This week, I participated in an FMI construction conference in Denver, with the goal of discussing the construction outlook for 2018. A major item, not surprisingly, was the increasing shortage of labor and new talent in construction. The problem is likely a combination of after-burn from all those leaving the industry during the financial crisis, baby boomers retiring and no …
I sometimes think I used up all of my share of blind luck about 15 years ago, when I played in a charity golf tournament that Coach Bowden of FSU sponsored down in Destin. It was one of those tournaments where they drew five names that evening and each of the five pulled a key …
First impressions matter. In these initial minutes, maybe even seconds, we sometimes may make unconscious judgments, including whether or not we can trust a person. I’ve read that we tend to trust people who are a bit older than ourselves or those who appear a bit more reserved. For most of us, there’s not a lot …
A break in, or a ransom letter. An invitation to the dark web. It sounds like a movie plot, but it played out here last month. A computer hacker waited until about 7:20 pm, when our office would likely be cleared out, and found an opening in our firewall, creating a username. He or she then virtually made their way through all our computers and locked …
In our business, there are times when the tendency is to quantify by the unit. “Price per square foot” is used to measure all kinds of things, from the average property value, all the way to building cost. While it can be a quick and easy reference at times, a summary is just that. A …
This morning, I was on the phone with one of our service providers. There was a question about our account that required me to speak with a representative…And after hearing at least three other conversations in the background as we talked, I’m confident he was sitting in the open office environment that’s become a standard in certain places. For …
One of our senior managers recently told me about walking a project with our civil site superintendent and a customer. As they toured the job site, the customer asked several questions and shared other thoughts while they walked. Without a word, the superintendent pulled out a pad and started a running list of discussion items. That simple act sent the customer a message that was …
Yesterday, one of our customers stopped by to talk about a new mixed use development that we will start end of the 1st quarter–retail, apartments and condominiums. “You may have the curse of being an engineer,” I told him. When he gave me a puzzled look, I explained that a lot of our customers are …
“Be Prepared.” The 100-year motto of the Boy Scouts could also be well-suited for the Adaptive Reuse or Historic Restoration arena, along with having “the vision.” Here you see a circa-1908 brick structure being transitioned to a new medical research facility. The existing 3-wythe exterior masonry wall facade will be saved. This means removing interior structure …
This time of year, there are always resolutions about this and that floating around for the new year, the things we say we are going to do better. It’s just the same with me, but I always start by taking a good look in the rear view mirror. What could I have done different here …
Sleep and I have a precarious relationship. On the one hand, it’s a necessity. But the downtime can feel wasted, like I could have been getting more accomplished. I’ve heard it said that the uninspired sleep late, while those perusing a passion naturally wake up early. I can relate. I relish the quiet hours before …
In the last few days, I was talking with our CFO about what distinguishes between a good hire and an average one. He said something like this: By watching how someone handles their personal life, we get a good glimpse of how valuable they can be to the company. Character, values and good judgment sometimes …