We’ve talked about drones flying over and through construction sites, but what about 30 of them flying in unison to create a light show by “painting” on the night sky?Time Magazine quotes Ars Electronica, a technology and art firm based in Austria, about their LED-equipped drones which they call “...
This Week's Second Look
Sustainable Value
Premier contractors operate on principles that produce sustainable value, consistent quality and high return on investment. Many lesser-quality contractors skirt the law, limit compensation and eliminate benefits, safety and training programs in order to hit the low cost bid. How do construction leaders communicate their superior value so owners and developers can avoid the risks and hidden costs associated with second-rate contractors?
Often low price wins the job, but does it deliver best value and return on investment?
Brent Smith, PhD gave a stimulating presentation titled Managing Talent: Myths and Realities at the 2014 fall conference hosted by Kiley Advisors. Pat Kiley introduced the Rice University dean and professor with a mention of the companies who have hired Dr. Smith “to help them with talent...
Far too often, construction companies cheat taxpayers and their workers by pretending their employees are independent subcontractors when, by law, they should be paid as employees. It’s a practice known as worker misclassification. Some ethical contractors have called it a “cancer that is eating at...
A recent study prepared by NRG Research for the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association of British Columbia (ICBA) reveals that 59% of the respondents were unaware of how to get into the trades because of misperceptions of the construction trades. The study also showed that less...
At this year’s annual fall conference hosted by Kiley Advisors, two strategic questions were explored, presented by two distinguished guest speakers. The question “How long can this robust market last, and why?” was tackled by Adam W. Perdue, PhD in his presentation titled Is the Boom a...
Amid the chaos in Congress and the humanitarian crisis on the Texas-Mexico border, construction executives from the Lone Star State traveled to the White House this past week to urge President Barack Obama to be smart about any executive action he might take to address longstanding challenges in...
The following was originally published as an op-ed in The Houston Chronicle. Reprinted with permission.Now that the election is over, political news has quickly become dominated by the impending immigration showdown between President Barack Obama and the Republicans on Capitol Hill. In...
Many contractors and sub contractors don’t pay much attention to the real estate cycle until it impacts their business and then it gets really personal for them, owners and employees. When we are in the middle of a recovery and our workload consumes our every waking hour and a few of those...
To demonstrate the capabilities of their heavy equipment, Caterpillar has created some clever “Built For It Trials” in which machines such as excavators and telehandlers perform various tasks just to prove that they can. Caterpillar truly lives up to their motto “when we play blocks, we play...
