As the Associated Builders and Contractors of America (ABC) prepared to host the National Craft Championships in Long Beach, California on March 20-22, Elizabeth McPherson and Lauren Harrell spoke with four of the craft trainees and apprentices from the Houston area who will be competing in the event.
ACE Mentor Program Houston’s annual Build it Forward event is a “win” on every level, benefitting local charities while building interest in construction careers and relationships between organizations who support those careers. At the Houston affiliate’s annual Build it Forward event, Elizabeth McPherson talks with some of the people whose support makes this event a “win” on every level.
January 17, 2018
As we recently reported here on Construction Citizen, ABC Houston’s Construction & Maintenance Education Foundation collaborated this holiday season with Performance Contractors to serve as a designated Toys for Tots drop-off location, hoping to reach children in need throughout the Houston area. Their efforts paid off as approximately 2,000 toys were donated by Performance towards the effort.
January 02, 2018
Gilbane Building Company is one of over 30 companies who sponsor the ACE Mentor Program Houston, an organization which connects volunteer mentors currently working in the Architecture, Construction, and Engineering industries to Houston-area high school students. A few weeks ago, I sat down with Angela Cotie, Project Executive at Gilbane and ACE Houston Chairman of the Board, to learn about the program.
December 08, 2017
The team that developed the Construction Labor Market Analyzer, Construction Industry Resources, LLC, released this morning a new report titled The Long-Term Outlook for Construction. The report focuses on the near-and long-term prospects for the nonresidential construction marketplace, based on forecasts of the demand for the skilled construction trades over the next 10-15 years. The report lists factors which restrain and aid nonresidential construction, and even accounts for the 2017 hurricane season in which hurricanes Harvey and Irma damaged much of Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and more.
December 01, 2017
On October 25, 2017, the Construction Education Foundation of North Texas (CEF) held their 7th Annual Construction Career Day at their campus located in Irving near the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. As in past years, over 1400 high school juniors and seniors representing 41 high schools from regions 10 and 11 in the north Texas area were led in groups of 12-15 students throughout the CEF complex where they were exposed to different crafts, exhibits, and employment opportunities available in the construction industry.
November 14, 2017
Last month Calvetti Ferguson, a financial accounting and advising firm specializing in the fields of energy, construction, hospitality and multinational businesses, hosted an after-work conference featuring presentations by three consultants from Management Consulting and Investment Banking firm FMI. While attendees enjoyed drinks and appetizers in a private room above Houston’s Karbach Brewery, Pat Kiley and Candace Hernandez gave their take on the Houston construction market, followed by Scott Duncan’s presentation about ownership transfer techniques.
October 23, 2017
At a press conference to announce the kick-off a capital campaign to complete SER’s new Workforce Opportunity Center in Houston’s East End, civic and community leaders spoke at the construction site of what will become SER’s new headquarters. The $17 million project is a joint public-private venture for which $11.5 million has already been raised. Watch a video in which Brittany Torres shares her story of how she has recently benefitted from SER’s YouthBuild Houston program which helped her receive her GED and complete training to become a certified welder.
October 06, 2017
We recently reported on a panel discussion called Undocumented City about the issues surrounding the undocumented immigrants who live in the Houston area. Following the event which was presented by the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University and the Houston Immigration and Legal Services Collaborative, I spoke with a few of the evening’s attendees.
September 28, 2017
An article by Ileana Najarro published in the Houston Chronicle says that rebuilding after Hurricane Harvey’s destruction will be especially painful due to the shortage of skilled workers the area was suffering from even before the storm hit. The article, titled Labor shortage could hamper Harvey reconstruction, quotes Texas Association of Builders executive director Scott Norman as saying, “There is not enough skilled labor to meet this challenge today, immediately.”
September 22, 2017
