New Study Ranks San Antonio as the No. 5 City for Solar Energy in the U.S.

New Study Ranks San Antonio as the No. 5 City for Solar Energy in the U.S.

By Dana C Sotoodeh, CPS Energy Contributing Writer San Antonio maintained its rank as first in Texas and fifth in the nation for total solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity in the eighth edition of the Environment Texas Research & Policy Center’s report Shining Cities: The Top U.S. Cities for Solar Energy. The city is home to…

MAC Safety Consultants’ Research Finds Vita Inclinata’s Vita Load Navigator Reduces Construction Fatalities by 75% and Overall Accidents by 63%

MAC Safety Consultants’ Research Finds Vita Inclinata’s Vita Load Navigator Reduces Construction Fatalities by 75% and Overall Accidents by 63%

Vita Inclinata (Vita), developer and producer of helicopter and crane load stabilization and precision hardware, today revealed the results of Mac Safety Consultants’ analysis on how the Vita Load Navigator (VLN) system can decrease construction site accidents and fatalities associated with lifting and spinning loads hoisted by cranes. The dramatic survey results quantified the VLN’s…

RRC Earns National Mine Award for Drone Training Program

RRC Earns National Mine Award for Drone Training Program

The Railroad Commission’s Surface Mining and Reclamation Division (SMRD) has earned national recognition for excellence for its drone training program – training that highlights safety and operational efficiency. The Interstate Mining Compact Commission recently presented the RRC with its National Mine Safety and Health Training Award in the State Category for Coal Surface Mining during…

Texas Adopts First-Ever Electricity Supply Chain Map

Texas Adopts First-Ever Electricity Supply Chain Map

The Texas Electricity Supply Chain Security and Mapping Committee today adopted an Electricity Supply Chain Map of critical infrastructure – the first of its kind in the state – for use during disaster and emergency preparedness and response. “This map will save lives in Texas,” said Thomas Gleeson, Public Utility Commission of Texas Executive Director…

Contractors: Why You Must Read the State of the Construction Industry Article

Contractors: Why You Must Read the State of the Construction Industry Article

 By Helen Callier, Contributing Writer   Did you read the industry article about the state of construction in the Subcontractors USA February 2022 issue? If you did not, you can still find this article online on pages 16 and 17 as it relays construction industry stats that can be useful for you to plan, develop, and…

Brothers & Brothers Utility Services LLC Provides Quality Work Across America

Brothers & Brothers Utility Services LLC Provides Quality Work Across America

Brothers & Brothers Utility Services LLC (BBUS) is a recognizable and well-respected name across America in the electric and utility fields, delivering safe and quality work across America. With highly skilled and trained professionals, the company’s mission is to keep solidarity, integrity, and safety at the forefront of the utility industry. Under the vision of…

Developer-focused Webinars To Discuss Street Impact Fee Implementation

Developer-focused Webinars To Discuss Street Impact Fee Implementation

The Austin Transportation Department is hosting a series of meetings in the coming months, ahead of the implementation of Austin’s Street Impact Fee (SIF) program. The fee, which will begin collection on June 22, 2022, will be required for most new development in the city. Austin City Council adopted the Street Impact Fee in December…

Austin Transit Partnership Begins Search for New Executive Director

Austin Transit Partnership Begins Search for New Executive Director

The Austin Transit Partnership (ATP), the agency tasked with overseeing Project Connect, has started a search for a new leader.  Randy Clarke, the president, and CEO of CapMetro, had served as the executive director of the organization since its inception. The Project Connect Joint Powers Agreement, the document that lays out the responsibilities of the…

Austin’s 2020 Mobility Bond Work Begins With First Construction Contract

Austin’s 2020 Mobility Bond Work Begins With First Construction Contract

Recently, Austin City Council authorized the first construction contract to deliver projects funded by the 2020 Mobility Bond. This marks the beginning of the 6-year implementation timeline set for the bond as committed in the Contract with the Voters. “We heard in 2016, 2018, and 2020 that delivering safety and mobility improvements for Austin is…

Houston Airports Joins Mayor Turner on Marketing Campaign in Mexico

Houston Airports Joins Mayor Turner on Marketing Campaign in Mexico

From March 28 to April 1, Houston Airports joined Mayor Sylvester Turner and a City delegation on a “Houston Week” marketing campaign in Mexico to reinforce Houston’s position as the top city for global trade, tourism, business, and leisure travel from Mexico.   Mario Diaz, Houston Airports Director, Luis Avilés, Sr. Executive, Air Service Development, and…

Spirit Airlines Strengthens Houston Ties With New Aircraft Maintenance Facility

Spirit Airlines Strengthens Houston Ties With New Aircraft Maintenance Facility

On April 20, Spirit Airlines announced a commitment to deepen its roots in Houston with the addition of an aircraft maintenance facility at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, IAH. The facility, located along JFK Boulevard, will serve as a large aircraft maintenance hangar with offices and warehousing for the Spirit Technical Operations team when it begins…

Port Houston Nears 1M TEU Mark in 1st Quarter of the Year

Port Houston Nears 1M TEU Mark in 1st Quarter of the Year

Container volume at Port Houston in March totaled 308,557 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs). That brings the total for just the first three months of 2022 to 903,383 TEUs, an increase of 20% year-to-date over last year’s record year.  “Port Houston is constantly evaluating growth within the industry and developing innovative solutions to accommodate that growth,”…

Projects That Address Environmental Issues Earn Awards for Landscape Architecture Students 

Projects That Address Environmental Issues Earn Awards for Landscape Architecture Students 

By Richard Nira, Texas A&M University College of Architecture Landscape architecture students whose projects tackle pressing environmental issues in Texas earned awards for their work from the Texas Society of Landscape Architects. They will receive their honors at the 2022 TxASLA conference in San Antonio.  Two student projects earned awards of excellence: “Healing Houston,” by…

Architecture Students Win AIA Fort Worth Merit Award for “Homecoming”

Architecture Students Win AIA Fort Worth Merit Award for “Homecoming”

By Destiny Vaquera, Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design Contributing Writer The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Fort Worth Chapter Excellence in Architecture Student Design Awards recently awarded Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design students Michelle Ovanessians and Kieran Renfrow the 2022 Merit Award for their project Homecoming, a tribute to…

Houston Airports Joins Mayor Turner on Marketing Campaign in Mexico

Houston Airports Joins Mayor Turner on Marketing Campaign in Mexico

From March 28 to April 1, Houston Airports joined Mayor Sylvester Turner and a City delegation on a “Houston Week” marketing campaign in Mexico to reinforce Houston’s position as the top city for global trade, tourism, business, and leisure travel from Mexico.  Mario Diaz, Houston Airports Director, Luis Avilés, Sr. Executive, Air Service Development, and…

Construction Employment Surpasses Pre-Pandemic Peak in Majority of Metro Areas; Association Calls for Steps To Enlarge Worker Supply

Construction Employment Surpasses Pre-Pandemic Peak in Majority of Metro Areas; Association Calls for Steps To Enlarge Worker Supply

Construction employment increased from February 2020—the month before the coronavirus pandemic—to February 2022 in nearly three-fifths of U.S. metro areas, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of new government employment data. Association officials said it is getting harder to find workers and urged officials to invest more in career training…