In these economic times, the fledging days of our business come to mind often. I learned a lot from my experiences. Hopefully, the account I share here can save you some time and trouble… In 1984, our very first customer had just raised $30 million dollars through an IPO and we were going to build …
This week, I received an interesting Fast Company article about the details of Van Halen’s contract with concert promoters. There is a clause that the band should always be provided with M&M’s backstage and that none should be brown. At first glance it seems picky and eccentric, but if you think about it, the …
This week, several of our team attended a workshop led by Matthew Offenberg, a recognized expert in the field of pervious concrete. The discussion centered on the design and function of pervious concrete pavements, new developments in the technology and some of the challenges in implementing it. I found it interesting that the workshop was …
Last week, I received a call from a long-term customer asking us to get involved with a new civil project. The catch? It starts in 10 days. Wow—that’s a nice problem to have these days. The site is full of challenges we like: wetlands, a stream relocation, a Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) interface along a …
Every once in a while, our team takes a bit of time away from the busy schedules we all maintain for a get together. It’s not a big time commitment, but it gives us an opportunity to catch up with folks who may be in and out of the office a good bit. Today, we …
This week I attended the national convention of the International Council of Shopping Centers, a member-driven organization for the retail industry. This year there were about 25,000 attendees. I felt the mood of the conference was positive optimism with a sense of getting down to business. Here’s what I’m taking with me: Landlords and retailers …
Last week, I mentioned a partnership I’ve fostered with WP2DC, the company who designed and implemented a cloud-based application for Stewart Perry. We’ve managed to get all our internal information into an easily accessible virtual file cabinet. As a result we’ve cut out a lot of duplicated efforts. Using a Building Information Modeling (BIM) is our next …
Lately, it seems like I’m surrounded by races. Earlier this week, I told you about my Indy Grand Prix of Alabama experience at Barber Motorsports Park. A NASCAR race happened just down the road last weekend at the Talladega Superspeedway. This Saturday, the Kentucky Derby will be run for the 136th time. To me, business …
Over the years, I have seen building contractors take unfair advantage of subcontractors. I’ve seen subs abused, used and in some cases driven out of business. To me, this isn’t the way to approach construction or life, particularly in these tough economic times. It’s all about helping each other get through the downturn so we …
Drywall going up on one of our projects is always a welcome sight. It means that we are in the “final lap,” meaning the structural, mechanical and electrical components of our project are complete. As we’ve evolved into a greener construction company, choosing the right drywall has become a major conundrum. The harmful affects of …
I was recently reading Institutional Investor, a magazine that provides financial commentary and survey results directly impacting investment decisions. They’ve just announced their “All-American Executive Team” award winners for multiple corporate titles. This is a composite from a survey of 570 sell-side analysts at more than 100 securities firms and 780 buy-side investment professionals at …
As business leaders, I think it is always good to stay in the loop and try to identify current industry trends. We want to be on the front end of things that are moving in the right direction. I’ve written about economy-related pricing trends and green building, but what’s on the horizon now? I think …