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Join us for the first Words With Wayne of 2026 - it's a PACKED one! We start off visiting our friends over at Knife River and are joined by Knife River's President Josh Smith, who has worked closely with the Idaho AGC for years. Learn a little bit more about this incredible company and their journey to grow into what they've become today. We also chat with our Director of Government Affairs, Sean Schupack, as we kick off this Legislative Session. Wayne also reminds us about our upcoming Legislative Reception, AGC 101, Thirsty Thursday, introduces our December Milwaukee Member of the Month, and MORE - if you can even believe it!

The Idaho AGC is closing out 2025’s Milwaukee Member of the Month awards with the special recognition of Dan Reading with In the Bag Promotions.

A long time Idaho AGC member, In the Bag Promotions is involved with every AGC event, event when they aren’t in attendance.  If you’ve been to any Idaho AGC events, you’ve seen Dan’s incredible work on all of our promotional swag and staff apparel. 

For November 2025, we are proud to recognize Sheldon Christensen, with Ascent Benefits Advisors, as the Milwaukee Member of the Month for his outstanding performance and continued commitment to serving Idaho employers. During the fourth quarter of 2025, Sheldon successfully sold three new groups into the Idaho AGC Health Plan, with effective dates of October 1, November 1, and December 1. This consistent success across the quarter highlights his ability to build strong relationships, understand employer needs, and confidently deliver solutions that provide real value.

By now, you should have received your hard copy of this fall's buildingIdaho magazine.  It is full of great content, which you can read by clicking the linked image below.

Wayne's showing us two new additions to his family - his new horse named Phoenix, and his new F150 that he got with the help of our friends over at Kendall Auto! He's also going over the Northwest AGC Retirement Plan, our Health Plan, our upcoming Gala Awards, introducing our October and November Milwaukee Members of the Month, and reminding us about the provision in the Big Beautiful Bill that passed recently - making it a prime time to invest in equipment, vehicles, and more! Lots of our members like Kendall Auto are great to rely on during this time!

Please join us in congratulating our October Milwaukee Member of the Month, Dan Strauss with Syman, Inc.

Dan has long been a respected and familiar presence within the Idaho AGC community, known for his professionalism, expertise, and commitment to elevating the construction industry. As the lead instructor for Idaho AGC’s Water Pollution Control Manager (WPCM) courses, Dan brings a wealth of knowledge and practical experience to each session. His approachable teaching style, coupled with his deep understanding of environmental compliance and best practices, has helped countless professionals strengthen their skills and uphold the highest industry standards.

Happy fall! Wayne is here to introduce our newest team member, Kaity! He’s also giving us a couple fun updates on some BIG upcoming events, the AGC award we recently won, and MORE!

Our September Milwaukee Member of the Month is Joe Smith, with Knife River. 

Joe Smith has been the point person (chair) leading the AGC DEQ Task Force. The task force's lofty goal was to streamline the permit process for new concrete batch and hot mix asphalt plant approval from its current timeline of over a year to less than a few months. This change would save contractors huge amounts of time and thousands of dollars per permit. In order to do this, the objective was to create a "fast lane" where plants that meet certain pre-determined criteria can be approved through a permit by rule process. 

Happy September! Wayne is here to talk about our next few events we have coming up, two big ones being next week! He’s also introducing our September Milwaukee Member of the Month, and reminding us about all of the upcoming trainings the Idaho AGC offers!

If you’ve attended an Idaho AGC event, chances are you’ve already met our August Milwaukee Member of the Month: Brady Walling—and it’s easy to see why he stands out. Brady has long been an active and enthusiastic member, always stepping up to support our staff and fellow members in meaningful ways.