The Texas A&M University System Office of HUB and Procurement Programs recently collaborated with the Office of Facilities, Planning and Construction, SSC and general contractors to host a Construction Vendor Expo in an effort to ensure that HUB subcontractors are aware of upcoming opportunities and ways to do business with the A&M System. The Office…
Texas has more welding jobs than any other state in the United States, with an estimated total of 50,000 employed welders and a growing number of jobs needing to be filled. This demand has made Texas the land of opportunity for welders, and the Industrial Welding Academy has made it their mission to properly train…
The Houston Airport System, in partnership with the Edge4Vets team and other local sponsors, will provide training and job opportunities for some of our nation’s service personnel who are returning to the civilian workforce. It’s all part of the effort to identify talented personnel for local aviation jobs, while ensuring that the right consideration is…
Following up on a study in which Smartvid.io’s artificial intelligence engine “Vinnie” learned from contractor Suffolk’s data to predict roughly one in five safety incidents with 81% accuracy, nine major construction firms are partnering with the software company to further develop predictive analytics and therefore prevent incidents and reduce risk across the industry, according to a Smartvid announcement from…
While on an elevator the other day at one of the jurisdictions in Texas, I noticed a Contractor looking flustered attempting to review some documents. I said, “hang in there” as he replied that he was bouncing around from floor-to-floor and was determined to make progress in obtaining his permit as he was behind schedule…
Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans. You carried out the due diligence and performed all of the required background checks, application steps, and safety protocols before extending credit. Now that individual has balked on payments, so it’s time to step up your game. In Part 1, Reducing Your Risk, we…
Technology is rapidly changing the game in the construction industry, and the firms who are paying attention and embracing the change will be the ones who win. KPMG’s annual report, “Building a technology advantage — Global Construction Survey” reports that 55 percent feel the industry is ripe for change with 74 percent of respondents saying…
The Stafford Civic Center was buzzing with the STEAMinecraft in EDU workshop for instructional technologists, tech coaches, STEAM teachers and more on Thursday, Feb. 28. For the first time in the civic center’s existence, high-speed Internet access was available and enabled attendees to work on the web. Internet access was established by Stafford-based Premier Wireless….
Mayor Sylvester Turner established a Smart City Advisory Council this week comprised of city and regional partners. The council was announced at a smart city planning workshop hosted by the Greater Houston Partnership. The advisory council is charged with engaging community stakeholders, governments, academia and industry to develop a roadmap that will speed the adoption…
Forty-four states added construction jobs between January 2018 and January 2019, while 33 states added construction jobs between December and January, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data released today. Association officials cautioned that the employment gains may not last without an increase in the number of…
The construction industry is dynamic — ever changing and evolving through technology. The way contractors work today is clearly much different than 50 years ago — or 20 years — or even five years ago. The big difference is due to advances in technology in the machines and tools that enable greater productivity, reduce time…
Equity. Diversity. Inclusion. I heard these powerful, complicated words reduced to the acronym “EDI” for the first time last week at a meeting — and while this signal of ubiquitous discussion encourages me, I felt the abbreviation packages them up a little too neatly. What does it mean for an organization to value diversity? How…
The Texas high-speed train has been named among the top global infrastructure projects by CG/LA, a national infrastructure advocacy group, in its 2019 Strategic 100 Global Infrastructure Report. Designed to identify projects with the most potential opportunity in the upcoming year, the CG/LA reports select projects with widespread benefits and strategic importance in 30 targeted…
The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation. It consists of 11 universities and seven state agencies, each with its own mission, history and goals. Each entity of the System abides by policies and regulations established by The A&M System Board of Regents, and although they…
Texas Central Partners could begin construction on its $12 billion Dallas-to-Houston high-speed rail project in late 2019 or early 2020, according to The Houston Chronicle. The developer also has tentative plans for a midway stop near Texas A&M University in College Station or Bryan. The bullet train will be modeled after Japan’s Shinkansen high-speed train…
Texas’ high-speed train ended 2018 with remarkable progress, putting Houston and the rest of the state another step closer to a dynamic and much-needed transportation choice. It is estimated that more than 1,100 people are moving to this great state every day, drawn by our economic dynamism and ability to elevate problem-solvers willing to take on the…
More than 150 local small business representatives attended the port’s Small Business Capital Improvement Projects and Subcontracting Opportunities Forum. Port Houston’s small business development program was created to provide opportunities for local small businesses to participate in contracting and procurement at the port. Key goals of the program are economic development, sustainability and growth of…
A new port dispatch center could prove to have an invaluable economic impact on Freeport area jobs, the local shipping industry and beyond. The Port Freeport Commission voted unanimously to approve a contract for pilot dispatch services with Fort Velasco Signal Station, LLC for monitoring and managing the ship traffic coming in and out of…
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has developed a collection of compliance assistance resources to address falls in the workplace, the leading cause of worker fatality in the construction industry. OSHA’s goal is to promote awareness about common fall hazards in construction, educate job creators and workers on fall prevention,…
The American Society of Safety Professionals Foundation has released the results of a three-year study on worker fatigue that indicates that wearable technology could play a role in both better defining the problem of overtired workers and increasing safety on the job. In “Advancing Safety Surveillance Using Individualized Sensor Technology (ASSIST): Final Progress Report,” the…
