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
ABC San Diego’s CEO, Shandon Harbour, announces the launch of our brand new newsletter! By Shandon Harbour, President & CEO of ABC San Diego I’m really excited to introduce to you ABC San Diego’s brand new newsletter! It’s part of a broad effort to bring you vital information you can use to efficiently manage and … Continued
A Night of Caring and Cowbell Raucousness By Shandon Harbour, President & CEO of ABC San Diego I am still reeling from the excitement of this year’s Excellence in Construction Awards ceremony. As many of you know, the EIC Event – which was held on May 1st – showcases the most impressive building projects and … Continued