When an organization’s employees aren’t happy, it’s unlikely they’ll be providing the kind of quality service that leads to happy customers. One of the fastest ways to create internal strife is to let “difficult” people go unchecked. Too often, organizations promise satisfaction to external customers and then allow internal politics to frustrate their employees’ good intentions to deliver. It’s important to remember that your customers aren’t the only ones who come through your organization’s door every day seeking quality service. Your co-workers and leaders also need to be served. If they’re not happy, it’s not likely they’ll deliver stellar service, and
The nation’s infrastructure is in dire need of repair. But with decimated state budgets and an antiquated funding system that values big, flashy projects over repair and maintenance, finding the money is an uphill battle. And yet, at the five-year anniversary of the I-35W Bridge collapse, it’s critical that we figure out a way. Here are my suggestions for infrastructure funding reforms.• Improve funding oversight. The current system for overseeing the distribution of federal aid for state highway projects through the Federal Highway Administration is clearly broken. After funds are distributed to the states, it is hard to determine where
The global economy has turned the rules of leadership upside down and shaken them vigorously for good measure. Where there was once a fairly defined hierarchy—Boss A tells Worker B what to do and Worker B does it—a flat landscape where everyone is expected to take the reins as needed. That means if Worker B has an idea—a way to make a process more efficient or a new way to get customer feedback—he or she is allowed, even expected, to make it happen. In other words, everyone is now a leader. This is great news for entrepreneurially minded employees—but it
The Associated Builders and Contractors recently reported that its Construction Backlog Indicator (CBI) rose 4.3% in the second quarter of 2012 after declining the two previous quarters. Despite the quarterly expansion, CBI is 0.3 months, or 4.2% below the second quarter of 2011. CBI is a forward-looking economic indicator that measures the amount of construction work under contract to be completed in the future. “The CBI accurately predicted both the broader economic softness experienced during the first half of 2012, as well as a flattening of the nation’s nonresidential construction recovery,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “The latest CBI data
The cost of key construction materials dropped for the third consecutive month in July, pushing down year-over-year prices for the first time since 2009, according to an analysis of producer price index figures released recently by the Associated General Contractors of America. However, association officials warned that recent spikes in diesel fuel and steel prices may drive up the cost of construction again, and they urged lawmakers to invest in needed infrastructure projects promptly while prices remain low. “This price decline may be the last, given the large jumps in diesel fuel and steel prices that have occurred or been
Construction employment declined in 31 states from July 2011 to July 2012 and in 28 states in the past month, according to a recent analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Dept. data. Association officials noted that construction employment decreased in the majority of states as public construction funding continues to shrink, offsetting gains in homebuilding and nonresidential construction. “Public construction cuts in particular are taking their toll on construction employment in many parts of the country,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “With economic growth remaining sluggish, there is a chance construction employment will begin
Even with the myriad of obstacles preventing a full-scale recovery for the overall U.S. economy, the design and construction industry appears to have reasons to be at least modestly optimistic in the coming months and into next year. A sharp spike in demand for industrial facilities so far this year, along with sustained demand for hotels and retail projects factors into what projects to be a 4.4% rise in spending this year for nonresidential construction projects—up from a projected 2.1% increase in the January Consensus Forecast. The American Institute of Architects semi-annual Consensus Construction Forecast, a survey of the nation’s
Denver’s Design Concepts has the landscape architect and planning partner for nine high-profile school projects funded by the Colorado Dept. of Education’s BEST Program for capital school construction. The Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) Program is a competitive grant program available to public school districts and other educational institutions in Colorado. Administered by CDE’s Division of Public School Capital Construction Assistance, the BEST Program aims to alleviate school health and safety concerns and provide first-class, high-performing 21st -Century facilities.Since it was enacted in 2008, the BEST Program has funded 147 projects in 94 Colorado school districts, with $674 million in
Denver-based hotel developer and manager Sage Hospitality celebrated the grand opening of its 150-room SpringHill Suites Denver Downtown at Metro State on Aug. 8. Photo by Mark Woolcott/Mark Woolcott Photography The Aug. 8 grand opening of the new SpringHill Suites hotel and HLC included, from left: Adam Sherer, SpringHill Suites by Marriott; Callette Nielsen, vice president and global brand manager, Springhill Suites by Marriott; Tye Turman, senior vice president of development for the Western Region, Marriott International; Janice Sinden, chief of staff, Denver Mayors Office;Dr. Stephen Jordan, president, Metropolitan State University of Denver; Walter Isenberg, co-founder, CEO and president, Sage
Denver's new $36-million Police Crime Laboratory will soon take its place among the country's most high-tech evidence-handling and analysis facilities, far surpassing in size and complexity the city's decades-old lab space. Related Links: Colorado Owner of Year: City and County of Denver City of Denver's Central Platte Campus The 60,000-sq-ft facility at 14th and Cherokee streets replaces an existing 14,000-sq-ft lab, currently housed on the sixth floor of the Police Administration Building. With the additional space, the Denver Police Dept. (DPD) can offer improved forensic, fingerprinting and DNA resources to scientists and investigators.The building features three levels of lab and
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