I WANT TO START THIS COLUMN BY giving a shoutout to our partners at m3Magazines, who have taken over our Chapter publications (hence the exciting new look of this magazine). By now, you’ve probably noticed that Cornerstone has a fresh design and a dif- ferent feel in both layout and content. And it’s not just you who noticed — our new AGC Houston Cornerstone Maga- zine has been nominated for the 2025 FOLIO: Eddie & Ozzie Award in the Best Redesign, Association/Nonprofit category! I’ll admit that, until recently, I didn’t know anything about Eddie or Ozzie Awards — unless they were something a couple of my college buddies came up with. But I’ve since learned these awards are among the most coveted honors in publishing, and they’re regarded as the industry’s gold standard for recogniz- ing excellence in editorial content and design. Hopefully, by the time you read this, we’ll be able to say we won (fingers crossed). Either way, we’re very proud of the recognition and grateful to our publishing partners at m3Magazines for their hard work in revamping Cornerstone to better serve our members. Speaking of members … over the last several years, you’ve heard me stress the importance of engagement and how critical it is for our Chapter’s success. Engagement takes many forms — attending events like our Mid-Year Safety Meeting, participating in edu- cational programs like the Summer Smart Solution Series (try saying that four times fast!) or joining our advocacy efforts, such as visiting the Capitol or reaching out to legislators. However you choose to engage, please know that it impacts our Chapter and helps shape our organizational culture. At the risk of sounding like a broken record (since I often tell this story), when I first started at the AGC, members told me they loved our business-focused mindset. “Other organizations might be where people go to have fun,” members said, “but AGC is the group that gets stuff done.” Of course, I was flattered. If given the choice, I’d much rather be thought of as the business-focused organization that gets stuff done, but it also got me thinking … why can’t we be both? Why can’t we have fun and get stuff done? Over the past several years, our staff has worked very hard to create that bal- ance. We’ve tried to shift the culture of AGC to be a group that people recognize as having a ton of fun while also getting work done. If you’ve ever been greeted with a welcoming hug by Brenda Roman, our membership and events coordina- tor, you know the kind of atmosphere I mean. That genuine warmth — along with the fun “vibes” that we share on social media thanks to our marketing coordinator and resident expert photog- rapher, Chloe Frank — has helped boost our membership and sparked plenty of FOMO among those who don’t want to miss the next event. Of course, fun and engagement are just part of the picture. Our focus will always remain on the business side: meeting our members’ needs across all program areas, offering top-notch benefits and resources, and continually advocating for our industry. Our goal is simple: have fun, stay engaged and always get stuff done. F R O M T H E P R E S I D E N T / C E O Kyle Holland President/CEO, AGC Houston agchouston.org Fall2025Cornerstone3 AGC Houston Has Fun and Gets It Done! Engagement takes many forms, but it all impacts our Chapter.
