Recently, one of our project managers priced a rather small, straight forward project. We negotiate a lot of our work, but on this particular project, the prospect had asked another couple of contractors to estimate it as well. The prospect selected another contractor who was about 25% below our cost, coming in about $125,000 low …
As I recently posted, I spent 10 days at home with the virus. After that experience, I’m not sure how anyone thinks working at home is sustainable. Many on our team told me they sure were glad we have kept our office open this year. There’s energy, frequency of good conversation and social interaction, none of …
This week has was not as I planned. Like many others around the country, I was diagnosed with the virus and have been quarantined at home. When I received the news last Friday, my first reaction was, “You have got to be kidding,” but in the end, I trusted the test. Gratefully, I’ve been virtually …
In this age of being ever-accessible, the time management skills we hear about so often can be in conflict with our capacity to “do it all.’ The latter is often referred to as personal bandwidth. I’m not sure about you, but being over-scheduled can leave me feeling bad about my lack of productivity and letting …
I have been in the construction business for many years. In that time, I’ve gotten to know a wide range of interesting people in the real estate and construction industry. These relationships have developed organically over time and often evolved into friendships or good acquaintances. The network of friends I have built through business is, …
We work in an industry where many perform a similar service, getting a customer from Point A to Point B. Generally speaking, the path may be the similar, but not exactly the same. To me, what sets the good apart from the great is the perspective and creativity that can be brought to the table. You can really …
As the wild ride of 2020 comes to a close, I’m hearing a lot of talk about what the economy might look like next year. I don’t have a crystal ball, but the Fed appears willing to keep the rates down in the less-than-1-percent range and let inflation run wild for a bit north of …
One of our project managers is also an excellent drone pilot and recently used our place to test drive new software. We ended up with some cool images. This one caught my eye, because you can really see the “figure eight” of our entry. It was designed this way for some specific reasons. For starters, …
About 25 or 30 years ago, there were two national construction companies that were positioned for continued success. Over time, leadership either passed away or retired, and those two companies are no longer in business. Seeing them break up was jaw dropping. Both had outstanding individuals doing their thing, but when leadership changed and got …
There are two ways to look at networking functions: A box to check, or an opportunity. Since you are there anyway, the “opportunity” option seems to make more sense. I’m always sharing the importance of leaving a business conference, a cocktail party, or a luncheon with new acquaintances. You might make a business contact or …
Yesterday, I received a call from a customer concerning our performance on a project. It was not the kind of communication I relish receiving, but I needed to hear it. We pride ourselves on doing a better than average job for our customers, but sometimes we fall short. This particular job was not up to …
“History will remember Paul Volcker and Jerome Powell as standing on the opposite ends of the inflation canyon, with the former taking desperate actions to try to tamp it down and the latter…to announce an unprecedented effort to crank it back up.” (source) When I read the statement of Chairman Powell’s presentation this week, it …