There has been quite a bit of good news coming out the Arizona Builders’ Alliance (ABA) office this summer.

The ABA was recently awarded the AGC in the Community Award by Associated General Contractors of America. The award was given to the ABA for its outstanding community service projects in Tucson and Phoenix in 2011.

The ABA also earned the Excellence in Education Award from the Associated Builders and Contractors for its Leadership Development Forum (LDF) program.

On the community front, the ABA smashed its own record for the number of cell phones collected in the annual Cell Phone Drive for the Troops.

Last year’s record was 800 cell phones. This year ABA members collected 955 phones, which will give 28,650 minutes of free calling time to troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Additionally, the ABA is also in the middle of its Backpack Drive to collect school supplies for the upcoming year. The ABA will accept donations through July 20 and will donate the supplies to the schools in the most need.

The Arizona Builders’ Alliance is one of 95 chapters across the country that is aimed at productivity of contractors, suppliers and professional service firms.

For more information on Arizona Builders’ Alliance, visit Arizona Builders’ website at azbuilders.org.