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HEADLINES ADDED: September 09, 2008
Natural Conflict in Construction
There is some old news in construction: Conflict is natural. I t has been going on for some time and we don't see it fading anytime soon. It is the result of time, cost, quality and safety all being demanded by no less than four distincly different parties involved in a project. Think of the four parties typically involved in a construction job. 1) Owner / Developer 2) General Contractor / Construction Manager 3) Specialty Contractor / Subcontractor 4) Supplier / Service Provider... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: September 06, 2008
Fastest Growing Construction Companies
The 2008 Inc. 5000 list was recently published online. A subsection of this list is the Top 100 Construction Companies. There is a great snapshot of each company with short descriptions of why the company is growing and what is noteworthy. There are different reasons for why the company has experienced such large growth from exploring new markets to its overall vision and structure: Its initial growth was spawned in 2004 when it did away with its subcontracting services and focused entirely on general contracting and service management. They... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: June 23, 2008
Women Building Futures project proves women belong in construction trades
A bold Alberta program proves that women can do very well in the trades if they have support when they begin their journey to become journeywomen.... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: June 13, 2008
Firm gives away sunscreen to workers
A construction firm in Northern Ireland has started to offer its workers free sunscreen to protect them from sunburn as the weather hots up.... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: June 12, 2008
Projects Gone Awry
Anyone who has spent time in the trenches of the construction industry can relate horror stories about projects that have gone awry, causing budgetary overruns, scheduling nightmares or even worse. It is through experience, being detailed oriented and by working with qualified teams that projects are kept on track.... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: May 31, 2008
Construction Company Structure
Something to consider if your construction company is an LLC. LLC stands for Limited Liability Corporation. That works both ways. I am not an attorney, but I can tell you what several attorneys that understand construction and many insurance brokers and agents have told me. You have limited liability, yes, but you also have limited coverage. If you are in construction, there is an excellent chance you will end up in a disagreement with a customer at some point in time. Almost all of the contractors that I have... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: May 28, 2008
References of Stevens Construction Institute, Inc.
Firm References.pdf Please find attached dozens of construction contractors references of our firm.... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: May 17, 2008
Top 10 Signs You Might be an Architect
A good-humored look at architects, in support of the 2008 AIA convention.File Download (2:37 min / 2 MB)... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: May 16, 2008
NY Times takes the remodeler's side
Good article today in the NY Times about the problems remodelers have with homeowners. You can read the full article here. It's nice to see an a...... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: May 02, 2008
New research on ancient concrete
The Boston Globe recently ran an article about research suggesting the pyramids in Egypt included blocks cast from the world’s first concrete. It’s interesting research, since no one knows for sure how the pyramids were built. Portland cement wasn’t invented until the 1800s, but cement as abuilding material had a long history before that time.... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: March 31, 2008
The Lighter Side
Contractor's Definitions: Government Contractor: A gambler who never gets to cut, shuffle or deal the cards. Bid Opening: A poker game in which the losing hand wins Low Bidder: A contractor who wonders what he or she left out of their bid Engineer's Estimate: The cost of construction in Heaven Project Manager: The conductor of an orchestra in which every muscian is in a different union Critical Path Method Scheduling: A managment technique for losing your shirt under perfect control Strike: An effort to increase golden egg production by... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: February 17, 2008
Harvard Research to Be Free Online
Harvard University will soon begin posting research and articles produced by its faculty on the Internet for free.... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: February 14, 2008
How the Subprime Mortgage Mess Began
The federal government made the subprime mortgage mess inevitable when it imposed social engineering rules on private mortgage contracts. The long process began with the 1975 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA), the 1977 Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) and the regulatory bureaucracy that these two legislative acts required.... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: February 02, 2008
Czech workers guilty of battering boss to death
The boss of a Bolton-based construction firm was murdered by two of his own workers, a court has found.... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: January 28, 2008
Great Insights
Flying out to Florida on Sunday I was reading the lastest copy of Fortune magazine and came across a couple fantastic tid-bits of insight that everyone could benefit from. The first comes from Melinda Gates -"If you are successful, it is because somewhere, sometime, someone gave you a life or an idea that started you in the right direction. Remember also that you are indebted to life until you help some less fortunate person, just as you were helped"We could all benefit from feeling a little more indebted and... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: January 16, 2008
Window Washer Defies Laws – Of Gravity and Nature
In case you haven’t heard around the water cooler, a window washer fell off a 47 story New York skyscraper and lived. Sure he was hurt – some injuries to his brain, spinal column, ribs, abdomen and multiple broken bones in his arm and both legs, but doctors report a miraculous recovery. According to the New York Post, he is talking, watching TV, can move all his limbs, has no paralysis and is expected to walk again.Since this is a construction industry blog from a law firm, first lets... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: January 01, 2008
Constructing the Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball
I know that giant crystal ball construction is a little off topic for this blog…but it’s New Year’s Eve and I just can’t resist. Today marks the 100th anniversary, or ‘birthday’, of the New Year’s Eve Ball. In 1907, New York Times publisher Adolph S. Ochs commissioned the construction of the first Ball that would be lowered to count down the New Year. Since then, the Ball has gone through a number of evolutions. Now, a century later, a new LED Crystal ball has been developed that is twice as... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: December 20, 2007
Best of 2007: Smaller Businesses
Was it a year of regulatory concessions for smaller companies or were their demands for scalable, less-costly rules ignored? Turns out, it was a little of both.... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: December 19, 2007
Google Knows How Late Your Flight Is Running
Google has announced a flight tracking service that provides up-to-date information for those flying over the Christmas/ New Year break.... Read More
Business-Plan Contests Become "American Idol Meets Trump"
11 DEC 2007 from the Wall Street Journal | Read the full story» Business-plan competitions, long an academic ritual to help business-school students develop ideas and pitch investors, are becoming an increasingly popular way for business owners and would-be entrepreneurs to raise extra cash while honing their business strategy. Many of the newest contests aren't hosted by colleges, but rather by product makers and Web sites courting small-business owners and by investment firms or nonprofits trying to spur economic activity in a particular region or industry. (Subscription required)... Read More
Fortune's 101 Dumbest Business Moments of 2007
... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: October 25, 2007
The Impact of Infrastructure on our Daily Lives
Last week, I traveled to Chicago for the opening of ASCE's Me, Myself and Infrastructure: Private Lives and Public Works in America exhibit. I would like to thank Greg Dreicer from the Chicago Architectural Foundation for his partnership in bringing this exhibit to Chicago and putting the grand opening event together. The opening reception attracted a number of civil engineers and architects, in addition to others who were simply interested in learning more about the social impact of infrastructure. The relationship between civil engineers and architects is a special... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: October 01, 2007
Are There Too Many White Collars in the Construction Process?
It is our observation that there are too many “white collars” in the building of a construction project. Have you ever looked at the total numbers? We count over 10 different people involved who are in a “profession” It begs the questions, “Who is doing all the heavy lifting?”, “Who is taking the most risk?”, and “Who is delivering the most value?” Here is a sample listing of the people wearing a necktie involved in a typical construction project. Before the project is started: 1) Developer 2) Real Estate... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: September 24, 2007
Five Trends That Will Transform Society
Author Richard Watson examines emerging patterns and developments and society, politics, science and technology, media and entertainment, and other industries in his book Future Files: A History of the Next 50 Years -- and makes educated, and witty speculations as to where they might take us.... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: September 18, 2007
Social Entrepreneurship: Ten Questions with David Bornstein
... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: September 07, 2007
Do You Know Where Your State Treasurer Is?
The ex-purse-holders of South Carolina and New Mexico strayed into cocaine and kickbacks.... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: September 06, 2007
Couple Plead Guilty in 'Pillow-talk' Case
A former Morgan Stanley finance executive and her husband, a former ING hedge fund exec, are guilty of insider trading.... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: May 14, 2007
Firing Neeleman; JetBlue Just Blew It
Mark February 14th, 2007 as the day that destroyed JetBlue. Not because the airline massively screwed up, stranded 1,000 planes, and turned passengers into captives. But because David Neeleman, JetBlue's founder and CEO, was unable to recover from the debacle. Despite more apologies than Mel Gibson and Alec Baldwin combined, last week he was removed as CEO from the company he visioned into flight. The board did what boards do: replacing a passionate, entrepreneurial creator with a skilled "operator." In this case, it's David Barger, who had been president... Read More
What's Wrong Here?
Hint: You’ve got mail... Read More
The Duty of the Internet
I was struck this morning by the juxtaposition of two very important stories having to do with the Internet’s role in the world. Specifically, its role in promoting transparency and freedom of information. The first story came out in the NYTIMES this morning. In an article entitled, “In Web Uproar, Antipiracy Code Spreads Wildly,” reporter Brad Stone writes: “Sophisticated Internet users have banded together … to publish and widely distribute a secret code used by the technology and movie industries to prevent piracy of high-definition movies. “…its relentless spread has... Read More
Caltrans Scrambles To Fix Fire-Damaged Maze Fast
Two days after a 3,000° F fire from the crash of a tanker truck hauling 8,600 gallons of gasoline caused the collapse of a major San Francisco-area transportation artery, the Oakland office of Cleveland Wrecking Co. completed debris removal.... Read More
Test Drive: Rubber Tracks Go Almost Anywhere and more new products
It takes less than 10 minutes to master the simple, go-anywhere Scout, but your ears might be ringing for awhile longer.... Read More
Secure Mailing Envelope to Shield Smart Card Data
Prevents personal data in the smart card's embedded integrated circuit from being transmitted via radio frequency (RF) waves to reading device.... Read More
Smart Card Alliance Says 2-D Barcode in Proposed Real ID Driver's License Would Be Inadequate ...
Static nature of 2-D barcode allows printed media to be copied and disassociated from the original ID and its bearer, enabling misuse of the information.... Read More
Governor Rendell Announces $8.6 Million Federal Grant to Enhance Port Security
"This grant will enhance our ability to deal with any potential threat."... Read More
The Best Industry in the United States
My child is in college. She is starting to ask about industries and careers. Olivia has made me think further about what construction contracting has to offer her. I have concluded it is the best career a young person could choose. You may not believe it, but the facts will show our business is unmatched. It offers participants long term tangible benefits. However, many people will argue that point. Let me show you the many virtues our industry has. You be the judge. The Industry is Not Going Away... Read More
Autodesk Teams help with Gulf Coast Recovery Efforts
... Read More
Cisco Compass Series Peer-to-Peer Networking
My associate, Kellee Johnson, wrote up a nice story about my April 24 appearance at the Cisco Compass Series Peer-to-Peer Networking event in San Jose.An upbeat room of 150 women, and 100 more watching by Cisco TV, are significantly outnumbered by male peers back at the office. About 87% of this networking and router company is male. When Keith asks them to introduce themselves and share themselves with someone they don’t know in the room, few mention something personal or act with passion. Are we as women trained to... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: May 01, 2007
Google's Worst Nightmare: Wikipedia's Jimmy Wales Has His Sights Set on the Search Business.
... Read More
Virginia Tech Engineers Struggle for Normalcy
Virginia Tech’s civil and environmental engineering department and other programs at the Blacksburg, Va., university are slowly and painfully seeking to recover from the April 16 massacre of 32 students and faculty.... Read More
Authority Beefs Up Fleet To Expand Panama Canal
GAMBOA, Panama – The Rialto M. Christensen sits forlornly in dock, idle for one of the few times this year. A week ago it broke a gear which had to be custom-ordered from overseas. The wait cost a month.... Read More
It's Back to School for Louisiana Levee Boards
This summer, students with precarious grade point averages won't be the only ones spending time in the classroom.... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: April 27, 2007
Economic growth slows in first quarter (AP)
AP - Economic growth slowed to a near crawl of 1.3 percent in the first three months of 2007, the worst performance in four years. The main culprit: the housing slump.... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: April 26, 2007
New E-Mail Scam: Pay Assassins Or Be Killed
--> New E-Mail Scam: Pay Assassins Or Be Killed The FBI is investigating a new scam aimed at extorting tens of thousands of dollars from wealthy professionals. more Update your feed preferences powered by SimpleFeed... Read More
New High Tech Jobs Gain Momentum
--> New High Tech Jobs Gain Momentum A nationwide survey shows 150,000 net new jobs were added in 2006 compared with 87,400 jobs that were added in 2005. more Update your feed preferences powered by SimpleFeed... Read More
The Economics of the Melting Pot
How have the 25 million immigrants arriving in America since 1980 affected the employment equation?... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: April 25, 2007
Smarter people are no better off
Contrary to common expectation, intelligence does not always predict financial wellbeing, and neither does it protect people from financial difficulty.... Read More
Steps to Better Impromptu Speaking
It’s 8:30am and you’ve leisurely rolled in the office, with your Peet’s coffee in hand. Suddenly your boss pokes her head in your office and says, “Charlie called in sick today and he’s supposed to give a customer presentation this morning in the briefing center. Can you cover it?”... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: April 24, 2007
Companies Say Security Breach Could Destroy Their Business
--> Companies Say Security Breach Could Destroy Their Business A McAfee Datagate study showed 33% surveyed think they are at risk and that 60% of IT managers said they had suffered a data breach in the past year. more Update your feed preferences powered by SimpleFeed... Read More
Read The Room
My friend, Amy, told me of a recent experience. She had been working in a fairly high-responsibility position for about 5 years at the same company when she started to get strange vibes. It was difficult to put her finger on it because everything was going so well: The company was doing great, its stock price at record highs, everyone was making good money, getting promoted and generally being treated well. The workforce seemed motivated and happy, as did management. Still, something was not right. So, rather than ignore... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: April 23, 2007
'PoliticsUpClose' Looks At 2008 Election And Beyond
--> 'PoliticsUpClose' Looks At 2008 Election And Beyond The site's search engine and content aggregator will be a center for U.S. government-related information and resources. more Update your feed preferences powered by SimpleFeed... Read More
Mississippi Crossing Rising Fast Out of Katrina's Rubble
The joint-venture contractors charged with delivering in only 18 months a new U.S. Highway 90 bridge across St. Louis Bay in Mississippi are on track to meet their first milestone and win a $5-million incentive.... Read More
Squeezed Route Gets Boost From Near-Record Wall
Once one of the nation’s most dangerous roads, Route 22/322 in Mifflin County, Pa., is trading notoriety for engineering history with the world’s second-longest mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) wall.... Read More
Huge LNG Terminal Will Feed Plant, Regasify With Its Heat
Construction is due to start next month on a 1,275-MW gas-fired cogeneration plant that will recycle 340 MW of waste heat at the terminal that will likely supply its fuel, at the Isle of Grain, near London.... Read More
Firms Try Everything To Fill Staffing Gaps
With markets, revenue and backlog surging for engineering and construction firms, employers are in hot pursuit of staff--both craft and professional--to fill all of the orders.... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: April 19, 2007
The End of a 1,400-Year-Old Business
... Read More
Online Shopper: Who Charged This? You, That’s Who.
When people shop online, they get trigger happy because it has become so easy to point, click and pay. (Subscription required)... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: April 18, 2007
Hacker. Dropout. CEO.
When Mark Zuckerberg showed up in Palo Alto three years ago, he had no car, no house, and no job. Today, he's at the helm of a smokin'-hot social-networking site, Facebook, and turning down billion-dollar offers. Can this kid be for real?... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: April 13, 2007
Commentary: Lying is essential to doing business
Financial Times columnist Lucy Kellaway is OK with lying on the job. In fact, she believes the corporate world demands them, and in a very real way it cannot function without little white lies to get through the day.... Read More
Flight Plan
The math wizards at Dayjet are building a smarter air taxi--and it could change the way you do business.... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: April 04, 2007
Engineering & Construction in Dubai
These slides got forwarded to me by a good friend, Ethelyne Molnar of Brown Construction. I'm sure that almost everyone in construction has already seen these or some form of them but the magnitude of the engineering and construction still amazes me!... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: March 18, 2007
Event Slides: Atlanta
VNU Expositions presents the National Jeweler Network's CEO Summit in Atlanta, GA, today, and Tom is there to talk about...... Read More
Business 3.0
The oblivious capitalist's days are numbered.... Read More
Slick Read
An insider's journey through the oil industry, from the wells to your wallet.... Read More
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Favorite Book 2007
The Toyota Way is my favorite book for 2007. It had so many good ideas that I could not keep up and ended up reading it again and even buying the Field Book to go along with it.
Download Elegant Solutions from Change This which provides some highlights of the Toyota Production System. Too many ideas that are applicable to contractors to even count!
Recent Posts
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- Natural Conflict in Construction
- Fastest Growing Construction Companies
- Women Building Futures project proves women belong in construction trades
- Firm gives away sunscreen to workers
- Projects Gone Awry
- Construction Company Structure
- References of Stevens Construction Institute, Inc.
- Top 10 Signs You Might be an Architect
- NY Times takes the remodeler's side
- New research on ancient concrete
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