Tag: recession: Page 4

Business

PCA Pres: “Pendulum is swinging back” for construction industry (WOC 2013)

You don’t usually get a pair of sunglasses at a press conference. And, given the recent tough years for the construction industry, receiving a pair at Portland Cement Association’s World of Concrete press event as a way of saying “a bright future is ahead,” was a bit of a suprise. Chief Economist and new PCA […]

February 5, 2013

Business

Recession results in evolving construction markets

Prolonged periods of economic difficulty add velocity to evolutionary changes in many industries. The Great Recession and the long shadow it continues to cast on the construction industry is certainly an example. Within the construction industry, the most obvious evolutionary change has been cautious, conservative business management strategies, but there have been many others as […]

February 1, 2013

Business

PCA: 2013 is construction’s real turnaround year

Ed Sullivan, the Portland Cement Association’s chief economist, is not one to be overly optimistic. While others were saying that construction in 2011 — then 2012 — would break out, he was saying “not so fast.” So when PCA released it’s “strong growth rates” cement consumption forecast Thursday, it’s reason for good cheer. Sullivan says […]

January 18, 2013

Construction Equipment

How will you retain employees after the recession?

With an unemployment rate currently hovering near 12 percent, small- and mid-size construction company owners probably haven’t worried much about staffing their crews. There’s always someone looking for work. There’s some interesting numbers out lately, though. People in jobs from the top down are looking forward to the end of the recession, not only because […]

September 11, 2012

Construction Equipment

Growth expected, but construction’s economic recovery well behind other sectors

The construction sector of the U.S. economy is expected to see accelerated growth in 2013, but lags behind other sectors in recovery from the recession.

June 19, 2012

Recruiting & retention

College sports “arms race” makes construction a constant on many campuses

As universities race to attract the best athletes with the best facilities, construction on college campuses is nearly constant.

June 15, 2012

Success Stories

Steve Cosper, Granite Contracting, Contractor of the Year, 2012

By Tom Jackson Steve Cosper got his love of construction as a teenager working summer jobs. But it was his keen appreciation for financial management and an aggressive use of digital technology that helped his company survive the recession. Dusting off bluetops for a highway contractor in the hot Alabama sun may not seem like […]

April 29, 2012

Roadbuilding

Highway Contractor

Within a handful of bright, or at least not gloomy, spots there may be opportunities for transportation agencies and highway and bridge contractors to be pro-active in their fight against the agonizingly slow recession climb-out.

January 12, 2012

Business

Contractor of the Year Finalist

Terry and David Quam Willmar, Minnesota It will take more than snow and the recession to slow these contractors down. Quam Construction Year started: 1956 Number of employees: 44 Annual volume: $14 million Markets served: Sewer, water, excavation, snow removal and demolition When natural disasters force everyone else indoors, Terry and David Quam gear up […]

December 8, 2011

Business

CONEXPO/CONAGG 2011

CONEXPO-CON/AGG What it means to you and the future of the industry Staff Reports With a backdrop of 20-percent construction unemployment and two years of abysmal machine sales, the tri-annual heavy equipment trade show CONEXPO-CON/AGG opened on March 22nd, in Las Vegas – ground zero in the housing bust and a town still reeling from […]

May 4, 2011

Business

Outlook report: Equipment rentals showing recovery

Economic forecasting firm IHS Global Insight reports in data prepared for the American Rental Association (ARA) and Rental Management magazine reports that the equipment rental industry is starting to show signs of recovery from the national recession. “The Outlook report indicates that, the worst may be over for the equipment rental industry,” says Christine Wehrman, CEO […]

July 13, 2010

Roadbuilding

RoadWorks: Down but not out

Just as a rising tide is said to have the power to lift all boats, the Great Recession apparently leaves no-one behind. Equipment distributors have taken a pounding. Computer passwords, stormwater regulations, traffic congestion, increased highway funding and bauma 2010 are also featured.

June 1, 2010