ConstructionForum 🕸

From Construction Business Owner:  We need more of the right people for the construction industry to keep pace with project demand. Statistics show that for every four people leaving the industry, only one enters. But keeping up is not just about numbers. Recent research shows that women bring unique qualities to the jobsite that will […]

From Call Newspapers:  A proposed Aldi grocery store in South County is one of the public hearings scheduled to be heard by the St. Louis County Planning Commission this month. The Planning Commission will meet Monday, July 17 at 7 p.m. at the St. Louis County Government Center in Clayton, located at 41 S. Central […]

From Business Jet Interiors:  West Star Aviation announced plans to expand its MRO facility at East Alton, Illinois (ALN); officially breaking ground on 6 July 2023. Once complete, the expansion will add 75,700ft² of space, bringing the total facility to just over 500,000ft² of hangar, backshop, modification and paintshop space. In all, the expansion will […]

This week Forum drone videographer/photographer Louis Kelly, owner of Drone Eagle, LLC, captured images of work on the West Port Apartment project at West Port Plaza in Maryland Heights. The owner of West Port Plaza is building 254 apartments at the office and entertainment district, Lodging Hospitality Management — which owns St. Louis Union Station […]

National nonresidential construction spending decreased 0.2% in May, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published today by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $1.06 trillion. Spending declined on a monthly basis in nine of the 16 nonresidential subcategories. Private nonresidential spending fell 0.3%, while […]

Innovative, resourceful and safety-minded are just a few ways to describe the contractors executing the construction projects selected as finalists for the 2023 Construction Keystone Awards.  Finalists include sports and art facilities, medical and research complexes, apartment buildings, commercial projects, road, bridge and dam work, as well as a broad range of rail infrastructure, and […]

Jim Cavallo, a 30-year veteran of the hospitality industry, is taking the taking the reins of operations and marketing at St. Louis-based Midas Hospitality, a leading hotel management firm.  Cavallo was promoted to senior vice president of operations and marketing for Midas Hospitality. In his new position, Cavallo will lead all sales, revenue management, digital marketing, procurement, […]

Tarlton, St. Louis’ largest women-owned general contracting and construction management firm, lifted the final structural steel beam into place July 7 at the site of the future SSM Outpatient Center in O’Fallon, Missouri. Joined by SSM and Tarlton executives, the construction team celebrated the milestone with beam signing and a safety lunch. Ironworkers sign the […]

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 will be carrying the Worker Wellness & Well-Being Blog as a regular […]

From Riverfront Times: Ask an outsider about St. Louis, and they might tell you about the Gateway Arch, Chuck Berry, Tina Turner, barbecue and toasted ravioli. Being one of the top energy-efficient cities in the nation isn’t exactly our claim to fame. But St. Louis has become a leader in setting new building energy standards. […]

Greg Williams, director of client development at S.M. Wilson & Co., had his priorities straight when it came time to do an interview for this story. He had a hard stop at 5:00PM so he could get to his son’s baseball practice. Williams, father of three, has extended that commitment to all the kids in […]

From Construction Dive:  Wait no longer — federal money is now available from a new grant system that state transportation departments can use to fund the use of construction technology, the Federal Highway Administration announced this week. The FHWA announced that the application period is open for the first year of the $85 million grant […]

From St. Louis Business Journal:  A new $106 million high-rise apartment tower is planned in Clayton on prime real estate owned by the St. Louis County Port Authority — a project that replaces a prior plan announced during the Covid-19 pandemic. A conceptual plan for a 21-story apartment complex at 111-121 S. Meramec Ave. in […]

From Webster-Kirkwood Times:  A resolution authorizing a contract with Civil Design Inc. to build a 30-car parking lot at Des Peres City Hall has been delayed by the Des Peres Board of Aldermen pending further discussion. The agreement is for $30,100, along with an additional appropriation of $100,000 for the design and construction of the […]

From St. Louis Business Journal:  Bastian Solutions, an Indianapolis-based firm that provides material handling systems and supply chain technology, has opened a new facility to house its robotics division in St. Louis. Bastian has begun operating from its new 140,177-square-foot facility in Maryland Heights. Bastian relocated its robotics operations from another site in Maryland Heights, […]

From West Newsmagazine:  In a long-planned transaction, the city of Chesterfield plans to sell property to the Monarch-Chesterfield Levee District (MCLD) that was purchased with Chesterfield Valley Tax Increment Financing (TIF) revenues. On Jan. 17, the City Council voted to authorize the execution of an intergovernmental agreement and property sale with the MCLD, authorizing a […]

From Mid Rivers Newsmagazine:  A massive housing development that is proposed along the Hwy. DD corridor and near the August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area got a thumbs down from the St. Charles County Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) on Wednesday, June 21. The commission voted 6-2 to present a non-favorable recommendation to the St. […]

by Tom Finan, Executive Director/Co-Founder, Construction Forum “St. Louis Is the Struggling Downtown You Haven’t Heard Of — and Right-Wing Policies Are Making Things Worse” was the headline of an essay in the June 27th issue of The New York Times. The author was Kevin McDermott, editorial page editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  McDermott’s message, which seemed […]

From St. Louis Business Journal:  ArchKey Solutions, the Fenton-based electrical and technology contracting company, said it made a number of leadership changes to support its long-term vision and growth. Effective July 1, Clay Scharff exchanged his previous role as chief executive for the new role of executive chairman, officials said last week. Scharff, who joined […]

From NCCER:  A career in the construction industry can be highly rewarding, but construction professionals risk burning out if they don’t take care of themselves. Every job has its fair share of stress, but construction workers face a particularly high amount of physical and mental strain. Even at a fun work site, long days on […]