Construction Equipment Owner

The latest edition of the Construction Equipment Owner’s Podcast takes a look at the construction industry forecast for the remainder of 2008 and into 2009. Heather Jones, construction economist for FMI’s Research Services, shares the findings of FMI’s Second Quarter 2008 Construction Outlook that points to construction for 2008 remaining much the same with the outlook for 2009 being revised down slightly because. Listen as Heather shares the indicators behind the forecast and provides some additional insights in to the non-residential segment.

If you would like to receive the quarterly Construction Outlook, e-mail Heather at hjones@fminet.com.

 Construction Outlook Second Quarter 2008 [5:06m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (59)

Fred Jacoby, Vice Chairman of Cozen O’Connor, shares his experiences on the recent shift in legal issues he views to be having a significant affect on contractors.

To follow up on these or other construction-related law items, you can e-mail Fred at fjacoby@cozen.com

 The Shift in Legal Issues Affecting Construction Contractors [8:30m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (91)

Doug Witte, partner with Melli, Walker, Pease & Ruhly, discusses best practices that will minimize the affect an OSHA inspection has on your crew. Witte also shares some insights on how to handle the inspection as well as what to do and what not to do.

To contact Doug about this or other legal issues including labor, employment or construction, e-mail him at dougwitte@melliwalker.com.

 Preparing Job Site for OSHA Inspection [12:35m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (144)

Josh Kanner, co-founder of Vela Systems, is the guest on the latest episode of the Construction Equipment Owner’s Podcast. Josh takes a look at the recent crane collapse and talks about how the application of mobile field software can aid in minimizing the probability of a future accident. He also discusses the use of mobile field software for the purpose of general safety inspections and how implementing a system like this can benefit the contractor throughout the entire construction business.

 Mobile Field Software [6:54m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (133)

Drew Coates, product manager with Billy Goat, provides some insights about Billy Goat’s new “The Force” wheeled blower. The Force features new design elements to reduce weight and optimized horse power to ensure maximum air performance. Coates also leaks information about another new blower from Billy Goat that weighs in at 76 pounds.

 The Wheeled Blower Podcast [7:11m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (155)

Doug Mitchell of RentalMetrics.com joins us to share his insights as to how companies can get the maximum return on their investment using GPS technology in their fleet. The technology goes well beyond dots on a map and when leveraged can lead to an increase in efficiency, customer service, and your bottom line.

After you’ve listened to the podcast, if you are looking even more information about how GPS can benefit your fleet, check out the video from RentalMetrics.com. Simply click on the link below to watch.

http://www.viddler.com/explore/mitchgroup/videos/12/

In addition, all readers of this blog are invited to a free trial of the RentalMetrics.com Introductory Courses section. Visit http://signup.rentalmetrics.com, select the FREE TRIAL and use the coupon code RPNTRIAL99.

Also, RentalMetrics.com is offering a limited time 50% charter subscriber discount for its PAID FULL ACCESS subscription. Visit the same URL as above, select the FULL ACCESS membership, and use the coupon code ILECHARTER. This will drop the price from $2,500/quarter…to $1,250/quarter…for the life of their continuous subscription.

 Maximizing ROI with GPS Technology [10:12m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (136)

Green building has become a force in the construction industry. So much so that it is predicted to be a $21 billion industry in 2008 with continued signs of growth for years to come. But there is a whole new set of skills and knowledge your company will need to posses to successfully thrive as a green builder. Briston Blair of FMI Corp. joins us in this edition of the Construction Equipment Owner’s podcast to discuss the emerging trends in green building and how companies need to adjust to what is likely to become a standard construction practice.

 Green Building Trends [8:23m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (176)

Brad Humphrey explains the emerging trend of a “changing of the guard” in construction leaders. As the industry loses many of its baby boomers that hold roles such as supervisor, foreman, etc. the knowledge and technical experience is leaving with them. Younger, tech-savvy personnel are now filling these positions and bringing a different work ethic and new set of skills.

 Changing Role of the Construction Leader [7:12m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (225)

Mike Miller, police liaison with LoJack, discusses the recent equipment theft report released by LoJack, gives some tips on how construction business owners can protect their equipment and why construction equipment is a target for thieves.

 Equipment Theft Update [7:21m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (256)

The culture you create within your business is one of the most important determining factors of how a business can retain employees. What’s the culture you’ve created? By providing a situation in which all employees have a stake in the success or failure of a business you will develop loyalties from your employees who will ride out the good and bad times with you.

Ty Freyvogel discusses how to implement this environment in your construction business and how it will have lasting effects in the second part of this two-part podcast.

 Employee Loyalty Part 2 [6:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (338)