Room for Possibilities

With some jobsites getting tighter, particularly in urban areas, contractors rely on compact equipment that can access confined spaces and still have the power to get the job done efficiently. Today’s compact excavators are designed to overcome challenges when working in confined spaces where larger equipment cannot fit. This is evident by the dramatic increase of compact excavators in the past 30 years, replacing many tasks previously done with loader backhoes.

The Art of Listening (Or Paying Attention)

One of our senior managers recently told me about walking a project with our civil site superintendent and a customer. As they toured the job site, the customer asked several questions and shared other thoughts while they walked. Without a word, the superintendent pulled out a pad and started a running list of discussion items. That simple act sent the customer a message that was priceless to the relationship by showing:

• A listening ear that cared about what was being said.
• Management that was paying attention to details, trying to get it right and head off issues.
• A concern about quality and respect for the customer’s opinion.
• That our folks were tuned in and in control of the job. 

While technology plays a big part in the way we do business, at times, the old way of doing things still has its place. Non-verbal actions speak equally well. 

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Exploring the Industry as Expansion Matures

The United States construction industry has entered a mature stage of expansion following half a decade of rapid growth. After rising 11 to 13 percent per year from 2012 through 2015, total construction starts grew by 5 percent in 2016. This subdued pace continued into 2017, with construction starts up and down from quarter to quarter, a pattern typical of a market in the process of approaching or rounding a peak.

Why You Should Have a Contingency Plan

The markets are soaring and the stock market appears to have no upper limit. Unemployment continues to hover at near microscopic levels. Backlogs remain strong and employers are optimistic in their business planning. With all of this, one indelible question remains: Have you started planning for an economic disaster? It is almost heresy to utter the words “recession” or “depression,” as if the mere mention will cause markets to crater. It is much more fun to reflect on the halcyon days of recent times and simply build.

How to Invest in Your Company's Future

Tom Merritt is an example of how a local contractor transformed his company into a leading commercial civil, earthwork and concrete company by focusing on continuous improvement. After working as a laborer and doing side jobs on weekends using his truck, trailer and tractor, he started Merritt Contracting Inc., in 1995 near Indianapolis, Indiana.

Ask the Experts: What Project Management Tool Is Most Critical?

Jeff Hart

Regional Operations Manager
Brasfield & Gorrie

3 Ways Telematics Can Optimize Operations for Your Mixed Fleet

According to a 2017 telematics benchmarking survey of global construction, which examined best practices, trends and current issues influencing organizations in the United States, respondents found that managing costs (46 percent), growing revenue (30 percent) and business expansion (26 percent) were considered top business challenges, as the industry faces increased pressure to meet growing demand for its services.

Armcorp Construction Builds with Honor

One of my longtime clients, Tim Rosengarten, president and CEO of Armcorp Construction Inc. of Celina, Ohio, is dedicated to building a culture of honor, gratitude and respect for his employees, customers, subcontractors and community. He has a passion for doing the right thing and giving back to those who have served our country.

Are You Contributing to Low Morale?

We have all come across bad apples. There are those employees who show up late and leave early, or those whose attitudes cause conflict with other employees and make it impossible to get anything done. If you have more than a few bad apples on your team, though, there might be something wrong with the tree and its environment. High employee productivity relies on many factors, not only the motivation of individual employees.

How You Might Be Creating a Divisive Company Culture

The Hatfields and the McCoys. The Earps and the Clanton Gang. The Yankees and the Red Sox. The Republicans and the Democrats. Adversaries make for the greatest plot lines. But what about the office and the field? A group that should be as cohesive as peanut butter and jelly often ends up as diametrically opposed as the gunslingers of old. How does an organization grow and prosper when the two elements of the business that are closest to the finished product exist in a strife-ridden environment?

5 Simple Steps to Minimizing Heavy Equipment Theft

Despite ongoing efforts by construction firms and law enforcement, the number of heavy equipment theft reports in the United States continues to grow. In 2016, more than 11,574 pieces of heavy equipment were reported as stolen through the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC).

Exploring the Industry as Expansion Matures

The United States construction industry has entered a mature stage of expansion following half a decade of rapid growth. After rising 11 to 13 percent per year from 2012 through 2015, total construction starts grew by 5 percent in 2016. This subdued pace continued into 2017, with construction starts up and down from quarter to quarter, a pattern typical of a market in the process of approaching or rounding a peak.

3 Ways Telematics Can Optimize Operations for Your Mixed Fleet

According to a 2017 telematics benchmarking survey of global construction, which examined best practices, trends and current issues influencing organizations in the United States, respondents found that managing costs (46 percent), growing revenue (30 percent) and business expansion (26 percent) were considered top business challenges, as the industry faces increased pressure to meet growing demand for its services.

How Artificial Intelligence Can Redefine Your Way of Doing Business

Imagine a jobsite tool that only improves with time. Imagine a tool that records each and every change order, every bit of rework and every safety incident. Not only does that tool record it, but it also files it away for future projects. Imagine a tool that learns from the past to improve your company’s future.

6 Steps to Implement ASC 606

With the first key effective date of Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 606 quickly approaching, the time to understand the impact to your business and what you need to do about it is now. Most contractors earn the majority of their revenues from contracts with customers. Therefore, they will be impacted by the new accounting standard in some manner. Even if there is no change in top-line revenue, there may be a difference in the accounting process to reach that number.

3 Steps For Construction Companies To Manage Tech Disruption

The construction industry is at the start of a disruptive but exciting technological revolution, from using building information modeling software to create projects digitally before the first brick is laid, to using drones to survey jobsites. However, as the use of digital advances for everything from bidding for contracts to 3-D printing proliferates, smart firms are learning that they will maximize value from technology investments that are strategically aligned with their key business goals.

Adaptive Reuse–Always Interesting

“Be Prepared.” The 100-year motto of the Boy Scouts could also be well-suited for the Adaptive Reuse or Historic Restoration arena, along with having “the vision.”

Here you see a circa-1908 brick structure being transitioned to a new medical research facility. The existing 3-wythe exterior masonry wall facade will be saved. This means removing the interior structure and skeleton framing, which requires a complex shoring system. Removing what once held the structure together is sometimes a standard practice with these projects.

Beyond saving the walls, another component is the tedious process of the “blind pick,” similar to the Lyric Theatre project not too long ago. All of 60 new structural columns were placed with no visual for the crane operator. Never a dull moment.

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January 2018 Construction Industry Stats

Each month, the Construction Business Owner team compiles statistics from several different sources, including the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the United States Census Bureau, to give you a better understanding of the current state of affairs for the construction industry. The statistics featured in each month's print issue are for 3 months prior to the publication of the magazine, based on the data available.

Why Redwood Could Be Your Company's Solution to More Durable, Responsible Building

There’s no denying that sustainable building projects continue to grow in popularity among commercial construction clients. A Dodge Data & Analytics World Green Building Trends 2016 SmartMarket Report projected that the global green building sector will double every 3 years, with survey respondents from 70 countries reporting 60 percent of their projects will be green by 2018. It’s also a job-creator, driving growth in a construction space while also encouraging more responsible consumption of building materials.

Laying a Solid Foundation with BIM

In the concrete business, once slabs are poured, changes can be costly. For this reason, concrete contractors stand to benefit considerably from implementing a building information modeling (BIM) solution in their companies. One such contractor, Schuster Concrete Construction, is a full-service, ready-mixed concrete supplier and concrete contracting company, headquartered in Maryland. The company has used BIM to completely restructure its site prep and construction processes, as well as its bidding procedures on new projects.

From the Rear View Mirror

This time of year, there are always resolutions about this and that floating around for the new year, the things we say we are going to do better. It’s just the same with me, but I always start by taking a good look in the rear view mirror. What could I have done different here at the company, in light of the lessons learned the last 12 months?

My father worked his entire career in the marketing department at Southern Bell. One of the things he would always tell me is this: “Qualify your prospective opportunities and do not take them at first face value. Dig a little deeper when you can, and determine the quality and probability.” 

Over the course of the last 12 months, it seemed we had more than our fair share of projects that did not start on time. Even with these late starts, we had an excellent year, thanks to our folks’ hard work.

So for 2018, my resolution is to keep my father’s sage advice top of mind and also to remember that success is rarely an individual sport. Make it a priority to surround yourself with the right people, and reward their achievements and loyalty when you are in a position to do so. People rarely succeed alone for long, at least in my experience.

And as Willie Six, a wise man from The University of the South, Sewanee, once said, “The best year is comin’ up.“

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