Beyond the Build - Page 23 of 64

Becoming Inclusive

Last Saturday evening, when I attended KultureCity‘s KultureBALL, I was reminded once again what can happen when a grassroots idea gets the right leadership. Julian Maha and his wife Michele Kong, both medical doctors, founded KultureCity in 2013 after their oldest child was diagnosed on the autism spectrum. Ever since, their goal has been education, inclusion and to provide the alteration of public spaces, making …

Beyond the Build

Power Up

This week, I visited one of our projects that covers several acres. It’s not ready for permanent power, but also needs power in a lot of locations. In the past, we’ve run conduit to a stationary board, which works, but has its downfalls. If there is too much load demand, breakers get tripped and the whole …

Leadership

Reach Out

Not too long ago, I was traveling home on a Friday evening and passing through the Chicago airport. I was walking up to an escalator–one of those long, steep ones that takes you down to travel under the tarmac to the next concourse–and noticed no one was traveling down. As I approached, I realized the situation. There was an elderly …

Leadership

Looking Forward in Workforce Development

I recently had the opportunity to listen to Raphael Bostic of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta speak at the Civil Rights Institute. My takeaways from that afternoon were primarily focused on workforce development in current times. As a business community, there is a need to ensure students have an eye toward the workplace, understanding which opportunities are …

Management

Metered Growth

Our economy is edging up by the quarter. While I do not believe 4.5% GDP growth is sustainable, it would be nice to think we will be somewhere around 2 – 2.5% at year’s end. We are still the world’s leaders right now, and this makes me smile. About this time in the cycle, it …

Beyond the Build

Resilience in the Making

A few years ago, I had a conversation with the former CEO of a large international construction company. We talked about a lot of things that day, but one topic that stuck with me is failure’s role in success. When hiring an executive for his company, he often looked for someone who had lost at least …

Leadership

The Most Important Meal of the Day

We are members of an FMI group with 6 other contractors spread coast to coast. We meet semi-annually to discuss strategy, and most recently, culture. On a that visit, I was exposed to a quote from Peter Drucker, maybe said by others as well: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” It’s true in many ways. Culture is an aloof concepts, “that special something,” …

Beyond the Build

If Moisture at the Building Envelope Level Is #1, Managing Noise Control Might Be #2

As we continue to densify, sound control can be a huge challenge. This goes for all types of existing and new construction, and for all types of occupancies. Just like water, sound will infiltrate where one least expects it. In a recent project, we installed a specialized noise control system to completely separate the framing from the …

Continuing Education

Creating an Authentic Experience

Last week we were in Las Vegas to attend ICSC RECon, which I have always considered a family reunion of retail. It’s a chance to visit with longtime friends and make a few new ones each year. It seemed to me that this year’s conference had a definite emphasis on the “customer experience.” Stores are shifting towards being a bit more customized, and …

Construction Trends

From Painful Beginnings

A new corporate headquarters was recently completed near our place. It’s sleek, well-designed and sends the right message. When talking to one of their leads, I asked why they chose Gensler for the design. The answer: “They make things painful in the beginning, drilling hard on the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ before they ever get around to what …

Beyond the Build

Options for Exteriors

We are midstream in the renovation of a Gulf Coast project, and one of the exterior skin clad products we are using there is Nichiha, a fiber cement siding. EIFS seemed to be the king of the hill for many years, and they are also innovating with their products, but there are now several other …

Management

TIME

This week I had breakfast with a young fellow who has raised about $3 million for his tech startup company. He’s past the angel fund stage, and now has a group of about 30 working for him. They are still losing money each month, but he has a pretty decent runway with the revenue he’s …

Receive our newsletter

Becoming Inclusive

Power Up

Reach Out

Looking Forward in Workforce Development

Metered Growth

Resilience in the Making

The Most Important Meal of the Day

If Moisture at the Building Envelope Level Is #1, Managing Noise Control Might Be #2

Creating an Authentic Experience

From Painful Beginnings

Options for Exteriors

TIME