All good teams are comprised of both leaders and those who make their mark by being “doers.” Both are equally important and welcomed. We all know a top-heavy organization isn’t sustainable, and having a good mix of personalities makes us much stronger. It takes us all. With this caveat, good leadership is absolutely essential to …
This week, I met with our peer group, which has been a valuable resource to me and our company for the last 10 years. We are comprised of 5 contractors spread coast-to-coast in non-competing markets. Our semi-annual meetings are a time to share best practices and lessons learned, with the hopes of making each of …
When was the last time you or someone on your team contacted a customer without an ask? I recently read an article about relationships in the construction business, and this quote really stuck with me: Trust is the tiebreaker. The gist is that what we do can feel transactional, but those who genuinely care about the …
For years now, we’ve been hearing about the shrinking numbers of skilled craftsmen and construction superintendents as many age out of the workforce and younger folks aren’t coming in the replace them. Sometimes hard problems require creative solutions, and I’m glad to share what I think is a dynamic and viable model. Stewart/Perry is proud …
We are currently teaming with a design group on a complex adaptive reuse of an existing 80,000 sf facility. During this pre-construction phase, we conducted a fair amount of interior demolition and are evaluating existing conditions so that we can compare those conditions with the initial design drawings in order to identify issues. We are …
We all have to have hard conversations from time to time. While you can’t control the outcome, I’ve learned over the years that you can take a few steps to set yourself up for success, or at least a more positive and productive discussion. The first thing I always consider is timing, which can be almost …
I recently read an article about what the world perceives as “cool,” and how that can affect workplace dynamics. People who get labeled as cool are often extroverted, independent and perhaps a little unpredictable. All these things certainly get attention. But do they make a team as successful as it can be? The author argues …
For many years, I’ve thought Malcolm Gladwell is one of the most thought-provoking authors out there. I first read “The Tipping Point” in 2000 and am always interested in what Malcolm shares. One of his most recent discussions involves driverless cars and brought up interesting and thought for me. Can we play it too safe? …
Recently, one of our team members had the opportunity to tour The Academy of Craft Training’s Birmingham campus. The ACT is a public–private partnership between the state’s construction industry and K–12 education, aimed at preparing high school juniors and seniors for careers in the commercial construction sector. They train students who represent every public school …
Several years ago, I was involved with a group that brought the Urban Land Institute to Alabama. The ULI has always been a resource for best practices in city planning and responsible land use, but also a great knowledge base for real estate trends. I recently read one of their articles monitoring REIT research and …
I recently shared some insights from the annual ABC of Alabama conference in relation to hiring, a major issue in our industry right now. To summarize, the military has figured out how to reach younger folks by offering adventure, purpose, career development and the chance to work with advanced technology. I can testify that this …