.jpeg?itok=6uFZXEBH)
Impacts on construction have been spotty from the hurricanes (including Maria, which devastated Puerto and the U.S. Virgin Islands in September) and four severe wildfires in California (with more than 8,300 buildings severely damaged or destroyed).
Reshaping the Construction Industry
.jpeg?itok=4Vi_1nJG)
Minimum wage earners are always trying to make enough to pay the monthly bills and to put clothes on the backs of their children. One of the first questions asked by most construction companies in the interviews for field workers is, “Do you have a car or a way to get to the jobsite every day?” If the answer is no, then the company will either help find a way or usually not hire the worker.
November 10, 2017
Finding workers to rebuild homes and other structures damaged or completely destroyed by Hurricane Harvey this year on the Gulf Coast is a challenge compounded by the fact that the United States does not have a way for undocumented residents to gain legal status.
November 09, 2017
While Harvey remains a popular topic of conversation, the numbers surrounding the devastation from Harvey continue to be revised downward. The latest revised numbers from Moody Analytics bring the number down to $65 billion, much less than originally reported. Unlike storms from the past, which brought wind damage and prolonged power outages, Harvey was a rain event, primarily affecting residences. Most businesses were down only a handful of days, minimizing their losses.
November 08, 2017
Our Houston area construction industry lost two good men in the last couple of months: Jerry Lowry and Damon Gowan. They were similar in make-up: leaders who were quiet doers. Both held many profiled industry leadership roles, but both remained grateful and humble; they were givers above all, and led very parallel lives.
November 07, 2017
Construction spending totaled $1.220 trillion at a seasonally adjusted annual rate in September, 0.3% higher than in August, and 2.0% higher y/y than the September 2016 rate, the Census Bureau reported on Wednesday. Public construction increased 2.6% for the month but declined 1.6% y/y.
November 06, 2017
Our friends at FMI have completed their 2017 Talent Development Survey and recently issued their findings. The results, while revealing, should not be surprising in light of recent conversations going on the subject of Talent or Skilled Craft Workforce Development.
November 03, 2017
On October 18, Associated Builders and Contractors of Greater Houston (ABC) held its annual Excellence in Construction Awards (EIC), which showcased forty-one projects, built by ABC Greater Houston members, that were rigorously judged on an array of criteria. This event, established in 2000, recognizes outstanding projects in the commercial and industrial construction industry. Top scoring projects were showcased at the evening program, and winners were given local and national media attention including ABC’s Build Houston Magazine.
November 02, 2017
Inflation-adjusted gross domestic product (real GDP)—the value of all goods and services produced in the U.S., net of imports—increased 3.0% at a seasonally adjusted annual rate in the third quarter of 2017 (2017Q3), following a 3.1% rise in Q2, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported on Friday. Real private fixed investment in nonresidential structures slumped 5.2% (vs. a 7.0% gain in Q2).
November 01, 2017
Wildfires this year in California burned through hundreds of thousands of acres of land and left dozens dead or missing. The deadly Tubbs fire, for example, is estimated to have burned roughly 5,300 buildings across 36,807 acres and killed at least 22 people.
October 31, 2017
