One of the questions I often ask contractors is, “What keeps you up at night?” Over the years the answers have changed a little, but the core challenges that trouble many of the contractors I speak with are the economy, increasing profitability, finding and keeping good employees, maintaining a safe work site, and increased regulations. I suspect these issues are the most troubling for...

We've covered the topic of software multiple times in this blog, and its prevalence and importance in the construction industry continue to increase. In a recent survey from Software Advice, 94 percent of survey participants said they relied on some kind of software to manage their projects. Trends in Online Project Management The 2013 Construction Project Management Benchmark Report shows...

Caterpillar  and Komatsu worldwide dealer sales shrank for the third month in a row in February. Caterpillar makes a nifty report available to the public that details the change in dealer retail sales based on a monthly survey. Results are averaged over three months to portray a trend. The latest report dipped below the zero line for the third month in a row. Sales were down in the...

I've just returned from Scottsdale and the annual NAPA meeting. As always, it was a great time for learning, networking and getting inspired. Mountaineer Alison Levine , the keynote speaker on the first day of the meeting, has survived extreme environments and climbed every well-known mountain in the world including Mt. Everest (she did that one twice). She had a very pointed message – that...

Sustainability has been a buzzword in the construction industry for years. We are now seeing a significant increase in new, and existing, construction projects pursuing increasingly higher levels of sustainability. This is driven partly by regulation, and the host of sustainability measurement programs available, but it’s also due to the recognition by building owners and contractors that...

I've been going to The Rental Show for 17 years. When I attended my first show -- 1996 in Anaheim, CA -- there was no such thing as United Rentals, the first wave of consolidation had yet to hit, and no one had even heard the phrase "Tier 4." It's hard for me to believe so many changes have happened and so much time has passed. Those of us who've been in the industry for many years have seen a...

Construction industry leaders are wasting little time in expressing their opinions about President Obama's State of the Union address last night. Already two major industry associations have issued statements. Pete Ruane, president and CEO of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association , was largely positive in his comments, expressing appreciation to the President for...

It's been almost three weeks since National Pavement Expo 2013 ended in Nashville -- enough time to let the euphoric buzz pass and take a hard look at what at the time seemed a very good show. And after letting things settle a bit what I've realized is... NPE 2013 was every bit as strong as it seemed at the time. Attendance was up 43% over 2011 in Memphis and up nearly as much over 2010. And the...