Tag: Construction companies

Roadbuilding

HaulHub material-hauling software eschews vehicle trackers for a phone app

The HaulHub Analytics software will rate drivers, letting contractors, fleet managers and dispatchers know which drivers are the most productive. More here.

February 27, 2019

Business

Construction firms paying their bills earlier the latest indicator of U.S. industry’s strength

Calling the findings evidence of a clear “upswing” in the U.S. construction industry, a U.K.-based credit reporting agency says American construction firms are, on average, paying their bills earlier than they were last time. According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Creditsafe Inc. assessed roughly 1.7 million U.S. construction firms and found that they […]

October 12, 2015

Success Stories

This “crazy diverse” Iowa contractor thrives on doing work that other companies shun

“I knew from high school I wanted to be a contractor,” says Jeff Pettiecord. So he started doing small remodeling jobs shortly after graduating, and eventually started his company in 1984. But it was the early 1980s and times were tough. “I literally chased fire trucks,” Jeff recalls. He’d call on the owners of the fire-damaged […]

June 2, 2015

Business

After 40 years in business, Savannah firm J.T. Turner Construction to cease operations

In announcing that Savannah-based firm J.T. Turner Construction Co. Inc. is closing its doors, founder Jim Turner said his company is the latest victim of the recent economic recession. According to a report from the Savannah Morning News, the company suffered from “reduced profit margins in an increasingly competitive environment, as well as investment in several failed […]

March 16, 2015

Workforce

How one construction firm is using drag racing to recruit new talent

If you want to catch a fish you need bait. And if you want to catch the attention of a mechanic, a 10,000 horsepower, 300 mile-per-hour car is a good start. Mechanics and technicians, as we all know, are in short supply. To recruit them Herzog Contracting, the Association of Equipment Management Professionals and the […]

September 4, 2014

Success Stories

Zeal for diversification, taking care of fleet key to Wm. Winkler Company’s success

“We love to do anything that involves concrete,” says Brian Winkler, 47, president of Wm. Winkler Company.  In fact, concrete has been Wm. Winkler Company’s material of choice since Brian’s grandfather started the firm in Spokane, Washington, in 1919. His grandfather did curb and gutter work, and Brian’s father, the oldest of 11 children, joined […]

September 1, 2014

Dealers

Contractor stresses importance of parts and service, tells equipment manufacturers: “You’re only as strong as your weakest dealer”

Edgar Butsch, director of equipment operations, M.A. Mortenson Company, Minneapolis, had some kind but blunt words for equipment manufacturers attending the Association of Equipment Manufacturer’s Marketing Council Seminar last week. “You’re only as strong as your weakest dealer,” said Butsch, who oversees seven equipment shop and yard facilities for Mortenson, a diverse national construction firm. “We […]

June 30, 2014

Business

How Immigration reform could bring an end to construction’s skilled worker shortage

What’s “step one” in ending the skilled worker shortage currently plaguing construction companies across the U.S.? If you ask Stan Marek, it’s immigration reform. Marek, the CEO of Houston-based Marek Construction, recently penned a fantastic blog post discussing the necessity of immigration reform to the construction industry’s future. With more than 30 million men and […]

January 6, 2014

Business

Survey says more than half of construction companies affected by skilled worker shortage, details how they’re coping

At this point, it would be quicker to list the number of cities that haven’t reported construction projects being impacted by the skilled worker shortage than the ones that have. In the past year alone we’ve reports from Houston, Minnesota, Louisiana, Phoenix, Wisconsin, Michigan and California, just to name, well, several. It’s everywhere. Back in […]

November 20, 2013

Construction Equipment

Japanese companies develop 300-ton pendulums that reduce swaying in skyscrapers during earthquakes

Two Japanese companies have developed giant pendulums they say, when installed atop a skyscraper, can shorten vibrations and reduce swaying caused by earthquakes by as much as 60 percent. Mitsui Fudosan, a real estate developer, and construction firm Kajima developed a 300-ton pendulum that, according to a report from CNET, “will act as a counterweight […]

August 15, 2013

Business

Kiewit raises disaster relief money with T-shirt sales

Kiewit, one of the largest construction companies in North America is selling these T-shirts and donating the proceeds to the Alberta Arts Flood Rebuild, after devastating floods overran parts of southern Alberta last month. Good for them. You can order a shirt here. And/or  check out Kiewit’s Facebook page and tell them how much you […]

July 26, 2013

Roadbuilding

Are You Poised to Fail?

Learn what to look out for before it’s too late.

June 5, 2013