LAS VEGAS –

Kristine Young, chief executive officer of Des Moines, Iowa-based Miller the Driller, became the first woman to lead Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).

Sworn in as president of the AGC, Young will oversee the trade group’s work on behalf of the commercial construction industry.

“I’m humbled that this association has always treated me as a fellow contractor that happens to be a woman, instead of a woman that happens to be a contractor,” said Young. “Being the first is never about being alone, it took the time, energy and encouragement of many people to get me here today.”

As president, Young will oversee the association’s efforts to advocate for measures to boost demand for construction activity by enacting pro-growth tax and trade policies and making much-needed investments to the nation’s aging infrastructure. She will also work to overturn a new measure that forces governments at all levels to withhold 3 percent of the value of all major construction contracts beginning next year, something she notes will add to an unemployment rate for the industry that already is over 20 percent.

Posted by Michaelle Bradford