence, this bill takes an annualization rule from the Department of Labor and codifies it … Continued
ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu isn’t calling for a recession in 2026—but he’s not celebrating, either. Speaking at the Construction Executive’s 2025 Q3 Construction Economic Update and Forecast on October 8th, Basu described an economy that’s “built on a narrow foundation of growth” with resilience driven by artificial intelligence infrastructure and stock market wealth. But … Continued
Why Smaller Contractors Should Bet on Public Works in the Year Ahead By Shandon Harbour, President & CEO of ABC San Diego It’s that time when construction businesses are looking forward to 2026. They’re figuring out what they need to budget for and asking some key questions: How should we allocate our limited resources to … Continued
How can small-to-medium size construction businesses hope to bridge the generational divide? Behind the Build sat down with three contractors who span as many generations at Applied Mechanical Solutions, a 14-employee, full-service commercial and industrial San Diego HVAC contracting company. They talked about the critical importance of investing in younger contractors for long-term success. Jay … Continued
Construction leaders must assure younger contractors that our industry endures, no matter what political headwinds come our way. By Shandon Harbour, President & CEO of ABC San Diego Here we are once again, another government shutdown. We naturally get nervous when the federal government stops working. Building projects will experience delays and disruptions, and there’s … Continued
It’s natural to fear that AI is going to replace services, but what it’s really coming for is time-sucking, inefficient, headache-inducing busywork. By Shandon Harbour, President & CEO of ABC San Diego When you hear the words artificial intelligence, what do you think of? Dorky sci-fi robots? Fake social media videos? Random ChatGPT advice? That’s … Continued
Here are steps every contractor should take to improve their chances of saving time, boosting profit margins, and giving their business a competitive edge. By Rowan Steel-Hall, COO of SMARTBUILD AI adoption is no longer optional. Contractors who start leaning into AI now will have the edge in speed, accuracy, and profitability. They’ll see fewer … Continued