Yesterday, I met with an architect and a subcontractor, both of whom have been successful partners for us over the years. As our meeting came to an end, conversation shifted to culture, and its importance to any organization. The subcontractor firmly believes that culture starts at the top and works its way down. He’s asked his project …
Since we moved into our place on Overton Road in 2008, our garden has evolved and grown. It moved to a new location when we added our West Wing. What started as a few tomato plants is now many varieties of vegetables, fruits and flowers. We employ a gardener, who helps us choose what to …
In the business world, “success” can be a tricky thing. I’ve discovered that success can be hard to quantify and easy to lose. At best, it’s a sliding scale or a point in time. Still, many of us are striving for our own version success. This could mean goals and timelines met. Money made. An image …
Over the years, communication means and methods have changed. We are now in a world where most everyone has at least a cell phone close by. While all these advances have made it easier to communicate and catalogue our work, we’ve unintentionally cut out some of the personal interactions that can make a team truly …
For several years, Major League Baseball has been hosting a regular season game at the location of the movie Field of Dreams. Birmingham will be host for the MLB game this year at Rickwood Field, America’s Oldest Baseball Park. The St. Louis Cardinals play the San Francisco Giants on June 20th, to coincide with Juneteenth, …
We are in the unique (and good) position of having an established leadership team in the field and the office. These professionals know the business and they know our approach, and they are joined by a promising group of new talent. The only negative here is that we all can get set in our ways, …
We’ve been attending the annual Spring ICSC conference for many years, and it’s always a decent view of the what’s happening in the “retail world.” We have been seeing a dramatic shift in the favor of the landlord, and that was definitely a big topic of conversation this year. We are also seeing a certain …
A little more than 4 years ago, the pandemic turned the traditional office model on its head. After everyone got proficient at remote logins and Zoom, we spent the next couple of years discussing if offices were a thing of the past. Turns out, they are still relevant. A recent study of people in professional …
The U.S. Secretary of Transportation was in Birmingham recently for several reasons, but one that caught my attention was an initiative for changing one-way streets to two-ways. I’ve done some research since that visit, and it seems this makes a lot of sense. One-way streets were created to assist traffic flow, which has obvious benefits, …
Construction, by its very nature, can be and is a stressful business. While we are planners by trade, and we’ve all learned how to mitigate risk, we’re constantly battling unforeseen circumstances. The list can range from material shortages to something as simple (and powerful) as the weather. Many of us thrive under pressure, but how …
Over the years, we’ve done a lot to try to streamline our processes so we’re not wasting time on the information gathering trail. I’ve never put a name to the frustrating searching, or jumping from one platform to another to consolidate research, until I read this article from Construction Business Owner. They call it “Gray …
In construction, there is an old adage that it’s possible to be good, fast, or cheap. Pick two. This makes it particularly important to choose the right contractor, or for that matter, the right consultant, who can accommodate what’s important for success. Check these boxes: Years in business Types of work completed Quality of team …