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 …
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 …
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 …
I was in Cincinnati earlier this week, enjoying some freezing temps, misty rain and a little ice. It reminded me of a few jobs where we did not work as smart as we should have in the cold weather. That was years ago and we’ve learned a few things about winter grading along the way. …
A couple of evenings ago, I had dinner with two people I have known for years. It all started in 1990, when we were not getting paid for a project their company had an interest in. They stepped in, paid our bill and we finished. Since then, we have maintained the relationship and tried to do our …
We thought January would be a good time to take advantage of this season of new beginnings. We enlisted the expertise of Jennifer Cole Conn who owns The Farmhouse, a food education business. Jennifer is a Certified Holistic Health Care Professional and Food Educator. She holds a culinary degree, practices as a natural foods chef, is a …
Last year, we constructed more buildings using tilt wall construction as compared to years past. I started to investigate. While sometimes there is very little cost difference, there’s the value in speed. Form liners are making tilt wall construction more effective and attractive in the architecture arena. There is still a place for both in our …
Do you remember the scene from the movie Christmas Vacation when Chevy Chase is stuck in the attic? He ends up watching old family movies of years gone by. Something similar happened to me a few weeks ago. My son has moved out of the house, and over the holidays I cleaned up his room. …
With 2013 only a few days away, it seems like everyone’s looking ahead. Here’s a snapshot of what we’re seeing going into next year. Fewer subcontractors and vendors. This is a direct result of the Recession. I can say with certainty that those who have survived are stronger. Pricing pressure. If the economy expands next …
Several years ago, I spent 10 days in Ireland traveling the Connemara Trail on horseback with breader Willie Leahy. We rode his surefooted Irish draught/thoroughbred cross descended from Spanish castaways. Our trail from Galway to Clifton was a combination of rough terrain, some deep and at times treacherous bogs, beautiful lakes and long rides at gallop speed along …
We have been in the preconstruction phase of a brownfield project for about 18 months. In the process, we have been using a relatively new and still evolving set of technology tools, called ground penetrating radar (GPR). This geophysical method uses radar pulses to image the subsurface. Knowing what is underground is particularly important for the job …
Lately, there has been much talk about the future of office space–its size, shape and relevance. In this semi-post-recession time, where technology makes connectivity possible from almost anywhere, is a physical office still necessary? On Monday, I visited with the head of property development for a major national company and the topic came up. What …