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The confidence of Colorado business leaders has increased slightly going into 2015, according to the Leeds Business Confidence Index (LBCI) recently released by the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business. The index is more stable than in has been its 11-year history. “We’ve gone seven quarters with very low volatility quarter to quarter after having very high volatility quarter to quarter for the previous run of the entire survey,” said economist Richard Wobbekind, executive director of the Leeds School’s Business Research Division, which conducts the LBCI. “When business people are assessing the environment they’re seeing it as really

Shailen Bhatt will be the next executive director for the Colorado Dept. of Transportation. He will begin at CDOT in mid-February. The announcement was made by the governor’s office on Jan. 5. Photo courtesy of CDOT Shailen Bhatt will begin his tenure at CDOT in mid-February. Bhatt most recently served as cabinet secretary for the Delaware Dept. of Transportation (DelDOT), where he directed nearly a billion-dollar budget and managed 2,800 employees in the state’s transportation system. During his term, Bhatt delivered $2 billion in infrastructure investments, managed the disaster recovery of two hurricanes and strengthened the financial stewardship of the department

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which had declined in November, improved in December. The index now stands at 92.6 (1985=100), up from 91.0 in November. The Present Situation Index rose to 98.6 from 93.7, while the Expectations Index decreased to 88.5 from 89.3 in November. Consumers’ appraisal of current conditions was considerably more favorable in December. Those saying business conditions are “good” was unchanged at 24.8%, while those claiming business conditions are “bad” decreased from 21.8% to 19.6%. Consumers were also more positive in their assessment of the job market, with the proportion stating jobs are “plentiful” increasing from

Construction firms added jobs in 38 states and the District of Columbia between November 2013 and November 2014 while construction employment increased in 26 states and D.C. between October and November, according to a recent analysis of Labor Dept. data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials noted that the list of states gaining jobs has varied significantly from month to month as the market remains extremely variable. “Construction job growth remains positive overall but volatile,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Although more than three-quarters of states have added construction jobs from year-earlier levels throughout 2014,

At a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $677.8 billion, new construction starts in November climbed 13% from the previous month, according to Dodge Data & Analytics (formerly McGraw Hill Construction).  Nonresidential building had a particularly strong month, lifted by the start of several unusually large projects, including two massive manufacturing plants and an airport terminal redevelopment. The nonbuilding construction sector also contributed to the latest month’s surge, boosted by a liquefied natural gas facility. Meanwhile, residential building retreated in November, as multifamily housing settled back from its brisk pace in October. For the first 11 months of 2014, new construction

The Utah construction industry is mourning the loss of Dale Campbell, 68, one-time president and recent executive vice president of marketing and development for Ogden-based R&O Construction. Campbell died unexpectedly on December 5. Photo courtesy of R and O Construction Dale Campbell “Dale’s caring way and many talents leave a large hole to fill,” R&O’s management said in a statement. “But please know that R&O will move forward with Dale’s number one priority, which is taking care of our clients and community. 

We thank each of you who played a role in working with Dale to build what is truly

Kent Denver’s new gymnasium, the $2-million, 16,500-sq-ft Yates Pavilion, is a highly visible tribute to the school’s passion for sports. hoto by David Lauer Photography The new gym enhances Kent Denvers athletic program by allowing more teams to practice while eliminating early-morning and late-night scheduling. The new addition includes a competition court with a higher seat count capacity than the adjacent gym, two full-sized practice cross courts, locker rooms, a lobby space and concessions area. Expected to earn LEED-Gold certification, the new gym enhances Kent Denver’s athletic program by allowing more teams to practice while eliminating early-morning and late-night scheduling.The

Denver's upscale Cherry Creek North neighborhood is experiencing its biggest construction boom since the 1980s, with more than $500 million in commercial and residential projects going up, recently completed or planned. Demand from businesses and residents is driving the development. Related Links: Redesigned Fillmore Plaza Sderves Mutiple Purposes Haselden Named 2014 Colorado Contractor of Year But the growth has changed the historical profile of the neighborhood, bringing with it taller buildings and increased density. The city and county of Denver passed new form-based zoning for Cherry Creek North this fall that didn't affect current construction projects but will figure into

Using prefabricated elements in building the new Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver, which opened in mid-December, cut 72 workdays off the construction schedule and resulted in $4.3 million in savings, according to a new study by University of Colorado Boulder engineers. Courtesy of Mortenson Mortenson chose to prefabricate the exterior wall panels, the bathroom pods, the headwalls in patient rooms and the utilities that run above hospital corridors by bundling them into prebuilt racks. The study, by professor Matthew Morris and doctoral student Eric Antillon, both of the Dept. of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, is one of the first