BEGINNINGS
The Mississippi Valley Branch of the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) traces its beginnings to March 1925 when a group of levee contractors met in Memphis, Tennessee and formed a levee division within the Memphis Chapter of AGC. The levee division remained actively affiliated with the Memphis Chapter until June 1, 1928 when AGC officially chartered the levee division as the Mississippi Valley Flood Control Branch. This followed the devastating Great Flood of 1927 and passage of the Flood Control Act of 1928 by the U.S. Congress authorizing the Mississippi River and Tributaries (MR&T) Flood Control Project. The Branch’s current name was adopted in 2001.
Among those individuals who led the effort to organize a levee division and chapter were: S. K. Jones of S. K. Jones Construction Company; A. F. (Frank) Stanford and Blair Lowrance of Lowrance Brothers and Company; Arthur J. Shea of the Canal Construction Company and H. N. Rodgers of H. N. Rodgers and Company. These individuals were also instrumental in having the Chapter incorporated in 1931.

JURISDICTION
The jurisdiction of the Branch encompasses the Mississippi River and its drainage area from its Headwaters at Lake Itasca, Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico, including the tributaries entering the Mississippi River below the Ohio River (This generally corresponds with the boundaries of the Mississippi Valley Division of the Corps of Engineers). Jurisdiction applies to all federally funded civil works of the Corps of Engineers and Natural Resources Conservation Service such as flood control and navigation projects, including dikes, levees, dams, locks, revetments, channels, channel cut-offs and dredging projects. Structural work (in-river vertical construction) above Cape Girardeau, Missouri is not included. The Branch’s jurisdiction also includes those portions of the State of Mississippi included in the basins of the Tennessee, Tombigbee, Pearl and Pascagoula Rivers.

MISSION
The mission of Mississippi Valley AGC is uniquely focused on federal flood control and navigation work on the Mississippi River and its tributaries. It is the only AGC Chapter with multi-state jurisdiction. The key to its long success is the dedication and active involvement of its membership with its Federal Agency Partners - the Army Corps of Engineers and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

EDUCATION
Mississippi Valley AGC is actively involved in the education of future contractors. The Bruce Tucker Memorial Scholarship Trust was established as a memorial to the late Mr. Bruce Tucker, who died on May 23, 1973 having served as Branch Manager for 20 years. Scholarships are awarded to college students majoring in construction related curriculums at 2-year and 4-year colleges and universities. Most recently, scholarships were awarded to students attending Oklahoma State University, the University of Alabama - Birmingham and Northeast Mississippi Community College.
Mississippi Valley AGC sponsors AGC student chapters at Northeast Mississippi Community College, Booneville, MS and Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS. The AGC student chapters assist students in obtaining a level of knowledge that meets or exceeds the construction industry standards and offers support within and around the college community and campus through special needs and projects.

ORGANIZATION
Mississippi Valley AGC is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit corporation and its business and affairs are managed by a Board of Directors. The Board of Directors is currently composed of twenty-four (24) Regular Members (general contractors) and two (2) non-voting Associate Members (non contractors). Day to day activities of the Branch are performed by an office staff composed of an office manager and an executive vice president. Specific Branch functions are delegated to committees which include the Executive Committee, Finance Committee, Safety Committee, Labor Committee, Membership Committee, Specifications Committee, Associate Members Council, Congressional Relations Committee, and Bruce Tucker Memorial Scholarship Trustees.

The Branch officers are the President, Vice President-at-Large, Vice President, and Secretary-Treasurer.

2011 BRANCH OFFICERS

(L-R) Tim Orr (Babcock Construction Co.),
Vice President; Ken Jacob (Cajun Industries, LLC), President;
Greg Ford (Choctaw Transportation Co.), Vice President-at-Large; and
Mike Mayeux (Southern Delta Construction, LLC), Secretary-Treasurer