When business is good, it’s far too easy for leaders to get busy, ignore their company’s weaknesses and forget to brainstorm ways to improve. It’s an easier focus now since business is down and we all have a little more time. As a company, we are using the lull to evaluate and reevaluate every aspect …
Over the last few years, our team has been involved with several mixed-use projects using composite slab construction. Working together, we’ve been able to formulate some solid practices with concrete slabs. I asked Heath Cather, a senior project manager in our office, to share on the flatness and levelness of these slabs and have included …
“To whom much is given, much is expected.” That adage has stayed with me for many years. Our company is fortunate to have a nice corporate campus, and I feel that in order to be a good steward of the land, I should invite others to enjoy our place. In the last few months, the …
In previous posts, I’ve shared with you how important it is to me take time away from the office to clear your mind, opening it up to see new possibilities. You’ll be amazed at the clarity you find when you take a step back and focus on the bigger picture. My annual visit to the …
As business leaders, we often get so immersed in our vocation that we forget all about our avocation. I was reminded of this a few years ago when I took a trip to New England. I was driving through Freeport, Maine and happened to see a sign for the Thos. Moser shop in town. The name …
I recently attended a U.S. Green Building Council presentation where architect and professor emeritus Norbert Lechner, a noted Fulbright senior specialist and energy expert, presented his thoughts on the field of efficient building energy design and sustainability, a topic often considered the foundation of green philosophy. I learned that reduced energy goals are in many …
From time to time, I like to share construction industry tips I pick up. Heeding advice on field advances has saved my team tons of time and money, and hopefully you’ll find the same is true for your business. A few of us recently attended the Birmingham chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute monthly meeting …
To me, two simple words can be the foundation of long-term business relationships: character and culture. When these values are the same between a buyer and a seller, opportunity for long-term growth exists. We have always looked to build customer relationships with companies and individuals who have a similar character and culture as ours. Roughly …
While most of us are suffering from the Recession’s effects in one way or another, there is a silver lining inside our current cloud. Recessions let us step back and observe the way we do business, often providing takeaways for our businesses as we move forward. From the reading I have done, innovation and great …
When my work requires travel, I reward myself by staying somewhere listed in the Historic Hotels of America directory, which is closely affiliated with The National Trust for Historic Preservation. The HHA is an association of hotels and inns scattered across the United States, usually in urban areas, which were usually built in the beginning …
After talking with someone about the movie Taking Woodstock, I got to thinking that this monumental event took place prior to the advent of the Internet, cell phones, social media sites and even before the invention of the fax machine and overnight mail, which surfaced in the early 1980s. Even without these tools we now …
Because of the current imbalance of supply and demand in the commodities market, the cost of construction has been trending downward over the last year or so. Some of our projects take years to develop, and before this correction, the previous several years saw 3-4% increases annually. It’s hard to come back to your customer …