Construction Executive Magazine, May 2009

Transcription

Welcome to the Digital Edition of
EXECUTIVE
Construction
THE MAGAZINE FOR THE BUSINESS OF CONSTRUCTION
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SPECI AL SEC T ION: SCHOOL S OF CONS TRUC T ION
EXECUTIVE
Construction
THE MAGA Z INE FOR THE BUSINESS OF CONS TRUCT ION
May 2009
ALSO:
A MASONRY
FIRM WITH
FAMILY ROOTS
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contents
m ay 2 0 0 9
c onstruc t ion e xecut i ve
F EATU R ES
18Outpacing the Competition
Contractors perform with precision to meet high
expectations for state-of-the-art professional and collegiate
sports venues in Florida, Texas, Maryland and Arizona.
26 Family Matters
From Italy to Souderton, Pa., family-owned masonry
contractor Corrado & Sons, Inc. emphasizes quality service
and exceptional craftsmanship.
32An Industry with Opportunity
Sureties focus on recruiting, training and retaining
employees as prospects for employment in the surety
industry remain favorable despite the economy.
18
SPECIAL SECTION:
SCHOOLS OF CONSTRUCTION
36Charting the [Construction Management]
Course
40 Directory of Schools of Construction
D E P A R TMENTS
2On the Level
4 Washington Update
8Economic Outlook
26
32
12Construction Headlines
14Tech Trends
53Software & Technology Showcase
66 Workforce Development
68 Risk Management
72 Going Green
76 Business Development
78Around the Nation
80Community Spotlight
36
june PREVIEW
COVER: DALLAS COWBOYS STADIUM, ARLINGTON, TEXAS.
PHOTO COURTESY OF HKS SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT GROUP,
PHOTOGRAPHER DARYL SHIELDS, HKS INC.
Check out next month’s issue for coverage of sustainable schools
and profiles of Associated Builders and Contractors’ Craft
Professional of the Year and Craft Instructor of the Year.
May 2009 Construction Executive
|1
on the level
b y K irk P i c k e r e l
The Magazine for the
Business of Construction
Sports and More
Publisher
Whether it’s baseball, basketball, football or swimming—professional or college—today’s
state-of-the-art sports facilities give more than just the home team something to cheer
about. The Dallas Cowboys welcome a brand new stadium next month that surely will
score a touchdown with loyal fans. This $1 billion, 2.3 million-square-foot stadium, the
largest in the National Football League, demonstrates the impressive teamwork and collaboration of nearly 100 construction firms.
On the college level, University of Maryland football fans also will soon see a new and
improved Byrd Stadium at its College Park, Md., campus, with luxury suites and new
broadcast booths for the media. In this issue, “Outpacing the Competition” highlights the
contractors involved in these projects as well as other unique sports-related construction
projects across the country.
Just in time for the graduation season, Construction Executive presents its first annual Directory of Schools of Construction. The college and
university listings in this special section provide
details on construction-related degrees, including
majors, program length and cost. We hope this
serves as a resource for both contractors recruiting new graduates and young people considering
careers in construction. Also, take a minute to
read “Charting the [Construction Management]
Course” to learn more about education trends for
future construction professionals.
And, for college students donning caps and
gowns this month and construction firms seeking
new talent, Associated Builders and Contractors is launching a new web-based program
to connect qualified construction professionals with employers. ConstructionJobNetwork.
com, an industry-based website, is powered by the nation’s leading job board developer,
which works with more than 1,000 associations and newspapers.
Subscribing employers can link to a vast network of construction professionals who are
currently in the job market. Search results are enhanced by an exclusive “spidering” technology that connects qualified job seekers with an employer’s specific job posting criteria,
including skill sets that range from recent college graduates to experienced senior-level
managers. For more information, visit ConstructionJobNetwork.com.
As always, we welcome any comments you have on the magazine: email editor@
constructionexec.com or visit www. constructionexec.com for new and archived content.
Jeffrey preHn ©
Kirk Pickerel
Publisher
2
| Construction Executive May 2009
M. Kirk Pickerel, CAE
President/CEO
Executive Editor
Gail A. Raiman
Vice President, Public Affairs
editor-in-Chief
Lisa A. Nardone
A s s i s ta n t E d i t o r
Lauren Pinch
Senior Writer
Joanna Masterson
Design and Production
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Donald R. Berry,
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Stephen B. Donohue,
Regional Sales Manager, (609) 654-4568
[email protected]
Construction Executive (ISSN 1544-3620, Vol.
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Editorial Advisory Board
Roberta Adams, TDIndustries
Carole Bionda, Nova Group, Inc.
William Fairchild, R.W. Murray Co.
Mike Goodrich, BE&K, Inc.
Sue McNiel, Associated Builders and
Contractors’ Southern California Chapter
Bill Pinto, Hardin Construction
Company, LLC
Marc Ramsey, Surety Information Office
Ed Rojeck, Tradesmen International
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Roundtable
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Constructors
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W a s h i n g t o n u pd a t e
B y S e a n Th u r m a n
G
A Tale of Two
Rulemakings
overnment regulations affect every aspect of business, from the
federal tax code and wage requirements
to safety and health rules. At times, rulemaking processes follow unanticipated trajectories, ending up mired in draft stages
for years, or delayed indefinitely even after
gaining final approval.
Recently, two rulemakings originating from the U.S. Department of Labor
(DOL) took unexpected turns. Although
the rules came from different DOL agencies and pertained to different issues, both
carried over from the Bush administration,
have yet to be fully resolved and stand to
significantly impact the open shop construction industry.
OSHA’s Proposed Crane Safety Rule
Last fall, DOL’s Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA) released
a long-awaited proposed rule outlining
safety measures for cranes and derricks in
construction. Earlier this year, employer
groups, organized labor and others weighed
in on OSHA’s proposal. Public feedback
was generally supportive, but a small
number of employer groups—Associated
Builders and Contractors (ABC), Associated General Contractors (AGC) and the
National Association of Home Builders
(NAHB)—identified concerns with specific areas of the proposed rule.
These associations quickly drew the ire
of health and safety advocates, who claimed
the employer stakeholders were wrong to
offer critiques because of their involvement
in a 2004 “negotiated rulemaking” (regneg) in which the construction industry
met to hash out general guidelines for a
future rule on crane safety. Many of the
health and safety advocates stated publicly
that anything less than complete praise for
the rule at this stage in the rulemaking process was considered negative and contrary
to the spirit of negotiated rulemaking.
4
In reality, these organizations had two
objectives in mind: improve the proposed
rule by helping OSHA clarify confusing
regulatory text and significantly reduce any
burdens the proposed rule could impose
as currently written. The groups sought
to help OSHA publish the best regulation possible and to make crane operations
safer on worksites around the country.
Unfortunately, some stakeholders
refused to see the efforts of these groups
as anything less than obstructionist, essentially stating that employers were bent
on delaying this crucial safety regulation
indefinitely.
Groups that do not agree with a proposed rule have a responsibility to make
OSHA aware of their concerns, especially when a failure to do so could result
in hazards. Trade associations and labor
groups do their members a disservice if
they do not provide OSHA with wellinformed and thoughtful feedback and
suggestions.
Even OSHA has acknowledged that,
despite the efforts of the reg-neg participants and agency staff during the past five
years, a significant number of concerns
regarding the proposed rule remain—
concerns the agency has yet to address.
Currently, the crane rule must be
revised to make it easier for its primary
audience—construction employers and
crane operators—to use.
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wa sh i n gt o n up d at e
It appears unlikely OSHA’s final rule
on cranes and derricks will come any earlier than 2010, and the actual publication
date remains unknown.
DOL’s Final Rule Revising Financial
Disclosure Reports for Unions
Another rulemaking that has taken a
bizarre turn involves DOL’s revisions to
Form LM-2, which tracks union finances.
DOL set out to craft the LM-2 rule to
promote and ensure greater transparency in
union expenditures. The record developed
��
by DOL’s Office of Labor Management
Standards (OLMS) prior to issuing the
final rule clearly demonstrated the need
for the revised requirements. As the agency
recognized when it released the proposed
revisions, the rule “promote[d] both labor
organization’s own interests…and the
interests of the public and government.”
Unfortunately, within weeks of the
LM-2 rule’s publication, DOL announced
it was delaying implementation of the
rule until April and reopened the regulatory record to solicit additional public
��
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feedback. Then, in an unexpected move,
DOL announced an additional delay of
the final rule until October and publicized yet another round of post-final rule
comments. This time, DOL admitted the
additional time also was being requested
to consider complete rescission of the
LM-2 rule.
DOL’s actions have been unusual,
even erratic. No new developments justify
delaying or scrapping the LM-2 rule. In
addition, the rule clearly meets the Obama
administration’s current eight-point standard for regulatory review.
What is causing this strange behavior from DOL? Quite simply, efforts are
under way to dramatically reduce OLMS’
enforcement capability. This would prevent individual union members and the
public from seeing how union leaders are
spending their members’ funds.
Past OLMS statistics speak volumes
about widespread union corruption in
recent years. According to OLMS’ 2008
annual report, the agency obtained more
than 900 convictions for embezzlement
and other crimes uncovered through
financial reporting. OLMS also recovered
more than $91.5 million in misappropriated union funds since 2001. In fiscal year
2008 alone, the agency obtained 103 criminal convictions and more than $3 million
in restitution. Clearly, corruption among
union leaders continues to threaten union
members and public funds.
Last month, ABC, several employer
groups and members of Congress voiced
strong opposition to DOL’s efforts to
rescind the LM-2 rule. Opponents of
DOL’s actions have noted that any attempt
to delay or rescind the final rule would be
entirely without merit and solely based on
political motives. Furthermore, opponents
point out that doing so would risk DOL’s
credibility and jeopardize the Obama
administration’s goal of promoting financial and governmental transparency.
Stakeholders will have to wait until
October to learn the fate of the LM-2
rule, but it is important to note that DOL’s
actions may not withstand judicial scrutiny, particularly if it opts to rescind the
final rule.
��
Any tax advice included in this communication is not intended or written to be used, and it cannot be used
by any taxpayer, for the purpose of avoiding penalties that may be imposed on the taxpayer.
Stop by and see us at the CFMA Conference! Booth #105
6
Sean Thurman is coordinator of legal and
regulatory affairs for Associated Builders
and Contractors.
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economic ou t l ook
B y A n i r ba n B a s u
mericans certainly are passionate about sports,
which translates into magnificent
facilities and unique architectural,
engineering and construction
opportunities. Since 1990, construction of stadiums and arenas
for professional sports franchises
has boomed. In that time, Major
League Baseball (MLB) has
opened 19 new stadiums and, as
of 2008, started construction on
three others. The National Football League (NFL) has opened
17 stadiums and completed
major renovations to four others.
In 2008, three more NFL projects were
under construction, and four were in various stages of planning and negotiations.
One of the ongoing policy debates
is whether local and state governments
should help finance and subsidize the construction of these facilities, and to what
extent. The public share of stadium costs
has ranged from 58 percent to 63 percent
since 2000. A September 2006 report
from the U.S. Government Accountability Office found municipalities borrowed
a total of $61 billion between 2000 and
2004—$5.3 billion of which was for stadiums and arenas.
According to a 2007 paper by Chad
Seifried and Dave Shonk (“American
Professional Sport Facilities: Considerations for the Future”), between 1990 and
1999, $4.4 billion was spent to engineer
and construct 18 MLB and NFL facilities
across the United States. While the 1990s
saw aggressive stadium building, it pales in
comparison to the current decade. According to the same source, between 2000 and
2010, nearly $13 billion will be spent to
build 28 MLB and NFL facilities.
Some economists argue that these sports
facilities frequently represent net fiscal
8
generated by minor leagues, colleges and universities, and high
schools. Much of this construction is publicly financed, at least
in part.
Limiting Opportunities
liabilities to communities, with the benefits of construction and operations concentrated among a few and the costs spread
out among many. In general, studies find
the economic and fiscal benefits fall short
of the cost of the investment. According to
University of Maryland-Baltimore County
professor Dennis Coates, “There is little
evidence of large increases in income or
employment associated with the introduction of professional sports or the construction of new stadiums.” Indeed, Coates and
author Brad Humphreys found in many
local economies, “employment in the retail
and service sectors has dropped because of
professional sports.”
Other economists find these facilities
represent effective mechanisms for stimulating the redevelopment of communities,
including those in distressed urban settings.
They also point out the benefits of these
facilities are not properly measured because
analysts fail to consider that sports can
yield quality of life improvements. Sports
are among the great unifiers in America,
which is particularly important given the
diversity of the nation’s population.
In addition to construction of facilities
for professional sports, opportunities are
Debates regarding stadium and
arena construction are often
fierce. Not surprisingly, among
the key participants in the politicking are labor unions, which
seek to limit the number of bidders by requiring the use of union
workers. Union-only project
labor agreements (PLAs) often
become part of the construction process,
robbing open shop contractors of significant opportunities in sports construction.
Policymakers often acquiesce to union
demands because it may help build public
support for financing deals. As an example,
23 labor unions lobbied in Harrisburg,
Pa., for funding of the Pittsburgh Pirates’
PNC Park, which then was subjected to
a PLA.
Opponents of PLAs have argued for
years that union labor requirements produce inefficiency and drive up costs; costs
ultimately borne by the taxpayer. One of
the most prominent examples is the Seattle Mariners’ Safeco Field. The original
cost estimate for the new stadium was
$320 million. According to a 2005 report
by Venable LLP attorney Maurice Baskin
(“Union-Only Project Labor Agreements:
The Public Record of Poor Performance”),
the stadium’s final price tag exceeded $517
million—roughly 60 percent more than
the original estimate. At the time, the cost
overruns made this union project the most
expensive stadium ever built in the United
States.
By contrast, the Baltimore Orioles’
Camden Yards, often considered one of
Chris Robertson/Getty Images
A
National Pastimes:
A Cost Analysis
TOM KRIPPENE
Executive Vice President
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Economic Outlook
LOCATION
COST
YEAR
Green Bay, Wis.
$295 million
2003
Lincoln Financial Field
Philadelphia
$512 million
2003
Citizens Bank Park
Philadelphia
$346 million
2004
San Diego
$457 million
2004
the finest facilities in MLB, was built
without union-only rules and suffered no
cost overruns.
In another example, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Gund Arena incurred $12 million
in cost overruns during the mid-1990s.
Additionally, safety problems plagued
Milwaukee’s Miller Park and allegations
of discrimination arose during construction of Detroit’s Comerica Park.
Scottsdale, Ariz.
$455 million
2006
The Future
St. Louis
$365 million
2006
Indianapolis
$625 million
2008
Washington, D.C.
$611 million
2008
Arlington, Texas
$650 million
2009
Citi Ballpark
Flushing, N.Y.
$632 million
2009
Yankee Stadium
New York City
$1 billion
2009
East Rutherford, N.J.
$900 million
2009
Target Field
Minneapolis
$522 million
2010
Cisco Field
Oakland, Calif.
$450 million
2012
Given the state of the economy and public
financing, the nation likely faces diminished sports construction volumes in the
years ahead. Moreover, the demand for
new facilities has been dampened by the
wave of construction that has taken place
during the past two decades. This period
of respite represents an opportunity for the
industry and for academics to determine
the true costs and benefits of PLAs, and
to improve the policymaking environment
in advance of the next wave of sports construction that is sure to come.
New Professional Sports Stadiums
2003–2012
STADIUM NAME
Lambeau Field
Petco Park
University of Phoenix
Stadium
Busch Stadium
Lucas Oil Stadium
Washington Nationals
Ballpark
Texas Stadium
Meadowlands Stadium
AGGREGATED COST
$7.8 billion
Source: Seifried and Shonk (2007)
Anirban Basu is chief economist of
Associated Builders and Contractors.
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2009 ABC
LEGISLATIVE
CONFERENCE
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JUNE 23-25
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merit shop initiatives in coordinated
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Employee Free
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Business Tax
Increases
Learn effective ways to make
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Join the discussion and let
your representatives know
that raising tax rates is the
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Energy Policy
Healthcare Costs
Share your perspectives on
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should be, from the
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For more information and to register visit www.abc.org/LegCon .
construction
headlines
BY JOANNA MASTERSON
Federal Entities Announce
Stimulus Expenditure Plans
[INDUS TRY
Construction
Financial
Management
Association National
Convention
May 16–20
Las Vegas
12
largest share of funding (about $1.2 billion)
going toward retrofits and new construction in Washington, D.C. More than $4.2
billion is set aside for high-performance
green building modernization projects.
Additionally, more than $733 million will
be spent on federal buildings and U.S.
courthouses, including about $450 million to convert part of the St. Elizabeths
Hospital campus in Washington, D.C., into
headquarters for the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security. Border stations and
land ports of entry will receive $300 million,
with the largest project in Nogales, Ariz.
For more information, visit www.gsa.gov.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s $6
billion portion of the stimulus bill will go
toward accelerating cleanup of soil and
groundwater, transporting and disposing
waste, and cleaning and demolishing
former weapons facilities. Washington
and South Carolina will receive the
most funding—$1.961 billion and
$1.615 billion, respectively. Other
states with funded projects in
the pipeline include Tennessee,
Idaho, New Mexico, New York,
Ohio, Utah, Illinois, Kentucky,
California and Nevada.
For more information,
visit www.doe.gov.
EVENTS CALENDAR
Associated Builders
and Contractors
Legislative
Conference
June 23–25
Washington, D.C.
| Construction EXECUTIVE May 2009
]
Associated Builders
and Contractors
Excellence Awards
June 24
Washington, D.C.
National Association
of Women in
Construction
Convention
Aug. 26–29
Phoenix
WRAPPING UP NEARLY two years of
study, the bipartisan congressionally created National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission released
a report proposing a 10 cent-per-gallon
gas tax increase (15 cents for diesel fuel) to
restore the Highway Trust Fund in the short
term. The gas tax, which has not changed
since 1993, also would be indexed for
inflation. The increase would result in about
$5 more a month per vehicle or $9 more
per household, raising about $20 billion for
transportation investment, according to the
commission.
In the coming decade, as fuel-efficient
vehicles become more prominent, the commission proposes transitioning
to a vehicle miles traveled tax. In addition to
a federal
mileage-based charge,
this tax would allow state
and local governments to
raise their share of needed
revenues through tolling
and congestion pricing.
In urging the federal government to take swift action to
strengthen the Highway Trust
Fund, the commission noted the
PETER DAZELEY/GETTY IMAGES
THE U.S. DEPARTMENT of Defense
(DoD) released details on $5.9 billion in
new construction and renovation projects
in all 50 states, the District of Columbia,
Guam and Puerto Rico to be funded by the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
of 2009. The plan includes $2.3 billion for
family housing, child development centers
and energy conservation projects. California will see the most projects (29 valued at
$772 million), including a major hospital at
Camp Pendleton, followed by Virginia (11)
and North Carolina (seven). The six projects
planned for Texas will cost $726 million,
driven in part by a major hospital project at
Fort Hood.
An additional $3.4 billion will go toward
nearly 3,000 facility sustainment, restoration and modernization projects—the
vast majority of which will involve energy
initiatives. California again boasts the most
projects, followed by Texas, Georgia and
Colorado. Several projects already have
been awarded, and nearly all projects are
expected to start by the end of the year.
For more information, visit www.defenselink.mil/recovery.
The U.S. General Services Administration also plans to expend its $5.55 billion
authorized by the stimulus bill on projects
in all 50 states and territories, with the
COMMISSION CALLS
FOR GAS TAX INCREASE
recently enacted economic stimulus bill’s
$40 billion in transportation infrastructure
spending only will cover a small portion of
the funding shortfall—equating to about
four months of needed investment. For
more information, visit financecommission.
dot.gov.
HOUSE PASSES LEGISLATION
TO IMPROVE WATER QUALITY
DIGITAL VISION/PUNCHSTOCK
THE U.S. HOUSE of Representatives
voted 317-101 in favor of the Water Quality
Investment Act of 2009 (H.R. 1262), calling
for a five-year total investment of $18.5
billion to address the nation’s water infrastructure needs. Among other things, the
measure would authorize $13.8 billion for
the Environmental Protection Agency’s
State Revolving Fund—starting with $2.4
billion in 2010. It also would allocate $2.5
billion to control combined and sanitary
sewer overflows and $250 million for
alternative water source projects.
Amendments proposing annual EPA
performance reviews and requiring states
to set aside grants for green infrastructure
and small municipalities were approved,
but Rep. Connie Mack’s (R-Fla.) proposal
to eliminate Davis-Bacon Act provisions
from the bill was struck down by a 140-284
vote. Companion legislation has not yet
been introduced in the Senate.
WITH CURRENT AUTHORIZATIONS
about to expire, Congress approved
short-term funding for the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA)—providing $3.9 billion
for the Airport Improvement Program and
extending the aviation excise taxes through
Sept. 30. Meanwhile, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee signed
off on a new four-year, $70 billion authorization bill. In addition to funds for research,
engineering and development, the FAA
Reauthorization Act of 2009 (H.R. 915)
would provide $16.2 billion for the Airport
Improvement Program and $13.4 billion for
facilities and equipment.
NATION EARNS DISMAL
INFRASTRUCTURE GRADES
IN ITS ANNUAL report card, the American Society of Civil Engineers assigned
a cumulative grade “D” to the nation’s
infrastructure and proposed an estimated
five-year investment of $2.2 trillion to make
needed repairs and upgrades. Aviation,
dams, drinking water, energy, hazardous
waste, inland waterways, levees, roads,
schools, transit and wastewater sectors
earned a D or D- grade. Bridges (C), public
parks and recreation (C-), rail (C) and solid
waste (C+) performed slightly better. For
state-by-state details, visit www.asce.org/
reportcard.
MERGER YIELDS LARGEST
U.S. HOMEBUILDING COMPANY
IN A BID to survive the housing slump,
Pulte Homes, Inc. acquired Centex Corporation in a stock-for-stock transaction
valued at $3.1 billion, including $1.8 billion
of net debt. In the past year, the value of
Centex and Pulte dropped 70 percent and
30 percent, respectively. Combined, they
have an estimated $3.4 billion in cash and
a market value of $4.1 billion. The newly
formed company will retain the Pulte name
and will be based in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.,
with access to land in 59 U.S. markets.
The parties expect the transaction to be
completely approved by the third quarter
of 2009.
EPA UNVEILS CITIES WITH MOST ENERGY STAR BUILDINGS
THE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL Protection
Agency recently revealed the metropolitan
areas with the most Energy Star-rated buildings in 2008 were Los Angeles, San Francisco,
Houston, Washington, D.C., Dallas, Chicago,
Denver, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Atlanta and
Seattle.
In 2008, more than 3,300 commercial
buildings and manufacturing plants earned
an Energy Star rating, representing savings
of more than $1 billion in utility bills and more
than 7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide
emissions. Altogether, the nation has more than
6,200 Energy Star buildings, with annual utility
savings exceeding $1.7 billion. For more information, visit www.energystar.gov/buildinglist.
American Road
& Transportation
Builders Association
National Convention
Oct. 6–9
Charleston, S.C.
Associated Builders
and Contractors
Institute for
Leadership and
Professional
Development
Oct. 21–22
Orlando, Fla.
DIGITAL VISION/PHOTOLIBRARY
SEAN JUSTICE/GETTY IMAGES
FAA FUNDING EXTENDED
WHILE NEW BILL IS CRAFTED
Los Angeles
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May 2009 Construction EXECUTIVE
| 13
tech t r end s
By Fred Ode
D
Why Now Is the Time
To Upgrade Accounting
Software
uring tough economic times,
the trick is to decide where to cut costs
and where to spend. Proactive contractors
choose to invest in tools that will increase
productivity and efficiency and help them
compete better in the long term.
Specifically, contractors are investing in
sophisticated job cost accounting software
for three important reasons.
New technology can feel like a doubleedged sword. When business is booming, contractors usually have little time
to research, purchase and implement
new applications. And when business is
slow, they have less incentive to spend the
money.
However, time is money when it comes
to accounting software technology. Construction-specific systems can improve not
just day-to-day bookkeeping and accounting tasks, but also job cost reporting, financial reporting, equipment management and
countless other construction functions. A
coordinated effort among everyone—from
the owner and project managers to the
controller and accountant—is necessary
to find and properly implement the best
accounting software system.
Despite the advantages, implementing new accounting software initiatives
requires time to research, gain feedback
from staff members, convert historical
data, train employees and go live. Forwardthinking contractors are taking advantage
of today’s business slowdown to train their
employees thoroughly so they will be better able to compete when the economy
rebounds.
14
Public Works Opportunities
and Reporting Requirements
Increased funding for state public works
projects is a silver lining in a hypercompetitive market. Whether a contractor
has experience with government funded
jobs or hopes to enter the public works
arena for the first time, construction-specific
accounting software is one tool it cannot
afford to be without.
The recently passed stimulus package,
which promises billions of dollars in infrastructure funding, carries with it the complex reporting requirements associated with
all projects funded by the federal government. Prevailing wage requirements and, in
particular, the U.S. Department of Labor’s
certified payroll requirements, make it difficult for many contractors to compete for
these jobs and still make a profit.
Dennis Harms/Images.com
Time and Resources
Tech trends
construction-specific accounting software
systems offer government contractors.
Without the ability to instantly track
and report employees by job, trade or hour,
a company might have to hire two or three
full-time employees to keep up with compliance requirements on a public works
project.
The ability to set different rate tables
for distinct geographical areas and jobs,
properly allocate and accrue fringe benefits,
and generate certified payroll reporting and
other extensive reporting capabilities are
just some of the advantages sophisticated
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By investing in tools that provide information to control job costs and improve profits, contractors position their companies to
not only weather the current conditions,
but also to emerge from the downturn
even stronger.
Construction-specific applications provide numerous competitive advantages
compared to generic or outdated software.
From a job costing standpoint, integrated
systems provide contractors with reporting
flexibility and unlimited access to timely
and accurate job data—from the big picture down to the smallest detail. From a
financial reporting standpoint, contractors
can feel confident that all reports, including over/under-billings, overhead allocation and cash flow by job, are accurate and
instantly accessible.
Not only does this help contractors
during taxes and audits, but it also ensures
they have the bulletproof reporting needed
to acquire bank loans and surety bonds in
a tightening credit market. Date-sensitive
systems allow contractors to pull detailed
job data from any time period, even years
after closing the books. This information is critical for preparing accurate bids
and budgets, which leads to greater profit
potential.
No one knows how long the current
slowdown will last, but experts agree
on two things: The U.S. economy will
rebound, and construction is key to that
recovery. The real question is: What will
construction companies look like when the
dust settles?
Contractors that invest now in sophisticated construction accounting software
are sure to benefit from improved job
cost reporting and financial management
capabilities, not to mention timesaving
efficiencies. But more importantly, these
contractors are likely to emerge stronger
and leaner than competitors that chose
caution over innovation.
Fred Ode is CEO of Foundation Software,
Brunswick, Ohio. For more information, call
(800) 246-0800, email fred@foundationsoft.
com or visit www.foundationsoft.com.
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Myro rosky, rosky iMages
outpacing the
CONTRACTORS PERFORM AT THEIR
FINEST TO BUILD SPORTS VENUES
18
| Construction ExEcutivE May 2009
hks sports anD entertainMent group
Competi
tion
BY LAUREN PINCH
toM foX/Dallas Morning neWs/corBis
Nova Southeastern
University’s 50-meter
pool in Fort Lauderdale,
Fla., complies to NCAA
and Olympic standards.
When building sports venues, precision is everything.
Contractors must make sure every rise, angle and line
is just so. The owners’ expectations are high, and the
fans’ hopes are even higher. These are the places where
records are set and history is made.
The Dallas Cowboys
stadium (here and at right)
is the largest in the NFL,
seating 80,000 fans.
Construction firms, from the MVPs to the minor leaguers, are stepping up to the
challenge, knowing that teamwork and tight schedules are the name of the game. For
local firms, being part of constructing the home team’s venue is a major source of pride—
and sometimes the business opportunity of a lifetime.
May 2009 Construction ExEcutivE
| 19
The NSU pool’s decorative gates and
curving patterns on the deck reflect
the movement and color of water.
Making a Splash
JWR Construction, Deerfield Beach, Fla.,
built a state-of-the-art pool complex at
Nova Southeastern University (NSU), Fort
Lauderdale, Fla., knowing it might become
the training grounds for America’s next
great Olympian.
The complex, with a 50-meter pool and
a diving well, serves the needs of NSU collegiate athletes as well as K–12 students at
the private University School. It was ready
in time for NSU’s first meet in September
2008.
“This is one of the few pools in the
state that has moveable bulkheads, allowing the university to run three simultaneous events,” says William Gallo, executive
vice president of JWR Construction. “This
project is a key component of the school’s
athletic program, and it’s generating a lot
of buzz.”
Not only can the pool handle lap swimming, water polo and diving events at the
same time, but it also is designed to conform with National Collegiate Athletic
Association (NCAA) and Olympic-level
standards by including a stainless steel
gutter system, dual-leg long-reach starting platforms and 4-inch anti-wave lane
dividers.
The diving area includes two 1-meter
diving boards and one 3-meter board, and
the construction team will add 5-meter,
7½-meter and 10-meter diving platforms
this summer.
The complex incorporates the most
advanced pool features available. For
example, the JWR team installed a hydraulic pressure system that complies with the
2007 Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and
Spa Safety Act, a bill that requires all U.S.
public pools to be equipped with anti20
entrapment and/or anti-suction devices.
The pool automatically monitors chlorine
and acid levels, and a sparger system allows
divers to land on a cushion of air bubbles.
During construction, dewatering
the jobsite became a major challenge.
The crew needed to dig at least 11 feet
below sea level to accommodate the pool
depth, as well as install dewatering sock
drains and pool mains—all in a location
that has a consistently high water table.
To keep the water from seeping in on all
sides, JWR drove sheet piles 35 feet deep
around the edge of the pool and installed
double-header well points 20 feet below
sea level.
Despite this preparation, water gushed
in as the crews dug, requiring them to use
two additional dewatering socks, three
sump pumps and 270 tons of rock, which
finally did the job.
“We dewatered nearly 16 feet of water,
which is an enormous amount considering
Myro Rosky, rosky images (2)
o u t pa c i n g the compet i t ion
the types of soil we had,” says Jerry DuBoyd,
president of JWR.
“We had two 60-horsepower pumps
running 24-7 for three and a half months,”
adds Mike Metzger, project manager.
“It was everything we could do to keep
the water out. It knocked us back three
months, but we were able to get the project accelerated once we got the bottom of
the pool poured.”
The foundation pour, completed in one
day, required 35 trucks and approximately
300 cubic yards of concrete. “We had to
complete the pour in only a couple of
hours so we wouldn’t have a lot of cracks,
using laser levels because the deck was so
large,” Metzger says.
Precision was essential. Because water
seeks its own level, any error in the tolerances would be noticeable to the naked
eye. The slope in the trench drain had to
be just so to prevent puddling, and the
surveyor needed to measure the interior of
the pool to ensure it was exactly the right
size to meet NCAA standards.
“If someone sets a world record, you
better bet they’ll have to come measure the
pool afterward,” Metzger says.
Fan Favorites
At collegiate venues, the motivation to
undergo a capital improvement project is
almost always rooted in competition.
“Universities need to keep their athletic facilities up to date in order to meet
television broadcast requirements and
provide facilities with amenities similar to
those being offered by other universities
The NSU pool
includes a
state-of-the-art
diving well.
clark construction
in their conference,” says Dave Jenkins,
project executive for Clark Construction,
Bethesda, Md.
“Quite simply, the need to upgrade and
expand stadiums has been driven by competition among universities to better serve
their alumni and corporate sponsors, and
attract top athletes to their programs.”
Clark Construction is the general contractor for the University of Maryland
football stadium project that triples the
size of the Byrd Stadium Tyser Tower in
College Park, Md. The expansion will add
66,000 square feet to the existing structure while the 33,000-square-foot tower
is renovated.
The five-story tower will provide 64
luxury suites, a full-service kitchen, a press
lounge, television and radio booths, and
coach boxes. A brick and EIFS façade
with punch windows and glass storefronts
will allow unobstructed views of the field.
In addition, the facility will have the cable
infrastructure to support more frequent
high-definition broadcasts and enhance
the spectator experience.
Construction crews took the field for
the expansion after the Terrapins’ final
home football game in 2007. Clark and
its subcontractors worked throughout the
year, carefully avoiding interruption to the
athletic schedule. After the 2008 season
finished in late November, crews then
demolished the existing structures and
installed the structural steel and cast-inplace concrete for the two new structures
that provide seating on either side of the
existing tower.
Clark performed extensive pre-planning with the university and architect
Heery International, Inc., Atlanta, to
stay on schedule to finish the project this
August.
“One of the greatest challenges has
been to implement our plan to complete
the entire facility in 21 months, which is
one full year ahead of the initial schedule
set by the university,” Jenkins says. “It has
been much like a chess match, strategically
planning each move along the way.”
Leasing of the new suites has been
brisk, and Terps fans are geared up for the
new venue.
“By all accounts, the project has gone
extremely smoothly, and we are looking
forward to the opening football game this
year,” Jenkins says.
Clark added 66,000 square feet to
the University of Maryland’s Byrd
Stadium in just 21 months.
Tackling a Mega-Job
In the pros, the project scale is significantly larger. In a Texas-sized effort,
Manhattan Construction is leading the
construction of the Dallas Cowboys’ new
$1 billion, 2.3 million-square-foot stadium. It will be the biggest stadium in the
National Football League (NFL), seating
80,000 fans.
More than 80 subcontractors have mastered a complex playbook to keep the job
on schedule for its May grand opening.
As part of that team, TDIndustries,
Dallas, built the HVAC, mechanical and
plumbing systems, and managed the insulation, temperature controls, storm drain
and water treatment systems. It currently
is wrapping up finishing touches like the
grilles in the private suites and the remaining hookups for the bars and concession
areas.
The owner’s expectations for quality
contracting are as big as the project itself.
“This is the largest project, not only
in size but also in contract value, that we
have undertaken,” says David Youden, vice
president of TDIndustries. “I would venture to say that due to the high level of
finishes being put into the project, and the
amount of time required to install them,
the rough-in phase of the project has been
a real push. The builders have been under
pressure from the start so that sufficient
time would be left at the end to complete
the interior finishes.”
TDIndustries tackled the challenge,
investing 500 manhours to research and plan
the installation of the mega-sized ductwork
that supplies air to the bowl seating area.
The system, with components sized from
42 feet to 90 feet in diameter and weighing
up to 800 pounds per joint, needed to be
built 252 feet above the playing field.
“We were able to complete the task in
just under eight months and achieve our
budgeted goal,” Youden says.
The stadium features a retractable roof
supported by 1,290-foot arches, making it
the world’s longest single-span roof structure and largest domed structure. Two biparting mechanized roof panels driven by
a rack-and-pinion system can open and
close the roof panels in 12 minutes. In
addition, each end zone features a fiveleaf clear retractable door that provides
panoramic views and air circulation.
The project, designed by architect
HKS, Inc., Dallas, incorporates some of
the most advanced sports viewing technology to date, with an 86-foot-tall canted
glass curtainwall that glows blue and silver, and a 60-yard-long video center that
hangs 110 feet above the field.
The Cowboys chose only the finest amenities for the club suites. Granite, leather,
limestone, marble and crocodile finishes
aim to cater to high-end clientele, who can
choose among 200 suites ranging from 650
square feet to 800 square feet. Private bathrooms, perfect sightlines and ergonomic
seating also enhance the game-day experience. The Hall of Fame level suites will be
21 rows from the field, making them the
closest elevated suites in the NFL.
| 21
As all the team members can attest, the
project has been a major job creator in a
difficult economy.
“By having a project such as this, we
have been able to keep our workforce busy
and have been able to spread work opportunities throughout our organization,”
Youden says. “If we had an area where
folks didn’t have work, we were able to
bring them on to the Cowboys project
by moving tasks ahead of schedule. We
believe this is one of the reasons we are in
such a good position here at the project’s
final stage.”
Fans will get their first glimpse of the
field during a concert featuring country
music star George Strait on June 6.
teaMWork: like ‘Magic’
MWBEs. To date, more than 100 MWBEs
are under contract.
Turner Construction Company is the
program manager of the sports-savvy
building team, led by Hunt Construction,
Orlando, Fla., and architecture firm HOK
Sport, Kansas City, Mo.
As the construction manager and general contractor, Hunt Construction is
partnering with local minority firms Rey
Group, R.L. Burns, H.Z. Construction and
Albu & Associates to build the 18,500-seat
National Basketball Association (NBA)
arena. Hunt also has funded a 12-week
electrical training course for minority firms
and has hosted workforce orientation sessions at a local high school.
The events center is part of a $1 billion
public-private partnership to bring jobs
and economic vitality to the city’s down-
town, while adding space and amenities
for the Orlando Magic basketball team.
The new 800,000-square-foot center
will be twice the size of the Magic’s existing facility—and will boast 60 private
suites, 68 loge boxes, a children’s zone,
restaurants and bars, street-level retail,
an 80-foot-tall lobby and a spacious balcony—making the center attractive for
concerts and major events.
“There is a high emphasis on finishes
and technology in this facility, more than
typical NBA venues around the country,”
says Stephen Laurila, Hunt project manager. Terrazzo, acrylic flooring, wood flooring and ceramic tile will appear throughout
the facility. Televisions and digital displays
will be prominent as well.
“From a technology standpoint, the
Orlando Magic is introducing cuttingedge broadcast and audio-visual systems
with the design currently being finalized,”
Laurila says.
An outstanding design element of the
center’s entryway will be a 120-foot beacon illuminated by more than 200 LED
lights, providing a “media mesh” kinetic
light display on the exterior façade. In
addition, the project team is aiming for
LEED certification.
Indeed, the project is a bright spot in
Orlando’s otherwise challenging commercial construction marketplace. Plans
and construction financing were secured
before the collapse of the financial markets.
“Because the funding was established, this
project was just in time getting started. If
funding was secured later, there could have
been problems,” Laurila says.
Hunt and the construction team broke
ground in August 2008, and the facility is
scheduled to open in fall 2010.
Large construction venues mean a large
numbers of contracts, and that
means more opportunities for The 800,000-square-foot Orlando Events Center project is aiming
small and emerging contrac- for LEED certification.
tors.
The Dallas Cowboys and
the city of Arlington, Texas, for
example, set a goal to award 25
percent of construction, architectural and engineering contracts
to minority- and women-owned
business enterprises (MWBEs).
Likewise, the construction
team building the $480 million Orlando Events Center
is exceeding the city’s goal to
award 24 percent of contracts to
22
a biM hoMe rUn
In another sunshine state, building
information modeling (BIM) and
design-assist methods helped the
construction team complete a new
baseball stadium just in time for
spring training.
Construction manager at-risk
Mortensen Construction led the
$110 million project to build Arizona’s Camelback Ranch-Glendale, the largest spring training
facility in the Grapefruit and Cactus leagues. The new home of the
hok sport
hks sports anD entertainMent group
The Cowboys stadium
features a retractable roof
system and a 60-yard-long
video center.
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Los Angeles Dodgers and ChiThe Glendale
cago White Sox was completed
project team
under an aggressive 16-month used BIM to
facilitate steel
construction schedule.
erection.
Schuff Steel Company, Phoenix, erected 1,100 tons of steel to
build the 10,000-seat stadium
centerpiece, as well as seven main
concourse buildings, a visitor
locker room, three major/minor
league team clubhouses, two
observation tower platforms and
a maintenance building.
Schuff Steel’s design-assist
team implemented advanced
BIM techniques to coordinate
design so approvals and shop drawings roof girders are tied together by floor and
outpaced construction documents. Three roof wide-flange beams.
“This design created very few right
detailing crews also used BIM to support
angles,
complex moment connections,
seven fabrication facilities, which supplied
many
cantilever
conditions and expantwo concurrent erection teams at the jobsite.
sion joint conditions over stepped areas,”
“Some of the structures were completed Schuff says.
in as little as six weeks following the comBut with experience on even larger jobs,
pletion of initial design information,” says the company stayed on task to complete
Ryan Schuff, president and CEO
of Schuff Steel. “Even the main Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz.,
is the largest spring training facility
stadium structure was completed
in the Grapefruit and Cactus leagues.
in the field only six weeks after
the design was completed.”
These time-saving techniques
were essential to allow the team
to concentrate on erecting the
350-ton steel skybox, which is
elevated 14 feet above the main
concourse behind home plate.
The 34-foot-tall structure is comprised of a sloping 76-foot-long
tube steel roof girder and supported by four columns angled
in a “W” shape. Fifteen different
24
the majority of its work in a nine-month
time frame.
“Working closely with architect HKS,
Inc. and Mortenson, we collaborated on
design options and arrived at design alternatives that minimized tonnage and trimmed
the construction schedule. Working in a
design-assist capacity resulted in a faster,
more cost-effective project,” Schuff says.
Spread across 150 acres, the Glendale
campus includes 3,000 lawn seats, 15 practice fields, and natural elements such as a
trail system and a man-made, fish-stocked
lake that irrigates the playing fields. Any
excess water is returned to the natural
water table under the dry river bed
of the Aqua Fria River west of the
complex.
Also, the stadium is sunken 12
feet below grade to improve sightlines. Excess soil from the excavation
was used to build a new access road
into the ballpark, which will accommodate minor-league operations in
the offseason.
“Building a facility for two teams
is a growing trend,” Schuff says.
“Financially, this allows for more
shared costs and increased revenue
because of more home games. It also
benefits the teams by allowing easy
accessibility to inter-squad practices
without having to travel.”
While fewer sports projects are breaking ground this year, opportunities await
contractors in the years ahead as investors begin to regain confidence in the
market. The Arizona Diamondbacks and
the Colorado Rockies, for example, are
actively looking at plans to build spring
training facilities in the Phoenix area. And
in March, Miami-Dade County
approved construction of a new $640
million, 37,000-seat Florida Marlins
stadium to be built at the site of the
demolished Orange Bowl.
As economic stimulus funding
encourages municipalities to invest
in their communities to help create
jobs, revenue and a loyal fan base,
construction firms won’t have to
wait on the sidelines much longer.
For a complete list of subcontractors,
visit www.constructionexec.com.
Lauren Pinch is assistant editor of
Construction Executive.
HKS, Inc.
Schuff steel company (2)
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• Estimating
• Financial Management
• Project Management
• Production Management
• Service Management
• People and Payroll
Management
• Local Implementation
and Service
MASONRY
COMPANY
ROOTED IN ITALY
BLOSSOMS IN
PENNSYLVANIA
Family
MATTERS
26
Corrado & SonS, InC. (2)
The family behind
the business:
(from left) Sandro,
Maurizio, Luigi and
Piero Corrado.
F
BY ERIN ROBERTSON
or construction companies like Corrado & Sons, Inc., Souderton, Pa., family
and work are intertwined. Brothers Piero,
Sandro and Maurizio Corrado have been
involved in the family masonry business
since their youth. As vice president, Sandro
now manages day-to-day operations,
while Piero serves as president. Maurizio has stepped away from the company
after many years of service, and the oldest
brother, Angelo, runs his own construction
business in nearby Kutztown, Pa.
Though the Corrados call Pennsylvania
home, the history behind this company’s
family tree is rooted in Castelfranci, Italy,
where the boys’ father, Luigi, began working as a mason’s tender in 1950. At age 11,
he started learning to work with a wide
array of materials, including brick, stone,
marble and tile. With a knack for artistry
and craftsmanship, it wasn’t long before he
became a master mason and craftsman.
After moving from Italy to Pennsylvania in the mid-1980s, Luigi began his own
masonry company. Though the endeavor
started small, Corrado & Sons has become
one of the largest masonry companies in the
tri-state area of Pennsylvania, Delaware and
New Jersey, and has developed a reputation
for exceptional brick and block construction
in the residential and commercial sectors.
Sandro Corrado joined the family
business as a teenager, starting off as a day
laborer and a bookkeeper. When the time
came, he decided to fulfill his dream of
attending college. He moved across the
state to attend the University of Pittsburgh, graduating with a degree in business administration in 1992. With a solid
education and degree under his belt, Corrado accepted his father’s offer to come
on board as a partner and help grow the
business.
“When the company first started, it
was just my father and brothers Piero and
Maurizio,” Corrado says. “Little by little
it has grown, and by the time I got out of
college, we had 12 to 15 employees.”
Business has flourished, with the company now employing 65 people. Although
it began as a mom-and-pop operation, the
Corrados quickly realized they weren’t
the only ones relying on the health of the
company.
“We had to start treating the company
in a way that could survive without us,”
Corrado says. “We tried to build it in a
way that outlives us all.
“A very natural thing for any family
business is the ability to let go,” Corrado
says. “We learned to delegate and manage
the business better. We standardized all of
our practices and diversified the management of the company. So far, it’s helped
us grow. We couldn’t have grown without
that game plan.”
| 27
Fa m i l y
m at t er s
Corrado credits his education and general business sense for helping him and
the company grow successfully throughout
the years.
“I’m very objective and level-headed,”
he says. “The business skills and a sixth
sense of how it works helps me to be
focused on how to succeed and to be aware
of the risks of what we do.”
Corrado’s passion for masonry construction and the drive to make each project unique is evident.
“It’s always a pleasure to see some of
the stuff we build and what masonry can
do with old-fashioned natural materials,”
he says. “You see the potential it has to
build such incredible buildings.”
New adventures, continued traditions
The company’s
craftsmanship
comes to life in
residential masonry
projects.
Corrado also sees potential for improvements in the design process, including
working with architects from the beginning of the project all the way through to
completion.
“There are parts of the design process
that are critical to us as masons,” he says.
“More of a cooperative team effort from
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Corrado & Sons, Inc. (2)
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Corrado & Sons performs detailed masonry
work for private residential customers as
well as commercial owners, such as the
Waynesboro Country Club (pictured here).
design all the way through construction
would benefit everyone involved.”
Another challenge Corrado has encountered is finding competent employees with
skills that measure up to the company’s
standards. A partnership with Associated
Builders and Contractors’ (ABC) Southeast Pennsylvania Chapter’s apprenticeship
program has helped combat the problem.
“We came to the conclusion that the
only way we were going to find the people
we wanted was to train them ourselves,”
Corrado says. “ABC gave us the tools to
do that.
“Being a member of ABC also has
allowed us to network with like-minded
people and has helped me learn things—
from business and financial to safety—that
make us a more well-rounded company.”
Corrado’s newest ABC adventure is
serving as chairman of the chapter’s board
of directors.
“I took it as a big honor that my chapter
would look at me as a leader,” he says. “I
30
feel a sense of duty and obligation to steer
it in a good direction.”
The current economic crisis presents
plenty of issues for Corrado not only as
a businessman, but also as a leader of a
group of his peers. But those concerns are
met with a positive outlook and a hardworking attitude.
“I think this year is going to be more
challenging than three to four years ago,
but I’m fully prepared and think it will
make the job more exciting,” he says.
“Challenges bring out the best in people,
and I welcome it.”
Likewise, family seems to bring out
the best in Corrado & Sons. The Corrado
brothers keep the line that divides home
life and work life in check. For a time, even
Sandro’s wife of 10 years, Tina, worked in
the office. (She now stays home to raise
the couple’s two children.)
“We work well together and we complement each other very well,” he says.
“People tell me that we’re a very rare story,
being brothers that work together and
are successful.”
Corrado admits owning a business is
extremely rewarding, but it also comes
with considerable responsibility. Ultimately, the satisfaction of knowing customers are pleased with the final product
outweighs any negative stress caused by
the pressure of owning a business.
“The one thing that brings me joy is
when my customers are happy,” he says.
“Whenever someone steps into their
dream home, that brings me joy. Being true
to my customers and employees brings a
huge sense of accomplishment.”
When Corrado looks toward the future,
he sees Corrado & Sons continuing the
traditions of quality production and service set decades ago.
“We see our company maintaining
and leading the industry in our market
in Southeast Pennsylvania,” he says. “We
see ourselves as a visionary company. Our
goals are to maintain that status. We’re
more interested in strength and longevity
than rapid growth.”
Erin Robertson is communications assistant
for Associated Builders and Contractors and a
contributing writer to Construction Executive.
Corrado & Sons, Inc. (2)
Fa m i l y
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By roBErt DuKE
AnD SAMuEL CArrADinE
AN INDUSTRY
A surety bond professional has the
opportunity to learn about an array of
industries—construction, international
trade, health care and financial services—
making each day different from the next.
In construction, most public jobs
require a contractor to be bonded, and
private sector contracts increasingly have
bond requirements. The need to protect
the taxpayer and the investor/shareholder
has led to a growing dependence on surety
bonds as the most appropriate method to
assure these projects are built on time and
on budget, and that suppliers and workers
are paid.
With this growth, sureties have encountered an increased need to recruit,
train and retain a highly professional
cadre of personnel to carry out the various functions associated with prequalifying contractors, underwriting bonds and
evaluating claims. In addition, the surety
industry is not clustered in one part of the
country; opportunities abound throughout
the United States.
Successful surety underwriting requires
a surety professional to have an intimate
and in-depth knowledge of the principal:
the construction firm. A surety profes-
32
sional in the construction market has the
opportunity to become engaged in a firm’s
operations and finances, as well as the legal
aspects of suretyship.
tyPes oF JoBs
A surety bond is a form of insurance by
which a third party (the surety) secures the
fulfillment of an obligation owed by one
party (the principal) to another (the obligee). The types of underlying obligations
are practically limitless and vary from a
construction contract (a performance bond)
to a regulatory requirement to pay duties
on imported goods (a customs bond), and
hundreds of things in between.
The following are the most common
positions available in the surety industry:
• surety agent/producer/broker;
• account manager;
• account executive;
• client adviser;
• surety underwriter;
• claims representative;
• claims analyst; and
• claims attorney.
Surety professionals are involved
throughout the bonding process. When a
contractor needs a bond, it reaches out to
WITH
a qualified insurance agent with expertise
in surety bonding. The surety agent generally represents several surety companies.
He conducts an initial investigation of the
contractor and compiles the information
necessary to apply to the surety company
for a bond. The agent selects the surety
that best matches the contractor’s needs
and risk profile.
The information (financial statements,
corporate résumés, project history information and references) is submitted to
the surety bond underwriter, an employee
of the surety company, who evaluates the
contractor relative to the specific bond
request. Ultimately, the underwriter must
evaluate the contractor’s ability to complete the project to be bonded. The underwriter’s analytical and decision-making
skills must be sharp, as the underwriter
decides whether the surety will undertake
the risk by writing the bond.
Finally, if the surety writes the bond and
a claim stems from a contractor default,
surety claims professionals help assess the
claim. Claims professionals do not have to
be lawyers, but they must be knowledgeable about legal concepts regarding surety,
contract and insurance law.
OTMAR THORMANN/GETTY IMAGES
M
ost college students haven’t heard of
a surety bond or the surety industry,
and they don’t realize surety provides
exciting opportunities beyond a typical
career in finance or insurance.
SurEty AS A proMiSinG CArEEr
OPPORTUNITY
| 33
an industry with opp or t un i t y
Future Prospects
Despite the current economic crisis, the
prospects for future employment opportunities in surety remain favorable. Surety
agencies continue to seek experienced and
aggressive bond producers to identify and
secure contractors’ business. Surety companies are recruiting underwriter trainees,
as well as claims and administrative staff,
to meet anticipated reductions in personnel due to retirements and increased business volume.
The recent construction downturn has
been felt most critically in the residential market, where traditionally bonding
is not required. The market for public
sector construction, in which bonding is almost always required, increased
slightly from $287 billion in 2007 to $308
billion in 2008, according to the U.S.
Department of Commerce. And now
that the economic stimulus package has
passed, public sector construction should
increase even more in 2009. Producers
and surety companies will need personnel to meet the anticipated demand for
surety bonding expected during the next
several years.
Industry-Wide Diversity Efforts
An important aspect of maximizing career
opportunities in the surety and fidelity industry is ensuring diversity in the
workplace through recruitment programs.
On an industry-wide basis, The Surety &
Fidelity Association of America (SFAA)
and its leaders are working to increase the
number of minority and female surety professionals in the industry. The organization developed and implemented two programs—the SFAA/INROADS Summer
Intern Program and the Surety Industry
Scholarship Program—aimed at identifying and supporting outstanding minority
students for careers in surety underwriting
and related fields.
In 2001, the SFAA entered a
memorandum of understanding with
INROADS, Inc., a renowned national
intern program that develops and places
talented minority youth in business and
industry and prepares them for corporate
and community leadership. In the summer of 2002, 11 interns were placed with
SFAA member companies around the
country.
34
A High-Caliber Resource for
Surety Industry Positions
By Kathy Mapes Hoffman
Anyone seeking new opportunities in the surety industry may access the National Association of Surety Bond Producers’ (NASBP) Career
Center at www.nasbp.org/careers. The NASBP Career Center is the surety industry’s
online job posting service that offers surety companies and professionals a unique,
easy-to-use and highly targeted resource for employment connections.
“The NASBP Career Center is the only online center that I know of that is specifically geared to employers and job candidates for surety industry positions,” says NASBP
President Todd Loehnert. “It’s a terrific resource for anyone looking to fill or to find a
position with an agency or surety company.”
The NASBP Career Center appeals to job seekers looking for employment as producers, underwriters and claims representatives, or in other surety-related positions.
Registering requires no fee, but users must create an online account.
Job seekers also must create an online résumé by uploading information from a
program such as Microsoft Word. Work samples, cover letters or certification letters (to
increase exposure in an employer’s search) also can be posted online as a portfolio of
career-related documents.
Job seekers can preview everything they plan to submit to an employer before
submitting an application. Once a résumé and supporting documents are posted, job
seekers can browse and view jobs as well as set up a search agent to provide email
notifications of jobs that match their criteria.
All job seekers have the option to post their résumés publicly (full résumé) or confidentially (identity and contact information withheld) at no charge. If they choose to post
confidentially, an employer can only contact the applicant using a “blind” email.
Employer access requires purchasing a minimum 30-day package for $200. (NASBP
members/affiliates receive a discount on package rates.) Once a package is purchased,
the employer can access the entire database of résumés posted online. Searchable résumés are posted under categories familiar to the industry (e.g., producer, underwriter,
customer service).
Employers can set the criteria for their firm’s ideal job candidate, and the center will
email them matching résumés. They also can run reports showing the effectiveness of
job postings.
For more information, call (888) 491-8833, prompt 1670, or visit www.nasbp.org/
careers.
Kathy Mapes Hoffman is assistant director of government relations and communications for the National Association of Surety Bond Producers. For more information,
call (202) 686-3700 or email [email protected].
Since then, SFAA member companies
have sponsored more than 60 intern positions, with INROADS working to exceed
this goal. Several interns now work either
for their sponsoring companies or anticipate being offered full-time positions once
they graduate.
Established in 2003, the Surety Industry Scholarship Program provides awards
of up to $2,500 to support outstanding
minority students’ studies in insurance,
risk management, accounting, business
or finance, and encourages their consideration of surety underwriting as a career
choice. This program is administered by
The Surety Foundation, the educational
arm of SFAA.
For more information on the SFAA/
INROADS Summer Intern Program
or the Surety Industry Scholarship Program, visit www.surety.org or email info@
surety.org.
Robert Duke is director of underwriting and
assistant counsel and Samuel Carradine
is director of development and diversity
for The Surety & Fidelity Association of
America. For more information, call (202)
463-0600 or email [email protected] or
[email protected].
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[S p e c i a l
]
Charting the
Section: Schools of construction
[Construction
Construction
By Joanna Masterson
W
ith all the advancements occurring in the
construction market these days—building information modeling (BIM), green
building, integrated project delivery—it
can be tough for a contractor to keep up.
The same can be said for the country’s
higher education institutions.
Industry Involvement Maximizes
Student Learning Experience
36
Purdue University
A student installs EMT
conduit for a new meeting
room at Purdue University.
Management]
Management
Course
“Getting change to happen in an
academic environment is like getting
2,000-year-old lava to move again,” jokes
Charles Gains, president of Associated
Schools of Construction and director of
the construction management program
at Mesa State College, Grand Junction,
Colo.
Indeed, colleges and universities don’t
have a reputation for being able to change
quickly. But with the support of industry
members, construction management programs across the nation are adapting to the
needs of students and employers alike.
PhotoAlto/Jupiter Images
Responding to Needs
Most construction management programs
are stretched to capacity, signaling strong
interest in the profession, says Mike Holland, executive vice president and CEO of
the American Council for Construction
Education (ACCE), San Antonio, Texas.
As schools manage their enrollments to
provide a quality educational experience,
they consider how to accommodate different types of students.
Philadelphia-based Drexel University
started its construction management program in the 1970s by offering evening
courses for individuals with full-time jobs,
and about four years ago it expanded to
offer a traditional daytime bachelor’s degree
program as well as weekend classes.
Interest in graduate programs is increasing as well.
“Schools are limited in what they can
provide students in a given time frame, and
some of the advanced business management and financial management issues are
difficult to cover in depth at the bachelor’s
degree level,” Holland says. “Employers
want it all and want it now, but universities
don’t have enough room in the curriculum
to provide it all at once.”
This fall, Drexel will debut its master
of science program in construction management with concentrations in project
management, real estate and sustainability.
The program is completely online, and it
offers three certificate courses so students
can participate without pursuing a full
master’s degree.
“There are a lot of people in mid-level
management positions looking for advancement,” says Zeljko Torbica, Drexel’s
construction management program director. “They need to learn certain things
that weren’t covered in a bachelor’s degree
program.”
Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.,
caters to 24 distance master’s program students through an interactive online program held two evenings a week.
“We’re trying to make it as easy as possible to connect to people,” says Robert Cox,
head of Purdue’s Building Construction
Management department. “We want to
capitalize on people’s ability to keep working. It’s too much to ask them to give up
a year of work.”
Construction management programs also
seek to meet the needs of employers, which
continually request graduates with strong
ethics and quality communication, critical
thinking and problem-solving skills.
“There’s a saying that a builder is hired
for his or her technical skills, fired for poor
people skills and promoted for leadership
and management skills,” says Torbica, who
spent 20 years in the industry before moving to academia. “The most important skill
is not technical, like estimating or scheduling; it’s basically communication skills.
Business management skills are next, then
leadership, and then technical knowledge
and field experience.”
To achieve this type of educational environment, the ACCE (the primary organization that accredits construction management programs) looks for a faculty well
balanced in knowledge and experience.
“We don’t require people to have advanced degrees, and we keep the door open
for practitioners who are interested in educating younger people,” Holland says.
One major challenge associated with
the expansion of construction management
programs is the ability to find faculty; when
one position is filled, another opens up. To
that point, the ACCE is asking professionals nearing retirement to consider teaching
or lecturing part time. The organization
also offers a small scholarship program to
encourage practitioners to get advanced
degrees so they can teach down the road.
Staying Current
Construction management programs look
to industry members for more than just
teaching support.
“It’s unfathomable to start a program
without a strong presence of industry professionals,” says Gains, who helped start the
Mesa State construction management program in September 2008 after spending 20
years at Boise State University in Idaho.
Located in western Colorado, the area
surrounding Mesa State has grown considerably during the past decade largely due to
the energy industry. Per the school’s industry advisory board, the construction management program emphasizes horizontal,
vertical and industrial building—attracting
more than 40 students in the first year.
| 37
]
Section: Su
ch
ro
eo
tl
y sB o
of
n dcionngs t r u c t i o n
Established programs also rely on advisory boards to stay abreast of industry
developments. With 500 undergraduate
construction management students, Purdue has long offered electrical, mechanical
and residential specializations. But a few
years ago, the university’s industry partners
suggested three additional areas of concentration: health care, demolition, and disaster restoration and reconstruction.
Cox’s team agreed to develop the three
new specializations with the intention of creating a model to replicate at other institutions.
With no course-specific textbooks available,
Purdue faculty created their own materials
and partnered with industry members to
accumulate other resources, such as case studies and equipment. In the first year (2008), 10
students signed up for the specialization in
disaster restoration and reconstruction.
“Everything you do in construction
typically is planned out, but disaster restoration is more reactionary,” Cox says. “You
still need knowledge of construction, but
you have to think more on your feet. A lot
of this program is orchestrated through
guest lectures.”
Guest speakers also are a way to incorporate hot industry issues—like green
]
Drexel students
visit the jobsite
of the Hospital
of the University
of Pennsylvania.
building and BIM—into existing courses,
though more and more schools are developing classes dedicated exclusively to these
topics. Purdue is in the process of hiring
a BIM expert and already offers a course
on sustainability. Plus, students meet with
faculty on the weekends to prepare for the
LEED AP exam.
Doug Carney, Drexel University
[S p e c i a l
Interest in sustainability, energy and
the environment starts the moment students visit campus, Cox says. “It impresses
me how attuned they are to the real issues
we’re facing in the industry,” he adds. “If
we didn’t meet those needs, they probably
wouldn’t come.”
Tackling integrated project delivery is
another challenge.
“The industry is moving back toward
integration of disciplines, and some of
our programs that have the opportunity
to integrate classes with architecture and
engineering students are doing so,” Holland says. “Let the students work together
and develop a respect for the skills and
responsibilities of the other disciplines.
The earlier we can introduce that concept
in the education process, the better off the
industry will be.”
Gains says one of his goals is to integrate Mesa State’s construction management and mechanical engineering programs before traditional barriers develop.
To start, they are combining extracurricular club activities to demonstrate the attributes and benefits of both disciplines.
“As they’re pushed together out of necessity, we can create some successes and
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38
Student Outreach
point to those successes to say ‘this is what
integrated project delivery looks like,’ ”
Gains says.
Getting Involved
If construction management program directors were to give industry members a
homework assignment, it probably would
be: Find a way to support your local college
or university. Many contractors host field
trips so students can see how classroom
instruction applies to a functioning jobsite, while others serve as personal mentors so students can discuss real-world
situations and network with employers in
the community.
Once a week, United Companies, Grand
Junction, turns over its million-dollar lab
to Mesa State students, with two experienced professionals on hand to help them
perform tests.
“This is incredibly powerful,” Gains
says. “It makes the students realize the kind
of engineering and technical information
they need to properly formulate the data to
make better decisions, which construction
managers constantly face.”
Locally based Mays Concrete also is
working with Mesa State students on an
extracurricular project to develop a designbuild community service project. They
recently wrapped up a proposal for Associated Builders and Contractors’ Western
Colorado Chapter, which is funding the
initiative, for an outdoor gazebo and meeting area.
“From an educator’s perspective, the
value is going through the problem-solving
and communication exercise to submit the
proposal,” he says. “It’s extra credit if the
project is accepted and they get to do the
work.”
Thinking Ahead
These opportunities to collaborate with
industry employers can be priceless considering the current economy. Purdue has
seen declining participation in its construction career fair, but last semester all
60 graduates got jobs.
This year could be different. According to a recent survey from the National
Association of Colleges and Employers, 174 employers said they plan to hire
10,119 college graduates in 2009—a 21.6
percent decrease from 2008. The construction industry anticipates the second steepest
decrease in hiring (after the financial sector),
2009 ABC Chairman-Elect Jim Elmer (left)
joins students from the Pennsylvania College
of Technology (top), ABC’s student chapter
of the year, and the University of Washington
(below), winner of ABC’s annual construction
management competition.
according to the survey, while government
agencies and the distribution, transportation and utilities sector were the only two
industries projecting an uptick in hiring.
The economy is affecting internships,
too. Typically students get internships
in the summer, but there likely will not
be enough opportunities to go around
considering the number of construction
management programs and other people
looking for work.
“Industry partners are asking us to figure out ways to allow students to do internships during the calendar year, so we’re
trying to rearrange coursework during the
year to accommodate this,” Cox says.
Amid the turmoil, Cox says his students are receptive to exploring the economic issues the industry is facing.
“This generation has never known a
recession. As we tried to prepare them for
recent career fairs, they took it to heart,
and they recognized there’s a need and
motivation to be flexible,” he says, pointing out students’ willingness to relocate for
a job. “From an industry standpoint, I wish
there was a better way to prepare them to
understand the danger signs of economic
and financial issues.”
Like all those that have come before,
this challenge likely will be best solved by
collaboration between schools and industry members.
Joanna Masterson is senior writer of
To facilitate interaction among construction firms, faculty and college students,
local chapters of Associated Builders and
Contractors (ABC) sponsor more than 50
student chapters across the country. Not
only do chapter meetings allow students
to bounce ideas and questions off the
faculty advisor, but they also provide an
opportunity to meet industry experts and
visit active jobsites.
The construction management program at Prince George’s Community College, Largo, Md., has about 90 students—
a quarter of whom are women—who
juggle nighttime classes with a full-time
job. Attending meetings is challenging
due to busy schedules and family obligations, but the effort is worthwhile.
“They’re trying to pull themselves up
into the management ranks, so a lot of
the discussion focuses on jobs that are
available and what happens when you go
through the door as management,” says
Ed McLaughlin, director of the school’s
construction management program.
Students also have a chance to attend monthly meetings at the ABC Metro
Washington Chapter to “rub elbows
with the people who hire and hear what
they’re looking for,” McLaughlin says.
Many student chapters emphasize
community service projects as well. At
the University of Arkansas at Little Rock,
which teams up with ABC’s Arkansas
Chapter, students are required to perform
120 hours of community service. They’ve
worked with Children International—a
campus organization providing educational, health care and family assistance—to build a playground and picnic
areas, and recently installed decorative
concrete step pads for a new campus
walkway.
Other benefits of participating in an
ABC student chapter include scholarships, fellowships to attend ABC’s annual
Legislative Conference in Washington,
D.C., and a $1,000 essay contest. The
Construction Management Competition
at ABC’s annual National Convention also
allows teams of four college students
to compete to formulate the best mock
bid—covering project management/
scheduling, estimating and safety. Winners take home more than $10,000 in
cash and prizes.
For more information on ABC’s student chapter program, visit www.abc.org/
Education_Training/Colleges_and_
Universities.aspx or e-mail John Strock
at [email protected].
| 39
[S p e c i a l
Section: SchoolS of conStruction
]
Directory of Schools
Of Construction
Editor’s Note: This is Construction Executive’s first annual directory of U.S. colleges and universities that offer programs for students interested in construction careers. Schools that were unable
to confirm their listing by Construction Executive’s deadline were not included. To help ensure an
unlisted school appears next year, contact [email protected].
ALABAMA
Auburn University
118 M. Miller Gorrie Center
Auburn University, AL 36849
www.cadc.auburn.edu/bsci
Contact: Paul Holley
Phone: (334) 844-5377
Fax: (334) 844-5386
Email: [email protected]
Programs/Degrees: Building
Science, Community Planning,
Design-Build, Industrial Design,
Landscaping Architecture
ABC Student Chapter
Contact: Jeffrey Callahan
Phone: (907) 786-6425
Fax: (907) 786-6448
Programs/Degrees:
Construction Management,
Project Management
Program Length: 2 or 4 years
Tuition: $141–$159/credit hour
(undergraduate, resident); $316/
credit hour (graduate, resident);
$471–$489/credit hour
(undergraduate, non-resident);
$646/credit hour (graduate,
non-resident)
University of Alabama
7th Ave., Campus Drive
HM Comer - Room 260
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
www.ce.eng.ua.edu
Contact: Ken Fridley
Phone: (205) 348-6550
Fax: (205) 348-0783
Programs/Degrees: Civil
Engineering, Construction
Engineering, Environmental
Engineering
Program Length: 4 years
Tuition: $3,200/year (resident);
$9,000/year (non-resident)
ABC Student Chapter
ALASKA
University of Alaska,
Anchorage
3211 Providence Drive
Anchorage, AK 99508
www.uaa.alaska.edu/ctc
40
University of Alaska, Fairbanks,
Tanana Valley Campus
P.O. Box 758000
Fairbanks, AK 99775-8000
www.tvc.uaf.edu/programs/cm
Contact: Galen Johnson
Phone: (907) 455-2846
Fax: (907) 455-2935
Programs/Degrees:
Construction Management
ARIZONA
Arizona State University
651 E. University
Tempe, AZ 85287-0204
www.construction.asu.edu
Contact: James Ernzen
Phone: (480) 965-3615
Fax: (480) 965-1769
Engineering, Architecture,
Concrete Industry
Management, General
Building Construction, Heavy
Construction, Residential
Construction, Specialty
Construction
Northern Arizona University
South San Francisco St.
Flagstaff, AZ 86011
www.cefns.nau.edu
Contact: Greg Ohrn
Phone: (928) 523-8080
Fax: (928) 523-2300
Management
ARKANSAS
John Brown University
2000 West University St.
Siloam Springs, AR 72761
www.jbu.edu/academics/
ecm/cm
Contact: James Caldwell
Phone: (479) 524-7187
Fax: (479) 524-7383
Programs/Degrees:
Engineering
Tuition: $18,000/year
Where
Tomorrow’s
Employees
Are Learning
Today
University of Arkansas,
Little Rock
2820 S. University Ave.
ETAS 105
Little Rock, AR 72204-1099
www.ualr.edu
Contact: Michael Tramel
Phone: (501) 569-8133
Fax: (501) 569-8341
Programs/Degrees:
Tuition: $163/credit hour
(resident); $435/credit hour
(non-resident)
ABC Student Chapter
CALIFORNIA
California Polytechnic
State University,
San Luis Obispo
Construction Innovations
Center (Bldg. 186), Room A100
#1 Grand Ave.
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
www.construction.calpoly.edu
Contact: Allan Hauck
Phone: (805) 756-1323
Fax: (805) 756-5740
Programs/Degrees:
Architectural Engineering,
Architecture, City
and Regional Planning,
Landscape Architecture
Tuition: About $5,000/year
ABC Student Chapter
California State University,
Chico
400 West First St.
Chico, CA 95929
www.cm.csuchico.edu
Contact: Lori A. Brown
Phone: (530) 898-5216
Fax: (530) 898-4675
Engineering, Concrete Industry
Management, Construction
Management
ABC Student Chapter
Stanford University
473 Via Ortega, #297
Stanford, CA 94305-4020
cem.stanford.edu
Contact: Martin Fischer
Phone: (650) 725-4649
Fax: (650) 725-6014
Programs/Degrees: Civil and
Environmental Engineering,
Construction Engineering
and Management, DesignConstruction Integration,
Sustainable Design and
Construction
Program Length: 1 year
(master’s degree)
Tuition: $12,800/quarter
University of Southern
California
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0915
www.usc.edu
Contact: Henry Koffman
Phone: (213) 740-0556
Fax: (213) 744-1497
Programs/Degrees: Civil and
Tuition: $1,249/unit
COLORADO
Mesa State College
1100 North Ave.
Grand Junction, CO 81501
www.mesastate.edu
Contact: Charles Gains
Phone: (970) 248-1551
Programs/Degrees:
Tuition: $2,028/semester
CONNECTICUT
Central Connecticut
State University
1615 Stanley St.
New Britain, CT 06050
www.ccsu.edu
Contact: Jacob Kovel
Phone: (860) 832-0192
Fax: (860) 832-1806
Programs/Degrees:
(full-time, undergraduate); 3
years (part-time, graduate)
Tuition: About $4,000/semester
(undergraduate)
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Catholic University of America
620 Michigan Ave. NE
Washington, DC 20064
www.cua.edu
Contact: Gunnar Lucko
Phone: (202) 319-4381
Fax: (202) 319-6677
Engineering (with Construction
Management option)
Tuition: About $14,000/
semester (full-time); about
$1,000/credit hour (part-time)
ABC Student Chapter
Howard University
2300 6th St. NW
Washington, DC 20059
www.howard.edu/ceacs
Contact: Errol C. Noel
Phone: (202) 806-6570
Fax: (202) 806-5271
Engineering (with elective
courses in Project Management
and Business Management)
ABC Student Chapter
FLORIDA
Everglades University,
Boca Raton
5002 T-Rex Ave., #100
Boca Raton, FL 33431
www.evergladesuniversity.edu
Contact: Eric D. Kennedy
Phone: (561) 912-1211
Fax: (561) 912-1191
Email: ekennedy@
evergladesuniversity.edu
Programs/Degrees:
Program Length:
123 credit hours (3½ to 4 years)
ABC Student Chapter
Orlando
887 East Altamonte Drive
Altamonte Springs, FL 32701
Contact: Sherry Parker
Phone: (407) 277-0311
Fax: (407) 482-9801
Email: sparker@
Programs/Degrees:
ABC Student Chapter
Sarasota
6001 Lake Osprey Drive, #110
Sarasota, FL 34240
Contact: Kathleen Cornett
Phone: (941) 907-2262
Fax: (941) 907-6634
Email: kcornett@
Programs/Degrees:
Florida International University
10555 West Flagler St.
Miami, FL 33174
www.cm.fiu.edu
Contact: Eugene Farmer
Phone: (305) 348-3177
Fax: (305) 348-6255
Programs/Degrees:
Tuition: $122/credit
hour (undergraduate,
resident); $536/credit hour
(graduate, non-resident)
ABC Student Chapter
University of Central Florida
4000 Central Florida Blvd.
Orlando, FL 32816-2450
www.cee.ucf.edu
Contact: Amr A. Oloufa
Phone: (407) 823-2128
Fax: (407) 823-5315
Engineering
Program Length: 128 credits
(4 years)
ABC Student Chapter
University of Florida
304 Rinker, P.O. Box 115703
Gainesville, FL 32611-5703
www.bcn.ufl.edu
Contact: Abdol Chini
Phone: (352) 273-1150
Fax: (352) 392-9606
Construction
(non-resident)
ABC Student Chapter
University of North Florida
4567 St. Johns Bluff Road,
South
Jacksonville, FL 32224-2645
www.unf.edu/ccec/bcm
Contact: Mag Malek
Phone: (904) 620-2894
Fax: (904) 620-2573
Programs/Degrees:
ABC Student Chapter
| 41
[S p e c i a l
GEORGIA
Georgia Institute of Technology
280 Ferst Drive, 1st Floor
Atlanta, GA 30332-1680
www.gatech.edu
www.bcprogram.com
Contact: Brenda Morris
Phone: (404) 894-4875
Fax: (404) 894-1641
Email: brenda.morris@coa.
gatech.edu
Construction, Integrated Project
Delivery Systems, Facility
and Property Management,
Residential Construction
Development
(undergraduate);
1½ years (graduate)
Tuition: $2,400 for 12 or more
semester hours (resident);
$11,999 for 12 or more
semester hours (non-resident)
ABC Student Chapter
Boise, ID 83725-2075
www.boisestate.edu
Contact: Leandra Aburusa-Lete
Phone: (208) 426-1153
Fax: (208) 426-4466
Programs/Degrees:
ABC Student Chapter
Southern Polytechnic
State University
230 Snell Building
Provo, UT 84062
www.et.byu.edu/cm
Contact: Kevin Miller
Phone: (801) 422-2021
Fax: (801) 422-7519
Programs/Degrees:
ABC Student Chapter
INDIANA
525 South Center St.
Rexburg, ID 83460
www.byui.edu
Contact: Garth Jensen
Phone: (208) 496-1867
Fax: (208) 496-1860
Programs/Degrees:
Architectural Technology,
(Architectural Technology);
4 years (Construction
Management)
(Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-Day Saints members);
$3,170/semester (nonmembers)
200 North Seventh St.
Terre Haute, IN 47809-9989
www.indstate.edu/mct
Contact: Lee Ellingson
Phone: (812) 237-3372
Fax: (812) 237-9676
Programs/Degrees:
Industrial Supervision,
Manufacturing Technology
ILLINOIS
IDAHO
102 Turner Hall
Campus Box 5100
Normal, IL 61790-5100
1910 University Drive
42
135 Knoblauch Hall
1 University Circle
Macomb, IL 61455
www.wiu.edu/engrtech
Contact: Seongchan Kim
Phone: (309) 298-1091
Fax: (309) 298-1061
Programs/Degrees:
Tuition: About $3,200/
semester
Brigham Young University,
Idaho
1100 South Marietta Parkway
Marietta, GA 30060
www.spsu.edu
Contact: Shariar Makarechi
Phone: (678) 915-3029
Fax: (678) 915-4966
Programs/Degrees: General
Project Management,
Development, Specialty
Construction
Tuition: $2,000 (resident);
$6,700 (non-resident)
Boise State University
www.tec.ilstu.edu/
construction-management
Contact: Keith Rahn
Phone: (309) 438-2633
Fax: (309) 438-8626
Programs/Degrees:
Western Illinois University
Brigham Young University
Georgia Southern University
Department of Construction
Management & Civil
Engineering Technology
P.O. Box 8047
1007 Carruth Building
Statesboro, GA 30460
www.georgiasouthern.edu
Contact: Brian Moore
Phone: (912) 478-1010
Fax: (912) 478-1853
Email: bcmoore@
georgiasouthern.edu
Programs/Degrees:
Construction Management &
Civil Engineering Technology
(resident); $4,791/semester
(non-resident)
]
Bradley University
1501 W. Bradley Ave.
Peoria, IL 61625
cec.bradley.edu
Contact: Amir Al-Khafaji
Phone: (309) 677-2942
Fax: (309) 677-2867
Engineering and Construction
Tuition: $22,600
Illinois State University
Indiana State University
Indiana University-Purdue
University Indianapolis
799 W. Michigan St. (ET 209P)
Indianapolis, IN 46202
www.iupui.edu
Contact: Tom Iseley
Phone: (317) 274-2363
Programs/Degrees:
Management Technology
Purdue University
401 North Grant St.
West Lafayette, IN 47906
www.purdue.edu/bcm
Contact: Robert F. Cox
Phone: (765) 494-2465
Fax: (765) 496-2246
Programs/Degrees:
Building Construction
Management
ABC Student Chapter
IOWA
Iowa State University
394 Town Engineering
Ames, IA 50011
www.ccee.iastate.edu
Contact: Edward Jaselskis
Phone: (515) 294-0250
Fax: (515) 294-8216
Engineering, Environmental
Engineering, Structural
Engineering
KANSAS
Kansas State University
240 Seaton Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506-2903
www.k-state.edu/are-cns
Contact: David Fritchen
Phone: (785) 532-5964
Fax: (785) 532-3556
Programs/Degrees: Architectural
Science & Management
(Architectural Engineering); 4
years (Construction Science &
Management)
(non-resident)
University of Kansas
1530 W. 15th St.
Lawrence, KS 66045-7609
www.ceae.ku.edu
Contact: Yong Bai
Phone: (785) 864-2991
Fax: (785) 864-5631
Programs/Degrees: Architectural
Engineering, Civil Engineering,
Construction Engineering,
(bachelor’s degree in Civil
Engineering); 5 years
(bachelor’s degree in
Architectural Engineering);
1½ years (master’s degree in
Construction Management);
3 years (Ph.D. in Construction
Engineering)
Tuition: $7,000/year (resident)
KENTUCKY
Eastern Kentucky University
302 Whalin Technology
Complex
Construction Management and Engineering Technology
Programs of study in the construction science and engineering
technology fields include Bachelor of Science degrees in the following
disciplines:
• Bachelor of Science in Construction Management
• Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering Technology
• Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering Technology
• Bachelor of Science in Fire Safety Engineering Technology
• Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering Technology
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte consistently ranks as one of the Southeast’s top academic
institutions. Over 23,000 students study on a 1,000-acre wooded, suburban campus near the Carolinas’ largest
city. Charlotte is only a two-hour drive from the mountains and three hours from the coast.
Our Students:
• Choose from five programs of study in Engineering Technology and Construction Management
• Study, work in teams, and share experiences with 800 students in the Department
• Learn through applied technical courses and hands-on laboratories and projects
• Interact with experienced professors who possess many years of real-world engineering design experience
• Enjoy the rich and exciting activities of campus life available at UNC Charlotte
Our Graduates:
• Choose from a variety of exciting career options
• Enjoy well-paid professional careers with high employment rates and upward career mobility
So, if you are looking for a challenging program in a rapidly-growing, dynamic university, situated in a
metropolitan setting... where we’re large enough to offer an array of extracurricular activities, yet small enough
to provide an individualized atmosphere... and, if you want to study with a diverse peer group in a hands-on,
applications-oriented program alongside accomplished, industry-experienced faculty, then...
CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT or ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY at UNC CHARLOTTE may be for YOU!
For more information, visit our webpage or contact us at:
Construction Management & Engineering Technology
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
9201 University City Boulevard
Charlotte, NC 28223-0001
Phone: 704-687-2305 FAX: 704-687-6653
www.et.uncc.edu
ww
[S p e c i a l
]
Section: Su
ch
ro
eo
tl
y sB o f
Phone: (859) 572-5440
Fax: (859) 572-5150
Programs/Degrees:
Architectural Drafting,
Assistant Surveying,
Construction Technology
(bachelor’s degree); 2 years
(associate’s degree)
(resident); $5,976/semester
(non-resident)
521 Lancaster Ave.
Richmond, KY 40475
www.technology.eku.edu
Contact: Tim Ross
Phone: (859) 622-3232
Fax: (859) 622-2357
Programs/Degrees:
ABC Student Chapter
Murray State University
253 Industry and Technology
Center
Murray, KY 42071
www.murraystate.edu
Contact: Danny Claiborne
Phone: (270) 809-6910
Fax: (270) 809-6819
Email: danny.claiborne@
murraystate.edu
Programs/Degrees:
Architectural Engineering
Technology, Civil Engineering
Technology, Construction
ABC Student Chapter
Western Kentucky University
1 Big Red Way
Bowling Green, KY 42101
www.wku.edu
Contact: Matthew Dettman
Phone: (270) 745-2462
Fax: (270) 745-5856
Email: matthew.dettman@
wku.edu
Programs/Degrees:
Architectural Sciences,
Civil Engineering, Construction
Management
ABC Student Chapter
Northern Kentucky University
LOUISIANA
Highland Heights, KY 41099
cob.nku.edu/departments/
construction
Contact: Sean Foley
Louisiana State University
3128 Patrick F. Taylor Hall
Baton Rouge, LA 70803-6419
]
www.cmie.lsu.edu
Contact: Thomas Ray
(department chair), Leslie
Rosso (construction
management program
coordinator), Gerry Knapp
(industrial engineering
program coordinator)
Phone: (225) 578-5122
Fax: (225) 578-5109
Email: [email protected]; llrosso@
lsu.edu; [email protected]
Programs/Degrees:
Industrial Engineering
(undergraduate);
2 years (graduate)
ABC Student Chapter
MARYLAND
University of Louisiana,
Monroe
Prince George’s
Community College
700 University Ave.
Monroe, LA 71209
www.ulm.edu/construction
Contact: Keith Parker
Phone: (318) 342-1871
Fax: (318) 342-1861
Programs/Degrees:
ABC Student Chapter
301 Largo Road
Largo, MD 20774
academic.pgcc.edu/
constructionmanagement
Contact: Ed McLaughlin
Phone: (301) 341-3075
Fax: (301) 386-7502
Programs/Degrees:
Engineering
Montgomery College
51 Mannakee St.
Rockville, MD 20850
www.montgomerycollege.edu
Contact: Mario Parcan
Phone: (240) 567-7616
Fax: (240) 567-7618
Email: mario.parcan@
montgomerycollege.edu
Programs/Degrees:
Management of Construction
(county resident); $267/credit
hour (state resident); $344/
credit hour (non-resident)
ABC Student Chapter
Custom Build Your Career
Earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Construction Management
Courses include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
ConstructionLaw
BuildingConstructionDrawing
ConstructionContracts
ConstructionCostEstimating
ManagingaConstructionProject
ConstructionLayoutPlanning
ConstructionEthics
www.EvergladesUniversity.edu
• 100% onlinedegreesofferedthroughtheBocaRatonMainCampus
• Studentstakeoneclassatatimeformorefocusedlearning
• Financialaidisavailableforthosewhoqualify
Boca Raton Campus
44
(Main Campus)
Sarasota Campus
(Branch Campus)
Orlando Campus
(Branch Campus)
888.235.8418
888.785.8689
866.314.4540
5002T-REXAve.,#100,BocaRaton,FL33431
6001LakeOspreyDr.,#110,Sarasota,FL34240
887E.AltamonteDr.,AltamonteSprings,FL32701
ABC Student Chapter
MICHIGAN
Ferris State University
11931 Art Shell Plaza
Princess Anne, MD 21853-2199 www.umes.edu
Contact: Leon Copeland
Phone: (410) 651-6473 Fax: (410) 651-7959 Email: [email protected] Programs/Degrees: Civil and
Technology Program Length: 4 years Tuition: About $6,500/year ABC Student Chapter
605 S. Warren Ave., GRN-227
Big Rapids, MI 49307
www.ferris.edu/ctm
Contact: Lee Templin
Phone: (231) 591-3773
Fax: (231) 591-3587
Construction Technology,
Civil Engineering Technology,
Construction Technology &
Management
Tuition: $300/credit hour;
$4,500/semester; $9,000/year
(resident)
ABC Student Chapter
MASSACHUSETTS
MINNESOTA
University of Maryland,
Eastern Shore Wentworth Institute of
Technology
550 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA 02115-5998
www.wit.edu
Contact: Craig Capano
Phone: (617) 989-4186
Engineering Technology,
Management)
Tuition: $12,000/year (includes
room & board)
ABC Student Chapter
MISSISSIPPI
Minnesota State University,
Mankato
University of Southern
Mississippi
354 Wiecking Center
Mankato, MN 56001
www.mankatoconstruction
degree.com
Contact: Scott Fee
Phone: (507) 389-6385
Fax: (507) 389-1096
Programs/Degrees:
ABC Student Chapter
118 College Drive, #5138
Hattiesburg, MS 39406
construction.usm.edu
Contact: Desmond Fletcher
Phone: (601) 266-4895
Fax: (601) 266-5717
Email: desmond.fletcher@
usm.edu
Programs/Degrees:
Industrial Engineering
Technology
ABC Student Chapter
Bemidji State University
1500 Birchmont Drive NE
Bemidji, MN 56601-2699
www.bemidjistate.edu
Contact: Tim Brockman
Phone: (218) 755-4128
Fax: (218) 755-4011
Email: tbrockman@bemidji
state.edu
Programs/Degrees:
Construction Site Management,
Industrial Technology (with
an emphasis in Construction
Tuition: $200/credit hour up to
11 credits; $3,100 for banded
tuition between 12 and 18
credits
Minnesota State University,
Moorhead
1104 7th Ave. South
Moorhead, MN 56563
www.mnstate.edu/cm
Contact: Scott Seltveit
Phone: (218) 477-2469
Fax: (218) 477-5958
Programs/Degrees:
MISSOURI
Missouri State University
901 South National Ave.
Springfield, MO 65897
www.tcm.missouristate.edu
Contact: Richard Gebken
Phone: (417) 836-5121
Fax: (417) 836-8556
accredited by
the american
council for
construction
education
l sectors
with graduates in al
uding:
of the industry incl
commercial
residential
heavy/highway
mechanical/electrical
design
missions
Head • Heart • Hand
bachelor of science in construction management
www.jbu.edu cm
| 45
[S p e c i a l
]
Section: Su
ch
ro
eo
tl
y sB o f
Programs/Degrees:
(non-resident)
Southeast Missouri
State University
One University Plaza
Cape Girardeau, MO 63701
www.semo.edu/iet
Contact: Kevin McMeel
Phone: (573) 651-2104
Fax: (573) 986-6174
Programs/Degrees:
Construction Management and
Design
University of Central Missouri
P.O. Box 800, COT 203
School of Technology
Warrensburg, MO 64093
www.ucmo.edu
Contact: David McCandless
Phone: (660) 543-4789
Fax: (660) 543-4431
Programs/Degrees:
Industrial Technology
(associate’s degree),
Industrial Management
(master’s degree)
(undergraduate, resident);
$390/credit hour
(graduate, non-resident)
ABC Student Chapter
MONTANA
]
NEBRASKA
University of Nebraska,
Kearney
905 West 25th St.
Kearney, NE 68849
www.unkcm.org
Contact: Kennard Larson
Phone: (308) 865-8504
Fax: (308) 865-8976
Programs/Degrees:
Montana State University
Dept. of Civil Engineering
205 Cobleigh Hall
Bozeman, MT 59717-3900
www.coe.montana.edu/ce
Contact: Penny Knoll
Phone: (406) 994-6139
Fax: (406) 994-6105
Engineering Management,
Technology
Program Length: 4+ years
(bachelor’s degree); 1+ year
(master’s degree)
Lincoln
1110 S. 67th St.
Omaha, NE 68182-0681
www.engineering.unl.edu
Contact: Christine Warren
Phone: (402) 554-3918
Fax: (402) 472-4087
Email: [email protected].
edu
Programs/Degrees:
(non-resident)
Omaha
1107 S. 67th St.
Omaha, NE 68182
www.const.unomaha.edu
Contact: Terry Foster
Phone: (402) 554-3273
Fax: (402) 554-3850
edu
Programs/Degrees:
NEVADA
University of Nevada,
Las Vegas
4505 S. Maryland Parkway
Box 454005
Las Vegas, NV 89154-4005
www.cem.egr.unlv.edu
Contact: David Shields
Phone: (702) 895-1461
Fax: (702) 895-4966
Programs/Degrees:
(undergraduate); $198/credit
hour (graduate)
CONSTRUCTION
MANAGEMENT
EDUCATING TOMORROW’S
CONSTRUCTION LEADERS TODAY
A program featuring:
Practical experience grounded in
professional knowledge
Day and evening classes for working
professionals
Award winning students & faculty
5 minutes south of Cincinnati, Ohio
For more information contact Dr. Sean P. Foley at 859.572.5440
http://cob.nku.edu/departments/construction/index.php
46
There’s no better time to invest in your best.
So learn from the Crimson Tide experts at one
of only five OSHA training centers in Southeast.
• Accelerated discount weeks
• Become an OSHA Certified Trainer
• Certificate programs • Courses in Alabama,
Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia & Florida
For class schedules and registration
constructionsafety.ua.edu (877)508-7246
NEW MEXICO
University of New Mexico
MSC01 1070
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001
www.unm.edu/~civil
Contact: Arup Maji
Phone: (505) 277-1757
Fax: (505) 277-1988
Management
(bachelor’s degree);
1–2 years (master’s degree)
NEW YORK
Alfred State College
10 Upper College Drive
Alfred, NY 14802
www.alfredstate.edu
Contact: Jeffrey Marshall
Phone: (607) 587-4616
Fax: (607) 587-4620
Email: marshajk@alfred
state.edu
Programs/Degrees: Air
Conditioning and Heating
Technology, Architectural
Building Trades-Building
Construction, CAD/CAM
Technology, Drafting/CAD,
Drawing/CAD-Model Building
& Process Pipe Drawing,
Electrical Construction and
Maintenance Electrician,
Heavy Equipment Operations,
Heavy Equipment-Truck and
Diesel Technician, Masonry,
Surveying Engineering
Technology, Welding
Technology
Program Length: 2 or 4 years
Tuition: $4,350
Rochester Institute of
Technology
Clarkson University
2 Main St.
Delhi, NY 13753
www.delhi.edu
Contact: Eric Robert
Phone: (607) 746-4067
Fax: (607) 746-4126
Programs/Degrees:
Architectural Design and
Building (with a Construction
Management option);
8 Clarkson Ave.
Potsdam, NY 13699-5710
www.clarkson.edu
Contact: Hung Tao Shen
Phone: (315) 268-6606
Fax: (315) 268-7985
Engineering
(bachelor’s degree); 9 months
(associate’s degree)
One Lomb Memorial Drive
Rochester, NY 14623-5603
www.rit.edu
Contact: Todd Dunn
Phone: (585) 475-2900
Environmental Management
and Safety
Program Length: 4 years, plus
1-year co-op employment
Tuition: $27,624/year (undergraduate, full-time); $614/
credit hour (undergraduate,
part-time)
State University of New York,
Farmingdale
2350 Broadhollow Road
Farmingdale, NY 11735-1021
www.farmingdale.edu
Contact: Amit Bandyopadhyay
Phone: (631) 420-2378
Email: bandyoa@farmingdale.
edu
Programs/Degrees:
Technology
State University of New York,
Delhi
NORTH CAROLINA
North Carolina State
University
Campus Box 7098
Raleigh, NC 27695-7908
www.ce.ncsu.edu
Contact: Michael Leming
Phone: (919) 595-2331
Fax: (919) 595-7908
Programs/Degrees:
Offering a Professional
Master’s Degree in
three focus areas:
• Integrated Project
Delivery Systems
• Integrated Facility
Management
• Residential
Construction
Development
Now accepting
applications for fall
2009 and spring 2010
www.bcprogram.com
404-894-4875
[email protected]
Graduate courses are taught in the evening, so students can
continue with their professional careers.
New classes in Building Information Modeling(BIM), Green
Building, Sustainability, and Generational Community Design.
| 47
[S p e c i a l
and Management
(bachelor’s degree); 1–2 years
(master’s degree); 3 years (Ph.D.)
(includes fees)
University of North Carolina,
Charlotte
9201 University City Blvd.
Charlotte, NC 28223-0001
www.et.uncc.edu
Contact: Anthony Brizendine
Phone: (704) 687-2305
Fax: (704) 687-6653
Western Carolina University
Department, 211 Belk Building
Cullowhee, NC 28723
cm.wcu.edu
Contact: Bradford Sims
Phone: (828) 227-2175
Fax: (828) 227-7138
Programs/Degrees:
Land Development
Program Length: 4 years for
on-campus Construction
Management undergraduate
program; 2 years for
online master’s degree in
Construction Management;
1 summer for minor in Land
Development
Tuition: $1,802/semester (fulltime, undergraduate, resident);
$5,395/semester (full-time,
undergraduate, non-resident);
$1,338/semester (online,
graduate, resident); $4,932/
semester (online, graduate,
non-resident)
NORTH DAKOTA
North Dakota State University
P.O. Box 6050, Dept. 2475
Fargo, ND 58102-6050
www.ndsu.edu/ndsu/cme
Contact: Ingrid Scarski
Phone: (701) 231-7879
Fax: (701) 231-7431
Programs/Degrees:
(undergraduate); 9 months
to 2 years (graduate)
48
]
(undergraduate, resident);
resident)
Management Technology
Tuition: $131/credit hour, plus
fees (resident)
ABC Student Chapter
OHIO
Oklahoma State UniversityInstitute of Technology
Pennsylvania College of
Technology
1801 East 4th St.
Okmulgee, OK 74447
www.osuit.edu
Contact: Steve Olmstead
Phone: (918) 293-4738
Fax: (918) 293-4673
Email: steve.olmstead@
okstate.edu
Programs/Degrees:
Electrical Construction,
High Voltage, Plumbing
Technology, Air Conditioning
and Refrigeration Technology,
Masonry Construction,
Residential Construction,
Welding
ABC Student Chapter
One College Ave., Carl
Building, Trades Center
Room 118
Williamsport, PA 17701
www.pct.edu/schools/cdt
Contact: Tom Gregory
Phone: (570) 327-4518
Fax: (570) 320-2406
Programs/Degrees:
Architecture Technology,
Building Automation
Technology, Building
Construction Technology,
Building Construction
Technology (Masonry),
Electrical Technology, HVAC
Technology, HVAC Design
Technology, Residential
and Management
ABC Student Chapter
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH 43403
www.bgsu.edu/colleges/
technology
Contact: Travis Chapin
Phone: (419) 372-2837
Fax: (419) 372-6066
edu
Programs/Degrees:
Architecture/Environmental
Design Studies, Construction
Management and Technology
The Ohio State
University
590 Woody Hayes Drive
Columbus, OH 43210
www.osu.edu
Contact: Bev Barrick
Phone: (614) 247-6735
Fax: (614) 292-9448
Programs/Degrees:
Construction Systems
Management
ABC Student Chapter
University of Cincinnati
2220 Victory Parkway
Cincinnati, OH 45206-2839
www.uc.edu
Contact: George Suckarieh
Phone: (513) 556-6554
Fax: (513) 556-5323
Email: george.suckarieh@
uc.edu
Programs/Degrees:
Management
Tuition: $3,133/quarter
ABC Student Chapter
OKLAHOMA
OREGON
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR 97331-3212
cce.oregonstate.edu
Contact: David Rogge
Phone: (541) 737-4351
Engineering Management
Tuition: $1,536 for 12–16 credit
hours (resident); $4,748 for
12–16 credit hours
(non-resident)
PENNSYLVANIA
Drexel University
3001 Market St., Suite 100
Philadelphia, PA 19104
www.drexel.edu/goodwin
Contact: James Tsafos
Phone: (215) 895-6024
Fax: (215) 895-0901
Programs/Degrees:
Oklahoma State University
Penn State University
485 Cordell South
Stillwater, OK 74078
cmt.okstate.edu
Contact: Dana Hobson
Phone: (405) 744-5712
Fax: (405) 744-0365
Email: dana.hobson@okstate.
edu
Programs/Degrees:
Architecture, Construction
777 Harrisburg Pike, CET
Room W-255
Middletown, PA 17057
www.ed.psu.edu
Contact: Joseph Cecere
Phone: (717) 948-6124
Fax: (717) 948-6502
Engineering, Structural
Design & Construction
Temple University
1801 N. Broad St.
Philadelphia, PA 19122
www.temple.edu
Contact: Philip Udo-Inyang
Phone: (215) 204-7831
Fax: (215) 204-4696
Email: philip.udo-inyang@
temple.edu
Programs/Degrees:
Architecture, Civil Engineering,
General Engineering
Technology, Landscape
Architecture
(resident); $20,278/year
(non-resident); $433/credit
hour (resident); $857/credit
hour (non-resident)
RHODE ISLAND
Roger Williams University
One Old Ferry Road
Bristol, RI 02809
www.rwu.edu
Contact: Frederick Gould
Phone: (401) 254-3725
Fax: (401) 254-3562
Programs/Degrees:
Engineering
(excluding fees)
SOUTH CAROLINA
Clemson University
125 Lee Hall, Box 340507
Clemson, SC 29634
www.clemson.edu/caah/csm
Contact: Roger Liska
Phone: (864) 656-0181
Fax: (864) 656-7542
Programs/Degrees:
Construction Science &
Management
ABC Student Chapter
SOUTH DAKOTA
South Dakota State University
Solberg Hall
Brookings, SD 57007
www3.sdstate.edu
Contact: Pat Pannell
Phone: (605) 688-4160
Fax: (605) 688-5041
Programs/Degrees:
TENNESSEE
Build Your Future In
CONSTRUCTION
MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY
Advantages of the CMT Program at UMES:
• Professional accreditation by the American Council for
Construction Education
• 100% industry placement for CMT graduates
• More than 90% of program students qualify for financial
aid and/or scholarships
• Established, strong internship program
• Qualified faculty with academic and “real world” experiences
• Two great locations – The Eastern Shore of Maryland and
suburban Washington, DC
For more information call the Department of Technology
@ (410) 651-6465 or email [email protected]
Chattanooga State Technical
Community College
4501 Amnicola Highway
Chattanooga, TN 37406-1097
www.chattanoogastate.edu
Contact: Tim McGhee
Phone: (423) 697-3174
Fax: (423) 697-3280
Email: tim.mcghee@chattanoogastate.
edu
Programs/Degrees: Civil Engineering
Technology, Construction Engineering
Technology, Construction Management
TEXAS
Texas A&M University
3137 TAMU
College Station, TX 77843-3137
archone.tamu.edu/cosc
Contact: Joe Horlen
Phone: (979) 845-1017
Fax: (979) 862-1572
Programs/Degrees: Construction
Management, Construction Science
Program Length: 4 years (undergraduate);
1½ years (graduate)
Tuition: $156/credit hour (undergraduate,
resident);
$434/credit hour (undergraduate,
non-resident); $206/credit hour (graduate,
resident); $484/credit hour (graduate,
non-resident)
ABC Student Chapter
School of Technology
Our industry-leading degree programs in Construction Management
and Computer-Aided Drafting and Design Technology offer students an
opportunity to build a knowledge-based career, founded in technology,
that is both intellectually stimulating and economically rewarding.
· Accredited by the American Council for Construction, and
· the Association of Technology, Management, and
Applied Engineering
Computer-Aided Drafting and
Design Technology
· Accredited by the Association of Technology,
Management, and Applied Engineering
· Offering an architectural area of
specialization
www.ucmo.edu/technology
| 49
[S p e c i a l
]
Section: Su
ch
ro
eo
tl
y sB o f
Texas A&M University,
Commerce
University of Houston
P.O. Box 3011
Commerce, TX 75428
www.tamu-commerce.edu/iet
Contact: Brent Donham
Phone: (903) 886-5474
Fax: (903) 886-5960
Email: brent.donham@
tamu-commerce.edu
Programs/Degrees:
Construction Science, Industrial
Engineering, Technology
Management
(undergraduate); $4,260/year
(graduate)
ABC Student Chapter
Texas Tech University
College of Technology
Technology Building,
Room 304
Houston, TX 77204-4083
tech.uh.edu/Programs/
Construction_Management
Contact: Neil Eldin
Phone: (713) 743-1553
Fax: (713) 743-4032
Programs/Degrees:
(non-resident)
ABC Student Chapter
VERMONT
Norwich University
2500 Broadway
Lubbock, TX 79409
www.depts.ttu.edu/etec
Contact: William Burkett
Phone: (806) 742-3531
Fax: (806) 742-1699
Programs/Degrees:
Tuition: About $3,400/semester
(resident)
158 Harmon Drive
Northfield, VT 05663
www.norwich.edu/build
Contact: Michael Puddicombe
Phone: (802) 485-2725
Fax: (802) 485-2087
Programs/Degrees: Engineering
Management-Construction
]
Washington State University
VIRGINIA
420D Bishop-Fabrao Hall
Blacksburg, VA 24061
www.bc.vt.edu
Contact: Ursula Halferty
Phone: (540) 231-5017
Fax: (540) 231-7339
Construction, Civil and
Construction Engineering and
Management
ABC Student Chapter
P.O. Box 642220
Pullman, WA 99164-2220
www.arch.wsu.edu
Contact: W. Max Kirk
Phone: (509) 335-5074
Fax: (509) 335-6132
Programs/Degrees:
$3,360/semester (resident);
$17,756/year (non-resident);
$8,878/semester (non-resident)
ABC Student Chapter
WASHINGTON
WISCONSIN
University of Washington
Milwaukee School of
Engineering
Virginia Polytechnic Institute
and State University
120 Architecture Hall
Box 351610
Seattle, WA 98195-1610
depts.washington.edu/cmweb
Contact: John Schaufelberger
Phone: (206) 543-6377
Fax: (260) 685-1976
Programs/Degrees:
ABC Student Chapter
1025 N. Broadway
Milwaukee, WI 53202-3109
www.msoe.edu
Contact: Sandra Everts
Phone: (414) 277-7300
Programs/Degrees:
MSOE CM graduates can
help build your business!
Department of
ConstruCtion sCienCe anD
management
Offering quality professional education
at baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral
levels for over 30 years including
the first master’s degree and certificate
distance-learning program in
construction science and management
for practicing professionals.
For more information, see
www.clemson.edu/caah/csm/
or contact Clemson University
at (864)656-0181.
A comprehensive education
through collaboration
50
• National champs of
AGC’s Design-Build
student competition.
• MSOE’s student
chapter of Engineers
Without Borders
selected as one of
the national Premier
Chapters.
• Specialized for the
building construction
industry
• Multidisciplinary, team approach to senior project
• Small studio class environment
• Available as a double-major program
with architectural engineering
• Accredited by the American Council
for Construction Education (ACCE)
(800) 332-6763 • www.msoe.edu
Milwaukee School of Engineering
PREFABRICATION:
ACCELERATING PROFITABILITY
Prefabrication is a key cost reduction technique used by successful contractors. Alone,
developing and implementing scalable, user friendly systems and processes can take years.
Navigant Consulting can help. Our professionals can accelerate the development and
implementation of lean, manufacturing-based prefabrication shops, saving your business time
and money.
Let our construction professionals work with your team to build a new prefabrication facility
or to enhance an existing operation to maximize efficiency and improve your bottom line.
Navigant Consulting – Turn to us for direction[s].
Jeff Moore
215.327.4154
[email protected]
www.navigantconsulting.com/constructionMC
©2009 Navigant Consulting, Inc. All rights reserved. Navigant Consulting is not a certified public accounting firm and does not provide audit, attest, or public accounting services. “NAVIGANT” is a service mark of Navigant International, Inc.
Navigant Consulting, Inc. (NCI) is not affiliated, associated, or in any way connected with Navigant International, Inc., and NCI’s use of “NAVIGANT” is made under license from Navigant International, Inc.
*See www.navigantconsulting.com/licensing for a complete listing of private investigator licenses.
p. 52
Ad
Full
&
Software
Technology
PRODUCT SHOWCASE
S pecia l
A D V E R T I S I N G
S ection
The Digital Takeoff Table™
p. 55
On Center Software’s Digital
Takeoff Solution
The search for improved
takeoff productivity ends here.
In an exclusive agreement with
manufacturer Wacom, On Center
Software has developed a full
integration of their On-Screen
Takeoff ® program with the new
Digital Takeoff Table. Quality
takeoffs can now be completed
directly on-screen, providing estimators with a method that saves time and increases accuracy.
The Digital Takeoff Table solution includes a 21.3-inch adjustable display screen, a patented
cordless, battery-free pen, and the necessary On-Screen Takeoff drivers. On-Screen Takeoff
software is sold separately.
www.oncenter.com ProEst
Takeoff
Innovative
Paperless
Takeoff Software
Delivers High ROI
p. 57
Award-winning ProEst Takeoff 2009 revolutionizes
construction estimating. This new digital takeoff
technology eliminates paper blueprints, which
saves time, space and money. Discover why
ProEst Takeoff is 50% faster than manual takeoff
methods: download your FREE trial today!
www.proest.com
(800) 255-7407
With Construction Master
Software for Windows® you
can have the power of the
award-winning Construction
Master Pro on your PC.
Calculate in Feet, Inches and
Fractions, and Metric. Check
plans dimensions and takeModel 4105
offs. Use it as a handy pop-up
program without leaving your CAD, estimating,
scheduling or other application. Print your results
and take them to the jobsite. See more, including a demo, at www.calculated.com.
www.calculated.com
AIA Contract Documents® Software
AIA Contract Documents Software Offers Improved
Functionality and Better Ease-of-Use
(800) 854-8075
p. 23
Project/Document Management: One screen viewing, selection, management and sharing of
projects/documents. Create folders/subfolders within projects and store documents. Edit/delete
data and activate/archive projects through easy-to-use interfaces.
Flexible Data Dialogs: Complete required data with ease. Automatically populate required fields.
Recognize when project information varies from data stored.Microsoft Excel: Excel functionality for
handling select G-Form calculations. Import existing G-Forms information. Automatically update
values when information is entered and/or edited.
One-Click Custom Templates: Create custom templates with one-click. Easily reuse preferred
language/edits.
www.aia.org/contractdocs
mJobTime™
(800) 242-3837
Bluebeam
PDF Revu ®
The Construction Industry’s Most
Advanced Time Tracking Software
More than a basic time tracking application, mJobTime
is a unique management tool designed to return
significant savings and tremendous gains in productivity.
• Built on sophisticated SQL technology
• A simple yet powerful user interface
• Runs on a wide range of devices
• Built-in accountablility throughout the program
• Comprehensive functionality
p. 61
www.mjobtime.com
(281) 297-9000
Construction Master®
Power—On Your
PC
p. 58
(866) 922-TIME (8463)
Reduce Printing and
Shipping Costs By As
Much As 80%
p. 64
General Contractors are switching to Bluebeam
PDF Revu to create, edit and markup PDF plans
electronically. The results are lower printing and
shipping costs and improved response times.
Bluebeam PDF Revu offers customized markup
options, measurement tools, drawing comparison technology, and tablet PC compatibility.
Download a 30-day trial.
www.bluebeam.com
(866) 496-2140
| 53
&
Software
Technology
PRODUCT SHOWCASE
S P E C I A l
S E C T I O N
Sage Timberline Office
p. 56
eTimesheet
The Future of Online Labor Time Entry
Automate your company’s payroll process
with Jonas eTimesheets, a web based
solution for logging labor hours remotely.
Hosted by Jonas – so there’s no software
to install or maintain – the online labor time
entry system is a paperless, easy-to-use and
efficient system to help you manage your
most valuable resource – your staff.
www.jonas-construction.com
(888) 789-9073
54
Sage Releases New Version Sage Timberline
Office and New Estimating Databases to Help
Contractors Maintain Profitability
Current economic conditions mean running a
construction business as efficiently and intelligently
as possible is critical to success. To help contractors
maintain profitability during these unpredictable
times, Sage has released Sage Timberline Office
Version 9.6 and new Estimating Databases
designed to simplify customers’ work flow.
The new release contains a number of usability
and performance improving enhancements
designed to ensure a positive customer experience today and well into the future, such as:
64-Bit compatibility; easier general ledger transactions maintenance; Estimating with
multicurrency functionality; Estimating and Project Management’s RFI and change management
capabilities; integration with Sage CRM.
p. 25
www.sagecre.com
(800) 628-6583
Want to learn more?
p. 55
Ad
Full
5% discount*
www.oncenter.com/ConstructionExecutive
Paul Haines
Owner/Estimator
P.C. Haines, Inc.
Wall & Ceiling Contractors
1400 Woodloch Forest Dr., Suite 400
The Woodlands, TX 77380
866.627.6246 • www.oncenter.com
*Eligible software licenses for this promotion include On-Screen Takeoff and Quick Bid only.
&
Software
Technology
PRODUCT SHOWCASE
S pecia l
S ection
ComputerEase’s
Electronic Invoice
Routing and Approval
ProEst
Estimating
Electronic Invoice Routing
Streamlines the Invoice
Approval Process
Accurately
Calculates
the Cost of
Any Project
p. 54
While the Construction industry will never
go 100% paperless, at least contractors
can target the elimination of unnecessary
paper processing. The Accounts Payable
Department sends invoices along with
purchase orders, change orders and other
documentation electronically to field personnel for approval. From the field, Project Managers
can approve or reject and add comments before sending the electronic files back to the
Accounts Payable Department in the office. Electronic Invoice Routing and Approval is
integrated with ComputerEase accounting and works seamlessly throughout the office.
www.computerease.com
p. 57
ProEst Estimating is innovative estimating
software with cutting edge capabilities, like digital
takeoff technology and integration with other
leading business solutions. Discover why 7,000+
construction companies use ProEst Estimating to
bid with confidence: download your FREE trial!
(800) 544-2530
www.proest.com
(800) 255-7407
FLEXIBILITY + INNOVATION + INTEGRATION
IT ALL ADDS UP
Jonas Construction and Service Management Solutions
are used by over 1,000 Mechanical and HVACR Contractors across North
America to drive revenue, increase efficiency and to help them make better
business decisions.
Jonas offers a complete package of fully integrated, flexible and industry
specific solutions including:
+ Document Management
+ Accounting
+ Mobile Technology
+ Payroll
+ Web Portal Solutions
+ Job Cost
+ Project Management
+ Service Management
+ eTimesheets
+ Inventory and Equipment Management
Contact us today at 1.888.789.9073 or visit our website at
www.jonas-construction.com and discover how Jonas can help you
improve your business.
[email protected]
56
1.888.789.9073
7.25”
www.jonas-construction.com
4.625”
Accurately calculate the cost of any size project.
Quickly and easily. (To the penny.)
ProEst® Estimating: the power
you need in a competitive market.
p. 57
Ad
Full
&
Software
Technology
PRODUCT SHOWCASE
S pecia l
Phoenix Project
Manager
p. 60
Critical Path Scheduling
for Windows® and
Mac OS®
Start saving time and money on any size
project today with effective Critical Path
schedules that are easy to create and maintain.
Plan your projects, track them to completion,
and communicate your progress to others with
ease. Phoenix Project Manager works on
Windows® and Mac OS® operating systems.
www.phoenixcpm.com
(801) 298-9997
CE-509.eps 3/10/2009 9:57:06 AM
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
58
S ection
CMiC On Demand
On Demand Software Reduces Costs and
Eliminates Unnecessary Support Payments
CMiC On Demand eliminates unnecessary
support payments and reduces costs without
requiring a heavy investment into IT resources. Using software as a service technology, CMiC
On Demand is the only fully integrated software
system designed specifically for the construction
industry. Simply implement CMiC On Demand,
access it through an internet connection and
enjoy the benefits of the industry leading,
construction software solution.
p. 52
No software downloads, no hardware
requirements – only results. www.cmicnow.com
(416) 736-0123
“Imaging has allowed us to examine our work
process and efficiently grow our company.”
-Mark Ruston, President, Ruston Paving
These Construction Managers all have ONE thing in common:
Construction Imaging’s new
WEB APPROVAL
Learn about these productivity solutions:
Browser based WEB APPROVAL
p. 59OCR for Payables Processing
Ad Type Once Technology
Full Electronic Forms Processing
Construction Document Manager
Full Text Document Searching
E-mail Manager
Print Driver
and more…
Software applications include: scanning/
job documents, H/R processes, cost-plus,
invoice routing and approval, electronic
content management, records retention,
and more.
Visit 505/507
at CFMA 2009
[email protected]
www.construction-imaging.com
252-937-2426
&
Software
Technology
PRODUCT SHOWCASE
S pecia l
S ection
Construction Payment
Management
p. 63
Textura’s Internet Technology
Revolutionizes Contractor Invoicing,
Lien Waiver Collection & Payments.
p. 63
Textura offers an industry-first solution
solving an industry-wide problem – the
monthly payment application (invoicing)
process. Owners, developers and general
contractors use Textura’s services to
completely automate invoicing, lien waiver
collection, electronic payments, document
compliance and reporting. Textura’s services
provide dramatic cost savings; improved
visibility and control; and, reduced risk.
www.texturacorp.com
(866)TEXTURA (839-8872)
60
InSite Software Inc.
InSite SiteWork Image (PDF, TIF, etc.)
Take Off Software
p. 58
InSite SiteWork™
Earthwork & Utility
Estimating Software
ads full image takeoff (PDF, TIF, etc.)
to its excellent CAD
import and paper
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workforce De v e l opmen t
By Rox anne Ri vera
n organization is its people. Almost any organization’s vision will
succeed if the people who work for it are
motivated to make it happen.
One of the best strategies for motivating employees is teamwork. Effective
teams develop active problem-solving
strategies that go beyond talking and
involve real action. In a team that functions well, performance is not based on
the individual, but on the final product
the entire team generates.
It can be challenging to develop an
effective team in uncertain economic times.
Many employees become fearful or demoralized during a tenuous economy due to
the potential for downsizing.
Business leaders must decide whether to
adapt their leadership styles and embrace
teamwork, or maintain a reactive philosophy and possibly fail.
A contractor can develop strong teams
in several ways:
1. Be true to the company’s mission
statement. It is surprising how many
companies fail to follow their missions.
What is the organization about? Why
are its services worth buying? If a proposed tactic does not align with the
mission, it should not be carried out.
2. Set goals. First, the goals must align
with the mission. Second, the goals need
to be measurable. For instance, instead
of saying the company will increase
sales from the previous year, specify a
measurable goal, such as: The company
will increase sales by $50,000 by the end
of the fiscal year.
3. Create a plan. To develop an effective
team, a company must have an action
plan that spells out the team’s mission
and goals, and the strategy for accomplishing these goals. The plan also must
state each individual’s responsibilities on
the team and how he is held account66
able for specific action items. The action
items should be assigned to the team
member who can best accomplish each
item. Too many managers hand out
action items without taking into account
skill sets and personalities, which can
result in failure and frustration.
4. Communication. Keeping the lines of
communication open helps team members believe in themselves and their
ability to help the team as a whole. In
order to be an effective team, employees must be confident, and confidence
stems from open communication.
Inform team members of any developments or changes in the company
that could impact their performance or
completion of the team plan.
5. Periodically review performance.
Check to make sure the team is effectively accomplishing its goals. Review
the plan and make any necessary
adjustments. Also, it’s crucial to provide
performance-based feedback.
Building an effective team in today’s
environment is challenging, but it can be
rewarding. Not only will it help raise morale
and instill confidence in employees, but
it also is a purposeful way to develop the
organization. Plus, it will be rewarding to
look back and show the team how much it
accomplished during a difficult time.
Roxanne Rivera is president of Syntactics,
Albuquerque. For more information, visit
www.syntacticscommunicationskills.com.
Brook Trout Studio/Images.com
A
Developing an Effective
Team in a Shaky Economy
WHEN IT COMES TO GETTING THE JOB DONE, ON TIME AND
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Risk M a n a gemen t
By Michael Culnen
W
Managing the Risks of
Long-Term Contracts
hy do owners turn to
long-term contracts when they are less
competitive and more costly?
The answer is simple: Long-term
contracts are a way to transfer risk from
the owner to the contractor. As a result,
they have become a growing source of
contention between sureties and contrac-
tors. Contractors are drawn to the higher
margins and lower competition levels, but
sureties fear the heightened risk that liability entails in the long term.
Historically, in the surety world, any
contract exceeding three years was considered unbondable. Despite this precedent,
sureties provide bonding to four- and five-
year contracts, which allows contractors
to meet bid requirements and qualify as a
responsible low bidder.
To qualify for such a bid and expect
support from its surety, a contractor must
first demonstrate a track record of evaluating and mitigating the risks associated with
long-term contracts, as well as present a
balance sheet strong enough to endure the
monumental costs of a mistake.
Recent price escalations have wreaked
havoc on both short- and long-term contracts. The price and supply of steel caused
problems in recent years, and for most of
the last decade, the same was true of concrete, asphalt, oil and gas. International
shortages and dramatic price increases
caused contractual trouble around the
world.
In what has become the worst economic
downturn in the post-World War II era,
contractors must look more closely at protecting their organizations when assuming
the risks of long-term contracts.
Sureties want their clients to mitigate the
risks associated with all subcontractors
and suppliers, especially those affecting
the critical path of the project. A general
contractor should closely manage its subcontractors and suppliers by reviewing past
performance and experience to determine
their capacity to perform.
The schedule of values, especially on a
long-term contract, is a critical component
of managing subcontractor and supplier
risks. If allowed, a subcontractor or supplier can front-load its schedule of values
and end up ahead of a general contractor.
This can impact quality and the ability to
meet schedule demands.
Payment terms are vital to keeping subcontractors and suppliers financially viable.
Additionally, surety carriers suggest bond
68
Richard Weiss/Images.com
Subcontractor or Supplier Default
ABC STEP CONTRACTORS
BUILD SAFER
The numbers prove iT!
1
39%
90%
18%
38%
lower
inCiDenCe rATe2
lower oSHA
CiTATion rATe3
lower
eMr4
lower
DArT rATe5
for fewer worker injuries and
higher morale
for fewer project delays and
out-of-pocket costs
for savings in workers’
compensation premiums
for higher employee productivity and more time on the job
Member firms of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) that participate in the Safety Training Evaluation Process
(STEP) program are among the safest construction companies in the nation. Make STEP part of your company’s strategy
to improve safety and productivity.
www.abc.org/step
Figures based on 2007 STEP data compared to 2007 Bureau of Labor Statistics industry averages. 2Incidence Rate represents the number of OSHA recordable incidents per
100 employees per year. 3OSHA Citation Rate represents the number of citations per federal OSHA construction project. 4Experience Modification Rate (EMR) (MOD Factor)
measures a company’s safety performance against similar businesses over the past three years and is one of the factors used to determine workers’ compensation rates.
5
DART Rate represents the number of OSHA recordable incidents that involve “Days Away, Restrictions and Transfers” per 100 employees per year.
1
risk management
backs as a way to mitigate risk and protect
against defaults.
Joint check payments for major material or equipment purchases also can mitigate risk. One of the most common issues
surety companies and contractors face is a
subcontractor’s or supplier’s failure to pay a
vendor. All too often, a general contractor
pays a subcontractor or supplier, which in
turn fails to pay the vendors. These vendors then have a legitimate claim against
the surety bond.
Confirmation of financing and clear payment terms with the owner are critical for
the general contractor. It is in the best interest of all parties to keep the money flowing into the project on a consistent basis to
maintain stability and productivity.
Price Escalation
Price escalation is exponentially more
important for contractors to evaluate with
long-term contracts.
Supply hedging is an option that can
be executed in several ways. This concept
recently made headlines when it helped
Northwest Airlines maintain strong
profitability through the dramatic price
escalations of 2007 and 2008, but in the
second half of 2008 it ended up working
against the company as the price of crude
oil fell from $149/barrel to $35/barrel.
Supply hedging can come in many forms,
including buying products and materials
upfront with prices locked in via contract.
Contractors also may receive supplies and
materials directly, eliminating the supplier
from the equation when figuring prices in
the long term.
Subcontracting also can hedge the risk
of price escalation, but it is critical to back
that hedge with a quality surety product so
the guarantee extends beyond the subcontractor or supplier to the surety.
Payment terms are critical when supply
hedging. A contractor that accepts delivery of materials should receive payment
for those items as quickly as possible to
avoid financing them through the life of
the hedge.
Unforeseen Events
Global and natural events beyond one’s
control become more of a threat the longer
the term of the contract and can endanger
its execution.
The area of operation is a critical
consideration. A contractor knows the
environmental, political and legal landscape close to home. When contemplating long-term contracts, a contractor
should not venture out of its normal
area of operation. If necessary, access
information through local professionals
or colleagues.
Additionally, include a specific “force
majeure” clause in the contract. These
clauses excuse a party from liability if an
unforeseen event beyond the control of the
party prevents it from performing its obligations under the contract.
Every contract poses its own unique
set of circumstances and needs to be
approached with vigilance, particularly
when considering the costs and risk associated with long-term projects. As owners
attempt to transfer risk to the contractor,
it is critical to realize this risk can turn into
a reward for the professionals that assume
and manage it skillfully.
Michael Culnen is president of C&H
Agency, Totowa, N.J. For more information,
visit www.chagency.com.
Registration Fee: $129
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JUNE 17
JULY 15
AUGUST 19
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LEED and Green
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On the Job Site
Leadership
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For more information about ABC webinars and to register, visit www.abc.org/webinars.
Webinar start time: 11 a.m. (ET) / 10 a.m. (CT) / 9 a.m. (MT) / 8 a.m. (PT) Length: 75 minutes
70
Going Gr e en
By Jim Holl and and Chr i s Howard
B
Going Green at Work:
An Action Plan
usiness owners don’t have
to build a giant windmill outside of their
offices to participate in the green revolution. Little steps can make a big difference.
For example, if every person replaced a
regular light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb this week, collectively more
than $3 billion in electricity bills would
be saved and 50 billion fewer tons of coal
would be used.
During the last 10 years, some of the
country’s top companies have enacted
green initiatives. Scores of Fortune 500
companies saved billions of dollars with
creative methods for reducing their carbon
footprints. The common thread in each
company was turning good ideas into
action, with steps as simple as remembering to turn off the lights or as complex
as engineering a green roof to combat a
building’s heat island effect. The important thing to remember is that all employers, regardless of size, can take action.
First, business owners should call their
local electric utility company and request
an energy audit. Most electric utility
companies offer energy auditing services
in which a trained professional systematically evaluates the company’s energy usage
and offers suggestions on how to cut costs
and increase efficiency. Among the areas
evaluated are lighting, HVAC, refrigeration, water and motor systems.
Additionally, be on the lookout for
incentives the utility company might
provide to make hiring an energy auditor
more attractive. Some utility companies
offer a rebate on audit costs for companies that implement one of the auditor’s
recommendations. Contractors purchasing energy-efficient equipment also may
qualify for additional rebates under the
local utility company’s incentives.
72
Utilize Free Government Resources
The Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) provides numerous free resources
for companies trying to reduce their environmental impact. The EPA’s EnergyStar
program, for example, helps entities meet
their green goals. Visit www.energystar.
gov for step-by-step instructions on assessing
corporate energy management. The website
also offers a checklist for green building
designs, tips for reducing energy consumption and extensive training materials.
In addition, business owners should pay
attention to products with an EnergyStar
logo when making a purchasing decision.
This logo indicates the product:
•reduces energy use by 10 percent to 75
percent without compromising quality;
•produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions, reducing fossil fuel consumption;
•yields a significant return on investment;
and
•has an extended product life requiring
less maintenance.
Jose Luis Pelaez/Getty Images
Set Up an Energy Audit
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agency, with the added benefit of human resources consultation — all geared to
your construction business. We’ll determine your best options from the leading
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Employees want
to get involved
when their
efforts improve
the environment
as well as
the company’s
bottom line.
Going Green
EnergyStar certifies windows, roofing
products, commercial HVAC systems,
vending machines, computers, fax machines,
copiers, printers, refrigerators, and many
other common business purchases.
Avoid Wasting Electricity
One of the easiest ways a contractor can
decrease energy consumption is by eliminating wasteful electricity use. When buying products such as appliances or office
equipment, ensure they have power-saving
features. Use power strips to control equipment that is plugged in, but not being
used. Replace incandescent light bulbs
with fluorescent bulbs. Install motion sensors and timers on lights.
Also, consider purchasing electricity
from energy companies that use renewable sources such as wind, solar or biomass.
(Visit www.epa.gov/greenbuilding for a
listing of participating energy companies.)
Reduce Water Consumption
Reducing water consumption is another
environmentally friendly practice that does
not take a big bite out of a firm’s bottom
74
line; in fact, it can add to it. It’s not necessary to immediately replace all office
faucets, toilets, urinals and other plumbing mechanisms. However, when it comes
time to replace these items, select more
efficient models. Inefficient toilets are the
leading contributor to the waste of water
in the United States.
Recycle
Many employees would like to see their
employer endorse a recycling policy. In
the construction industry, companies
can take advantage of recycled industrial
materials, including coal combustion
products, foundry sand and demolition
debris. In addition to industrial materials,
contractors can reduce, reuse and recycle
office supplies, appliances, electronics
and other items commonly used in the
workplace.
Proper use and disposal of toxic materials is equally important. Moreover,
ensuring a high level of indoor air quality provides employees with a workspace
that promotes their health, increases their
productivity and protects the building.
As corporate green initiatives take off,
the company’s reputation improves and
morale generally rises. Many companies form committees, or “green teams,”
to improve environmental stewardship.
Most employers find employees want to
get involved when their efforts improve
the environment as well as the company’s
bottom line.
Jim Holland and Chris Howard are
attorneys in the Kansas City, Mo., office
of Fisher & Phillips LLP. For more information, call (816) 842-8770 or email jholland@
laborlawyers.com or crhoward@labor
lawyers.com.
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Business D e v e l o p m e n t
By Terry Lukow
n an economy that demands
careful scrutiny of every expense, construction executives understandably
may be focused on shrinking project
opportunities.
Across the broad range of company planning, the best advice is:
Think strategically rather than
transactionally.
What does this mean at a time
when projects are limited and
competition is cutthroat? It means
now is a good time to prepare for
a future—however distant—that
will follow today’s turmoil with a
building frenzy designed to catch
up with unaddressed needs.
Here are three strategies construction executives should consider.
•Make wise restructuring decisions.
Do not simply downsize in a reactionary
way because prospects for new projects
have evaporated and the company needs
to reduce staff and expenses. Companies
that only focus on the next job and their
competing bidders, and then the next
project after that, are more likely to fail
than ones that create a strategic plan to
guide their decisions.
Construction executives can use this
time to re-evaluate past strategies, assess
what has worked well and what has not,
and then recast their company to play
to the strengths that will be most useful
when opportunities arise. Prepare now
for the future by reviewing activities
that could be considered marginal and
ensure all employees are performing at
their highest levels.
Develop an approach that allows the
company to emerge from today’s economic turmoil as a strong contender, not
just as a struggling survivor.
76
•Be wary of debt. Much of the headline
angst today revolves around the difficulty
small businesses are having obtaining
financing. Be cautious about taking on
debt. Companies that manage their balance sheets to optimize liquidity are in a
much better position to ride out volatile
economic times.
Construction executives should focus
on creating as much cash as they can. No
company ever got into financial difficulty
because it had too much cash, while too
much debt can spell a company’s doom.
Limit borrowing as much as possible, and
pay debt down as quickly as possible.
•Strengthen partnerships. Now is the
time for construction executives to take
their interactions from the transactional to the strategic when it comes to
relationships. This means developing
a relationship that relies not just on
today’s sale (transactional), but also
on past history and ongoing plans
to achieve success (strategic).
In addition to having a
strategic plan, construction
executives must share it
clearly and compellingly
with those they rely on
for support. A company’s
suppliers, whether they are
surety bond underwriters,
bankers, cement providers
or specialty subcontractors,
are more likely to be flexible
when they see value in the
partnership that goes beyond a
single transaction—especially if
they believe the company is making smart decisions geared toward
future success.
In the near term, governments of all
sizes are preparing to invest in infrastructure projects to stimulate the economy.
Eventually the private sector economy
will pick up as well because the growing
population will continue to drive demand
for new homes, buildings and roads.
Today’s construction executives have
every right to be worried about survival.
But companies that sit back and make
short-term decisions based on today’s
market conditions will not thrive like
those that look to the future and position themselves to take advantage of the
opportunities that will open up on the
other side of the economic downturn.
Terry Lukow is executive vice president of
Travelers Bond & Financial Products, Construction Services. For more information,
visit www.travelers.com.
Cameron Beck/Images.com
I
Today’s Challenges
Require a Focus
On Tomorrow
19th Annual
Excellence in
Construction
Awards
For Outstanding Construction
Projects and Safety Programs
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Renaissance Hotel
Washington, D.C.
The annual Excellence in Construction Awards celebration brings together industry leaders from around the country to
honor the nation’s most innovative and highest quality merit shop construction projects and safety programs.
Make your plans now to attend this gala event. For more information and to purchase your tickets, visit www.abc.org/excellence.
2009 ABC
LEGISLATIVE
CONFERENCE
While in Washington, plan to participate in the
concurrent ABC Legislative Conference, June 23-25.
Visit www.abc.org/legcon for more information.
around
the
natıon
By Lauren Pinch
Prevailing Wage Bills
Defeated
Colorado’s House Business Affairs
Committee rejected a bill (H.B. 1208) that
would have established a prevailing wage
for employees working on state government contracts exceeding $100,000.
Legislators and business groups argued
the bill would increase red tape for contractors, drive up labor costs, discourage
small and minority-owned businesses from
bidding on state projects and fail to benefit
workers in a slow economy.
Florida
Workers’ Comp Rates
Rise 6.4 Percent
T
he Florida insurance commissioner
issued a final order increasing workers’
compensation insurance rates by 6.4 percent starting in April.
The increase, based on an amended
filing by the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI), applies to
all industry groups, including construction
and reduces the 8.9 percent rate NCCI
first recommended in November 2008.
The increase is estimated to add $172
million in insurance costs for Florida
employers.
Pennsylvania, Oregon
First Contractor Named in
Economic Recovery Package
American Infrastructure, Inc., headquar-
tered in Worchester, Pa., has begun work
on the first transportation project funded
by President Barack Obama’s American
Recovery and Investment Act of 2009.
The heavy civil contractor received federal stimulus funding administered through
the Maryland State Highway Administration to begin resurfacing Maryland State
Highway 650, which has not been fully
repaired for 17 years. The project will support approximately 60 jobs.
In addition to this project, more than
300 construction projects were launched
throughout the nation as a result of the
$787 billion economic stimulus package.
The road and bridge repair spending alone
($27.5 billion) is expected to create or save
150,000 jobs by the end of next year.
Individual states are taking action as
well. In Oregon, for example, Gov. Ted
Kulongoski (D) signed bills authorizing
$175 million in bonding to fund public
“shovel-ready” projects for schools, colleges, transportation infrastructure and
deferred repairs, creating nearly 1,900
direct construction jobs and another 1,100
indirect jobs in all 36 counties.
Construction Executive Wants Your News!
If you would like to share company news of national interest,
send your information to:
Lauren Pinch, assistant editor
Construction Executive, 4250 North Fairfax Drive, 9th Floor,
Arlington, Va. 22203, or email [email protected].
78
Doug Ross/Images.com
Colorado, Iowa
Mark Latimer, president of Associated Builders and Contractors’ Rocky
Mountain Chapter, defended the competitive wages contractors pay under a
free market system. “We believe the prevailing wage artificially inflates
wages and drives up the cost of
construction,” Latimer stated
in the Denver Business Journal. “It will hurt the economic
stimulus and restrict the free
market.”
The Iowa House also rejected
a prevailing wage bill (H.F. 333)
on the basis that it would unnecessarily drive up administrative
costs for contractors performing
public improvement projects.
The Iowa Legislative Services Agency estimated the
legislation would increase labor
costs 10 percent to 40 percent,
considering the added cost of
monitoring contractor and subcontractor
wage payments.
KUDOS
RutheRfooRd Welcomes RoBeRt A. YARBRouGh
Division President
Honored for
Community Service
Robert joins our Atlanta office as vice president,
surety manager, bringing two decades of surety experience, both as an underwriter and as an agent.
B
alfour Beatty construction
Division President al Petrangeli and
his wife, Toni, received the 2009
community service award from The
george snow scholarship Fund in
Palm Beach county, Fla.
The scholarship fund provides educational grants to young
students to help bridge the gap between other financial aid and what
the students and their families can
afford. The award, started in 1994,
recognizes individuals who have a
strong and lasting impact on their
surrounding community.
al Petrangeli is a leader of several community service organizations in Palm Beach and Broward
counties, including the christian
community Foundation of south
Florida, enterprise Florida (the
state’s economic development
organization), the greater Boca
Raton chamber of commerce, The
george snow scholarship Fund
and 4Kids of south Florida. Toni
Petrangeli serves on the board of
directors for the christian community Foundation of south Florida,
and she participates on the scholarship fund’s selection committee.
Celebrating 30 Years
In Construction
W
eLBRo Building corporation,
maitland, Fla., which has grown
from a small company to a major
player in the hotel and hospitality markets, celebrates its 30th
birthday this year. Founded by
gary Brown and Butch VonWeller
in 1979, WeLBRo’s workforce has
grown to 300 associates.
steve Davis, ceo, and Bruce
Holmes, president and coo, continue to emphasize the company’s
founding values—partnership,
building positive relationships,
customer service and community
involvement.
Rutherfoord is a risk management and insurance
brokerage firm of 300 employees in nine offices
throughout the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.
We are privately held and employee owned, and
currently ranked 38th largest in the nation among
publicly and privately held insurance brokerages,†
and 11th largest among privately held property and
casualty companies.‡
Robert A. Yarbrough
Vice President,
Surety Manager
5660 New Northside drive
suite 400
Atlanta, Georgia 30328
(678) 942 - 1400
† As reported July 21, 2008 by Business Insurance magazine.
‡ As reported April 21, 2008 by Insurance Journal magazine.
yarbrough2.indd 1
4/1/2009 12:02:30 PM
ADVERTISER • WEBSITE • PHONE NUMBER
Rutherfoord Ad - Yarbrough 04/2009
PAGE
ACSTAR Insurance Company • www.acstarins.com • 860-224-2000 ......................................................................................... c4
Acton Mobile Industries • www.actonmobile.com • 866-931-9319..............................................................................................35
Allied North America • www.alliedna.com • 516-733-9200 ............................................................................................................9
American Institute of Architects • www.aiacontractdocuments.com .........................................................................................23
Blue Book of Building and Construction, The • www.thebluebook.com • 800-431-2584 ............................................................3
Calculated Industries • www.calculated.com • 775-885-4900 ....................................................................................................58
CBIZ • www.cbiz.com • 800-ASK-CBIZ (275-2249) .......................................................................................................................29
Clemson Unversity • www.clemson.edu/caah/csm • 864-656-0181 ............................................................................................50
Clifton Gunderson LLP • www.cliftoncpa.com • 888-CPA-FIRM (272-3476)..................................................................................6
CLP Resources • www.clp.com • 800-CALL-CLP .........................................................................................................................67
CMiC • www.cmic.ca • 416-736-0123 ............................................................................................................................................52
CMS Construction Software • www.proest.com • 416-736-0124 ................................................................................................57
Computer Guidance Corporation • www.computerguidance.com • 888-361-4551 ....................................................................15
ComputerEase Software, Inc. • www.construction-software.com • 800-544-2530.....................................................................54
Construction Imaging • www.construction-imaging.com • 252-937-2426 ...................................................................................59
Everglades University • www.evergladesuniversity.edu • 561-912-1211......................................................................................44
Foundation Software • www.foundationsoft.com • 800-246-0800 ...............................................................................................65
Georgia Institute of Technology • www.bcprogram.com • 404-385-7479 ...................................................................................47
GeoStructures, Inc. • www.geostructures.com • 877-846-3165 .....................................................................................................5
InSite Software, Inc. • www.insitesoftware.com • 877-746-7483 .................................................................................................58
John Brown University • www.jbu.edu/academics/ecm/engineering • 479-524-9500 .................................................................45
Jonas Software • www.jonassoftware.com • 888-789-9073 .........................................................................................................56
Lowe’s Companies, Inc. • www.LowesForPros.com • 704-758-1000 ......................................................................................... c3
mJobTime • www.mjobtime.com • 800-387-1109 .........................................................................................................................61
National Construction Rentals • www.rentnational.com • 800-352-5675 ....................................................................................28
Navigant Consulting • www.navigantconsulting.com/constructionmc • 800-621-8390 ext. 5726 ...............................................51
Northern Kentucky University • www.cob.nku.edu/construction • 859-572-5441 ......................................................................46
OnCenter Software • www.oncenter.com • 866-827-6346 ...........................................................................................................55
Phoenix Project Management Systems, Inc. • www.phoenixcpm.com • 801-298-9997............................................................60
RocTek • www.roctec.com • 800-826-7763 ...................................................................................................................................60
Rutherfoord • www.rutherfoord.com • 678-942-1400 ...................................................................................................................79
Sage Software • www.sagecre.com • 800-628-6583 ....................................................................................................................25
Textura LLC • www.texturallc.com • 866-839-8872 .......................................................................................................................63
Tradesmen International • www.tradesmeninternational.com • 800-573-0849.......................................................................... c2
University of Alabama • www.constructionsafety.ua.edu • 877-508-7246 ...................................................................................46
University of Central Missouri-School of Technology • www.ucmo.edu/technology • 660-543-4766 ......................................49
University of Maryland Eastern Shore • www.umes.edu/CMT • 410-651-6468 .......................................................................49
University of North Carolina at Charlotte • www.et.uncc.edu • 704-687-2305 .........................................................................43
VP Buildings, Inc. • www.vp.com • 901-748-8000 ........................................................................................................................16
Western Carolina University • www.wcu-cm.org • 828-227-2201 ...............................................................................................47
Williams Scotsman • www.willscot.com • 888-277-0565 .............................................................................................................10
To quickly request information from advertisers in this issue, visit: www.abc.org/instantinfo
It’s Quick. It’s Easy. And Best of All—It’s FREE!
| 79
YorK
EW
n
community
spotlight
Y
Unit
CoMM iGHt
L
sPot
Erin Robertson
A Knockout New Home
“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” began looking for hometown heroes, the
theme for the show’s sixth season, they
found the Hill family in Geneva, N.Y.
Tim Hill dreamt of being a professional
boxer, but that aspiration disappeared
when he broke his back. No longer able to
box or work in construction, Hill bravely
put aside his hardships and disappointment, went back to college and earned a
degree in social work.
Once Hill began working as a counselor for high school youth, he knew he
could do more to make a bigger impact
on the community. He began the Geneva
Boxing Team, covering all the expenses
necessary to train area youth to box. His
backyard barn, despite a partially collapsed
roof, served as the gym.
Though the Hills’ 19th century farmhouse desperately needed repairs, they
turned their attention to Aleem Whitfield, an Olympic boxing hopeful who
came from a family of 23 children. Hill
and his wife, Michelle, took legal custody
of Aleem, opening their hearts to him just
as they do with their three children.
Three weeks before the “Extreme
Makeover” crew planned to knock on the
Hills’ door, the project’s general contractor,
Mahoney Design & Build of Canastota,
N.Y., reached out to C&S Companies of
Syracuse, N.Y., for help.
While tight deadlines and high expectations are two things every contractor
encounters, nothing could prepare C&S, a
C&S Companies (3)
When the producers of ABC TV’s
member of Associated Builders and Contractors’ Empire State Chapter, for the task
of completing a home in just seven days.
“We had very little time to get everything ready,” says Barry Trimble, president of C&S Technical Resources, Inc.,
C&S’s construction company. “All of
the contractors that were onsite completed LEED training before construction began so it could be considered a
green building, so that was another timesensitive issue.”
In addition to being part of the construction management team, C&S was
actively involved in demolition, scheduling, LEED coordination, and crane and
rigging management.
“I don’t think you could ever prepare
enough for a project like this,” Trimble
says. “It’s like nothing you’ve ever done.
There were so many things we didn’t
anticipate, but we were able to get everything done.”
More than 40 C&S employees and
their families volunteered to build the
3,500-square-foot, five-bedroom home.
The company also was heavily involved
in the construction of the two-story,
2,800-square-foot gymnasium featuring
a 24-foot by 24-foot regulation-size boxing ring. The facility was built at the site
of the old barn, with locker rooms, office
space, exercise areas and a lounge area all
housed beneath four solar roof panels that
generate enough electricity to power the
gymnasium.
“The most rewarding part of the whole
experience was to see the way it brought
our company together,” Trimble says. “We
hit the ground running and had folks
working out there day and night. People
just wanted to help out their community.”
Erin Robertson is communications
assistant for Associated Builders and
Contractors and a contributing writer to
Construction Executive Wants Your News!
If you would like to share company news of community service,
send your information to:
Erin Robertson, 4250 North Fairfax Drive, 9th Floor,
Arlington, Va. 22203, or email [email protected].
80
Business Credit
We realize that different businesses have
different needs. We offer two great credit
choices for our valued business customers.
Call Ahead, Fax, or
Online Ordering
Phone, fax, or place your order online
at LowesForPros.com for same-day
or next-day service.
Serving the
pro for over
60 years.
Delivery
We deliver most supplies to your business
or jobsite, seven days a week in most areas.
Visit LowesForPros.com to find your nearest store.
© 2008 by Lowe’s®. All rights reserved. Lowe’s and the gable design are registered trademarks of LF, LLC.
GET THE FEELING THEY’RE
DUCKING YOUR SURETY CASE?
WE’LL FIND A SOLUTION. If other sureties go out of their way to avoid your “less-than-per fect” submission, call
ACSTAR. We’ve handled tough-to-place bonding cases from day one. How? We don’t get hung up on rigid standards
or terms. Why bother with sureties that won’t give you the time of day? We’re accessible, responsive, and ready
to talk. Call ACSTAR at 860.224.2000.
SURETY FOR AN IMPERFECT WORLD
Surety Bonding • Treasury Listed • Rated A by A.M. Best • Licensed Nationwide • Fax: 860.229.1111 • 233 Main Street, New Britain, CT 06050-2350 • acstarins.com
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Construction Executive Magazine, May 2009

Transcription

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