Times are changing for travelers moving between Texas’ two largest regions, Houston and North Texas. What was once either a tireless slog or a hurry-up-to-slow-down frisking is being replaced by the best travel experience the world has to offer. In short, nothing that exists today in the United States can come close to matching the…
Business and community leaders learned today how they can help move forward 500 miles of travel improvements in the $7.5 billion METRONext Moving Forward Plan. METRONext’s Business Now event attracted a wide range of vendors. Board members and staff provided an overview of future projects and explained how to do business with the Authority. “With your…
The facility spans nearly six football fields and is a part of United Airlines’ $1B investment at Bush Airport since 2013 Houston Airports and United Airlines pulled back the curtain on a Texas-sized United Technical Operations Center (UTOC) at Bush Airport that spans nearly six football fields under one roof. The new operations center is…
The use of mobile phones for wireless streaming of music, podcasts or other entertainment is everywhere. Walk down any street in the country and you’ll often see more people wearing headphones than those that aren’t. Some of these listening devices even come equipped with sound-canceling features that completely block off noises from the outside world….
Going to the Permitting Center sucks time from small contractors’ busy days that are often filled with worries about construction tasks and budgets. Many contractors will call us voicing their frustrations about delays in permitting and the challenge of going back and forth talking with Plan Reviewers that seem not to hear what they are…
Texas Oil and Gas Association (TXOGA) President Todd Staples delivered an update on the state of the Texas oil and natural gas industry today at the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Energy Forum. Staples discussed the role the industry plays in powering the economies of North Texas and the entire state, as well as…
Project “Daily Reports” are some of the most important, yet overlooked aspects of a construction project. These reports serve many beneficial roles such as holding parties accountable to their obligations, providing the basis for an as-built schedule, recording manpower, documenting site conditions, and recording any other important and relevant information that happened on the job…
Robots, machinery and software promise to aid with the skilled labor shortage, or at the very least free up managers’ and other workers’ time so they can focus on more important tasks. In the next three decades, as many as 2.7 million construction jobs could become automated, according to a report from the Midwest Economic Policy…
Why are so many digital transformation efforts stalling? Because leaders remain fixated on technology, at the expense of humanity. The pressure to radically reshape organizations is only accelerating: industries keep converging, new competitors appearing, and societal and stakeholder expectations rising. Yet digital transformation efforts at many organizations are stalling. The reason? Transforming in a way…
In 2017, the world used 562 quadrillion BTUs of energy in the form of oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear and renewables. But most of us don’t understand how this statistic is reflected in what we do each day. That staggering number – 562,000,000,000,000,000 – represents the countless decisions made by the individuals, companies and communities…
Greater Houston Partnership 2020 Board Chair Bobby Tudor outlined how the organization will work to ensure Houston plays a key role in the global energy transition at the Partnership’s annual meeting on January 22. Maintaining Houston’s place as the Energy Capital of the World requires that the region’s business and civic leaders address the dual…
The AIA 2030 Commitment provides a considerable challenge for any firm willing to sign on. This is especially true for larger firms, which must find ways to reduce predicted energy use across a wide spectrum of clients, building types and climate zones. LPA was an early supporter of the 2030 Commitment, but energy efficient design…
In January 2020, Jonathan Moody, AIA, officially became CEO of Moody Nolan. They were big shoes to fill. His father, Curtis Moody, FAIA, was awarded the Whitney M. Young Jr. award in 1992 and AIA Ohio’s highest honor, the Gold Medal, in 2007 — among other honors. Today, Moody Nolan is the largest African American-owned…
Mayor Turner and City Council approved historic nomination HOUSTON – Mayor Sylvester Turner and the Houston City Council voted yesterday to approve the nomination of Cheryl Creuzot to serve as a member of the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority. Creuzot, a highly respected business and civic leader, will be the first…
The Regional Hispanic Contractors Association was founded on the principle of helping the little guy and on being the helping hand that young businesses need to excel, and 25 years later, RHCA is still holding strong to that foundation. What started out as a committee of the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has grown…
Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport is marking the start of the new year with a couple of big announcements. Earlier this week, Allegiant announced it added Houston as one of a few cities it’ll begin serving in 2020. According to its press release, the new seasonal nonstop routes from Hobby Airport include Knoxville, TN, Asheville, NC, Savannah,…
OSHA issued a letter of interpretation in response to an employers question regarding the use of headphones to listen to music on construction sites. The employer stated that some headphones are advertised as “OSHA approved” and asked whether OSHA had any specific regulation that prohibits the use of headphones to listen to music on a construction site….
Each year, Federal civilian employees sustain work-related injuries and illnesses. In 2018, Federal workers filed almost 107,000 new claims and received approximately $3 billion in workers’ compensation payments. Many of these work-related injuries and illnesses are preventable, and executive departments and agencies can and should do more to improve workplace safety and health, improve efficiencies,…
We receive a lot of phone calls from desperate project owners and often some contractors wave at us or knock on the window of our wrapped trucks at a particular jurisdiction. Conversations vary on types of projects and the kinds of problems being experienced. So, when a contractor approached me a few weeks ago in…
Billions in oil and gas taxes and royalties directly support Texas schools, teachers, roads, infrastructure and healthcare facilities Texas ISDs received $1.54 Billion, Counties received $398.7 Million in oil and gas property taxes According to just-released data from the Texas Oil & Gas Association (TXOGA), the Texas oil and natural gas industry paid more than…
