It was another bumpy ride for the region's top specialty contractors in 2011. Respondents to ENR Southwest's annual survey saw the volume of subcontracting work in Arizona rise, but those gains were offset by steep declines in Nevada and New Mexico. Firms that succeeded did so by finding new niches or adding specialties that dovetailed with their existing skills. Related Links: Top Specialty Contractor Rankings Specialty Contractor of the Year: J.B. Henderson Finds Success In High-Stakes Jobs Arizona subcontractors reported $1.4 billion in work during 2011, up 4% over the previous year. But New Mexico subcontracting work fell 27%, and
Hot on the heels of the startup of Nevada's first wind power project on public land, the forecast for the nation's wind industry is beginning to turn, well, not so swell. Sector layoffs and plant shutdowns this year are up and are expected to continue next year, which many industry players largely blame on the scheduled expiration of the renewable energy production tax credit (PTC) by year-end. Photo Courtesy of Pattern Energy New Turns: Pattern Energy's new 151.8-MW Spring Valley wind farm is Nevada's first on public lands. Even so, this has been a strong year for U.S. wind-power capacity
here are a few cases winding their way through local courts aimed at testing the merits of mechanic’s liens and bond claims of suppliers who have allegedly continued to sell materials to subcontractors despite the fact that the subcontractors had been delinquent in paying their suppliers’ bills. Those suppliers have filed either mechanic’s liens against the privately owned properties upon which the materials had been used or bond claims against the general contractors’ bonds posted on public projects. In both instances, if the suppliers are successful, the general contractors would be paying double if they had already paid their subcontractors.A
City Grill Chart by McGraw Hill Construction The Colorado Springs-El Paso County construction picture will be clouded by an expected sharp decline in institutional projects. Related Links: Engineering News Record Architectural Record Ray NunnPresident Nunn Construction Inc. 2012 Vice Chairman, AGC/C"Non-residential building construction opportunities will be flat for the rest of this year in Colorado Springs," Nunn says. "Due to the unused inventory of commercial and industrial space, there is a smaller demand for construction and a limited amount of renovation and tenant improvement work. Owners are challenged in obtaining project funding, which is holding up project starts, but multifamily
After more than a year of renovation, Colorado State University’s Lory Student Center Theatre reopened its doors on Aug. 24. The opening also kicked off the center’s 50th anniversary celebration. Photo courtesy of CSU Renovation of the CSU theater included creating a flat floor and expandable seating, allowing more space for concerts, ballroom events, banquets and receptions. Photo courtesy of CSU The late August grand reopening also kicked off the centers 50th anniversary celebration. The Lory Student Center Theatre began construction last summer and opened only one year later. The new theater incorporates more flexibility for events by having a
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which had improved in July, declined in August. The index now stands at 60.6 (1985=100), down from 65.4 in July. The Expectations Index decreased to 70.5 from 78.4. The Present Situation Index, however, was virtually unchanged, at 45.8 versus 45.9 a month ago.Consumers’ assessment of current conditions was little changed in August. Those claiming business conditions are “good” improved to 15.2% from 13.7%, while those saying business conditions are “bad” was unchanged at 34.4%. Consumers’ appraisal of the labor market varied. Those stating jobs are “plentiful” declined to 7.0% from 7.8%, while those claiming
Construction employment declined in 165 out of 337 metropolitan areas between July 2011 and July 2012, increased in 123 and was stagnant in 49, according to a new analysis of federal employment data recently released by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said that the new data comes out as many metro areas continue to struggle with constricting public-sector budgets and uneven private-sector growth. “Construction employment is healthy in the handful of areas where private-sector demand is on the rebound,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “However, construction employment in most metro areas is suffering from the
Alonzo L. Fulgham is the new vice president of strategy and sustainable international development at Denver-based CH2M Hill in the firm's environmental services business group. He has more than 20 years of experience in global strategic planning, business development, project design and business operations with the U.S. Agency for International Development. He served as the agency's chief operating officer, then was appointed acting administrator in January 2009. Related Links: Engineering News Record Architectural Record Landscape architecture firm Design Concepts, Lafayette, Colo., has hired Carter Marshall to design municipal park projects in Colorado, including Wulf Recreation Center in Evergreen and a
Lean construction is the application of lean thinking, principles and tools to the lifecycle of capital construction. Although the International Group for Lean Construction (ILGC) coined the term at its first meeting in 1993, widespread implementation of lean techniques is still not common in the industry. However, according to the findings of the report, this trend is changing. The need for industry reform relates to three main areas:1. Productivity in the U.S. construction industry has stayed level or declined since 1964.2. Building owners are looking for increased plan predictability and price stability in the way capital projects are delivered.3. As
New construction starts fell 10% in July to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $401.2 billion, according to McGraw-Hill Construction, a division of The McGraw-Hill Cos. After showing improvement during the spring, the pace of construction starts retreated over the past three months, with July coming in at the lower end of the recent range of activity. Non-building construction, comprised of public works and electric utilities, fell sharply in July, while both nonresidential building and housing lost some of their earlier momentum. For the first seven months of 2012, the volume of total construction starts on an unadjusted basis was
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