SMU Community Chat

Register for Weds Community Chat With AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson
Written by Michael Cowden
July 26, 2022
Ken Simonson, chief economist for The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), will be the featured speaker on the next SMU Community Chat webinar on Wednesday, July 27, at 11 a.m. ET.
The live webinar is free. A recording will be available free to SMU members. You can register here.
We’ll talk about big topics like whether the economy is in or might be headed for recession. How do such concerns square with what contractors are experiencing right now?
Another key theme: Interest rates are up as The Fed tries to wrestle inflation under control. What kinds of projects are most vulnerable to higher interest rates and slower economic growth?
Remember the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act? It became law eight months ago. Has it had any impact on demand for construction projects and materials? And, if not, when can we expect to see that demand kick in?
And we’ll of course take your questions too.
Simonson is in a good position to address them because AGC is the leading association for the construction industry, with more than 27,000 member firms across a range of markets.
As always, we’ll keep it to about 45 minutes. You can drop in, learn something – and then get on with your day.
Finally, check out our Community Chat page, to see recordings of past webinars, including our last one with Mercury Resources CEO Anton Posner.
By Michael Cowden, Michael@SteelMarketUpdate.com

Michael Cowden
Read more from Michael CowdenLatest in SMU Community Chat

SMU Community Chat: CRU analysts Thais Terzian and Frank Nikolic on Wednesday
CRU analysts Thais Terzian and Frank Nikolic will be the featured guests on the next SMU Community Chat on Wednesday, July 9, at 11 am ET. The live webinar is free for anyone to attend. A recording will be available to SMU subscribers.

SMU Community Chat: Construction at risk from tariffs, immigration policy, federal cuts
“Contractors say that they're still busy, but their order books have gotten a lot softer or a lot more uncertain,” said Ken Simonson, chief economist for The Associated General Contractors of America.

SMU Community Chat: CRU analysts Thais Terzian and Frank Nikolic on Wednesday, July 9
CRU analysts Thais Terzian and Frank Nikolic will be the featured guests on the next SMU Community Chat on Wednesday, July 9, at 11 am ET.

SMU Community Chat replay now available
The latest SMU Community Chat webinar reply featuring Ken Simonson, chief economist for The Association General Contractors of America (AGC), is now available on our website to all members. After logging in at steelmarketupdate.com, visit the community tab and look under the “previous webinars” section of the dropdown menu. All past Community Chat webinars are also available under that […]

SMU Community Chat: Wednesday With AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson
We’ll have a lot to talk about because construction is at the intersection of so many of today’s hot-button issues. The main question: Will construction thrive or dive in the rest of ’25? (Nothing wrong with a rhyme, even in serious times.)