Beyond the Build - Page 44 of 63

Immigration Reform: A Trip to the White House

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to meet with several senior advisors to the National Economic Council in Washington DC. Our “Gang of Nine” business leaders from the South included people involved in construction, agriculture and the food industry. We were invited to the Capital to discuss immigration reform. Interestingly, we all found fairly common ground. After …

Construction Trends

What’s Ahead for Commercial Real Estate From an Investment Veteran

Retirement is a strange word to me, as it seems few people ever really stop working. Perhaps we just shift our interests a bit. Last week, I was talking with the recently “retired” Mike Prior, who formerly managed a mortgage loan investment portfolio of $5-6 billion for a major life insurance company. Mike now offices in our quiet …

Leadership

Long Haul Reading

There are a zillion books out there on business that we all think we need to read to be successful. To me, the standouts are those that help us in business and in life, like Good to Great by Jim Collins and The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. Who can ever forget the impact of fixing broken …

Team Building

Our Garden Is Going Organic

It’s been interesting to see our garden take shape over the five years we’ve been here on Overton Road. We started with a small tomato area in 2009. Two years later, we had more than 10 types of plants and herbs just outside our offices. In 2012, we hired a recent college graduate as a part time gardener …

Tips from the Field

Integral Colored Concrete and Polish for Office, Retail

Last week, I was with a customer in Phoenix who shared how integral colored polished concrete is saving them about 75% in annual maintenance costs. While all customers are different with their experiences and needs, when I got back, I asked our team the best ways to ensure good integral colored floors. They shared a few …

Leadership

Growth Presents New Challenges

The purpose of any businesses is to grow. The last few years have been tough in this department, but remember how it was in the good ole days of last decade? We saw speed, revenue, market share and profit. Most business owners are wired with a desire to get “back to the future.” Not so fast. For …

Technology

Spring Training and Corporate Culture

To me, baseball spring training season has always been a time of new beginnings, when teams have a chance to remake themselves, and to change their culture if needed. Why can companies and organizations not treat the coming season in the same way? I recently, I found a good starting point. The former CEO of …

Construction Trends

Takeaways from the C-Suite: ICSC Open Air

“If you dislike change, you’re going to dislike irrelevance even more,” General Eric Shinseki, former Chief of Staff of the Army. To me, this quote sums up my takeaways from the OAC conference I attended this week. The conference limits itself to 400 attendees, mainly from the C suites and upper management of the country’s …

Customer Relationships

Burns Club: Old Acquaintances, Not Forgot

A few weeks ago, I was the guest of a customer (and friend) for a Robert Burns dinner in Nashville. As you recall, Robert Burns was a talented Scottish poet who wrote about love, his own shared experiences of growing up poor and learning dignity. Often considered the national poet of Scotland, he inspired many during …

Customer Relationships

Satisfied Customers: Your Greatest Sales Force

Do you know about the Raving Fans concept? It says that because of the poor service received in the past, customer expectation is often low. To me, if one’s business goes above and beyond to satisfy, you will not only gain customer for life, but an advocate in the community. A truly gratified customer will go out of …

Tips from the Field

Deep Foundations from a Geotechnical Perspective

Within a couple of months, we will have completed the installation of just under 500 caissons–36” to 66” in diameter–across two projects. Both are urban infill and on third and fourth generation use. One site presents brownfield conditions. This work got me thinking about the need for added stability on some job sites. When do you …

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Immigration Reform: A Trip to the White House

What’s Ahead for Commercial Real Estate From an Investment Veteran

Long Haul Reading

Our Garden Is Going Organic

Integral Colored Concrete and Polish for Office, Retail

Growth Presents New Challenges

Top 10 Google Reader Feeds

Spring Training and Corporate Culture

Takeaways from the C-Suite: ICSC Open Air

Burns Club: Old Acquaintances, Not Forgot

Satisfied Customers: Your Greatest Sales Force

Deep Foundations from a Geotechnical Perspective