Senate Republicans’ Coronavirus Relief Measure Includes Provisions That Will Help Hard-hit Construction Firms Recover

Senate Republicans’ Coronavirus Relief Measure Includes Provisions That Will Help Hard-hit Construction Firms Recover

The HEALS Act Includes Essential Liability, Workforce, Financial & Unemployment Reforms, But Association Will Work to Get Needed Infrastructure Investments Included in Final Relief Measure The chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, Stephen E. Sandherr, issued the following statement in reaction to the release today of Senate Republican’s latest coronavirus relief…

TLC’s High-Tech Solution to Combat COVID-19: UV-C Light Disinfection – August, 2020

TLC’s High-Tech Solution to Combat COVID-19: UV-C Light Disinfection – August, 2020

TLC Engineering, Inc. has provided exponential aid in every presidentially declared disaster to hit the City of Houston since Hurricane Ike in 2008. As a City of Houston-certified Minority, Small, Disadvantaged Business Enterprise and state of Texas registered Historically Underutilized Business, they specialize in customized services in the areas of engineering, environmental services, construction management…

9.1% Doesn’t Equal Economic Justice: What the Harris County Commissioners Court Disparity Study Reveals

9.1% Doesn’t Equal Economic Justice: What the Harris County Commissioners Court Disparity Study Reveals

Ensuring that minorities, women, and other disadvantaged groups have fair access to economic opportunity is a top priority for the Harris County Commissioners Court. Minority and women-owned businesses play a vital role in the local economy and are driving the growth of new business and jobs in Harris County. Advancing fair and inclusive economic policies to bolster their long-term success will…

Contractors pledge to combat racial inequality

Contractors pledge to combat racial inequality

Construction firms across the country are responding to recent protests against police brutality and racial injustice with statements calling for an end to inequity and with programs to attract and retain diverse team members. Turner Construction has posted messages of support on its websites and on social media. “Recent events are a stark and painful reminder of…

Layle McKelvey joins Manhattan’s Houston office as Director of Industry Relations

Layle McKelvey joins Manhattan’s Houston office as Director of Industry Relations

Manhattan Construction Company, a top nationally-ranked construction firm, has appointed Layle McKelvey as director of community relations and inclusion in Houston. McKelvey will foster key relationships within city, county, and state government, lead Manhattan’s diversity and inclusion efforts, and drive engagement with local partners to enrich Manhattan’s overall benefit to our clients and community. While…

Contractors challenged by lack of labor, jobsite tension and delays

Contractors challenged by lack of labor, jobsite tension and delays

Even though the U.S. unemployment rate is at a level not seen since the Great Depression, the construction industry’s labor woes aren’t close to ending, according to panelists at a recent Associated General Contractors of America webinar. In most jurisdictions, projects are coming back on line, and construction managers are struggling to fill jobs. There…

Construction Association Launches New Nationwide Program To Expand The Diversity Of The Industry By Making Job Sites More Inclusive

Construction Association Launches New Nationwide Program To Expand The Diversity Of The Industry By Making Job Sites More Inclusive

Associated General Contractors of America’s New “Culture of CARE” Program is Designed to Help Firms Create More Welcoming Workplace Environments   The Associated General Contractors of America is launching a new, nationwide program designed to help expand the diversity of the industry by making job sites more inclusive. The new program, called Culture of CARE (commit, attract, retain and empower), is designed to…

Council Approves Centerpiece Development for Upcoming Trinity Mills Station

Council Approves Centerpiece Development for Upcoming Trinity Mills Station

Carrollton City Council unanimously approved an agreement for a 125,000-square foot, six-story Class A office structure to serve as the marquee building within new Trinity Mills Station urban development. The City of Carrollton, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), The Integral Group, and Koa Partners signed a Master Development Agreement (MDA) for the entire Trinity Mills…

Post-coronavirus contingency planning for contractors, owners

One would be hard-pressed to find any construction industry player that hasn’t been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. While a few U.S. jurisdictions have banned construction work altogether, many more have limited which projects can move forward. However, according to John Robbins, managing director and USA and North America head of real estate for Turner &…

Trust translates to better financial, organizational performance for contractors, survey shows

Trust translates to better financial, organizational performance for contractors, survey shows

Construction companies that don’t make trust a high priority within their organizations could be leaving millions of dollars on the table every year, according to a study released by Autodesk and management consultancy FMI Corp. this week.  Authors of the “Trust Matters: The High Cost of Low Trust” found that construction organizations with very high levels of trust…

CONSTRUCTION EMPLOYMENT RISES BY 1,000 IN NOVEMBER AND 146,000 IN 12 MONTHS; SLOWING JOB GAINS MAY BE SIGN OF LABOR SHORTAGES, NOT SLUMPING DEMAND

CONSTRUCTION EMPLOYMENT RISES BY 1,000 IN NOVEMBER AND 146,000 IN 12 MONTHS; SLOWING JOB GAINS MAY BE SIGN OF LABOR SHORTAGES, NOT SLUMPING DEMAND

Construction employment increased by 1,000 jobs in November and by 146,000, or 2.0 percent, over the past 12 months, according to an analysis of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said recent modest monthly increases in industry employment likely reflect the difficulty contractors are having in finding workers rather…

World’s largest hard rock water tunnel boring machine debuts in Dallas

World’s largest hard rock water tunnel boring machine debuts in Dallas

The City of Dallas unveiled the Big Tex tunnel-boring machine (TBM)  at the Mill Creek Drainage Relief Tunnel. The 38-ft by 230 ft long machine is the largest hard rock water tunnel boring in the world at the time tunneling begins. Big Tex will be used to dig a tunnel designed to provide flood protection for east…

Generational Diversity and Its Impact on the Construction Industry

Generational Diversity and Its Impact on the Construction Industry

Family-owned businesses are the heart of the construction industry. Literally. It is the most frequently encountered ownership model in the world and impacts the global economy significantly. The generational leadership of a family business is credited for developing entrepreneurial talent, a sense of loyalty to business success, long-term strategic commitment, and corporate independence.   According…

$810M phase of Texas Rangers sports, entertainment district construction approved by Arlington council

The Arlington, Texas, city council voted to continue its partnership with the MLB’s Texas Rangers, Loews Hotels & Co, a wholly owned subsidiary of Loews Corp., and The Cordish Cos., and is moving forward with an $810 million expansion of Arlington’s Entertainment District.   The city extended the term of the district’s Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, which will help fund improvements…

2020 could see construction growth throttled by costs, labor and bearish owners

2020 could see construction growth throttled by costs, labor and bearish owners

Next year could be a pivotal one for commercial construction, according to two of the industry’s top economists. The question is, though, which way will it pivot? While there are several bright spots in the U.S. economy, including low interest rates, high consumer confidence and a pickup in residential construction, some indicators are pointing to…

Texas DOT stops construction of $800M FIGG-designed Harbor Bridge

Texas DOT stops construction of $800M FIGG-designed Harbor Bridge

The Texas DOT (TxDOT) has halted design work on the $803 million replacement of the Harbor Bridge in Corpus Christi, Texas, amid reports that FIGG Bridge Engineers Inc. has been removed from the project, according to KRIS-TV. The National Transportation Safety Board last month named FIGG’s design errors as the probable cause of the deadly March 2018 pedestrian bridge…