The First Word

Coming back?

Gregg1By Gregg Terry

Publicity leading up to last month’s Masters golf tournament was a bit slanted toward one of the comeback stories associated with the event. Frankly, that story is pretty sad when you stop to think about a life that has been dominated by golf, forced on a boy at a young age by a loving, yet dominant father. To top it off, one of the golfer’s major sponsors runs a haunting TV commercial featuring the dad’s voice-over in an effort to put a positive spin on their star.

The biggest star of the Masters, however, was the Phil Mickelson family. Here’s a guy who has been through much more stress and tough times during the past year than any other player on the tour. Think about it: his wife and his mother were battling cancer at the same time, they had small children to raise, all combined with Phil’s career, which requires tough mental discipline and a heavy travel schedule. So, what does he do? Goes out and wins the tournament! Now that’s a comeback!

I have talked to many contractors in the past month and am hearing some positive “coming back” news when discussing their businesses.

I have talked to many contractors in the past month and am hearing some positive “coming back” news when discussing their businesses. Just the fact most of the country has had good weather in which to work is a consistent line in most conversations. The owner of a flat bed trucking company that primarily ships roofing materials told me he had three loads to haul for every truck he has available to put on the road.

Is construction coming back? Yes, but probably slower than we would all prefer. In the meantime, if you want to find out how your company can tap into government-funded projects, check out construction activity websites such as www.onvia.com, which will give yo