From Missouri Independent: Patrick McKenna, director of the Missouri Department of Transportation, on Wednesday said he will leave his post after almost nine years on the job. McKenna announced his decision near the end of a meeting of the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission in Poplar Bluff. He did not give a date for his […]
From Construction Dive: Aging infrastructure and emerging PFAS regulations are driving a surge in water and environmental projects, said Jacobs CEO Bob Pragada during the company’s third quarter earnings call this week. “We achieved double-digit growth in our water and environmental markets,” said Pragada during the earnings call. “Water continues to be a foundational element […]
From The Edwardsville Intelligencer: Pfund Construction‘s project on St. Louis Street, between North Second and Randle streets is moving along nicely. Named The Albert in honor of his son’s middle name and an ancestor, developer Matt Pfund took advantage of Newsong’s willingness to sell sections of their church. The NewSong Church, which has been located […]
From The Wall Street Journal: Justin “Cory” Foster, a lineman who often traveled to storm-ravaged communities to help restore electricity, was used to working in searing summer weather as he perched atop utility poles to install wires. But as the heat index climbed to 113 degrees Fahrenheit on a job in Marshall, Texas, last year, […]
From Offsite Builder: About 12 years ago, a group of offsite luminaries, representing multiple perspectives from manufacturers, contractors, academia, designers and developers, came together to establish a forum for all those wishing to advance the use of offsite construction. Thus, was born the National Institute of Building Science’s (NIBS) Off-Site Construction Council (OSCC). One of […]
From Contractor Magazine: In the construction industry, the challenge isn’t just about tackling today’s projects but also about building an enduring business amid a decades-long labor shortage. The rising costs and uncertain job prospects associated with traditional college paths are making the trades a viable alternative to help fill this labor gap. But to truly […]
This week Construction Forum drone pilot/photographer Louis Kelly of Drone Eagle LLC captures “Vande East,” which is Phase 2 of the City Foundry STL project. The second, $125 million phase will feature a 14-story tower with 272 apartments. Also planned are an 83,000-square-foot office building, 25,000 square feet of retail space and a 481-car parking […]
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 […]
by Tom Finan, Executive Director and Co-Founder, Construction Forum Jose Gomez wants to bring you the work force of tomorrow. That means that for today he’s got his work cut out for him. Gomez is business manager of Laborers’ Local 110. He’s made history as the first Hispanic union business manager in the history of […]
From Webster-Kirkwood Times: A $2.35 million partnership between Webster Groves and St. Louis County is underway to improve a 0.3-mile stretch of Big Bend Boulevard from the Interstate 44 overpass to the South Elm Avenue intersection in the Crossroads Business District. One key feature of the project is the implementation of a traffic-calming measure known […]
From St. Louis Business Journal: A former bank building on a prominent corner in historic St. Charles will be demolished Wednesday to make way for a new apartment project. The apartment complex, to be called First Capitol Place, is a project of Denver-based St. Charles Strategic Development. The demolition at the corner of First Capitol […]
From First Alert 4: Hundreds of thousands of people use Missouri’s highways every day, which leads to traffic congestion and frustration for many drivers. The Missouri Department of Transportation is working to expand two of the state’s most-used driving corridors. This summer, construction started this summer on an extra lane for I-70, and now MoDOT […]
From Offsite Builder: Dean Dalvit is a Founding Principal of EVstudio, a design firm based in Austin, Texas. Besides being a licensed architect, he’s also an engineer, with his licensure covering structural, civil, mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering. His team works on conventional and prefabricated projects, and we talked with him about how the process […]
From Labor Tribune: The Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development (MDHEWD) has been awarded a $4 million Apprenticeship Building America grant by the U.S. Department of Labor that will help Missourians land high-wage jobs in high-demand industries. MDHEWD, in partnership with Missouri Works Initiative (MWI) and BioSTL, will utilize the grant to launch […]
From World of Concrete: The term “employalty” comes from a book written by Joe Mull called “Employalty: How to Ignite Commitment and Keep Top Talent in the New Age of Work.” In this professional climate, every contractor has to compete feverishly for talent to make sure they have the right people in the right roles. […]
From St. Louis American: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced $1.5 million in grant support for the Lafayette Senior Apartments. HUD has secured $19 million in new grant and loan awards to 32 properties nationally under its Green and Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP). These grants and loans will support significant […]
From KSDK: Another Target store is coming soon to the St. Louis area, and at 148,000 square feet, it will be the largest Target store yet in the region. The retailer purchased a 7.5-acre site at the $211-million Market at Olive development which spans both sides of Olive Boulevard between Interstate 170 and McKnight and […]
From St. Louis Business Journal: Graybar, the Clayton-based distributor of electrical, communications and data networking products, said it broke a quarterly net sales record while its net income fell. The company said Thursday that its second-quarter net sales hit $3 billion, a new quarterly record and an increase of 7.6% compared with last year’s quarter. […]
From Leader Publications: Those interested in shaping Jefferson County’s future walking and biking projects have until the end of August to add their input. Jefferson County Public Works Director Jason Jonas said the department has been seeking public feedback about the Walk Bike Master Plan since April and already has received some “clear guidance” as […]
From The Wall Street Journal: On a recent morning as the city was just waking up, Louie Leonardo and three co-workers loitered behind a 42-story skyscraper, waiting to get inside the least glamorous part of the building. Hidden away on the 23rd floor, stacked between floors of office cubicles, lies the building’s beating heart: an […]