Sat.Jan 23, 2016 - Fri.Jan 29, 2016

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Construct a Solid Foundation with Your Business Partner

Construction Business Owner

Both you and your business partner bring different skills and contacts to your working relationship, and you seem well suited for each other. But, before you move forward, consider some key aspects of the relationship to ensure you have a common understanding of any issues that may arise. And, because it is impossible to predict any problem situations, it is helpful to develop one or more agreed upon methods for resolving inevitable concerns.

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OSHRC rules on “unexpected energization” in LOTO standard

FDR Safety

By Mike Taubitz. In a significant decision, the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission has ruled that OSHA’s lockout/tagout standard cannot be applied where unexpected energization cannot occur. The decision stemmed from a case in which Alro Steel Corp. was cited for a serious violation regarding the company’s practices for changing band saw blades.

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Welcome Back AEC – Please Stick Around For A While

Constructonomics

While we may not often talk about them, we all remember the dark ages. These are the years where work in the architecture, engineering, and construction field fell to levels not seen for, at a minimum, decades. I was not one of the lucky who lived in a castle with a moat, so I was left scrounging and fighting for work (and writing a blog about it). I cringe at the thought of years like 2009, 2010, and (gasp) 2011.

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Mr. Ethics - January 2016

Mr Ethics

Dear Mr. Ethics, Our heavy highway construction department has been underperforming for years. The managing board has decided to remove the management team of that department. What we can’t decide upon is whether to provide those individuals with severance packages or not. Some believe providing a severance package to an underperforming team is unethical.

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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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Owning Better End Results

Construction Business Owner

It is a constant struggle to provide training for employees. To address this, managers must place training in the proper perspective. The old adage is appropriate here: "What if we train them and they leave?" Worse yet, what if you don't train them, and they stay? Another though to consider: If you think training is expensive, try ignorance. The Gallup Polling organization developed 12 questions often used in surveys to find out the engagement and satisfaction of employees, which yielded Gallup'

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Hyundai to unveil new HX, HW and HL machines at Bauma

Digger Blog

Hyundai is showing a grand total of 24 construction machines and nine forklift models on its 3,447 m2 outdoors stand. Hyundai is showing a grand total of 24 construction machines and nine forklift models on its 3,447 m2 outdoors stand.

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Mr. Ethics - January 2016

Mr Ethics

Dear Mr. Ethics, Our heavy highway construction department has been underperforming for years. The managing board has decided to remove the management team of that department. What we can’t decide upon is whether to provide those individuals with severance packages or not. Some believe providing a severance package to an underperforming team is unethical.

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How to Strengthen Your Digital Marketing

Construction Business Owner

Before the Internet, the main way brands reached consumers was through advertising in newspapers, magazines, television commercials, billboards and on the radio. While traditional marketing channels are still prevalent, they are not always an option for most businesses because of high costs. Digital marketing is cost effective, easily measurable and can reach a global audience.

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Hello world!

The Constructor

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!

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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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Honey, What Did You Put in the Trash?

Construction Equipment

This neighborhood in New Jersey was shaken up when a garbage truck's natural gas tank exploded in the middle of the street. Debris flew out like missiles into homes while the fire melted the sides of other homes nearby. Firefighters were quick on the scene to rescue people whose homes were caught in the crossfire.

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Mr. Ethics - January 2016

Mr Ethics

Dear Mr. Ethics, Our heavy highway construction department has been underperforming for years. The managing board has decided to remove the management team of that department. What we can’t decide upon is whether to provide those individuals with severance packages or not. Some believe providing a severance package to an underperforming team is unethical.

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The Benefits of Cloud Control

Construction Business Owner

In recent years, numerous software and app companies have joined the game of trying to solve construction business owners' mobile workforce management problems. Contractors still using a paper-based time tracking system grapple with questions like, "How do I know when an employee or crew actually showed up to work, and that they are not exaggerating their hours?

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If you are doing business right, your old customers will be there again

Construction Marketing Ideas

reminds us in this post, The Quickest Way to Get New Jobs, about the oldest and most obvious fact of life in marketing in the architectural, engineering and construction community: Most of your business (if you are doing things right) will arise from repeat and referral clients. His suggestion, if you need to find some new business: Develop an offer for your “old” customers.

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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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El Nino Putting Pressure on Pushed Back Projects

Construction Equipment

James Mo ore, professor of civil engineering and public policy at the University of Southern California, has studied how Caltrans plans and responds to natural disasters like the Northridge earthquake, and says it's impossible to measure the agency's performance without considering the political gridlock in finding funds for repairs.

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Illinois Is Top State For LEED Green Building

Buisness Facilities Contributed Content

Illinois Is Top State For LEED Green Building originally appeared on Business Facilities (BF) Magazine. Illinois retained its top national position on USGBC ’s annual Top 10 States for LEED list for the third year in a row, with 161 LEED certifications representing 3.43 square feet of certified space per resident. USGBC’s annual Top 10 States for LEED list highlights states throughout the country that are making significant strides in sustainable building design, construction and transformation.

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How to Recruit Like a Marketer

Construction Business Owner

When it comes to outlining the pillars of successful marketing, take it from bestselling author and entrepreneur Seth Godin: “Our job [as marketers] is to connect to people, to interact with them in a way that leaves them better than we found them, more able to get them where they’d like to go.”.

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Retargetting, pay per click advertising, and external agencies/support (when to use them)?

Construction Marketing Ideas

A Wikipedia image describing Moxie Sozo , a Boulder, Colorado-based design and advertising agency founded in 1999 by Leif Steiner. Throughout the history of modern advertising, businesses have had the choice of purchasing their advertising directly or using agencies. Media outlets such as ours have staff who will sell the advertising directly and if you really know what you are doing and elect to market within a limited number of media outlets, the do-it-yourself approach makes sense.

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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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A Big Korte Welcome to Michael Bechtel

The Korte Company

The Korte Company welcomes Michael Bechtel to its Las Vegas Division. Michael comes to the company with over 10 years’ experience in the construction industry, working for a large construction firm before heading up his own Design-Build construction company which specialized in self-performing federal and military projects.

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U.S. Green Building Council releases its annual Top 10 States for LEED Green Building

Contractor Magazine

Illinois leads among all U.S. states for the third consecutive year; LEED momentum grows on the West Coast. Today, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced its annual Top 10 States for LEED, the world’s most widely used and recognized green building rating system. read more.

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Gregg Schoppman's Top Tips in 2015

Construction Business Owner

As a consultant with FMI, Gregg Schoppman specializes in the areas of productivity and project management and has expertise in contract delivery methods across many geographical markets. In his monthly columns, he provides you with real-world advice on ethics, team leadership and good business sense. In case you missed one, here's a recap to refer back to as you begin to build a business strategy for 2016. .

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Opportunities won, opportunities lost (and the importance of developing your presentation skills)

Construction Marketing Ideas

Speaking at a small event (not the one I report here). Done right, it can lead to bigger things; done wrong, it can be a major lost opportunity, The association committee chair and successful entrepreneur made a special request. Could I attend one of his committee meetings to hear a guest speaker discussing the impact of an important issue, climate change, on the industry in our area?

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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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Update: Terex Rejects Zoomlion Takeover Approach

Construction Equipment

Terex has reportedly rebuffed the proposal from the Chinese manufacturer and is focused on completing its merger with Konecranes. Zoomlion has not abandoned its interest in Terex but it is not clear if the company will improve on its offer. Zoomlion is China’s second biggest maker of construction equipment by revenue and has announced $793 million of acquisitions in the past five years.

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Streamline Your Contracting Company Operations With This Checklist

Contractor Bookkeeping

You are an intelligent Contractor which means you know how to operate your construction company and the biggest barrier to your success is getting your employees to do what you want them to do, when you want them to do it, and do it the way you know works best.

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George Hedley's Top Tips in 2015

Construction Business Owner

In 2015, George Hedley focused on personalizing your company to operate at optimum levels of efficiency, while also valuing your employees and maximizing training opportunities. In case you missed one of his monthly columns, here's a recap to refer back to as you begin to reshape your company and its culture in 2016. .

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Best Construction Blog competition: Nominations close in three days

Construction Marketing Ideas

A montage based on a Google image search for “best construction blog” You will help the search engine status of the blogs you support by entering them in the competition. Nominations for the 2016 Best Construction Blog competition close in three days (January 31). So far, there are about two dozen entries. (Several blogs have been nominated by more than one person, and it is possible a few may not qualify, but most look like they will be eligible to move to the next stage — re

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Discover 7 Ways to Cut Construction Inefficiencies

Construction sites are often just-barely-controlled chaos. Without clear coordination, you risk everything from clashes to delays, cancellations, and missed deadlines. Get the free eBook & learn how to solve the biggest challenges in construction!

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Cat Revises 2016 Sales and Revenues Outlook

Construction Equipment

Caterpillar announced it does not anticipate the world's economic growth or commodity prices to improve in 2016 and has revised its earlier outlook, dropping yearlong 2016 expectations by 10 percent. With sales and revenues expected to be in the range of $40 to $44 billion, Cat sees a decline of $3.5 billion from its October 2015 preliminary outlook.

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Are “Unabsorbed” Office Costs Real Damages?

Construction Dive

By Bruce Jervis The Eichleay formula, used for calculating and recovering home office overhead in a delay situation, has long been controversial. Critics say these general and administrative expenses are fixed; a delay or suspension of work in the field does not increase them. However, delay in performance results in delay in payment. If periodic progress payments are extended over a longer period of time, the contract does not cover, or absorb, fixed costs at the rate anticipated when the contr

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Guide to a Payment Plan Upgrade

Construction Business Owner

The construction industry has a payment problem. The razor-thin margins, complicated payment structure, high failure rates throughout the payment chain, hidden parties, risk of liens or double payment and confusing and contractual clauses all combine to make streamlined, efficient construction payment difficult.

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