BONINGTON As we enter 2011, we’re seeing a distinct sign of a market recovery. It’s not a large spike in one of the traditional measurements such as consistent GDP growth, dramatically shrinking unemployment or improvement in construction starts. But it is still an important harbinger of growth. Industry marketers are telling ENR’s business team that they are preparing to emerge into a different market, under new terms of engagement and in a dramatically changed competitive landscape. AEC firms, product manufacturers and technology, equipment and service providers are now actively speaking to us about construction’s inevitable economic recovery. They’re talking about
For many small and medium-sized firms, 2010 might be remembered as a long reality show similar to TV’s “Survivor.” Faced with the possibility of elimination amid a fragile economy as construction unemployment hovered around 18%, many companies rethought market plans and business approaches. Almost everyone’s top line shrank, but that was fine if it meant staying in business and minimizing layoffs. Image: Slaved-fotolia.com Bigger companies found opportunities in the downturn to plot new strategies. Consolidation didn’t rest. AECOM Technology Corp. and URS Corp. led the industry in big acquisitions. In June, URS Corp. outlasted CH2M-Hill in a bidding war for
ARCURI My father, Vince Arcuri Jr., spent his 40-year career literally and figuratively climbing the ladder of corporate success. He walked the beams framing New York City skyscrapers and then served as an executive at well-known contractors based in the city, such as Turner and Tishman and AMEC. Family photo shows Vincent James Arcuri at a Manhattan building site. He retired several years ago with the title of senior vice president. We share the same name. And like most fathers, mine dreamed that his young and only son would grow up to follow in his footsteps. My dad and I
INDERLIED A lot has been said about Hispanic workers in the construction industry and their higher rate of injuries and fatalities. Getting these workers the information they need to work safely is complicated because six out of 10 speak little or no English. I’ve been on jobsites with many of these workers, and I have a different way of addressing the issue. Photo: Sam Barnes Employers should ask Hispanic workers to demonstrate safe practices to show that they understand them. My system is based on simple visual cues and non-verbal communication. I also think that keeping some professional distance and
Many times we’ve written that engineers should unite around causes such as the need for more spending on infrastructure and qualifications-based selection. When it comes to other matters, such as the importance of licensed practice and licensed engineering professors, we’re reminded that engineering is divided among numerous disciplines with their own needs and agendas. Engineering is sprawling and diverse, more like India than Switzerland. Engineers can never be as culturally coherent or politically unified as physicians, attorneys or architects. But this state of affairs doesn’t mean engineering has split into so many loosely related camps that one sector has no
The Republican triumph in the midterm elections has given the GOP control of the House of Representatives. While many people think some parts of President Obama’s health-care reform legislation may be changed, no one believes it will be scrapped completely in the next two years. So a new world of costs and care is here, and the million-dollar question is, can providers survive it? ALLAMBY Signed into law in March, the reform measure’s main goal is to cover the uninsured and expand access. But it is also going to change the way health care is delivered because it concentrates on
Recognition from leaders in the construction industry is particularly gratifying. I am delighted to share the news that, on Oct. 28, I was inducted into the National Academy of Construction, a group of industry leaders recognized for outstanding achievements in and contributions to engineering and construction. The academy provides a body of industry experts who can be and have been asked to serve on governmental committees and work on investigations and reports. It also sponsors a program called the National Construction Forum, which works to identify major industrywide issues and integrate the efforts of industry groups who are working on
New Jersey Gov. Christopher Christie (R) has thrown an ice-cold bucket of water on the heads of the sleeping Rip Van Winkles in New York and New Jersey. These folks trusted the planned commuter-rail Hudson River tunnel was somehow beyond the reach of the current backlash against government spending and deficits. However, that exemption has turned out not to be the case in the bitter election season just concluded. The project’s construction packages, several of which had been awarded, included an underground addition to Manhattan’s Pennsylvania Station and a bridge on the New Jersey side. We believe the project eventually
With Sarah Palin as cheerleader and activists in Revolutionary War-era garb, the Tea Party has stirred the imagination of the electorate. It has shaken up the humdrum two-party political landscape and excited many who are dissatisfied with the status quo. Photo: Haley/Sip Via AP Images A small-government activist at the foot of the Washington Monument. SCHWARTZ No matter what your political affiliation, it’s hard to deny that the Tea Party has offered great political theater for the 2010 midterm election cycle. But let’s forget about the drama for a moment and think about the Tea Party’s smaller-government mantra. It should
What is a construction professional? This is a difficult question for industry and educators to answer, but it shouldn’t be. That’s why construction professionals are long overdue to develop a set of plans and specifications—for themselves. Without a clear definition of our role today, we can’t develop the professionals of tomorrow. BERRYMAN Everyone knows that you cannot properly construct a building without such documentation; likewise, an individual cannot be an effective manager of construction projects today without a base of specific skills, experience and knowledge. The role of a construction professional is changing and being defined by many different factions
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