ConstructionForum 🕸

A cool wet morning and a live DJ helped fuel the energy Wednesday (June 26), as close to 200 youth connected with construction careers at the third annual “Yeah I Built That” hands-on event. The youth came from summer construction-affiliated summer programs from around the Region. The event was held at the Northside Economic Empowerment […]

by Tom Finan, Executive Director, Construction Forum Fifty-five years ago St. Louis was ground zero of an ambitious effort to explore the possibilities of industrialized/componentized construction. Beginning in 1969, HUD under Secretary George Romney launched “Operation Breakthrough,” and St. Louis was one of the nine pilot cities. HOK was the site architect and Millstone Construction […]

by Tom Finan, Executive Director, Construction Forum  Math Quiz: If a newly-minted construction worker lives in the Old North City neighborhood up by Crown Candy and the first project that he/she is assigned to is in Arnold, how long does it take for him/her to get to work, and how many hours do they spend […]

Forum Drone Pilot Louis Kelly, owner of Drone Eagle LLC captured progress on the first of three buildings to be built at River Valley Commerce Center, a $117 million three-warehouse speculative industrial project at 149 River Valley Drive and 860 Hog Hollow Road in Maryland Heights. The owner of the speculative project is Kansas City-based […]

Last Thursday (June 20th)  Construction Forum’s 2024 program series, “Building A Strong Core: Rebuilding STL From The Inside Out” addressed the role that transportation plays in building a strong region. The program, “Transportation: Building A Connected Region,” brought together industry leaders to discuss crucial regional infrastructure developments and transportation needs. The program was held at […]

by Dr. John Gaal Editor’s Note: Each week, Dr. John Gaal, director of worker wellness for the Missouri Works Initiative, a non-profit workforce formed by the Missouri AFL-CIO, collects and comments on news and trends in workforce wellness and life balance. Construction Forum carries the Worker Wellness & Well-Being Blog as a regular feature. The […]

IMPACT Strategies, Inc. announces the completion of its construction management work on the new The Rehabilitation Institute of St. Louis – West County in Ballwin, Missouri. Encompass Health Corporation and BJC HealthCare celebrated with a ribbon cutting ceremony with numerous honored guests in May 2024. This inpatient rehabilitation hospital is an expansion of the current […]

A fixture for 30 years in the west coast hospitality industry has joined St. Louis-based Midas Hospitality to lead its new western division. Kimberly O’Fallon has been named senior vice president of operations and marketing for Midas and will lead projects along the west coast and in major western cities. O’Fallon comes to Midas from […]

From Government Technology:  City officials want to spend millions of federal dollars installing flood basins, wetlands, porous pavement and other projects to prepare for future flooding. They also want to provide millions of dollars to residents to buy out high-risk properties, repair flood damaged homes and even replace destroyed cars. The money, almost $26 million […]

From Leader Publications:  The construction of a pavilion at Kimmswick has been slightly delayed due to poor soil conditions and several weeks of rainy weather. The pavilion, which is being built in a county park near the Mississippi River where riverboats can land at Kimmswick, is expected to be complete by August, Parks and Recreation […]

From CBO:  The construction industry has faced many hurdles, including an ongoing labor shortage, rising cost of materials, supply chain disruptions and evolving technology that has made it difficult for contractors to keep up. Meanwhile nonresidential construction is feeling promising tailwinds — according to Insulation Outlook’s 2023 survey, respondents were most optimistic about infrastructure, power […]

From Riverbender:  Area teens and tweens got the opportunity to experience the construction trades at Lewis and Clark Community College’s 2024 Construction Camp at the Scott Bibb Center. Sixteen campers, between the ages of 12-15, spent June 10-13 in the Scott Bibb Center’s workshop where they got their hands dirty, building a cat condo for […]

From Roads & Bridges:  The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) have allotted over $108 million in grants for 85 projects that will improve transportation and reduce roadway fatalities on Federal and Tribal lands. The grants, from FHWA’s Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects and Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund programs, […]

From St. Louis Post-Dispatch:  The fate of a second effort at building a controversial home development on rural land here will be decided Monday night by the St. Charles County Council. Council members’ opinions on the project, near the August Busch Memorial Conservation Area in unincorporated St. Charles County, are mixed. Some have argued the […]

From Forbes:  My friend had to reschedule our dinner plans for the second time this month. Her car, involved in a minor accident, had been sitting in the repair shop for nearly a month. The manager couldn’t give her a clear date for when it would be ready. It wasn’t due to a parts or […]

From KSDK:  Construction on the newest location from a St. Louis-based Tex-Mex restaurant chain, part of a $13 million redevelopment of a former big-box site in St. Charles County, could get underway in the next month, the developer said. The fourth Rosalita’s Cantina will be located at 1421 Mexico Loop Road East in O’Fallon, Missouri, […]

From Lincoln News Now:  For the second time in as many months, Troy’s Mayor had multiple opportunities to use his tie-breaking vote during Monday’s meeting of a divided Troy Board of Aldermen. Three of the four 3-3 votes Mayor Ron Sconce broke related to the development of a new apartment complex on a newly-annexed piece […]

From Labor Tribune:  After serving in the U.S. Air Force for 11 and a half years, Ryan Wendelin was looking for a career that provided structure and stability. He says he found that combination after graduating from the St. Louis Building Union Diversity (BUD) program. “I just signed on to Heitcamp Masonry as an apprentice […]

From Offsite Builder:  While it looms large, there’s a pressing concern for the offsite construction industry that rarely captures the attention it deserves. I’m talking about a management crisis. Beyond the widely recognized scarcity of skilled labor that hampers manufacturers’ production capabilities, there exists a more discreet, equally critical shortfall: the lack of experienced middle […]

From St. Louis Post-Dispatch:  This fall, each Kirkwood elementary school will have its own science lab and a dedicated teacher for science, technology, engineering and math lessons. The IDEA lab (imagination, discovery, exploration and adventure) launched at Keysor Elementary School last year, led by specialist Traci Jansen. Students in each class visit the lab for […]