Welcome | ACI’s Cincinnati Constructor Magazine
Dear Allied Construction Industries Member,
Thank you so much for being an ACI member! Thank you for all you do to make our Cincinnati region a great place to live, work, and play, and thank you for your support of ACI.
As you know, ACI exists for the sole purpose of helping you and our industry grow and thrive. As we reflect back on this past membership year, we believe it’s been a very strong one – on point and impactful. I’d like to share with you some highlights, which I sincerely hope will leave you feeling that your investment in membership with ACI is delivering value to you.
ADVOCACY
In November of 2023, ACI conducted the first-ever economic impact analysis of the commercial construction industry in the Cincinnati region.
The “why” behind the initiative is that it’s our deeply held belief that the Cincinnati region’s commercial construction industry is an essential part of the overall region’s health and vibrancy, and its continued upward trajectory.
But our “belief,” or strongly held opinion that we’re a major contributor to our region’s economic vitality is not quantifiable data. And our region’s business, community, and political leaders require dispassionate, quantifiable data to consider, as they make decisions that affect our collective future. Meaning, the decisions they make can create favorable conditions for our growth as an industry, or they could be challenges to that growth.
So, as part of our advocacy efforts, ACI engaged the University of Cincinnati’s Economics Center to conduct the first-ever economic impact analysis of the commercial construction industry in the Cincinnati Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Metropolitan Statistical Area is also known as an MSA. Our MSA comprises three states: Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana, and 15 counties within those states.
The full report is available to read on ACI-web.com, and I hope you’ll take a moment to check it out. I’ll share just a few fun data points here:
• In total, the commercial construction industry in the Cincinnati MSA generated $9.2 billion in economic activity in 2022 Supported 54,282 jobs
• Generated $3.7 billion in job earnings
• Led to $231.2 million in earnings and sales tax revenue for state and local jurisdictions across the tri-state
• The commercial construction industry supports other industries by purchasing materials, equipment, services, and more for its construction and business efforts
• During 2022 alone, the commercial construction industry in the Cincinnati MSA made total purchases of $2.7 billion, of which 51.1 percent (c. $1.38B) was spent with businesses in the Cincinnati MSA
• Comparison of industry sales (projects), jobs, and job earnings to select other MSAs:
◆ the Cincinnati MSA has more commercial construction jobs than the Cleveland, Columbus, Lexington, and Louisville MSAs
◆ the Cincinnati MSA has greater sales than the Cleveland, Lexington and Louisville MSAs and nearly equal to the Columbus MSA
◆ the Cincinnati MSA has greater earnings than the Cleveland, Columbus, Lexington, and Louisville MSAs
I would encourage you to use this data as a recruiting and retention tool. Meaning, what this data is telling us unequivocally is that if you want a career in construction, this is the place and you are the companies.
There’s much more data in the report including jobs-related data, demographic data, and more MSA comparative data. As mentioned, you can find it on our website at aci-web.com.
We’ve been sending and sharing this report widely, including with our members, elected officials, business and community leaders, and with a myriad stakeholder organizations since we released it at the end of last year. It has already opened quite a few doors, and we’re now getting calls from elected officials as well as media and other interested parties looking to ACI for data and perspectives regarding our industry and our members.
We will continue spreading the good word throughout this year and beyond, and we do intend to commission and release more studies and different studies in the future.
So that was a little bit about our advocacy pillar of work. Now I’d like to briefly touch on our other two pillars of work, specifically Workforce Solutions and what we refer to as Meaningful Connections. I’ll start with meaningful connections.
MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS
Meaningful Connections is just a fancy - but more accurate way - of describing the outcomes of our events. Yes, we do events. But we don’t hold a single event without consideration to maximizing your ability to make meaningful connections. The reason being, that in our industry, particularly here in the Cincinnati region, business is fueled and sustained by strong relationships. And in many ways, events are the glue that binds us together as a built environment ecosystem.
So at the heart of this body of work is our recognition that ACI needs to always be providing you opportunities to make meaningful connections.
Contractors, suppliers, service providers, owners, architects and engineers, developers, workforce partners – all are part of ACI’s membership. And when you’re truly and meaningfully connecting with each other, your respective companies grow and thrive and our industry grows and thrives. And that’s ACI’s mission: to grow the Cincinnati region’s commercial construction industry.
This year, we will be executing 35 events for you. All will be developed with an eye toward you being able to make meaningful connections. So be sure you’re subscribed to our newsletter to stay in the know of all the upcoming events, as well as our classes, advocacy projects, and more.
WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS
The work of our Construction Career Center is focused on closing the talent and skills gaps in our industry.
We do this through our K-12 and adult education and training work. This past May 8th and 9th, we held our annual ACI Construction Career Days event.
Construction Career Days is one of the largest construction career fairs in the nation, and this year we had 3,265 students from grades 7-12 and 76 interactive exhibitors in attendance. The 2024 event attracted not only a visit from Ohio Lt. Governor Jon Husted, but a commendation from the Governor and Lt. Governor as well.
This year, all hirable and interested students experienced a unique “VIP Student” treatment. They received a different colored hard hat for easy identification, and employers and these VIP students were given the opportunity to schedule an interview for employment.
The metric that ACI is focused on is how many hires occurred as a direct result of this event. It’s our “holy grail metric” and quite frankly, it’s the only one that matters at the end of the day.
We anticipate 50 placements with companies who exhibited. Meaning, that Construction Career Days is not just a career exploration event anymore, it’s also a bona fide hiring event for our employers.
I’ll close by saying thank you for believing in our mission to grow the region’s commercial construction industry. Our ability to have impact for you and our industry is only possible through your membership and support.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me personally with your feedback, ideas, and questions. I want to hear from you because when we know what’s on your mind and what’s important to you, we can serve you better.
With warm regards and gratitude,
Jordan Vogel
Executive Director, ACI
Executive Director, AGC Cincinnati
