Barriere is proud to announce that Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) has certified our company as an Accredited Quality Contractor (AQC), in recognition of our company’s leadership in construction safety, education and culture.
For the sixth year in a row, we are honored to be among an elite group of construction companies recognized with this hard-earned distinction. Only 525 of the nation’s merit shop construction contractors earned the credential in 2023.
Barriere leadership credits our team’s enduring dedication to operational excellence for this recertification.
“Every day, the leaders and employees at Barriere put in the work and make the decisions that deliver the highest-quality construction services to their communities and embody the highest level of corporate achievement,” said ABC president and CEO Michael Bellaman. “Accredited Quality Contractors are top-performing ABC contractor members that set the standard for safety, culture, workforce development, innovation, merit and quality in the contracting community. Congratulations to these outstanding construction companies; you exemplify the best of ABC’s membership.”
Launched more than three decades ago, ABC’s AQC credential provides recognition to industry-leading construction firms that have documented their commitment in five key areas:
• Quality
• Health and safety performance
• Talent management, including inclusion, diversity and merit
• Craft and management education
• Community relations
Although Barriere had long met the requirements of ABC’S AQC national certification program, we did not officially engage with the program until six years ago. And since 2019, we have ranked in the top 75 AQC construction contractors.
Reaccredited annually, AQC members make the following pledge: As an Accredited Quality Contractor, our company is committed to providing our clients with the highest-quality construction services, and we care deeply about our employees and the communities in which we build. We are proud to be part of the construction industry and are dedicated to the principles of free enterprise. We commit ourselves to serve our communities and to provide our employees with the skills they need to work safely and productively in order to meet the needs of our clients.
“Barriere’s Culture of Care philosophy aligns perfectly with the AQC member pledge,” said Barriere President/CEO Jason Latiolais. “We hold ourselves to a very high standard at Barriere, and being recognized as an Accredited Quality Contractor by ABC is confirmation that our internal goals for safety and efficiency are reflected in the work we do. We are committed to meeting and exceeding our clients’ expectations while always making safety a top priority.”
In earning the AQC credential, each member company commits to industry-leading health and safety by achieving the Gold, Platinum or Diamond level in ABC’s STEP Safety Management System. Established in 1989, STEP provides contractors and suppliers with a robust, no-cost framework for measuring safety data and benchmarking with peers in the industry, with top performers achieving incident rates nearly six times safer than the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics industry average.
The AQC credential is recognized by the Construction Users Roundtable, an organization founded by leading construction project owners, which regularly recognizes Barriere for excellence in safety. AQC members are eligible for ABC’s Top Performers lists that rank contractors based on work hours.
About ABC
Associated Builders and Contractors is a national construction industry trade association established in 1950 that represents more than 23,000 members. Founded on the merit shop philosophy, ABC and its 68 chapters help members develop people, win work and deliver that work safely, ethically and profitably for the betterment of the communities in which ABC and its members work. Visit abc.org.
