The Ultimate Construction Holiday Gift Guide 2018

Another year is about ready to wrap up as the holiday season is upon us. It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but it can be stressful for those in your life that are hard to buy for, especially those in the construction ideas. Our goal is to make that process easier for you or your loved one with our top picks for gifts every year!

For more gift ideas, be sure to check out our Ultimate Construction Holiday Gift Guides from 2015, 2016, and 2017 or our past Father's Day Gift Guides from 2016 and 2017.

Read more

Autodesk Acquires PlanGrid for $875 Million

In regards to technology, the construction industry is going through a very exciting time.  While maybe on a smaller scale, it’s my belief that we’re in the middle of our very own Microsoft vs Apple battle circa the 80s and 90s.  Several leading software companies are vying for that top spot in our industry right now and it’s becoming more and more clear who will come out on top by the day. 

Read more

The Top States to Work in Construction: #17 New Jersey

Despite having the 8th highest cost of living in the country, New Jersey relatively high construction wages were enough to keep them in the top 20. According to MERIC, it costs 22.5% more to live in the state, as compared to the national average.

Read more

The Top States to Work in Construction: #18 West Virginia

West Virginia is either the southern most northern state and the northern most southern state, but either way it has done well and landed at #18 on our countdown. The wildest and wonderfullest state was helped on our list by having a cost of living 4.1% lower than the national average, according to MERIC, moving it approximately 8 spots up the list.

Read more

6 Ways to Reduce Construction Employee Turnover for Small Contractors

Over the past few years, it has been abundantly clear that many contractors have their choice of work and not enough resources to handle all of the opportunities.  That abundance commonly leads to the labor field being able to bounce between companies for quick wage increases, leaving company owners and management struggling to keep fully staffed with qualified people.

Read more

The Top States to Work in Construction: #19 Louisiana

Louisiana, home of jazz music, gumbo, and next door neighbor to #20 Texas, is the first one on our list to reach the teens in the rankings. America’s most swamp heavy state benefits from a low cost of living, 5.4% below the national average, according to MERIC.

Read more

How the Milwaukee Buck’s New Arena Became the “World’s First Bird Friendly Arena”

You may have been sitting in your house or office one day and noticed the distinct sound of a bird hitting the window. It’s pretty common, as it’s estimated that as many as 988 million birds die in the US each year by colliding into glass.  The new arena that will house the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks has incorporated some design elements that will reduce the amount of birds killed by the massive structure, allowing it to be dubbed the “World’s Most Bird Friendly Sports Arena.”

Read more

Construction Industry Groups Unite to Reduce Suicide Rate Among Construction Workers

The construction industry ranks first in total suicides and second in suicide rate compared to all other industries in the United States, according to a 2016 study by the Center for Disease Control (CDC).  This sad fact led more than 75 industry groups to form an alliance to combat the epidemic in 2016. Some of the members recently met in in Washington DC to help construction companies to better address mental health issues among their workers.

Read more

The Top States to Work in Construction: #20 Texas

Texas is the second largest state in the entire country by land area, trailing only Alaska. It’s significant land mass and relatively low population density help the state have a very low cost of living, according to MERIC, at 9.4% below average. That allowed Texas to drop over 12 spots in our ranking.

Read more

OSHA Publishes Report on Cause of 3 Tower Crane Collapses During 2017’s Hurricane Irma

Just over a year ago, in September of 2017, Hurricane Irma blew through Miami, Florida, bringing extremely high speed wind with it.  The wind caused 3 cranes to collapse in southern Florida, 2 in downtown Miami and 1 more in Ft. Lauderdale. Interesting video of the dismantling of one of the failed cranes was shared on Youtube.

Read more