Jim Kollaer's blog
College Degree – Worthwhile or Worthless?
Someone is finally getting the message that the four-year “post-secondary” degree is quickly becoming a thing of the past and that “skills learning”, especially certified skills is the model for the future. [node:read-more:link]
Success Brings Its Own Challenges
This time of year, ENR releases its list of the Top 400 Contractors in the US at a seminar that includes several panels comprised of the leaders of those top contractors. [node:read-more:link]
Salesforce Transit Center – Nine Months Later
We have followed the issues at Salesforce Transit Center in San Francisco since structural cracks were discovered and the newly opened 1.2 million square foot facility was closed to the public in September of 2018. [node:read-more:link]
Games Contractors and Subs Play - Thinking about Playing the Wage Theft Game? Think Again
Kollaer explains in detail why saving a buck or two at the expense of your employees might not be the best business decision. [node:read-more:link]
Hines Builds a New Mass Timber Project in Toronto
Hines, a Houston based global real estate owner, developer, and manager has announced the tallest timber office building in North America according to information in [node:read-more:link]
Wage Theft Houston Style
We have written about the various ways that wage theft in the construction industry occurs through the misclassification of workers as independent contractors, whereby workers are not paid for overtime or provided with benefits like healthcare and worker’s compensation should they become injured on the jobsite. [node:read-more:link]
Aging Out
Recently, a friend retired. He told me in the last year of his work that he had been, “Cut out of the herd” at work. [node:read-more:link]
Hiring Millennials for Your Crew
According to the recent AGC survey, 80% of construction companies are still experiencing difficulty finding qualified workers for their job crews. [node:read-more:link]
The Weakest Link in the Construction Chain
The old saw goes that “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.” The same goes for construction. In this time of “Jetson speed” change in the technology of our industry and the structure and finishes of our buildings, sometimes on the jobsite the most basic element can make or break our schedule and the quality of the finished product. [node:read-more:link]