Two influential business associations have created and will jointly lead a new intra-industry coalition “to help push and shape the [Trump] administration’s infrastructure proposal,” according to officials from the Associated General Contractors of America.
AGC announced on May 17 in Washington, D.C. that a new alliance with the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) will help “the general business community recognize that infrastructure investment has overall economic benefits,” says AGC CEO Stephen Sandherr.
“Creating good infrastructure has direct benefits for the construction industry and indirect benefits for others, such as making manufacturers more competitive in the global arena,” he told ENR prior to the coalition launch.
Sandherr says that NAM is a “natural partner” for AGC because the manufacturing sector has long supported broad-based, multi-modal infrastructure goals and recently produced a comprehensive proposal called “Build to Win,” which evaluates the economic impact of a solid infrastructure program.
“The goal of the coalition is to work with the administration and members of Congress to help provide both private-sector incentives and new federal funding for infrastructure programs,” says AGC spokesman Brian Turmail. He says that the group is working from a broad definition of infrastructure that includes many different components.
Other groups in attendance at the coalition launch included major trade associations, business community leaders, labor unions and public officials. Leaders from the hospitality and travel sectors, airport representatives and others are encouraged to join the coalition, AGC says.
The group’s initial priorities include increasing its grassroots base and using online education and social media to get its message out to a broader group of people.
“Industries are optimistic about a president showing seriousness and purpose in addressing our infrastructure deficit,” Sandherr says. “We want to help expedite that effort.”
President Trump has said he supports a $1-trillion federal program to build new infrastructure across the U.S.
