HEADLINES ADDED: September 09, 2008

Natural Conflict in Construction

 |  from The Construction Contractor's Digest  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from Construction Equipment Owner's Blog  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from Trade Contracting - Journal of Commerce  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from Contract Journal - News  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from Associated Construction Publications Top Headlines  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from Markup and Profit Blog  |  Read the Full Article

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.

 |  from The Construction Contractor's Digest  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from CSI AudioCast  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from Jonathan Sweet - Remodeling Notes  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from Construction Equipment Owner's Blog  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from The Construction Contractor's Digest  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from TP Wire Service  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from Reed Construction Data:Notes from Jim Haughey  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from Contract Journal - News  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from D. Brown Online - Project Management Productivity & Construction Operations  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from Womble Carlyle Construction Industry Blog  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from Construction Jobs Blog  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from CFO.com: Today in Finance  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from TP Wire Service  |  Read the Full Article

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"

 |  from TP Wire Service  |  Read the Full Article

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

HEADLINES ADDED: October 25, 2007

The Impact of Infrastructure on our Daily Lives

 |  from President's Blog  |  Read the Full Article

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?

 |  from The Construction Contractor's Digest  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from FastCompany.com > All Topics  |  Read the Full Article

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

HEADLINES ADDED: September 07, 2007

Do You Know Where Your State Treasurer Is?

 |  from CFO.com: Today in Finance  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from CFO.com: Today in Finance  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from FC Experts  |  Read the Full Article

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

The Duty of the Internet

 |  from PR Squared  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from Top Stories from ENR.com  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from Top Stories from ENR.com  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from GT: Homeland Security  |  Read the Full Article

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 ...

 |  from GT: Homeland Security  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from GT: Homeland Security  |  Read the Full Article

"This grant will enhance our ability to deal with any potential threat."... Read More

The Best Industry in the United States

 |  from The Construction Contractor's Digest  |  Read the Full Article

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

Cisco Compass Series Peer-to-Peer Networking

 |  from never eat alone blog  |  Read the Full Article

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

Virginia Tech Engineers Struggle for Normalcy

 |  from Top Stories from ENR.com  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from Top Stories from ENR.com  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from Building 101: Jeff Rubenstone's Blog on ENR.com  |  Read the Full Article

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)

 |  from Yahoo! News: Business  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from InformationWeek News  |  Read the Full Article

--> 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

 |  from InformationWeek News  |  Read the Full Article

--> 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

 |  from Chief Executive News  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from TP Wire Service  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from TP Wire Service  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from InformationWeek News  |  Read the Full Article

--> 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

 |  from FC Experts  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from InformationWeek News  |  Read the Full Article

--> '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

 |  from Top Stories from ENR.com  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from Top Stories from ENR.com  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from Top Stories from ENR.com  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from Top Stories from ENR.com  |  Read the Full Article

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

Online Shopper: Who Charged This? You, That’s Who.

 |  from TP Wire Service  |  Read the Full Article

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.

 |  from FastCompany.com > All Topics  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from TP Wire Service  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from FastCompany.com > All Topics  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from D. Brown Online - Project Management Productivity & Construction Operations  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from The Tom Peters Weblog  |  Read the Full Article

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

 |  from FastCompany.com > All Topics  |  Read the Full Article

The oblivious capitalist's days are numbered.... Read More

Slick Read

 |  from FastCompany.com > All Topics  |  Read the Full Article

An insider's journey through the oil industry, from the wells to your wallet.... Read More