SMU Community Chat
Community Chat with AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson
Written by David Schollaert
September 26, 2023
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, Oct. 4, 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 the outlook for construction, a key end market for steel. We’ll discuss how changing material costs, including for steel, might affect that outlook.
We’ll in addition dive into the impact of higher interest rates, the Inflation Reduction Act, and infrastructure spending. To what extent might higher rates slow construction activity? And to what extent might the IRA and infrastructure help to offset that?
Another important topic: labor. We’ve seen labor shortages and widespread strikes – not only at the UAW but across other industries as well. Does that mean skilled workers will remain hard to find for longer than anticipated?
And we’ll of course take your questions too.
Simonson is in a good position to answer them because AGC is the leading association for the construction industry, with more than 27,000 member firms across a range of markets. Also, Simonson has been chief economist at AGC since 2001 – so he’s seen more than a few construction market cycles.
As always, we’ll keep it to about 45 minutes. You can drop in, learn something – and then get on with your day.
PS – If you’d like to see past Community Chat webinars, you can find those here.

David Schollaert
Read more from David SchollaertLatest in SMU Community Chat

Join SMU for a Community Chat with trade attorney Lewis Leibowitz on Aug. 13
Veteran trade attorney Lewis Leibowitz will join SMU for a Community Chat on Wednesday, Aug. 13, at 11 am ET.

Trump exempts Brazilian pig iron, iron ore ahead of deadline, 10% tariff remains
The Trump administration has exempted Brazilian pig iron and iron ore from an aggressive "reciprocal" tariff ahead of the Aug. 1 deadline.

SMU Community Chat: Tariff-induced panic purchases, inflation, and calculating costs
Chief executive of the Institute for Supply Management (ISM), Tom Derry highlighted how reactive buying behavior has shifted the market into a quiet demand period. Derry presented ISM data during the weekly SMU community chat.

SMU Community Chat replay now available
The latest SMU Community Chat webinar reply featuring Tom Derry of the Institute for Supply Management (ISM), is now available on our website to all members.

Register for the next SMU Community Chat with ISM CEO Tom Derry!
Institute for Supply Management CEO Tom Derry will join SMU for our next Community Chat on Wednesday, July 23, at 11 a.m. ET (10 a.m. CT). You can register here.