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2024 Construction Outlook is a Mixed Bag

11 months 4 weeks ago
From St. Louis Business Journal:  Labor has been consistently cited as a top challenge for general contractors, an issue that long predates the Covid-19 pandemic. In December, the construction industry added 17,000 net jobs, part of what was a stronger-than-expected jobs report released late last week by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Between December […]
Kacey Crawley

McCarthy Taps IT Lead for C-Suite Role

11 months 4 weeks ago
From Construction Dive:  St. Louis-based McCarthy promoted its information technology boss, Justin McFarland, to chief administrative officer to oversee multiple corporate departments, according to a Dec. 20 press release sent to Construction Dive. McFarland, who joined McCarthy in 2016 and most recently served as executive vice president of information systems, will continue to oversee the […]
Kacey Crawley

The Hardest Construction Jobs to Fill

1 year ago
From Construction Dive:  Construction needs to find more workers, and there are no easy-to-fill jobs in the industry. In fact, according to an Associated General Contractors of America survey of its members, 91% of contractors had trouble filling positions last year, and experts say the labor crunch for these positions isn’t going to let up anytime […]
Kacey Crawley

Study Makes Case for Including Mental Health Training in Apprentice Rule Updates

1 year ago
A recently-published study argues that mental health training should be included in construction apprenticeship training. The peer-reviewed study by a St. Louis-based pioneer in interventions impacting mental health, substance abuse, and suicide in the industry comes just as the federal government prepares to review and update apprenticeship standards. The study report, Making a Case for […]
Tom Finan

How Are Dams Built? 5 Steps

1 year ago
From bigrentz:  To build a dam, workers divert the water to then build on dry ground. Various methods like blasting diversion channels or creating cofferdams can divert water. Dams make much of modern-day society possible — they create reservoirs that provide reliable water supply to our cities, farmlands, industrial projects and more. While they do […]
Kacey Crawley

Community Center To Receive Major Renovations

1 year ago
From Webster-Kirkwood Times:  Offering ice skating, swimming, live theater, meeting rooms, classes and programs, the Kirkwood Community Center, 111 S. Geyer Road, has been a beloved city landmark since 1966. Used by 350,000 people per year representing 150 Missouri municipalities, the well-traversed facility has not undergone a major renovation since 1992. Thanks to recent action […]
Kacey Crawley

Narrowing the Welding PPE Gap for Women in Fabrication

1 year ago
From The Welder:  Have you ever worn gloves, fire-resistant clothing, or other welding personal protective equipment (PPE) that didn’t fit you properly, putting you at risk of injury or unsatisfactory work performance? Many women in welding will say they have. “I have been injured multiple times from products not fitting me right. From safety vests […]
Kacey Crawley

Life-Saving Help for Opioid Overdoses on Jobsites

1 year ago
From ProBuilder:  Everything on the jobsite is going well. Suddenly, a worker pitches forward and hits the ground. His colleagues rush to his side. They quickly recognize symptoms of an opioid overdose. Fortunately, the crew has a dose of naloxone in the first aid kit for just such an emergency. They administer the spray and […]
Kacey Crawley

MSD’s Berthold Will Take District’s Top Spot

1 year ago
From West Newsmagazine:  Bret Berthold, the current director of operations for the Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD), will take the helm of the district on July 1. He was formally affirmed as the next executive director at MSD’s Dec. 14 Board of Trustees meeting. Berthold has been with the district since 2009 and has filled the […]
Kacey Crawley

First Look at the Union-Lindell Bridge Replacement

1 year ago
From NEXT STL:  Plans and renderings of the project to replace the almost century-old Union-Lindell bridge were presented to members of the Forest Park Advisory Board at their December meeting. Plans show a new entry/exit connector to Forest Park Parkway, as well as new aesthetic elements to form a new gateway into the city’s premier […]
Kacey Crawley

Tax Credits Denied For Affordable Senior Housing

1 year ago
From Webster-Kirkwood Times:  Plans to convert property at 204 E. Lockwood Ave. in Webster Groves to affordable senior housing have stalled. Peace United Church of Christ and the Housing Authority of St. Louis County learned last week they will not be receiving tax credits they had counted on to move the project forward. Peace UCC […]
Kacey Crawley

What Keeping a Bad Manager Costs a Construction Company

1 year ago
From World of Concrete:  By Rikka Brandon:  I’ve talked a lot in my columns about best practices for hiring. But it’s just as important to pay attention to keeping great employees on staff. After all, the cost of turnover is remarkably high—according to an article from PeopleKeep, some studies predict that each time a business […]
Kacey Crawley

Judge Orders McKee’s Northside to Repair North St. Louis Property

1 year ago
From St. Louis Post-Dispatch:  Developer Paul McKee’s NorthSide Regeneration faces a court order to repair and secure a historic Page Boulevard auto dealership it owns, a ruling that could prompt other lawsuits against the controversial north St. Louis landowner. St. Louis Circuit Court Judge Michael Stelzer ruled Thursday that the Covenant Blu Grand Center Neighborhood […]
Kacey Crawley

2024 metal fabrication forecast: A boring year ahead?

1 year ago
From The Fabricator:  Rob Wolfman, managing partner at Scottsdale, Ariz.-based private equity firm Montage Partners, has noticed a kind of split happening in metal fabrication and related industries, and he sees it continuing into 2024. “We’ve seen a bifurcation happening during the past two years, and it really depends on who your customers are,” he […]
Kacey Crawley

Hyperloop, once touted as future of transport in Missouri, reportedly shuts down

1 year ago
From KSHB:  Hyperloop, a transportation technology project announced several years ago that could have transported passengers from Kansas City to St. Louis in 30 minutes, is reportedly ceasing operations. Bloomberg reported Thursday the company, originally created as an idea by Elon Musk, is shutting down and unwinding operations. The Missouri route was a focus of […]
Kacey Crawley

DOL rule would promote apprenticeships, tighten program labor standards

1 year ago
From Construction Dive:  The U.S. Department of Labor proposed a rule Dec. 14 that seeks to modernize the registered apprenticeship program. The rule intends to strengthen labor standards and worker protections as well as better promote apprenticeship pathways, among other things. The rule also includes a program called the “registered career and technical education apprenticeship” […]
Kacey Crawley