Construction Equipment Owner

I’m starting a little trivia fun on the “Concrete Thoughts” blog. Every month or so, I’ll post a concrete-themed quiz question. The first person to post the correct answer in the comment or reply area will win an attractive and useful Concrete Contractor coffee mug! (I’ll contact you personally after the quiz to get your mailing address.) The first Concrete Quiz question is:

What is the name of the oldest concrete street in America and in what city and state can it be found?

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There’s about 140 billion dollars slotted for construction projects as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. It has been said that overall the ARRA probably isn’t big enough to completely pull the economy out of its slump, but I’m sure a portion of that money would go a long way into strengthening the financial stability of your construction business.

The problem is that working on federally-funded projects will require compliance with the provisions provided in the ARRA that can be tricky to navigate if you’re not familiar with this type of work. This can lead to reduced profit margins and the name of the game these days is to increase the amount of money that goes to the bottom line on each job. What are these items that could have the largest affect on contractors working on these projects? Find out now, by listening to this episode of the Construction Business Podcast.

Guest: Jim Scott, Construction Practice Lawyer - Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C.
Link: Stimulus Support Team

 How to Efficiently Perform on Projects Funded by Federal Stimulus Dollars [14:07m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (333)

Concrete is a versatile building material with countless uses in the built world. And the industry continues to advance. National Geographic online posted an article “Bendable Concrete Heals Itself — Just Add Water.” Check it out!

Rummaging through another days worth of construction headlines I came across an item that took me back to my days as a kid.

There was one Christmas where all I asked for and all I got were Legos. Legos were pretty much the greatest thing ever - even to this day, I doubt anyone can resist the urge to sit down with a younger kid who is working with Legos and not try to start putting something together.

This is why I was excited to learn this morning about Construction Legos - they even have their own video. I haven’t bought a Lego set for years, currently do not have any kids, etc. so I’m a little out of touch with the Lego offerings, so this may be old news to you, but to me it was a great find.

Diecast models of construction equipment are what line my office these days, but I’m thinking I’ll have to make room in my fleet for some Lego equipment as well.

The title of a great song by Adele, a young big-voiced, Grammy winning soul singer from Great Britain, “Chasing Pavements” is also what contractors are often doing this time of year as they try to get the pipeline full for the rest of the season.

And if pre- and early-season conversations with contractors and materials suppliers are accurate, the industry is doing a pretty good job and those pipelines should be full pretty quickly.

That’s because contractors - to a person — say they have many, many bids out, just waiting for contracts to be awarded. Margins, unfortunately, have been tightened in some cases, especially for early season bids. But a number of contractors (sealcoaters and stripers) have gone back to near normal margins as the bidding seems to be plentiful and they figure they’ll get their share of the business.

Materials suppliers are at least cautiously optimistic. The ones I’ve talked with say the season started slowly but they are encouraged by the number of bids their prospects say they’re waiting to hear on. And just this last week we talked with a sealer supplier who not only had existing customers placing and increasing orders, he had new customers buying material.

All pretty good news, indicating property managers are planning on getting work done, and all the chasing pavements effort likely will pay off.

The construction industry is constantly producing new techniques and products to make building construction faster, safer and stronger. Technology and innovation are bringing us more energy efficient buildings and superior building products. But I also believe in the importance of preserving our past and recognizing the architectural history we find all over this country.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation recently released its list of the 11 most endangered historic places in the country. On the list is the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Unity Temple in Oak Park, Ill. The ChicagoTribune.com posted an article on Unity Temple’s situation. The building, which opened in 1908, is one of the first buildings to feature exposed concrete; however, a century of water damage has left the building with a restoration bill that could reach $25 million. The Unity Temple Restoration Foundation is working to raise funds to complete the restoration.

Many historic buildings are saved through a modern restoration plan, building techniques and products. I’ve written about a few of them in the pages of Concrete Contractor. (See “Repairing a Concrete Masterpiece” about the Guggenheim Museum and “Concrete Meets History” about the Virginia State Capitol.) It would be a huge loss to the concrete industry, the architectural community and the cities and towns in which these buildings stand to see structures like the Unity Temple fall victim to a lack of support for their restoration.

I’ve got a couple of items from around the construction industry I thought would be of interest to everyone. First off, the latest on the state of the construction industry. The most recent report from the U.S. Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce shows that construction spending during March 2009 was estimated up 0.3 percent from February. Nonresidential construction was up 2.7 percent from the February estimate, public construction spending was 1.1 percent above the revised February estimate and highway construction was at 0.8 percent below the revised February estimate of $76.8 billion.

Season Two, Episode Two of John Deere’s Skid Steer Smackdown, “Battle in Bowling Green,” is now posted on John Deere’s www.skidsteersmackdown.com Web site. In this episode real contractors get in the cab of competitor equipment to take on a John Deere skid steer in a hill-climbing contest.

Finally, SAP is offering a White Paper on how to thrive in a down economy. “Find the Silver Lining: How Your Business Can Thrive During an Economic Storm” reveals five key strategies smart companies use to gain strength and build momentum during challenging economic times:

1. Take advantage of tax breaks to save.
2. Use technology to work smarter.
3. Trim the fat.
4. Improve cash flow.
5. Turn downtime into productive time.

There are all kinds of handy tools on the internet, and you never know when you’re going to want to use one. ProSpec recently put together a video on installing recessed shelving in showers – a tricky project considering the potential for mold and rot if done wrong. ProSpec’s shower niche system offers solutions for the contractor or do-it-yourselfer to easily install a waterproof shower niche with products and techniques that will prevent mold and rot. Take a look at it and bookmark the site — you never know when you might be working in a client’s bathroom, or your own bathroom, and see the potential for a built-in shampoo caddy or soap nook.