Thousands of Imad Naffa's digital devotees are mourning the Sept. 6 loss of the industry social-networking pioneer whose Twitter posts seemed omnipresent. Naffa, a civil engineer, building-code software developer and entrepreneur, had a fatal heart attack in Fresno, Calif., at age 49, according to a post by Loretta Naffa, his wife and the office manager of his firm, Naffa International.Dubbed the “Twitter King” by BusinessNewsDaily.com, an online publication for startups, Naffa claimed more than 56,000 followers. He was second among construction tweeters, says Wefollow.com, a website that ranks registered Twitter users based on the number of followers and “influence.” Matt
Nightmarish ground conditions and a fast-tracked schedule are not stopping the design-build team for a 1.2-million-sq-ft airplane assembly plant in South Carolina from delivering the building in just 18 months and on budget. There was no time for a learning curve for the 1,037-ft x 616-ft Boeing Co. facility, which encloses the equivalent of 12 football fields, says the team. “Speed was the [project's] overriding theme,” says Kenny Anderson, project executive for BE&K Building Group, Charlotte, N.C. “We signed a contract on Nov. 7, 2009, and within 10 days we were breaking ground.”BE&K joint-ventured with longtime partner Turner Construction Co.,
As Southeast specialty contractors hold on for what seems like an ever-elusive recovery, successful firms are getting as lean as possible, watching their bottom lines and adjusting to a “new normal” with a mix of discipline and expanded services. Photo courtesy of KHS&S Contractors A worker with KHS&S Contractors puts the finishing touches on the Cheetah Run area at Tampas Busch Gardens. For now, it's all about survival, as the Southeast's market for specialty-contracting services continues to run lean and, sometimes, mean. The numbers reveal the downward slide that firms are enduring.This year's Top Specialty Contractors ranking includes 110 firms,
Photo courtesy of TEDx Engineer Imad Naffa, at industry conference in May, was a strong advocate of social networking. Related Links: TEDx Dead Sea Imad Naffa Video Imad Naffa, a civil engineer and building code software developer who propelled his "passion for people" to become a global social media networking phenomenon, died suddenly on Sept. 6 in Fresno, Calif. He was 49 and suffered a fatal heart attack, according to a Twitter post by Loretta Naffa, his wife and office manager.The death of Naffa, a self-proclaimed "Twitterologist," generated a buzz among his followers, who numbered more than 56,000, making him
Related Links: Gov. Scott OKs Construction of Central Florida's $1.3B SunRail Commuter Rail Project Fla. Legislators Raid $150M From State Road Fund Top Start: I-4/Selmon Expressway Connector Despite uncertainty over future funding, the Florida Dept. of Transportation is banking on low bids and private-sector financing as it accelerates an estimated $1.2 billion in projects in an effort to boost the state's stagnant jobs situation. At the same time, the agency is rolling out a plan to aggressively expand the use of tolls to add capacity throughout the state’s network of interstate highways and major bridges.Calling the stream of revenue derived
Image courtesy of Multivista Photographers integrate with the project team at an early stage to identify 'hot spots' in the plan and schedule. They then visit the jobsites on a regular basis to document the put-in-place work. They link the images to the plans on a web-accessible archive for the project team. A company founded by a former electrical subcontractor is successfully franchising a service to integrate digital photos with construction documents to create indexed, interactive construction databases.Multivista, Vancouver, British Columbia, sends photographers to capture project details in high-resolution images using high-end cameras and wide-angle lenses that can frame large
McGraw-Hill Construction reports that the value of Georgia’s June construction starts totaled nearly $1.2 billion in June, an increase of 34% compared to the same period of a year ago. Related Links: Florida Construction Starts Rise 32% in June North Carolina Contracts Take Off in June South Carolina Contracts Decline 12% in June A surge in commercial starts fueled the increase. Nonresidential contracts totaled nearly $676.8 million, or 72% above last June’s total of $393.9 million. Residential contracts also moved up, with the latest total of $366.9 million representing a 19% gain from the year-ago period. The nonbuilding sector, which
A huge boost in the nonbuilding sector propelled the value of North Carolina’s June construction starts total to an estimated $2.2 billion, for a 98% improvement over the same period of a year ago, according to McGraw-Hill Construction, publisher of ENR Southeast. Related Links: South Carolina Contracts Decline 12% in June Georgia Commercial Construction Activity Surges Florida Construction Starts Rise 32% in June New nonbuilding contracts—which include infrastructure projects—totaled more than $1.1 billion in June, or nearly $1 billion higher than last June’s total of $175.2 million.Nonresidential contracts also got started at an increased pace in June, with this category
A significant decline in the value of nonbuilding projects caused South Carolina’s overall total for new construction contracts to decline 12% in June, according to McGraw-Hill Construction, publisher of ENR Southeast. The state recorded an estimated $648.9 million in new contracts during June. Related Links: North Carolina Contracts Take Off in June Georgia Commercial Construction Activity Surges Florida Construction Starts Rise 32% in June The nonbuilding sector fell 53% compared to the same period of a year ago, for a June total of $113.6 million. It was the lone negative sector for the month, however.Nonresidential experienced a 17% increase in
The value of Florida’s June construction starts improved by 32% compared to the same period of a year ago, according to McGraw-Hill Construction, with more than $2.4 billion in new contracts moving forward during the month. Related Links: Georgia's Commercial Construction Activity Surges in June North Carolina Contracts Take Off in June South Carolina Contracts Decline 12% in June All three construction sectors experienced strong, double-digit percentage jumps in June. The nonbuilding sector, which includes infrastructure projects, improved by the highest percentage, 67%, to tally $665.4 million.McGraw-Hill Construction, publisher of ENR Southeast, estimated new residential starts at $843.8 million, or