Tag: business: Page 66

Business

Kobelco moves into temporary North American headquarters in Houston

The doors to Kobelco Construction Machinery USA new, albeit temporary, home in Houston, Texas have officially opened. Following the end of a 10-year agreement with CNH this past December, Kobelco will begin directly marketing its excavators in the U.S. and in Canada. Kobelco is in the process of building a custom HQ and manufacturing facility in […]

April 12, 2013

Workforce

Washington Post: Housing hasn’t led to hiring boom because construction jobs already historically high

Though construction industry employment in the U.S. is steadily improving—adding 18,000 jobs in March amid a dreary overall jobs report—the numbers don’t match the boom the housing market is seeing. This has a lot of people searching for an answer. Recently, we shared with you one interesting theory from the Washington Post’s Neil Irwin. Irwin, […]

April 10, 2013

Business

Annual U.S. construction value forecast to reach $919 billion

The value of annual construction is expected to show an increase of 8 percent over 2012 levels, according to a recent report from FMI. In its first quarter 2013 Construction Outlook, FMI, a management consulting and investment banking provider for the engineering and construction industry, forecasts the U.S. value of construction-put-in-place to rise to a […]

April 9, 2013

Business

Construction equipment investment expected to continue above average growth in 2013

Construction equipment investment is expected to continue to grow and an above average rate over the next three to six motnhs, according to the 2013 Equipment Leasing & Finance U.S. Economic Outlook from the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation. However, the ELFF warns that the rate of growth construction equipment has enjoyed “should continue to decline from […]

April 4, 2013

Business

How to combat negativity in your company with good management

“Our brain is like Velcro to negative experiences and Teflon to positive ones.” – neuropsychologist Rick Hanson Have you ever heard of negativity bias? Unless you’re a psychologist or leadership guru, you probably haven’t. However, even if you’re not familiar with the term, you’re familiar with the effect. Negative bias is the psychological phenomenon in […]

April 3, 2013

Business

Construction jobs limited to 15k visas per year under new guest worker agreement

The path toward a final deal on immigration reform has likely been cleared now that the country’s business and labor unions have reached an agreement on a guest worker program for immigrants. The New York Times reports that on Friday Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York, held a conference call with U.S. Chamber of Commerce President […]

April 1, 2013

Business

Loyalty a two-way street for successful Colorado contractor T-Bone Construction

With a company he built from the ground up starting in 1987, Michael Thibault’s T-Bone Construction in Colorado Springs was going full speed ahead when the recession hit. As a builder of commercial and industrial buildings, truck maintenance facilities, and car and truck dealerships, Thibault was hit with a double whammy. The big customers quit […]

April 1, 2013

Business

Construction spending up 7.9 percent annually, home building at highest level in 4 years

Thanks to a surge in home building, construction spending grew 1.2 percent in February, according to seasonally-adjusted data from the U.S. Commerce Department. After a nine-month string of monthly increases was snapped with a 2.1-percent dip in January, construction spending is now at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $885.1 billion. Compared to February 2012, that […]

April 1, 2013

Success Stories

Diversity, flexibility lead North Carolina’s Mitch Cox Construction through recession

Editor’s Note: Mitch Cox was a finalist for 2012 Contractor of the Year. He started Mitch Cox Construction Inc. in 1980 in Johnson City, Tennessee. The company has 35 employees with annual volume of $8 million to $10 million. The company serves the MOB, renovation, office and retail construction markets. Mitch Cox, CEO and founder of the […]

April 1, 2013

Business

Construction fuel consumption up 6.5% annually in February

The latest round of the WEX Construction Fuel Consumption Index (FCI), is out and indicates an increase of 6.5 percent in February over February 2012. The FCI was up 1.6 from January. The index measures national fuel consumption statistics for the construction industry to provide an month-t0-month measure of construction activity in the United States. Private […]

March 29, 2013

Business

Poll: Could you tell if you were being embezzled from?

Embezzlement is one of those worst case scenarios for any type of business owner. And given the heap of troubles the economy has given the construction industry lately, it’s likely one of the last things contractors are thinking about. But that doesn’t mean it should be. In May we’ll be publishing an article that explains […]

March 28, 2013

Business

Husband and wife’s business savvy spell success for Texas contractor

By the time he graduated from high school, Ken Lester, president of Lester Contracting, Port Lavaca, Texas, could operate just about any piece of equipment in his dad’s construction fleet. He joined the company full time in 1979 and two years later his dad retired, leaving Ken to run the company. Ken saw the future […]

March 27, 2013