a Better Bubble™

ConstructionForum 🕸

Why Labor, Material and Land Prices May Ease for Multifamily Developers

2 years 4 months ago
From Construction Dive: Most signs point to 2023 being a much slower year than 2022 for apartment starts. In addition to persistent commentary from development and lending executives saying that financing isn’t there for new construction, multifamily permits fell 16.4% in November, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census […]
Shruthi Beedu

Enterprise Zone Expansion Opens Up New Opportunities for Development in Edwardsville

2 years 4 months ago
From River Bender: A key business corridor in and around downtown Edwardsville is now eligible for additional state and local incentives for new and existing development projects. The new incentives have been made possible by a Gateway Enterprise Zone expansion that was initiated last year by City officials and approved in December by the Illinois Department […]
Shruthi Beedu

Main Lock Closed in Alton

2 years 4 months ago
From The Telegraph: Barge traffic on the Mississippi River at Mel Price Lock and Dam slowed considerably this week as the main lock was shut down as part of a three-phase project to replace the vertical lift gate on the main lock chamber. The main lock is expected to be closed for about three months. […]
Shruthi Beedu

Empower Workers to Speak Up About Jobsite Hazards

2 years 4 months ago
From Construction Dive: Last week, Associated General Contractors of America’s health and safety conference offered attendees training and tips on how to walk the tightrope of creating an effective safety program. Here are some of the key takeaways from presenters. Empower workers to speak up “The inability to provide safety for a small few ultimately negatively […]
Shruthi Beedu

SLDC Unveils New Incentive Scorecard in Bid for Better Transparency

2 years 4 months ago
From St. Louis Post-Dispatch: The St. Louis Development Corp. on Tuesday released a new scorecard to gauge whether a project could receive financial incentives that officials say will lend more transparency to the economic development agency’s actions. The new process heavily weighs what impact the project could have on a neighborhood with points awarded to various […]
Shruthi Beedu

2023 Begins With ‘Positive Momentum’ for Construction

2 years 4 months ago
From Construction Dive:  Dive Brief: Total construction starts closed 2022 on a winning streak, rebounding in December from the previous month to post a 27% gain for a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.185 trillion. That’s the first monthly year-end jump since 2017, according to Dodge Construction Network. The sector was led by nonresidential building starts, […]
Shruthi Beedu

MO Construction Company Owner and COO Admits MBE Fraud Scheme

2 years 4 months ago
From the United States Attorney’s Office: The former owner and chief operating officer of a Clayton, Missouri construction company on Wednesday admitted committing fraud to sidestep St. Louis, Missouri requirements that encourage the participation of minority-owned businesses in city contract opportunities. Brian Kowert Sr. pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey to […]
Shruthi Beedu

Alberici Promotes Biermann and Launches New Project Support Services Dept.

2 years 4 months ago
As it begins its 105th year of building, Alberici Constructors, Inc. has promoted Fred Biermann to executive vice president and strengthened operational excellence with a new Integrated Project Support Services Department to be headed by John Smith.  Alberici is one of the largest privately-held companies in St. Louis and one of the nation’s largest construction […]
Dede Hance

VIDEO: McCarthy Hosts 17 Apprentice Programs, 70+ Educators at “Show Me Careers” Program

2 years 4 months ago
Last Wednesday (Jan. 18) Construction Forum, McCarthy, and the MO Chamber of Commerce’s “Show Me Careers” program partnered to bring over 70 educators and 17 construction apprentice programs together at McCarthy Building Companies headquarters in Des Peres. Construction Forum Deputy Executive Director/COO Diana Wilhold and her team and volunteers organized the event. Show Me Careers […]
Tom Finan

Trivers Brings New Transit-Oriented, Multi-Family Development to St. Louis with Expo at Forest Park

2 years 4 months ago
Architecture, planning, urban design and interiors firm Trivers, in collaboration with associate architect HOK, general contractor Brinkmann Constructors, and interior designer RD Jones, was commissioned by Tegethoff Development to transform the area northwest of the Forest Park-DeBaliviere Transit Center into a transit-oriented, multi-family development in St. Louis’ historic Skinker-DeBaliviere Neighborhood. Sited at the convergence of […]
Dede Hance

Michael Kennedy, Jr. Named a 2023 St. Louis Titan 100

2 years 4 months ago
Michael Kennedy, Jr., CEO of KAI Enterprises and The UP Companies (UPCO), has the prestigious honor of being named a 2023 St. Louis Titan 100 – a program recognizing the area’s most accomplished C-level executives for their exceptional leadership, vision and passion. Collectively, the 2023 St. Louis Titan 100 and their companies employ more than […]
Dede Hance

Inflation Could Sap Infrastructure Act’s Buying Power This Year

2 years 4 months ago
From Construction Dive:  Inflation could severely weaken the impact of funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, experts say. High prices for construction materials and other project inputs are already sapping jurisdictions’ additional buying power from the federal legislation, according to analysis from the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan think tank. In the past year, states […]
Shruthi Beedu

2023 Outlook: US Power Sector to Watch

2 years 4 months ago
From Utility Dive:  The energy transition continues in the U.S with increasing momentum, but also some significant bumps in the road. The Inflation Reduction Act and its multitude of tax credits and other incentives is expected to provide a major boost to the clean energy sector. Increasingly ambitious government and corporate decarbonization goals are also […]
Shruthi Beedu

Construction Input Prices Log Biggest Drop Since April 2020

2 years 4 months ago
From Construction Dive:  Both overall and nonresidential construction input prices tumbled 2.7% in December from the previous month, the largest monthly drop since April 2020, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis. Despite that monthly drop, overall construction prices remain 7.9% higher than a year ago, while nonresidential construction input prices jumped 7.6% year […]
Shruthi Beedu

Solar Firms Attracted a Record $7B in Venture Capital in 2022

2 years 4 months ago
From Utility Drive:  Venture capitalists invested $7 billion in solar companies and projects in 2022, more than 50% greater than the $4.5 billion in solar-bound venture capital in 2021, according to a report by Mercom Capital Group. Mergers and acquisitions were the most numerous in 2022 in a dozen years, but other forms of corporate […]
Shruthi Beedu

Metro East Strip Mall Lands Tenants in $7M Redevelopment

2 years 4 months ago
From St. Louis Business Journal:  A big-box shopping center in the Metro East has landed two large anchor tenants for a $7 million redevelopment that will fill nearly 70,000 square feet of space that’s been sitting empty for four years. Construction is underway at Nameoki Commons shopping plaza at 3521 Nameoki Road in Granite City […]
Shruthi Beedu

Why an Overly Detailed Safety Plan Can Be a Liability

2 years 4 months ago
From Construction Dive:  Ensuring your company’s safety program is set up to protect you when facing a potential OSHA fine is a challenging needle to thread. That was the message from a group of panelists highlighting “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” of contractors’ safety programs during the Associated General Contractors of America’s health and […]
Shruthi Beedu

MELHS Robotics Program Receives $30,000 Grant

2 years 4 months ago
From RiverBender: Metro-East Lutheran High School has received a $30,000 grant to support its growing robotics program. The funds were awarded by an Oregon-based foundation that supports Christian educational opportunities and will allow MELHS to continue to grow its STEM programming. The robotics team plans to use the grant money to purchase equipment such as updated […]
Shruthi Beedu

Fireside Financial Paid Millions for Bayer Site in Creve Coeur

2 years 4 months ago
From St. Louis Business Journal: A private equity firm paid millions of dollars for part of the Bayer campus in Creve Coeur, newly available records show. An entity tied to Edwardsville-based Fireside Financial, 10300 Olive LLC, paid Bayer $5.5 million for the site, at 10300 Olive Blvd., St. Louis County records say. The deal, announced in […]
Shruthi Beedu

How Infrastructure Dollars Can Build Inclusive Workforce

2 years 4 months ago
From Brookings: The U.S. currently faces a once-in-a-generation window to invest in infrastructure and expand economic opportunity. With the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021, the federal government directed unprecedented levels of funding to improve the country’s transportation, water, energy, and broadband systems, in addition to addressing a variety of climate needs. Now, […]
Shruthi Beedu