Winter Grading

A couple of weeks ago, I was on one of our projects in Tennessee which, fortunately for us, is a rock job. As luck would have it for us as well, the cut material is below optimum moisture content. We have the best of both worlds for a winter grading project. This, combined with our grading contractor hitting it hard in the recent good weather, translates to success.

Beginning this time of year, the construction process is at the mercy of weather. Winter grading, for example, is more time consuming and labor intensive. Moisture is the enemy, and there are fewer hours of daylight–thus less drying time–with soils above optimum, not to mention the increase in rain and/or snow. A few things we do:

Phase the grading. Grade with a crown 2 feet higher than the proposed subgrade to protect the site from construction equipment, which will have more impact when the soil moisture is higher. At slab construction time, you can trim the damaged layer back, landing at the proper height and avoiding undercutting. This is generally referred to as “safe-ing up the site.”

Direct Traffic. Establishing construction roads can restrict traffic from weaker areas of the site and protect compacted soils.

Fight the Weather. You can place soil over a large area and seal it with a drum roller to protect the base layer from moisture, or use lightweight placement and compaction equipment to “work the soil.”

Cheat, if you have to. Chemical stabilization be used to weatherproof soils.

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How to Hire a Winning Workforce

Recruiting top talent can be difficult in any competitive industry. Just as job seekers compete to stand out to recruiters and potential employers, firms also need to make an impression on qualified candidates to avoid losing them to competitors. Acquiring talent that has the credentials and experience, as well as the desire to stay with a company long-term, is fundamental in successfully reaching and expanding your business goals, but doing so is often much easier said than done.

IoT & Wearables in the Construction Industry

With technology being constantly integrated into every aspect of our daily lives—vehicles, wristwatches, TV remotes, refrigerators—it was only a matter of time before it reached the construction jobsite. The “internet of things” (IoT) and its capability to send and receive information to and from objects and device is on the rise across a number of industries, and has forged its way to construction alongside support from younger generations of construction professionals.

Staying Connected

Over time, we all move through life cycles. Friends and customer relationships may change jobs, and their personal circumstances are in flux as well. It is always easier to reach out to those who have something we need, but what about other times, when there is a rough patch or someone is out of work? I will offer up that most folks remember those who extend a hand when the ox is in the ditch, rather than those who show up on a clear day.

On a recent trip, I made a point to visit a contact who had moved from one company to another and was a bit down on her luck. She was our ally in her former position, but moreover, she is a good person we don’t want to fall off the radar.

One never knows where a short note, email or phone call will lead, or the impact it could have on someone else, especially when they have nothing to offer. The right time and style is more an art form than a science, learned over time.

Interestingly, it seems that staying top-of-mind takes little effort and is a rewarding process, both personally and professionally, for everyone involved. Maybe now is the time to get in the practice of keeping the radar turned on.

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3 Tips for Pairing the Right Drill with the Right Job

There is no cookie-cutter approach to selecting the right machine for a concrete drilling job. A number of factors come into play, including working conditions, drill weight, number of holes needed and more. With the following quick recommendations, you’ll soon be ready for concrete drilling with the right machine for the job. 

What to Consider Before Changing Law Firms

Every construction business owner and executive’s plate is overflowing on a daily basis. That’s just the way it is. The last thing any of them need to add to their neverending to-do list is switch law firms. But every vendor is crucial to the company’s success. Sub-par performance is simply not acceptable, whether you’re talking about the company’s legal counsel, its accountant, IT consultant or the company responsible for cleaning the offices.

Range Anxiety

For the last 25 years or so, I have taken some time each fall to head out to Buffalo Gap, South Dakota, to chase those multicolored birds around the prairie, the swamps and the millet. In reality, hunting is just the excuse. The real trip is to visit with my long time rancher friends, enjoy some good wine and see some wonderful vistas and beautiful sunsets. I always try to visit a new place or two.

This year we took a side trip to Wall Drug located next to what is now Interstate 90. The drugstore opened in 1931, in a town that would give most of us a new definition of rural. The Hustead family waited five long years, hoping the customer base would pick up, but it never did. About that time, Mt. Rushmore was opened and cars started streaming westward to view, all in the sweltering summer heat. Dr. Hulstead’s wife came up with a last ditch effort to save the business: Why not offer free ice water to anyone who stopped? Thanks to some clever signs, the initiative worked. The store has since become a landmark of its own, the ice water all but forgotten.

These days, the Wall folks may have found a new “ice water.” Rumor is that Tesla is considering a charging station at Wall Drug to reduce “range anxiety,” which is the fear of traveling too far away from an electric charging station. So while we live in a world of increasing change, sometimes we are just looping back around to serve the needs of our customers in ever better ways.

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Do You Understand Your Fleet Expenses?

Analyzing vehicle and equipment costs often gets swept under the rug. However, tracking asset costs can help companies optimize maintenance costs, prevent underutilization, dispose of equipment at the right time and more.

The True Cost of an Asset

First, it is important to understand what costs to include. The following items make up the fully burdened cost of an asset.

6 Ways to Manage Risk through Comprehensive Training

Making sure employees know their safety requirements is critical not just for the success of the business, but also for the safety of employees and the environment. If every person in an organization was fully engaged and committed to creating a safe environment, the number of safety incidents and near misses would be almost nonexistent.