I recently visited the offices and training facilities of Houston’s SER-Jobs for Progress, guided by the executive director of SER, Nory Angel. SER, which means “to be” in Spanish, was originally started in 1965 as a volunteer organization to help Hispanic veterans find jobs, but has since grown into a multifaceted organization which provides a variety of services to individuals living in low-income communities.SER offers vocational job training to veterans, youth and adults in areas such as Green Core Construction, Weatherization and Retrofitting, Home Energy Rating Systems, and Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC). They also offer career assessment and counseling, classes in business etiquette, help with resume preparation, and many other services to help individuals find and maintain employment.
Anders Lewendal is a homebuilder from Bozeman, Montana who also holds a degree in economics. Last month, on ABC World News with Diane Sawyer, journalist David Muir featured him and his endeavor to create more jobs in America by convincing contractors to build with American-made products. Lewendal asserts that if every builder used 5% more American materials, over 220,000 jobs would be created in our country.The videos below feature a home Lewendal is building using 100 percent American-made materials – the nails and screws, the tape, the paint, the insulation, the duct sealant, the door hinges, the windows – everything. To accomplish this, he used a list of American manufacturers who produce the building materials needed. Compiled by The All American Home, this list is growing, and includes companies from over 33 states. Lewendal encourages other contractors to join him in this effort to build with more American-made products.
February 22, 2012
Subcontracting companies working at Pulte Homes sites in Massachusetts have been found guilty of wage theft, payroll fraud, and unemployment insurance violations. The subcontractors have been ordered to pay more than $400,000 in unpaid wages and penalties, and more than $141,000 has been recovered in previously outstanding revenue for Massachusetts’ unemployment system.Pulte Homes of New England LLC and Pulte Braintree LLC operated several construction sites which were investigated after Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office and the Joint Enforcement Task Force on the Underground Economy and Employee
January 26, 2012
The Construction Citizen series about the presentation of two possible scenarios for what Houston might be like 30 years from now continues. In this video containing the last of the “exit interviews” which the Construction Citizen team gathered following the 2040 Scenarios Event, attendees offered their first impressions and thoughts about the presentation and the discussion that October evening. The first scenario presented was “Learning to Live” and was given the color green as a way to identify it from the second scenario, which was “Playing to Win” and which was identified with the color blue.
January 12, 2012
The National Public Radio debate show Intelligence Squared U.S. recently aired a deliberation on whether or not “Too Many Kids Are Going To College”. Held in Chicago on...
January 10, 2012
Following an event at the offices of Marek Brothers Systems at which Houston professionals were introduced to two possible scenarios for the city’s future, some of the attendees offered their first impressions and thoughts about the presentation and the discussion. In the video below, you can listen to parts of three conversations which took place as the attendees were leaving for the evening.First you will see Donna Rybiski of the Center for Houston’s Future interviewing Bonnie McLoud and Kent Wiseman. Donna asked them
January 05, 2012
Drywall and plaster contractor BakerTriangle is a company that runs their business with integrity and pays their employees responsibly. They are one of the companies in the...
January 04, 2012
California’s Department of Industrial Relations, the Employment Development Department, Contractor's State Licensing Board, Board of Equalization, the Bureau of Automotive Repair...
December 29, 2011
On July 13, Construction Citizen shared a story first reported by Dallas/Fort Worth television station WFAA about misclassification of workers on a school construction project. Last week, the same WFAA reporter submitted an update to the story.The original story featured a subcontractor who lost the bid for work on Mansfield Independent School District’s Center for the Performing Arts to a competitor who does not pay payroll taxes, unemployment tax, or workers’ compensation insurance. Following the investigation and airing of the story, the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) charged Mireles, the subcontractor who was hired for the project but did not pay those taxes, for
December 27, 2011
As previously reported in the Construction Citizen series about the 2040 Scenarios event, the evening included a discussion between the group of industry leaders who attended...
December 22, 2011
