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Tariffs Add New Pressure to Non-Residential Construction Costs, ABC Analysis Shows

1 month 1 week ago

The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) analysis of Producer Price Index (PPI) data for 2025 shows tariffs are exerting measurable inflationary pressure on construction cost inputs — particularly for non-residential projects. According to ABC’s release, overall construction input prices rose 2.8% year-over-year in 2025, with non-residential construction input costs climbing 3.2% over the same period. […]

The post Tariffs Add New Pressure to Non-Residential Construction Costs, ABC Analysis Shows appeared first on Construction Forum.

Dede Hance

How One St. Louisan Found Upward Economic Mobility

1 month 1 week ago

From St. Louis Magazine: There’s a square-ish census tract in west St. Louis County that, at ground level, feels typical. At both its northern edge (which is Highway 40) and its eastern edge (which is Route 141), it has office parks and apartment complexes. Its interior is pure upscale suburbia: brick houses, precise lawns, curvy […]

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Dede Hance

Mary Lamie, William Bell Elected as VP, Treasurer for St. Louis Workforce Development Board

1 month 1 week ago

The St. Louis Workforce Development Board has elected new officers for 2026, with the vote taking place during the board’s January 27 meeting, according to an announcement from the St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE). Charlotte Hammond, president and CEO of Challenge Unlimited, was elected Board Chair. Hammond has led the organization since […]

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Tom Finan

Construction Tech Startup Claims It Can Cut Building Costs By 30% With Flat-Pack Panels

1 month 1 week ago

From St. Louis Business Journal: Module Building Systems Founder: Mark Turnbull What it does: Module Building Systems (MBS) manufactures a panelized construction system that significantly reduces the cost, time, and waste involved in building housing. Our “flat-pack” panelized approach allows buildings to be manufactured off-site and assembled quickly on-site. The system cuts construction costs by up to […]

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Tom Finan

McCarthy-HITT Completes $1.7B NGA Campus in St. Louis

1 month 1 week ago

From Construction Owners: St. Louis-based McCarthy Building Cos., in a joint venture with HITT Construction, has completed Next NGA West, a $1.7 billion federal campus that now serves as the new headquarters for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) in St. Louis, the company announced Jan. 21. Spanning 97 acres, the sprawling design-build project represents the […]

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Dede Hance

New Youth Recreation Center With Indoor Pool Planned in O’Fallon

1 month 1 week ago

From Belleville News-Democrat: A youth-focused recreational center is planned for an undeveloped property along Old Collinsville Road in O’Fallon. The facility will be the new home of Gateway Elite Gymnastics Center and will include an indoor swimming pool. SAB Enterprises of Collinsville, the project’s owners, said the center aims to provide new athletic and educational […]

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Dede Hance

Phase II Planned for Red Barn Project in Festus

1 month 1 week ago

The City of Festus is advancing Phase II of the Red Barn renovation at Larry G. Crites Memorial Park, moving the historic structure into its next stage of design and engineering following completion of the initial rehabilitation. Originally built in 1932 as part of Festus’ former municipal dairy operation, the Red Barn has been the […]

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Tom Finan

Playfield Commons Passes in Reconsideration Vote

1 month 1 week ago

From Mid Rivers Newsmagazine: A bill approving a development agreement that included tax incentives with the proposed Playfield Commons sports complex was passed 7-2 vote by the O’Fallon City Council when it was brought back for reconsideration on Jan. 22. Council member Linda Ragsdale (Ward 5) motioned for the reconsideration after speaking with the developer, […]

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Dede Hance

VIDEO: Chancellor Kristin Sobolik on UMSL’s Campus Transformation

1 month 1 week ago

In this episode of The Pulse of St. Louis on Fox 2, award-winning journalist Shirley Washington hosts a wide-ranging conversation with UMSL Chancellor Dr. Kristin Sobolik. The Pulse of St. Louis is a long-running local talk show that highlights issues, leaders, and stories shaping the St. Louis region, tackling topics from education and business to […]

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Tom Finan

JeffCo’s New Responsible Bidder Ordinance Good for Labor, Workers, Taxpayers

1 month 1 week ago

From St. Louis/Southern Illinois Labor Tribune: Labor leaders are applauding a new Jefferson County responsible bidder ordinance that would establish objective criteria and verifiable standards for contractors bidding on public infrastructure projects. In a nutshell, county staff would recommend the most responsible bidder with the highest tabulated score. This score is calculated with standard criteria […]

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Dede Hance

Meet 23-Year-Old Electrician; “Good Student” Who Skipped College and Makes Six Figures

1 month 1 week ago

From Fortune: Growing up in Concord, North Carolina, just outside Charlotte, Jacob Palmer was a classic academic achiever. “I was a good student,” he said in an interview with Fortune. “In high school, I participated in all types of extracurriculars, student leadership, I did a lot of public speaking. I had all sorts of friends.” But […]

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Tom Finan

MOWIT Awarded $27.5K Grant from First 10 Forward

1 month 1 week ago

From St. Louis/Southern Illinois Labor Tribune: Missouri Women in Trades (MOWIT) has been awarded a $27,500 grant from First 10 Forward (F10F) for its leadership in advancing opportunities for women to enter and succeed in the construction and building trades across the greater St. Louis area. F10F is a New Jersey non-profit organization whose mission […]

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Dede Hance

Construction on New Library in Chesterfield Begins in February

1 month 1 week ago

From West Newsmagazine: St. Louis County Library (SLCL) will begin construction on the new Chesterfield branch starting in February. The current Samuel C. Sachs Branch will close to the public Jan. 31. With approximately 5,000 more square feet, the new library will have a footprint of 20,700 square feet. It will be located at the […]

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Dede Hance

Black Trade Unionists Honor Tornado Relief Organizations, Late CBTU Treasurer

1 month 1 week ago

From St. Louis/Southern Illinois Labor Tribune: The St. Louis chapter of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) recently honored several organizations for providing much-needed relief for North St. Louis City residents after the devastating May 16 tornado. It also honored the late Kenneth Sims, longtime St. Louis CBTU treasurer, for his 44 years of […]

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Tom Finan

The Great Divorce: How St. Louis Split Itself in Two 150 Years Ago

1 month 1 week ago

From St. Louis Public Radio: One hundred fifty years ago, St. Louis made a decision that would shape the region for generations. That historic decision is now known as the Great Divorce. The story of the split begins in the mid-1800s, when St. Louis was a growing boomtown, a time when American ambitions of westward […]

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Dede Hance

CCDI Seeking Host Companies for Summer Internships for CCDI’s College Scholars

1 month 1 week ago

The Construction Career Development Initiative (CCDI) is seeking companies willing to host summer interns from its Build Our Future Scholarship Program, which supports college students pursuing careers in construction, engineering, architecture, and related fields. The interns are undergraduate students enrolled in programs such as construction management, civil engineering, architecture, and other construction-related disciplines. CCDI is […]

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Tom Finan

McCarthy Announces New Training Campus Near Phoenix Airport

1 month 1 week ago

McCarthy Building Companies, a national construction firm headquartered in St. Louis, has completed the purchase of a 12-acre property in Tempe, Arizona, near Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, with plans to convert the site into a dedicated training and development campus. The site — previously a Doubletree by Hilton hotel and convention property — will […]

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Tom Finan

Helmkamp and Graycor Celebrate Topping Out Milestone at Wieland’s East Alton Expansion

1 month 1 week ago

Helmkamp Construction Co., working with EPCM partner Graycor Construction Company, has completed a topping-out milestone at Wieland’s East Alton expansion, marking the placement of the final structural beam on a new manufacturing building along the Route 3 corridor. The topped-out structure is a 387,000-square-foot building that is part of Wieland’s multi-phase modernization and expansion program […]

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Tom Finan

Forest Park Forever Plans $3.2M Project to Spruce Up NW Entrance

1 month 1 week ago

From St. Louis Public Radio: Many future visitors to Forest Park will enter through a revamped northwest entrance after Forest Park Forever completes $3.2 million in updates to the St. Louis landmark. The entrance at Skinker Boulevard and Lagoon Drive will feature a wider pedestrian walkway and a grand arch made of stone and steel. […]

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Dede Hance

HOA Can’t Ban Rooftop Solar Panels, MO Supreme Court Rules

1 month 1 week ago

From St. Louis Post-Dispatch: A homeowners association cannot bar residents from installing rooftop solar panels under a new Missouri Supreme Court decision that renewable energy advocates hail as a major win for both solar power and individual property rights. The unanimous decision settled a multiyear dispute that originated in the Granite Springs subdivision near Springfield, […]

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Dede Hance