Membership
Business Development
Construction Education
Awards
Events
Industry insights, workforce trends, business strategy, and leadership.
Conversations with builders, leaders, and influencers shaping construction.
Chapter updates, legislation, milestones, and member highlights.
Founded in 2023, the ABC San Diego Chapter (ABCSD) Young Professionals Mentorship Program is a free benefit for ABC San Diego members created to support the next generation of construction leaders. The program connects emerging professionals with industry leaders and peers in a collaborative environment focused on mentorship, relationship-building, and career development.
Participants receive guidance, support, and encouragement as they work toward their personal and professional goals. Through the program, mentees are paired with experienced mentors who serve as trusted advisors and sources of inspiration.
The 2026 program runs from May through November, and mentee applications close May 11, 2026. We invite you to be part of a program designed to help build your future in the construction industry.
ABCSD’s Young Professionals (YP) program aims to shape the future of our industry by supporting the growth of young professionals employed by ABC members. The program creates opportunities for young leaders to build relationships, expand their skills and advance their careers while continuing to promote open competition and the merit shop philosophy.
Young Professionals
Mentoring is a special partnership between two people or group based on commitment to the mentoring process, common goals/expectations of partnership, and mutual trust and respect. Mentoring is a “get and give” relationship with the goal of providing both partners with rich, rewarding experiences.
As a mentee in our program, you will be paired with an experienced mentor who will serve as your trusted advisor, sounding board, and source of inspiration. In addition, you will meet regularly to discuss your challenges, opportunities, and aspirations and to receive feedback, advice, and encouragement.
Whether you are seeking to advance your career, start a business, or pursue other personal or professional aspirations, our program can help you get there. We are confident you will benefit from participating.
Each of our mentors were hand-selected for their depth of experience and contributions to their company and ABC San Diego. All of our mentors have a minimum of 15 years of experience in their field and hold positions of influence within their company or industry.
Join the Program
Mentee applications close May 11, 2026. If you miss the cutoff date, contact us and we will try to accommodate.
The information on your application will be used by the Young Professionals Committee to match you with a mentor.
Tracey oversees our workforce development, which means she`s the one steering the instructors and programs behind five trades: electrical, electronic systems technology, sheet metal, plumbing, and pipefitting.
She`s watched hundreds of apprentices come in knowing little about construction and walk out with a career, a credential, and none of the financial burden that usually comes with getting there.
The trades have been the backbone of every civilization long before a four-year degree was ever an option, and today they’re still laying the foundation for careers without student debt.
#ABCMeritShopProud #BuiltOnFamily #TrustedExpertise #SkilledTrades #ApprenticeshipTraining @abc_national
Fifty years of building San Diego, and we want to celebrate the people and projects behind it.
Submit your project or nominate a standout tradesperson, superintendent, project manager, or young professional for this year`s Excellence in Construction Awards and 50th Anniversary Gala.
✦ Submit your coolest projects
✦ Nominate your best people
Deadline: August 31. Entry is free.
#ABCMeritShopProud #ChampionForGrowth #ExcellenceInConstruction #ConstructionAwardsInSanDiego #SanDiegoContractors
Big or small, every job comes with a materials run. Now Associated Builders and Contractors members have access to the MyLowe`s Pro Rewards Program, a national member benefit built to save contractors real time and money.
The program includes volume discounts on qualifying purchases, a paint discount after annual spend thresholds, and additional statement credit savings for cardholders.
All at no cost to join!
👉 Contact us to learn more.
#ABCMeritShopProud #ChampionForGrowth #TrustedExpertise #BuiltOnFamily #SanDiegoConstruction
We made the cover! 📰
ABC San Diego has been named a Best Place to Work by the San Diego Business Journal, and we couldn`t be prouder of the team and members who make this chapter what it is. 🥂
Do you want to be a part of it? Learn more about our membership benefits and options on our website.
#ABCMeritShopProud #ChampionForGrowth #BuiltOnFamily #SanDiegoConstruction #BestPlaceToWork
What do you do when leadership guidance changes by lunchtime?
👉 Hear the full story of how ABC San Diego navigated COVID days by searching Coastlines to Cranes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
#ABCMeritShopProud #CoastlinesToCranes #ChampionForGrowth #ConstructionLeadership #COVIDLessons
Are you ready to get lucky? 🥂
Submit your project and nominate up to four of your best people by August 31.
LINK IN OUR BIO
#ABCMeritShopProud #CelebrateContractorsInSanDiego #ExcellenceInConstruction #ConstructionWorkforceAwards
Joshua set out to build something more than just a career.
His path into the trades started with a simple nudge, a company connection that opened his eyes to what ABC San Diego could offer. He didn`t overthink the decision and took a simple approach: what you put in is what you get out. The early mistakes, the slow stretches, the moments before anything clicked, all of it led him closer to a bigger vision of his future.
Outgrowing his initial goal, he started planning for his future kids, so they would never have to stress over how to pay for college or feel boxed into one "right" path. His vision became about building a financial foundation strong enough to carry the next generation forward before they even know they need it.
That`s the part of the trades people don`t talk about enough. Beyond the paycheck, it’s a network, a career, and a real shot at building wealth that lasts.
#ABCMeritShopProud #BuiltOnFamily #TrustedExpertise #SkilledTrades #ElectricalTrades
Enforcement on public works projects in California is not slowing down, and the cost of a missed prevailing wage requirement keeps climbing.
Prevailing Wage Essentials for California Contractors breaks down what contractors actually need to know about staying compliant on public works projects, without the guesswork.
This session covers:
▸ Federal Davis-Bacon requirements and how they apply to your projects
▸ California prevailing wage law and Safe Harbor provisions
▸ AB 889 and Skilled and Trained Workforce standards
▸ Real-world compliance strategies and how to prepare for audits
This is practical guidance from people who understand what is actually at stake for California contractors.
Register now: Link in bio 🔗
#ABCMeritShopProud #TrustedExpertise #ChampionForGrowth #PrevailingWageCompliance #PublicWorksConstruction
August is a big month for member anniversaries! Happy anniversary to every member celebrating another year with ABC San Diego 🔔 You build this city, and we`re proud to help build the people behind it.
#ABCMeritShopProud #ABCSDMembers #SanDiegoConstruction #ABCSD
YOU HAVE MORE TIME 😮💨
The deadline to submit projects and nominate your team for this year’s Excellence in Construction Awards has been extended to August 31.
Submissions are FREE.
🏆 Pick from 50 project categories.
🏅 Nominate up to 4 of your best people!
Link in BIO
#ABCMeritShopProud #ChampionForGrowth #BuiltOnFamily #TrustedExpertise SkilledTrades
Company culture is not built in a mission statement; it grows with people through, sometimes, small yet mighty traditions.
At ABC San Diego, our company culture comes with a cowbell. 🔔
It started when Shandon took note of it at one of Earl’s military events and decided to borrow the tradition. Much like challenge coins, the cowbell has grown in popularity here at ABC San Diego, becoming a fixture at events and a fun way to celebrate big wins.
Some of the most meaningful parts of a workplace culture come from unexpected places. Construction is not an industry known for being silly, and neither is the military, but somehow, the cowbell fits right into both.
🎧 Catch the full conversation on Coastlines to Cranes, available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
#ABCMeritShopProud #BuiltOnFamily #ChampionForGrowth #SanDiegoConstruction #TeamCulture
Dannie left data for HVAC controls with ETS, curious if the trades could challenge him more, and it did, far more than he expected.
As a Foreman, he compares the role to being a counselor. Leading a crew means staying humble, approachable, and clear while coordinating with other trades, staying on schedule, and making sure every person is in the right place at the right time.
Buildings do not build themselves. People build them, and leading those people takes its own kind of skill.
Dannie`s path is a reminder that the trades hold more roles and opportunities than people expect. Careers here can grow into leadership, into working closely with people, into opportunities most people never associate with construction.
We love highlighting the people behind the build, and for Dannie, that means taking care of the people part of it directly.
#ABCMeritShopProud #BuiltOnFamily #SkilledTrades #ConstructionLeadership #CareerGrowth
Please help us welcome Vendors First to the ABC San Diego family! 🏗️
Government contractors and RFP vendors shouldn`t have to wait months to get paid. @vendorsfirst helps improve cash flow by providing payment on approved invoices in as little as 72 hours. Vendors First members also get access to cash-back rewards, annual profit-sharing opportunities, and tools to help find and win new government contracts, so businesses can stay focused on growth, not funding gaps. Less waiting. More growth.
They joined only recently and have been showing up ever since. Harbor cruise sponsor, happy hour sponsor, and now the Gold sponsor for the Excellence in Construction Awards on October 3rd. Thank you to their team for the support!
As Brent put it, ABC already feels like a big family. And we couldn`t agree more.
Give Vendors First a warm welcome in the comments!
#ABCMeritShopProud #ABCSDMembers #SanDiegoConstruction #ABCSD
Prevailing wage compliance is one of the most consistently cited risk areas for California contractors working on public projects, and enforcement continues to tighten.
👉 Seats are limited. Register today: https://workforce.flashpoint.xyz/Lite/Event/Profile/1297131001
This seminar breaks down what you need to know to bid and stay compliant:
✅ Federal Davis-Bacon requirements
✅ California prevailing wage law
✅ Safe Harbor provisions
✅ AB 889 Skilled and Trained Workforce standards
✅ Current enforcement trends
Plus practical guidance you can apply directly to your next bid.
Deborah Wilder, President of CCMI, has spent her career on both sides of prevailing wage enforcement, defending contractors and prosecuting cases before the California Department of Industrial Relations. She`s authored three books on prevailing wage law and is one of the most sought-after voices on this topic nationally. This is a rare chance to get her insight directly.
#ABCMeritShopProud #TrustedExpertise #PrevailingWage #DavisBaconAct #CaliforniaContractors
At some point, every construction business owner has to face a question: who`s actually ready to lead when you`re not there?
In this episode of Coastlines to Cranes, Shandon Harbour welcomes back Earl the Pearl, a retired Marine Corps colonel and former commanding officer of MAG-11. Together they dig into what it really takes to build a second in command you can rely on, why polished leadership advice rarely holds up on a real jobsite, and why the lead and wingman roles have to shift depending on the situation in front of you.
Along the way, Earl shares what a 1981 Top Gun flight didn`t reveal until the plane was back on the ground!
🎧 A new episode of Coastlines to Cranes is out every Wednesday on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & YouTube
#ABCMeritShopProud #CoastlinesToCranes #ChampionForGrowth #SanDiegoConstruction #ConstructionLeadership
When Reina applied with the City of San Diego to be an electrical inspector, her journeyman license and completed apprenticeship were what got her hired.
She started as an apprentice with ABC San Diego, earned her journeyman license, and spent close to a decade in the field before setting her sights on inspection work.
Five years and a lot of support later, she`s grown into a successful electrical inspector, grateful for every step of the journey. Now she`s back with us, teaching the same apprenticeship program and helping the next wave of trades professionals see the path ahead.
The right credential gets you hired, and keeps you moving up from there.
#ABCMeritShopProud #BuiltOnFamily #TrustedExpertise #SkilledTrades #Electrical
This October, we`re celebrating the best projects and people building San Diego, and we want yours in the room!
Thank you to @vendorsfirst and Sr. Managing Director Brent Galbreath for sponsoring the EIC & 50th Anniversary Gala happening on October 3rd. Vendors First helps small and medium businesses winning government contracts get paid faster.
Submissions are open and FREE now across every project category, and the deadline to enter is August 15. If your team delivered something this year worth putting in front of San Diego`s merit shop community, this is where it gets recognized.
✧ LINK IN BIO FOR EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
#ABCMeritShopProud #ChampionForGrowth #BuiltOnFamily #SanDiegoConstruction #ABCSanDiego50
Calling all North County contractors and suppliers: Join us for a Regional Happy Hour next week on Thursday to grab a drink, enjoy some food, and connect with fellow construction professionals.
📅 Thursday, August 6
🕒 3 – 6 PM
📍 Belching Beaver Brewery, Vista
The theme is Sports Fan Day, so rep your favorite team! See you there. 🍻
👉 More on time and location on the link in our bio
#ABCMeritShopProud #ChampionForGrowth #BuiltOnFamily #SanDiegoConstruction #NorthCountyConstruction
This could be your team in October!
👉 Submit to win an Excellence in Construction Award through the link in our bio
Last year, @bergelectric walked away from the EIC Awards with hardware in hand, honoring both great San Diego projects and the people who built them.
This year, it could be your project, your crew, your name.
Submissions for both project and individual awards are FREE and open now through August 15.
#ABCMeritShopProud #ChampionForGrowth #BuiltOnFamily #TrustedExpertise #SkilledTrades
73% of small and mid-sized businesses plan to expand their social media presence this year, per a 2025 Verizon and Morning Consult study. So why does getting started still feel so hard? 🤔
Tanita Antonio, Co-Founder and Director of Marketing at @tenacious.mktg, keeps it simple with two moves.
Here`s something you can do:
✔️ Tomorrow: Clean up your existing profiles. Sharp logo, correct categories, complete info with website links. That`s how people find you.
✔️ Next month: Build an actual strategic plan so your social media presence complements your real business operations instead of overwhelming them.
🎧 Find Coastlines to Cranes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube
#ABCMeritShopProud #TrustedExpertise #ChampionForGrowth #SmallBusinessGrowth #SanDiegoConstruction
Some of Daniel`s jobsites are searching for cures. Others are building childhood memories.
He`s helped build out laboratories running cancer testing and vaccine research, spaces where climate control cannot afford to fail. During the pandemic, that work took on a different weight. He was classified essential, quietly holding up the systems that public health depended on, even if nobody was clapping for the crew behind the scenes.
More recently, he completed a project at Legoland, the same park he grew up visiting as a kid. Now he`s part of the team building the rides that bring hope and fun to the next generation.
The trades quietly hold up so much of the physical world we live in, from temperature control in research labs to the sturdy rails kids trust while they build memories of their own.
#ABCMeritShopProud #ChampionForGrowth #BuiltOnFamily #TrustedExpertise #SkilledTrades
We opened our annual Harbor Cruise to everyone this year and loved seeing all the new faces! 🛥️
It was so much fun to connect, cupid shuffle, and chow down on delicious tacos.
A big thank you to our sponsors for helping us put on this event. Thank you for supporting the San Diego construction industry:
🛟 @vendorsfirst
🛟 @sandiegobackflow
🛟 Blue Nose IT Solutions
🛟 @servicetitan
📸 See all the photos we captured through the link in our bio
#ABCMeritShopProud #ChampionForGrowth #BuiltOnFamily #SanDiegoConstruction #HarborCruise
Your best people make your business better, stronger, and more fun to run. Nominating them for the 2026 EIC Workforce Awards is completely FREE, so there’s no reason not to give credit where credit is due.
These awards recognize the professionals who make this industry what it is. This year`s categories:
👷 Project Manager of the Year
👷 Superintendent of the Year
👷 Tradesperson of the Year
👷 Young Professional of the Year
If you`ve got someone on your team who consistently goes above and beyond, this is your chance to make sure they`re recognized for it.
1️⃣ Download and complete the appropriate nomination form
2️⃣ Submit by the August 15 deadline to events@abcsd.org
3️⃣ Get your tickets for the Gala on October 3rd at Kona Kai Resort
Nominate your strongest player today: LINK IN BIO FOR MORE INFO
#ABCMeritShopProud #TrustedExpertise #ChampionForGrowth #BuiltOnFamily #SanDiegoConstruction
A healthy company culture doesn’t always look pretty.
Birthday cards and appreciation weeks feel good, but they aren`t what builds a good company culture. That happens when leaders embrace employees as whole people.
People are overwhelmed, juggling more than the job, and that doesn`t disappear when they clock in. Real leadership means creating space for people to say "I`m not okay," and backing it up with real support like personal days and mental health resources.
That`s exactly why we`ve partnered with @confyde.io, to help us spot when our people need support before they have to ask.
🎧 Find Coastlines to Cranes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
#ABCMeritShopProud #CoastlinesToCranes #ChampionForGrowth #BuiltOnFamily #PeopleCenteredLeadership
The ABC San Diego Excellence in Construction Awards have 50 categories you can submit under, and this year submissions are FREE!
If recognition for your team`s hard work has been on your 2026 goals, now is your time to get in the game.
With 50 different categories and dollar-tier combinations across General Contractors and Specialty Contractors, there`s a strong chance something on this list fits the work your team has been putting in. Electrical, Mechanical, Public Works, Institutional, Health Care, Sitework, and more- your project has options.
Projects must be completed by Oct. 1, 2026, to qualify, and submission is completely free. From there, all that`s left is joining us on October 3 to celebrate this year`s winners and 50 years of ABC San Diego.
🏆 Submit your project by August 15: https://abcsd.org/excellence-in-construction/
#ABCMeritShopProud #TrustedExpertise #ChampionForGrowth #BuiltOnFamily #ConstructionExcellence
Blueprints tell you what to build. Joseph makes sure ABC San Diego members know how to build it with the latest technology.
He`s the one scouting new tech and testing how it fits into construction, most recently VR training.
But the search doesn`t stop with him. Students bring their own ideas about what technology should come next, and Joseph takes those suggestions seriously. That back-and-forth is what keeps the apprenticeship program, and ABC San Diego`s members, ahead of where construction tech is headed.
This is what it means to build the next fifty years together.
#ABCMeritShopProud #BuiltOnFamily #TrustedExpertise #SkilledTrades #ConstructionTech
Cheers to our July member anniversary honorees, the contractors, suppliers, and industry professionals who keep the merit shop thriving all year long. 🏗️
#ABCMeritShopProud #ABCSDMembers #SanDiegoConstruction #ABCSD
We like it better when the spotlight`s on you 😂 ABC San Diego’s Excellence in Construction Award submissions close on August 15.
Everything you need to know is on our website.
Mark your calendar: August 15 is the deadline to submit your project(s) and nominate your workforce team for this year`s Excellence in Construction Awards.
This fall, we`re celebrating the best of our industry, both the outstanding projects and the people who bring them to life. Contractors can submit project work and nominate their workforce team for FREE.
📅 August 15 — Deadline to submit projects and workforce nominations
🎉 October 3 — Excellence in Construction & 50th Anniversary Gala (tickets available after August 15)
💻 Everything EIC — ON OUR WEBSITE, LINK IN BIO
We can`t wait to celebrate the work and the people who make San Diego what it is.
#ABCMeritShopProud #ChampionForGrowth #BuiltOnFamily #ConstructionAwards #SanDiegoConstruction
CMMC is becoming a baseline expectation across the Defense Industrial Base, and our partners at @egnyte_inc are helping contractors get ahead.
Join us for a FREE webinar breaking down what Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification actually requires, how to determine if your work involves FCI or CUI, and how to calculate and submit your SPRS score. You`ll also get a clear look at Level 2 documentation requirements and what auditors are looking for, plus live Q&A with Egnyte`s cybersecurity experts.
Whether you`re actively working DoD contracts or exploring the defense market, this session will help you understand where you stand and what to do next.
🎟️ Register now: https://workforce.flashpoint.xyz/Lite/Event/Register?eventId=1294171000
#ABCMeritShopProud #TrustedExpertise #ChampionForGrowth #ConstructionCompliance #CMMCCompliance
