December, 2015

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How to Operate Smarter During Lean Times

Construction Business Owner

When the financial forecast for your industry is sunny, making decisions about buying, selling and maintaining your fleet is relatively simple. Working with financial institutions for funding when you need to grow your business tends to go smoothly, and there’s plenty of work to go around. But, when clouds are on the horizon and a slow season approaches, it’s time to assess your biggest spending areas and trim down.

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2016 Construction Marketing Resolutions

Construction Marketing

It’s that time of year again! With 2015 coming to an end, it is important to begin looking ahead to marketing goals and initiatives in 2016. Based on some of next years top trends, we have put together some of the top construction marketing resolutions for 2016: I will make my website mobile friendly. 2015 marked the year that mobile searches surpassed desktop.

Mobility 146
professionals

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GRESB is Huge with $2.3 Trillion in Real Estate so Follow the Money

Green Building Law Update

Representing a huge share of the market capitalization of real estate across the globe, this year, 707 real estate companies and funds, with over 61,000 properties, having an aggregate value of $2.3 Trillion reported their environmental, social and governance information to Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB). To appreciate the order of magnitude of those numbers, 15 of the top 20 REITs in the U.S. participated in the GRESB 2015 survey, and 41 U.S.

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2015 Commercial Construction Industry Highs and Lows

HardHatChat

Writing our annual “Highs and Lows” commercial construction blog post was a bit more difficult this year because, on the whole, 2015 was pretty great for Englewood Construction and many others in the construction industry. Yet despite all its positives, 2015 wasn’t without its commercial construction challenges. Here’s a look back at our top “highs” and “lows” from 2015: A high point for Englewood Construction in 2015 was the opportunity to expand relationships with existing clients such as Coo

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Leading the Way in Construction EHS Software

The Verdantix Green Quadrant: EHS Software 2023 is an independent third-party analysis of 23 EHS software vendors (including Intelex) that provides an in-depth look at the technical capabilities, application breadth, innovation focus, and momentum of key environmental, health, and safety management software market players. The guide is essential reading for EHS software benchmarking, especially for understanding unique vendor strengths and capabilities.

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Digital Dryshack #86 – 4 Estimating Tips from Tennessee

Cassell Construction Estimating

I was in Tennessee last week, and stopped by one of Tennessee’s largest builders to provide some training and suggestions to increase their estimating productivity. One of their senior estimators was new to the company’s Sage Timberline Estimating system, and was struggling to find the best way to make adjustments to their highly-detailed bids.

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Become a Mentor to Affect Change

Construction Business Owner

Have you ever been intrigued by the thought of being involved in education, but never considered yourself a teacher? Do you know that you can play a critical role in the development of our industry's future leaders? The construction industry will never be perfect, but getting close to it begins with an earnest desire to invest in our youth. There is no better way to affect change in our industry than to get out of your office and into a classroom for a few hours a month.

Education 217
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Building a Construction Social Network with BuildBloom

Construction Marketing

BuildBoom , the online construction network has officially launched its public beta. This social platform provides members of the industry a professional space to connect and create communities around projects. James Faulkner, President of SiteMAX Systems Inc. (parent company of BuildBoom), understands that relationships are everything. He discovered how quickly connections between individuals fade once a project is complete.

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Congress Breathes New Life into 179D Tax Deduction

Green Building Law Update

Last week the 114th Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 and the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015 when the Senate passed H.R. 2029 by a vote of 65 to 33. On December 18, 2015 President Obama signed the acts into law that will extend over 50 expired or expiring provisions of the tax code. This blog post is not going to address the tax breaks for horse racing, Puerto Rican rum makers, NASCAR, or film productions, or for that matter most of the content of the 887

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Construction Blog Highlights

Construction Dive

This week's blog highlights from across the industry look at: Teamwork key to successful 4,700 CY concrete pourAffordable Care Act reporting deadline extended two monthsCongressional action in December offers funds for constructionNew silica rules may debut in 2016A case for doing away with vented crawl spaces Read more.

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Optimize Operational Processes With an Industry-Specific ERP

As the use of Enterprise Resource Planning systems in the construction industry is critical to optimizing operations, it's critical that decision makers conduct a thorough software evaluation to find the one that best aligns to their needs.

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Merry Christmas 2015 Wishing You And Yours Peace And Prosperity

Contractor Bookkeeping

Merry Christmas 2015! This Is The Time Of Year For Reflection On All The Good Times Of 2015. Time To Bask In Your Successes, Lessons Learned From Your Challenges. And To Look Forward To A Brighter And Better Year. Wishing You And Yours A Very Merry Christmas!

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Video: 2-Million-Pound Ring Installed at Plant Vogtle

Construction Equipment

The first of three containment vessel rings was lowered into place at Unit 4 of the Plant Vogtle nuclear plant expansion project near Waynesboro, Ga., reports World Nuclear News.

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Your Guide to Better Winter Work Boots

Construction Business Owner

As the temperature begins to drop, workers are preparing for winter replacing their old, worn-out work boots. There are a lot of factors to consider when purchasing safety footwear. Each boot carries a variety of features, technology and protective 
attributes. And once you throw sleet, snow and rain into the mix, the search for the right fit can be overwhelming.
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The one question you should ask at the outset of any lead-responding sales call

Construction Marketing Ideas

Ari Galper. Sales trainer Ari Galper shares a client story in his marketing letter that reminds of the importance of developing a sales and business system that brings humanity and listening into the process as a key element. The client, he said, had developed a solid lead generation system, but the salespeople weren’t converting the leads into orders.

Deals 52
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The Ultimate Procurement Software Buyer’s Guide

Choosing the right procurement software is a crucial step in ensuring third-party risk management, process governance, and bidding efficiency. With so many procurement solutions to choose from, it can be overwhelming without a frame of reference and a solid starting point. This free buyer’s guide will cover: Benefits of Procurement Software –– Why do you need it?

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Lawsuit over First LEED Platinum Building is Over

Green Building Law Update

With an Order Of Judgment, in favor of Permapost Products Company against Weyerhaeuser Company filed on November 17, 2015, resolving the final third party claims, the more than 15 year old disputes and differences over the construction of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Philip Merrill Environmental Center, in Annapolis, Maryland, are over. There is much to learn from this case involving the first ever LEED Platinum building.

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When Is a Low Price Too Low?

Construction Dive

By Bruce Jervis Public project owners are required to solicit competitive bids and proposals in part to assure favorable prices for construction work funded by the taxpayers. Sometimes, however, the lowest price might not be the best deal. If a price is unrealistically low, there is a significant risk that the contractor will perform deficient work and/or fail to complete the project.

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3 Golden Rules Of Proposal Design

Help Everybody Everyday

Proposal design is a challenging topic. Everybody seems to have their own opinion about what your proposals should look like. As someone trying to get a proposal out the door, dealing with proposal design can be frustrating. Especially if the people with those opinions don’t have any graphic design training. While you understand their opinions are important, they can feel arbitrary or baseless.

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Airport Construction to Create 13,000 Jobs

Construction Equipment

Construction at Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans will total $807 million and create approximately 13,000 jobs, reports The Times-Picayune. Construction includes expanding the 650,000-square-foot terminal to 760,500 square feet with 30 gates to accommodate larger jets.

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Stop Making These Mistakes and Start Scaling Your Specialty Contractor Business

Anything that is built on a poor foundation will soon crumble from the ground up. This is literally the case in the construction stage of projects and it applies just the same during the pre-construction stage. This free eBook is your ultimate guide to scaling your business with customizable software as early as during the bidding stage.

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Why You Need to Make the Move to E-Commerce

Construction Business Owner

Like the last marathon runner to cross the finish line, the construction industry has finally caught up to learning the benefits and possibilities of e-commerce. A typical large building may require thousands of separate drawings, modulations in manpower and extra material to complete the job. It is in this last item that the power of e-commerce can truly shine.

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Inbound marketing: How to capture really good leads?

Construction Marketing Ideas

The way you gather names — and their value to your business — depends ultimately on how you frame your relationships, from beginning to end. The online marketing mantra these days is inbound, content marketing. Instead of pounding the pavement, potential clients come to your door, or more accurately, your emailbox. You design a wonderfully effective website, attract enough traffic, and then interested potential purchasers respond at a minimum with their email address, and even more p

Roads 52
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Your Contractor Champion Advocate At Fast Easy Accounting

Contractor Bookkeeping

Contractor Champions At Fast Easy Accounting. Contractor Champions at Fast Easy Accounting are like concierges at a five star hotel. You get all the services at a fraction of the cost.

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Happy Holidays 2015

Construction Dive

The staff at WPL Publishing Co. takes this opportunity to say Thank You to our valued members and readers and to wish you and your families a happy holiday season and a new year filled with health, happiness and prosperity. Please note there will be no publication next week.

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The Specialty Contractor's Guide to Job Cost Accounting

Supply chain challenges and rising material costs are forcing specialty contractors to pay more for what they need to complete each job. Following a simple set of principles, this easy-to-follow guide can help you manage job costs, ease the pains of accounting, and run a more profitable businesses. If you are a Specialty Contractor or Self-performing GC, you do not want to miss out on this essential guide!

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What Federal Contractors Should Know About the “Yates Memo”

Best Practices Construction Law

On September 9, 2015, United States Deputy Attorney General Sally Q. Yates issued a memorandum directing increased focus on individual culpability in matters of corporate wrongdoing. In addition to fines and sanctions against the corporation, the memo highlights six policy directives targeting individuals involved in corporate wrongdoing. If you are a federal contractor, watch out!

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U.S. Steel Shelves Construction of Production Facility

Construction Equipment

U.S. Steel postponed plan to construct a 1.6 million ton electric arc furnace at its Fairfield Works facility in Alabama, reports Forbes. U.S. Steel says it can meet declined demand for steel with its existing production facility.

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Operate Smarter During Lean Times

Construction Business Owner

When the financial forecast for your industry is sunny, making decisions about buying, selling and maintaining your fleet is relatively simple. Working with financial institutions for funding when you need to grow your business tends to go smoothly, and there’s plenty of work to go around. But, when clouds are on the horizon and a slow season approaches, it’s time to assess your biggest spending areas and trim down.

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How to deliver excellent customer service — really

Construction Marketing Ideas

The Customer Think website offers some useful resources on truly improving your client experience. I’ve frequently ranted that any contractor who asserts in marketing materials: “We deliver excellent customer service” receives an instant Marketing “F” I mean, what business do we have to make that claim — the only people with the right (marketing-wise) would be your customers — expressed through testimonials, word-of-mouth and referrals.

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Report: Optimism for Construction Growth in the Next Year Remains High

Research reveals 96% of respondents are very or fairly optimistic about their organization’s growth prospects for the next year. The InEight Global Capital Projects Outlook also finds over half see digital technology as the greatest growth opportunity. But these are only some of the findings. Don't be kept in the dark when it comes to the future. Read the report today!

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Bookkeeper Training In The Art And Science Of Construction Accounting

Contractor Bookkeeping

Is Your Bookkeeper A Keeper? Do You Want To Keep Them For As Long As Possible? Do You Wish They Were Better At Construction Accounting? 50% of the problem is QuickBooks setup was done wrong and it causes you, the contractor, lots of pain and agony. 30% of the problem is knowing how transactions for your contracting company are different from regular bookkeeping. 20% of the problem is your Bookkeeper doesn't love solving puzzles and detective work; they are in the wrong profession.

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Drones for Project Controls and Other Uses on Construction Projects

Construction Dive

While the public awaits the FAA’s proposed new rules easing restrictions on using drones, the number of construction companies applying for and receiving FAA’s “333” exemptions under the current regulations continues to rise. The fact that this exemption requires the operator to have a pilot’s license demonstrates that the value from using drones is worth the trouble and cost.

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New Executive Order Requires Paid Sick Leave for Federal Contractors

Best Practices Construction Law

I have seven kids. I fully understand the importance of “leave” from work when another kid comes along (… how did that happen?… ) or when a close family member is sick. But right now, they are all happy. Signed by President Barack Obama on September 7, 2015, Executive Order No. 13706 will require federal contractors and subcontractors to provide employees with one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, which is up to seven days of paid sick leave per year.