a Better Bubble™

ConstructionForum 🕸

Leadership Pitfalls to Avoid at All Costs

8 months 4 weeks ago
From Construction Business Owner:  Not everyone is born to be a leader. The good news, however, is that leadership skills can be developed and refined over time, opening the door to career advancement and higher wages for many in the equipment manufacturing industry. According to leadership expert and CONEXPO-CON/AGG speaker Terry Tennant, who is a […]
Kacey Crawley

St. Louis Looks to Intervene at Troubled Downtown Apartment Property

8 months 4 weeks ago
From St. Louis Business Journal:  The city of St. Louis has moved toward acquiring the deed on the troubled Paul Brown Lofts downtown, with a goal of identifying a new owner to take over the large apartment property at Olive and North Ninth streets. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development planned to offer […]
Kacey Crawley

MO Republicans Seek to Weaken New Minimum Wage, Sick Leave Law

9 months ago
From St. Louis/Southern Illinois Labor Tribune:  Missouri Republicans are again showing their contempt for the will of Missouri voters, seeking to partially repeal or eliminate the new minimum wage and sick leave law voters approved in November. Proposition A, which 58 percent of Missouri voters supported in the Nov. 5 election, raised the state minimum […]
Dede Hance

Building Operator Certification Training Reimbursement for Ameren Illinois Business Customers

9 months ago
The Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Program is offering full tuition reimbursement to persons who successfully complete Building Operator Certification® (BOC). The normal cost of the training is $1,400. Only Ameren Illinois Business customers are eligible for tuition reimbursement. BOC is a nationally recognized training and certification program focusing on energy-efficient building operations and preventative maintenance […]
Tom Finan

AMICSTL to Award Advanced Manufacturing Hub Feb 7th; Link to Fly-Through Video

9 months ago
A contract award  is scheduled for Feb. 7th on the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Center St. Louis (AMICSTL)/Ranken Technical College non-profit advanced manufacturing facility. A bid meeting was held last week and final proposals are due Jan. 31st on the 89,600-square-foot advanced manufacturing up. Designed by FoxArchitects, the hub, to be built on Ranken’s North St. […]
Tom Finan

DOE Launches Tools to Estimate Energy-Efficiency Tax Deductions

9 months ago
From Building Design + Construction:  The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has launched the free 179D Portal for estimating tax deductions for energy-efficient technologies in commercial buildings. The portal hosts the Traditional (Modeling) Pathway tool and Alternative (Measurement) Pathway tool that both help estimate potential federal tax deductions for qualifying upgrades beginning in tax year […]
Dede Hance

US Court Overrules PLAs on Federal Construction Projects

9 months ago
From ENR:  The U.S. Court of Federal Claims has ruled in favor of contractors that challenged former President Joe Biden’s policy requiring project labor agreements on all federal construction projects of $35 million or more, with few exceptions. Judge Ryan T. Holte’s Jan. 19 ruling responds to 12 bid protests filed by contractors against three […]
Dede Hance

Napoli Estates Subdivision Goes Back to the Drawing Board

9 months ago
From West Newsmagazine:  A development proposed at 510 Old State Road in Ellisville will have to resubmit a new plan. Napoli Estates was designed to have 22 lots and feature a new public street accessed off Old State Road. According to the city, the land is one of the last large vacant parcels in Ellisville. […]
Dede Hance

Narrowing the Gender Gap: Painters District Council 58 Leads Efforts

9 months ago
From St. Louis/Southern Illinois Labor Tribune:  With the number of workers entering the skilled trades on the decline, unions are broadening their recruitment efforts to focus on women and their needs in the workforce. Some, like the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) District Council 58 (DC 58), are making significant gains. The […]
Dede Hance

Brickline Greenway Bid Opportunity Mixer Set for Jan. 29th; Project Gains Funding Boost

9 months ago
by Tom Finan, Executive Director, Construction Forum A vision to knit the City of St. Louis’ neighborhoods together with a network of pathways and linear urban parks designed to promote connection, development, and tourism moved closer to fruition recently with several announcements related to the Brickline Greenway. The Brickline Greenway project is a plan to […]
Tom Finan

Standardizing Modular Designs Across Plants

9 months ago
From Offsite Builder:  Past articles in this magazine have discussed the idea of offsite manufacturers using standardized designs — both within a single project and across multiple projects — to gain efficiencies through repetition. Those articles assumed all projects being delivered from a single factory. Of course, even greater efficiency can be gained by the […]
Dede Hance

Special Business District for Downtown Chesterfield Approved

9 months ago
From West Newsmagazine:  The Downtown Chesterfield Special Business District (SBD) was approved after language was modified to reflect a phased implementation of the SBD tax. Downtown Chesterfield is anticipated to include over 2,000 residential units, a 300-room hotel and more than 3 million square feet of commercial uses (office, retail, restaurant). The purpose of the […]
Dede Hance

Meridian Plaza Next Phase Could Start Soon in Glen Carbon

9 months ago
From The Edwardsville Intelligencer:  Meridian Plaza is one step closer to completion, as the next phases of the project received approval from the Glen Carbon Planning and Zoning Commission on Jan. 21. Previous phases of the project were to build commercial sites and the apartment complex known as Latitude 38, which includes 144 units, a […]
Dede Hance

Campground Proposed Near Klondike Park in Augusta

9 months ago
From Mid Rivers Newsmagazine:  Michael Koehneman of Augusta, doing business as Sunflower Hill LLC, has requested a conditional use permit (CUP) to operate a campground with cottages at 262 Terry Road, near Klondike Park. This request was introduced and discussed at the St. Charles County Council meeting on Jan. 13 and will return before the […]
Dede Hance

MOWIT Wins $41K in Grants to Support Women in Trades

9 months ago
From St. Louis/Southern Illinois Labor Tribune:  Missouri Women in Trades (MOWIT), a non-profit group dedicated to helping women enter and succeed in the local union building trades, has received $41,000 in grants to support its cause. “One of our goals for 2024 was to apply for more funds through various foundations,” said MOWIT President Dawn […]
Dede Hance

AIA Voices Concern Over Order Regarding ‘Beautiful’ Federal Buildings

9 months ago
From Construction Dive:  On his first day, President Donald Trump signed a flurry of executive orders to immediately carry out his agenda. Many — such as ending birthright citizenship — were greeted with mixed reactions, including pushback and legal challenges, AP News reported. But one executive action did not nab as many headlines. On Monday, Trump issued […]
Dede Hance

Trends in Workplace Injuries & Safety in Construction

9 months ago
From Construction Business Owner:  As workplace safety remains a critical focus for business owners in the construction industry, Construction Business Owner (CBO) spoke with safety experts to explore emerging trends, safety culture, and actionable strategies for reducing injuries and costs. Representing Travelers in this discussion are Rich Ives, senior vice president of business insurance claim […]
Dede Hance

Bankruptcy by Armory Developer Reveals Over $400M of Debt

9 months ago
From St. Louis Post-Dispatch:  A bankruptcy filing from a leader of Green Street Real Estate Ventures reveals the tangled financial problems of the prominent development company and offers a glimpse into its stunning fall, with more than $400 million of debt. The filing by Green Street Principal Kevin Morrell details the depths of the company’s […]
Dede Hance