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Updated: 4 hours ago

Outstanding Women in Business: Kelly Flagg helps build Maine’s construction workforce

Photo / Tim Greenway Kelly Flagg established the Maine Construction Academy to develop skilled workers and provide career paths to stable, middle-class employment.
By Laurie Schreiber
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During three years as executive director of Associated General Contractors of Maine, Kelly Flagg is credited for transforming the organization. Her most significant achievement was establishing the Maine Construction Academy, to develop skilled workers and provide career paths to stable, middle-class employment — particularly benefiting underserved populations. She has positioned the organization at the forefront of legislative activities affecting the construction industry, navigating complex political landscapes while building consensus among diverse stakeholders.

Mainebiz: What’s your background?

Kelly Flagg: In my early 20s, my husband at the time and I owned a landscape construction and maintenance business. Years later I took an executive position in human resources with CCB Construction in Westbrook and got to see different aspects of commercial construction. That was a turning point. I loved the people and I liked the intricacy behind the construction of large projects.

MB: How did you come to AGC Maine?

KF: At CCB, I was on the AGC board. When this role came up, it was too perfect a fit to pass up.

MB: How do you approach the role?

KF: My job is to serve our members. I spent that first summer traveling the state and saying, “What are your challenges?” We were coming out of COVID, so pricing instability was big. But more than that, every single member said workforce. A lot said, “We could do more work if we had more people.”

MB: How did you address that?

KF: The solution is what is now known as the Maine Construction Academy. We looked at: Where do I find workforce today? Where do I find workforce that we can develop for the future? How do we help people know that the opportunity exists?

MB: How did you stand up the program?

KF: In 2022, we received a grant of $1.47 million from the Department of Labor’s Maine Apprenticeship Program to develop and promote apprenticeships in construction. We used that money to stand up the first construction academies and develop apprenticeships. In order for apprenticeships to work, there has to be a place for people to go to work in which employers are willing to train them. There was an internal marketing campaign about hiring people who are less skilled than you want and then training them along the way. Instead of employers thinking, “I need to find an experienced carpenter,” it became, “How do I find people who have the capacity to learn what I need?”

We had three employer partners when I started that conversation. We currently have 32.

MB: What are the next pieces?

KF: Partnering with education institutions and communities to find people who might be the future workforce. We started in 2022 with four high schools and career and technical education programs. Now we’re partnered with 18.

Our workforce development team brings support services to individuals. When someone registers for the Maine Construction Academy, an assessment is done. Are they on food stamps? Do they need transportation or child care assistance? What might prevent this person from being successful? We’re putting together all the pieces of what the employers and what the individuals need.

MB: What’s ahead?

KF: We’ll expand our adult programs and refine our youth programs. We are now funded by several sources and are seeking new funding all the time. That’s a big part to my job.

MB: What makes an effective leader?

KF: Recognizing that I can’t solve all problems by myself. There’s no way this program could happen without good partners, including my staff that works tirelessly.

I never sit back and say, “Hey, look what we’ve done.” We might take a quick victory lap once in a while. But we’re always thinking about, “How can we serve more people?”

Associated General Contractors of Maine

188 Whitten Road, Augusta

Founded: 1951

What it does: Member-driven industry association that advocates for contractors on legislative policy, regulatory reform, business networking and workforce development.

Employees: 4

agcmaine.org

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