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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 19 F E B R UA R Y 8 , 2 0 1 6 T he last decade has been a tough slog for Maine's construction industry. Matthew Marks, CEO of the Associated General Contractors of Maine, says the state's 4,700 construction fi rms lost 10,000 jobs since 2006, when 32,000 workers were employed in that pre-recession, peak construction year. Although construction employment now stands at 25,400, the trade group's parent organization, AGC America, ranked Maine 48th in the country for construction job growth in 2015, reporting that there were 700 fewer construc- tion jobs in the state last June compared to June 2014. Marks says the recession put the brakes on an initiative AGC Maine launched in 2006 to reinvigo- rate its education foundation and encourage Maine's students to think about careers as carpenters, electri- cians, welders and other construction trades. e impetus for that initiative, he says, was simple: An aging workforce creates a corresponding need to hire skilled younger workers to replace them. Marks says AGC Maine is revamping its out- reach eff orts and has made recruitment of young workers a top priority of 2016. Mainebiz interviewed Marks at AGC Maine's Augusta offi ce to talk about that eff ort in the broader context of Maine's construction industry's ongoing challenges and opportunities heading into the new year. An edited transcript follows. Mainebiz: Obviously, you've gone through some tough times since you were hired as AGC Maine's chief operations offi cer in 2007 and promoted to CEO in 2012. How has the long economic slowdown affected the industry's recruitment efforts? Rebuilding a workforce Recruitment a top priority for Associated General Contractors of Maine B y J a m e s M c C a r t h y P H O T O / JA M E S M C C A R T H Y Matthew Marks, CEO of Associated General Contractors of Maine, says an aging workforce and huge infrastructure backlog will create thousands of job opportunities for Maine students in the next decade. HARRIMAN.COM AUBURN PORTLAND MANCHESTER BOSTON Find us on ARCHITECTURE ENGINEERING SUSTAINABLE DESIGN PLANNING INTERIOR DESIGN Mechanics Savings Bank New Branch © Blind Dog Photo Associates C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » F O C U S