.jpeg?itok=6uFZXEBH)
Houston’s Neighborhood Centers operate differently from the way many traditional community service organizations operate. Instead of focusing on the communities’ needs, they build on the assets of the families they serve.
Reshaping the Construction Industry
.jpeg?itok=4Vi_1nJG)
Materials suppliers have mixed pattern on pricing; union pay accelerates slightlyEditor’s note: Construction Citizen is proud to partner with AGC America to bring you AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson's Data DIGest. Check back each week to get Ken's expert analysis of what's happening in our industry.Prices for construction materials have shown mixed tendencies lately. On Friday, securities analyst Thompson Research Group (TRG) reported the results of its monthly survey of building products firms. "All attempts for price increases in 2015 [for steel studs] have been lackluster, driven more by the reality of a precipitous drop in global steel prices....CertainTeed squashed the fall [insulation] price increase after announcing a January 2016 increase. [The] 5%-8% mid-year residential roofing price increase got off to a good start but fizzled by September. [As the third quarter of 2015] comes to a close, pricing has remained stable for both" roofing and carpeting. "We don't expect any wallboard pricing gains until next spring....Perversely, the industry could realize greater pricing in 2016 with two price increases if the current trajectory of end-market demand continues."
October 14, 2015
Hi there. The Chamberlin Man here.Chamberlin is proud to have recently been part of the construction team on the Parkland Hospital project in Dallas, Texas – the largest single-phase public healthcare project in the country. Take that in for a second.To get the job done, Joint Venture General Contractors, BARA – made up of Balfour Beatty Construction, Austin Commercial, H.J. Russell & Company and Azteca Enterprises – implemented a “collaborative project delivery” process involving numerous mockups and feedback from hundreds of physicians, clinicians and technicians to solve technical problems and promote workflow. Of course, construction also required an army of subcontractors. As a matter of fact, the building of the $1.27 billion hospital required five million man-hours.Chamberlin's scope of work on this colossal undertaking included $1.25 million of caulking, air barrier, flashing and wall insulation. The scale of even our relatively small piece of the overall project is best illustrated by the massive amount of materials installed.
October 13, 2015
The following article originally appeared in the October newsletter to clients of Kiley Advisors, LLC for the purpose of providing the latest leading indicators and industry issues to those clients. Reprinted with permission.“It’s lean and mean until 2017” according to Jesse Thompson, Business Economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Houston branch. While his comments were directed specifically to the oil and gas industry, in many ways, he could be speaking to the Houston economy. Economists continue to look longer range for a recovery in Houston, as the prospect of oil recovering also extends. Patrick Jankowski, Vice President of Research at the Greater Houston Partnership, recently noted that Houston is still roughly 20,000 jobs below its peak in December 2014, and with more oil and gas layoffs expected in the fourth quarter, is unsure whether a historically strong fourth quarter will be enough to offset the losses.
October 12, 2015
Marek Dallas Division President John Hinson wrote the following President’s Message for AWCI's Construction Dimension magazine. Hinson is the 2015-2016 President of AWCI.I am privileged to attend several regional association events throughout the coming year in my term as president of the Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry, and I hope to take an opportunity to hit a few high notes in reflection on the events from time to time in my future messages here.During AWCI Immediate Past President Scott Casabona’s reign, Scott and I attended the South Central Wall, Ceiling & Plaster Association’s convention where SCWCPA President Rick Blackburn of Blackburn Plastering introduced incoming president Todd Hunt of Trinity Drywall & Plastering Systems and his new board of directors.
October 09, 2015
The U.S. Department of Labor (U.S. DOL) and the Vermont Department of Labor signed an agreement this summer to protect employees and law-abiding businesses by reducing the practice of worker misclassification in Vermont. The three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) allows the two agencies to share information and work together to conduct investigations and enforce the laws against employers identifying their employees as independent contractors or designating them with other non-employee statuses.Agencies from several other states have signed similar agreements with the U.S. DOL including agencies from Alabama, Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
October 08, 2015
The American Road & Transportation Builders Association has chosen a Texas CEO to lead the group through 2016. David S. Zachry, chief executive officer of Zachry Corporation, was elected during the ARTBA’s conference in Philadelphia.Speaking to the group, Zachry outlined several key goals for the year ahead. The most important thing, he said, is for the association to remain “laser-focused on its mission of ensuring a long-term Highway Trust Fund fix and congressional approval of a multi-year bill that boosts federal surface transportation investment.” The group is also going to advocate for more federal investment in airport construction as part of the re-authorization of the nation’s aviation programs.
October 07, 2015
The following article was originally published in Breaking Ground, The NCCER Blog by Jennifer Wilkerson, a Construction Citizen blogger and NCCER’s Director of Marketing, PR, and Build Your Future. Reprinted with permission.So why hasn’t the construction industry been able to change the public’s perception of careers in the industry? Why aren’t more young people choosing careers in construction? First, we need to stop having city, state and regional meetings to figure out what we should do. We need to stop patting ourselves on the back because we participated on a committee that produced a report or white paper detailing what should be done to combat the skilled workforce shortage in our industry.It amazes me when I see outputs from committees all over the U.S. pontificating about the skills gap and discussing ways to connect education and industry, provide local and state support and unite communities, parents and businesses on the topic. They all say the same thing, and what amazes me even more is that these are not new ideas.
October 06, 2015
Employment growth slows nationally and among metros but spending acceleratesEditor’s note: Construction Citizen is proud to partner with AGC America to bring you AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson's Data DIGest. Check back each week to get Ken's expert analysis of what's happening in our industry.Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 142,000 in September, seasonally adjusted, and by 2,752,000 (2.0%) over 12 months, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. Construction employment rose by 8,000 for the month (to 6,396,000) and by 205,000 (3.3%) over 12 months, far below the gain of 298,000 (5.1%) in the previous year. The number of unemployed jobseekers who last worked in construction fell from 604,000 in September 2014 to 479,000 in September 2015, the lowest September total since 2000. The unemployment rate for such workers fell from 7.0% to 5.5%, the lowest September rate since 2001. (Industry unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted and should only be compared year-over-year, not across months.)
October 05, 2015
Pat Kiley points out the positive elements of the current economy in Texas, in spite of the current downturn in the oil and gas industry.
October 02, 2015
