Construction employers nationwide added 1,000 jobs in August while the industry’s unemployment rate fell to 11.3%, according to an analysis of new federal data recently released by the Associated General Contractors of America. The unemployment declines come as the construction industry continues to shrink, association officials noted, adding that over 214,000 workers have left the industry since August 2011. “While we all breathe a sigh of relief any time the sector adds jobs, these numbers are hardly cause for celebration,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s chief executive officer. “If it wasn’t for the fact that the housing sector is
Construction spending in July maintained consistent year-over-year growth despite a pullback from the June peak, according to a recent analysis of new federal data recently released by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said they expect the disparity between private and public construction to persist unless Washington acts to fix infrastructure-funding challenges and pass long-delayed measures. “The July spending numbers send a very mixed message,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Construction of new homes, apartments and most private nonresidential structures appears to be driving gains in construction activity even as the public sector continues to drag
The Denver Merchandise Mart, a fixture in the Denver tradeshow, event and wholesale industries for more than 45 years, is now under the ownership and management direction of Woodhaven-Hawthorne. The company has begun a multi-year capital improvement campaign, which will feature renovations and refurbishments to both the interior and exterior of the Denver Mart over the next four years. Photo by Roger Blakey Photography Inside the Terrace Garden area at the Denver Merchandise Mart during the August Gift, Apparel, Resort Show. A privately owned venture capital company, Woodhaven-Hawthorne has committed to spending $4 million for the refurbishment and renovation of
A performance evaluation of Class 8 hybrid electric tractor-trailers compared with similar conventional vehicles by the U.S. Dept. of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory shows significant improvements in fuel economy. “During our 13-month study, the hybrid tractors demonstrated 13.7% higher fuel economy than the conventional tractors, resulting in a 12% reduction in fuel costs for the hybrids,” said NREL Senior Project Leader Michael Lammert.For the “Coca-Cola Refreshments Class 8 Diesel Electric Hybrid Tractor Evaluation: 13-Month Final Report,” the NREL team collected and analyzed fuel economy, maintenance and other vehicle performance data on five hybrid and five conventional Class 8 tractor
The REI Denver Flagship store, located in the former Denver Tramway Powerhouse building along the South Platte River, has repaid its $6.3-million tax increment financing (TIF) reimbursement nearly three years earlier than expected. The sales tax TIF, which helped reactivate the 90,000-sq-ft building and bring REI to the Central Platte Valley, was set to expire in April 2015, per the urban renewal plan set forth by the City of Denver, the Denver Urban Renewal Authority (DURA) and REI in 1998. “The REI Denver Flagship store has been a major success since it opened in the early 2000s, playing a key role
Colorado is positioned to become a business innovation leader in the center of the country, according to a new study by Colorado State University economics professor Stephan Weiler.Weiler announced his findings in early August at the 2012 Colorado Innovation Summit. The two-day gathering in Denver brought together business, government, education and community leaders for a summit to discuss innovation and the business climate in Colorado. Weiler, a research associate dean in CSU’s College of Liberal Arts, and four CSU student research assistants produced “Reaching Our Innovation Summit: The 2012 Colorado Innovation Index” at the request and with the support of
Colorado State University engineers will collaborate with RTI International and others to develop a waterless toilet that converts human waste into burnable fuel and disinfected, non-potable water. The “Reinvent the Toilet Challenge,” made possible by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to RTI International, could significantly improve public health and quality of life among people in developing countries.RTI’s design will accomplish three primary functions: disinfect liquid waste, dry and burn solid waste, and convert the resulting combustion energy into stored electricity. The system also includes innovations to improve operational utility, energy efficiency and cost.RTI will partner with
Sturgeon Electric Co. Inc. in Henderson, Colo., a subsidiary of MYR Group Inc., celebrated its 100th anniversary on Sept. 13 as a provider of electrical construction services throughout Denver and the western United States. Photo courtesy of Sturgeon Electric One of Sturgeon's largest current projects is working with general contractor Kiewit to transform historic Denver Union Station into a regional transit hub. Sturgeon offers a comprehensive array of capabilities in commercial and industrial, transportation and high-voltage/power line construction. It is consistently ranked among the top electrical contractors in the region by ENR Mountain States magazine and the Denver Business Journal.In1995,
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
Intermountain Bobcat has built a new 12,500-sq-ft Bobcat-dedicated headquarters in West Valley City, Utah. Opened for business June 1, the building sits on four acres, and was built by Salt Lake City-based Hughes General Contractors with tilt-up concrete construction and environmentally sustainable materials. Photo courtesy of Intermountain Bobcat Intermountain Bobcat celebrated the grand opening of its new headquarters facility in Salt Lake City in June. The facility houses the company’s sales, administration, parts and rental operations in an open architecture format with stained concrete floors and high ceilings. The service shop was built for efficiency and comfort, with glass roll-up
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