Tag: business: Page 40

Business

Obama urges Congress to focus on improving infrastructure rather than Keystone XL in State of the Union

President Barack Obama in his sixth State of the Union address made little mention of issues related directly to construction and transportation, which has in years past come in the form of the president pushing Congress to do more to fund highways and other transportation infrastructure. Unlike recent years, however, the president only briefly addressed transportation infrastructure […]

January 21, 2015

Business

More reasons not to build toll roads

As a follow up to my earlier post on the Texas SH 130 toll road, I wanted to elaborate on another reason why I think toll roads are a bad idea: elitism. Tolls for me, free for thee Most of the sophisticated toll systems today photograph your license plate or read an RFID transponder in […]

January 19, 2015

Workforce

Shortage of skilled construction workers delays completion of Iowa biofuel plant

An Iowa biofuel plant is the latest major construction project to fall victim to the widespread shortage of skilled workers in the U.S. According to a report from the Ames Tribune, DuPont has delayed the completion date of a cellulosic ethanol plant the company is building in the city of Nevada, Iowa. The $200 million plant, […]

January 15, 2015

Workforce

Iowa contractor takes aim at employee retention and safety with hefty monthly bonus checks

Although still in its early days, a program implemented by J. Pettiecord, Des Moines, Iowa, in September is already having a positive effect. Called the SAAP Monthly Bonus—which stands for Safety, Availability, Attitude and Production—the program rewards employees that meet a few requirements at the end of each month with a bonus check equal to […]

January 12, 2015

Business

Caterpillar cost-cutting continues: company to clip 240 workers at Illinois mining plants

Caterpillar will lay off 240 workers across two of its Illinois plants as the company continues to cope with a global decline in demand for mining equipment. The company told the Chicago Tribune it will begin the layoffs January 19 at its Decatur and East Peoria plants, both of which manufacture products for the mining industry. Cat […]

January 9, 2015

Business

Construction adds 48,000 workers in December to finish 2014 at nearly 6-year high

The construction industry added Americans to its workforce in every month of 2014, an employment streak capped by an addition of 48,000 workers in December. The U.S. construction workforce now employs 6.166 million people according to preliminary data from the Labor Department. That’s the highest employment mark for the industry since March 2009 when it employed 6.291 million. […]

January 9, 2015

Business

Larry Weyers named president of Manitowoc Cranes, Etchart steps down to VP role

Eric Etchart is stepping down from his role of president at Manitowoc Cranes and into a vice president role as part of The Manitowoc Company’s succession plan for Etchart’s upcoming retirement. Etchart has served as president of the cranes business for the past eight years. He has a planned retirement in the coming years, according to a […]

January 7, 2015

Success Stories

Lifelong love of construction gives third-generation contractor Brad Phillips a distinct advantage

When you ask Brad Phillips when he first became interested in construction, his answer is straightforward: “I can’t remember when I haven’t been.” And when you look at Brad’s background, his answer makes perfect sense. Brad is part of the third generation that runs Phillips Companies, Beavercreek, Ohio. The company, which was started by his […]

January 6, 2015

Business

States must take the initiative in environmental streamlining

Even as the green movement expands its war against fossil fuels, it’s losing ground in its ability to use federal legislation to strangle new highways and capacity improvements in the cradle. Since 2005, serious reforms in federal surface transportation legislation like today’s MAP-21 and its predecessor, SAFETEA-LU, have allowed states to shorten the time it […]

January 6, 2015

Business

Caterpillar shares fall after analyst downgrades stock due to falling oil prices

While the falling price of oil has been delighting consumers at the pump across the U.S. for the last couple of months, the situation recently became decidedly less delightful for Caterpillar executives. Shares of the Peoria, Illinois-based heavy equipment maker dipped 5 percent at the market’s close Monday to $87.03 after JPMorgan downgraded its rating of the […]

January 6, 2015

Business

R. Barry Uber, former president of Ingersoll-Rand Construction and Mining Group, dies at 69

Barry Uber, a 30-year veteran of Ingersoll-Rand, passed away on Dec. 31 in Springfield, Vermont. Uber began his career at Ingersoll-Rand in 1967, starting as a sales engineer. He held positions in the company’s construction machinery sales, service and rental areas, and later served as vice president and general manager of Ingersoll-Rand’s Road Machinery Division […]

January 6, 2015

Business

Construction spending dips 0.3% in November due to decrease in government nonresidential

Increases in homebuilding in both the private and public sectors were not enough to offset a decrease in government nonresidential as construction spending fell 0.3 percent in November. According to preliminary estimates from the Commerce Department, construction spending in November fell to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $975 billion. The new data also revised the September and October rates […]

January 5, 2015