Tag: business: Page 50

Roadbuilding

How to resolve employee conflicts

We all experience some conflict from time to time, whether it’s in our personal lives or in the workplace. Minor disagreements are to be expected, and in many cases, should not be perceived as negative. Differing opinions in the workplace are healthy sources of creative and innovative solutions. The important thing is to be able […]

June 5, 2014

Business

Wages for construction and other skilled trades are on the rise

Wages for skilled tradesmen in the construction and mining as well as those in logging and manufacturing are on the rise, according to a new report from the Economist. Citing data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the report says that hourly wages have grown at an annual rate of around 2 percent for the last […]

June 4, 2014

Business

Can cutting Postal Service spending save highway construction funding? House GOP moves forward with controversial plan

House Republican leaders are moving forward with a plan to fund the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) with savings from cutting certain U.S. Postal Service programs. House GOP leaders released a memo on Friday outlining the plan, which includes changes such as ceasing Saturday operations, which Republicans say will save $10.7 billion over a decade, Politico reports. A […]

June 4, 2014

Business

Construction spending up 0.2% in April due to increase in government projects

Thanks to gains in both government projects and home building, U.S. construction spending saw another slight boost in April, rising to its highest level in five years. Construction spending rose to $953.5 billion in April, an increase of 0.2 percent from the revised March figure of $951.5 billion. Due to the revision of that figure, what […]

June 2, 2014

Success Stories

Mentoring spirit enables Pennsylvania contractor Doug Thomas to build a people-first company

There are two red chairs in Doug Thomas’ office. Sitting in one when Thomas closes the door is not where you want to be. That means it’s time for a serious talk and, fortunately, it doesn’t happen too often. Such talks are reserved for the most blatant of safety violators at Thomas Construction, located in […]

June 1, 2014

Business

Minnesota construction firms likely need to boost pay, reduce expectations to find enough workers to meet demand

Construction is Minnesota’s fastest growing industry, and as demand continues to pile up, construction firms there are having a hard time finding enough skilled workers. And one labor analyst suggests they might need to make some serious changes to fill those vacancies. According to a report from Minnesota Public Radio, the skilled trades in Minnesota […]

May 27, 2014

Business

5 steps to effective conflict resolution at your construction company

We all experience some conflict from time to time, whether it’s in our personal lives or on the jobsite. Minor disagreements are to be expected, and in many cases, should not be perceived as negative. Differing opinions in the workplace are healthy sources of creative and innovative solutions. The important thing is to be able […]

May 23, 2014

Business

RER’s Top 100 firms reach highest-ever total equipment rental volume

The RER 100 topped $15.4 billion, the highest-ever total rental volume, according to RER magazine, which annually ranks North American rental firms based on volume. Total volume increased by 10.4 percent over last year, when RER calculated volumes totaled $13.967 billion. Behemoth United Rentals once again topped the list with a total rental volume of […]

May 19, 2014

Business

Senate committee approves 6-year highway bill but funding questions remain

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee unanimously approved a six-year surface transportation reauthorization bill Thursday morning. Top committee members Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), committee chairman; David Vitter (R-La.), committee ranking member; Tom Carper (D-Del.), chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure; and John Barrasso (R-Wy.), subcommittee ranking member unveiled the bill, known as the MAP-21 Reauthorization […]

May 19, 2014

Business

Senate committee unveils text of highway reauthorization bill

The Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee on Monday night revealed the text of its surface transportation reauthorization bill. Dubbed the MAP-21 Reauthorization Act, the six-year bill would reauthorize surface transportation projects through fiscal year 2020 and is indexed for inflation. Highlights outlined in the bill’s summary include: Six years of fully-funded highway programs Greater transparency of Highway […]

May 13, 2014

Business

Aerial Work Platform sales propel Terex to profit in 1Q

Despite flat sales, Terex announced increased first quarter earnings thanks to the continued success of its Aerial Work Platform segment. Net sales were at $1.6 billion for the quarter, unchanged from the first quarter of 2013. Profit increased 69 percent to $32.6 million, or 28 cents per share. “We remain encouraged by the performance of […]

May 9, 2014

Roadbuilding

Succeed by learning how to fail

We’ve all heard that you get stronger with failure, but who actually likes to fail at something? Maybe that’s because we are going about it all wrong. Megan McArdle – author of “The Up Side of Down: Why Failing Well is the Key to Success” and columnist for Bloomberg View – shared her advice on […]

May 7, 2014