Back to His Roots

Project Manager Brings Field Experience to His Grandfather’s Business 

By Jessica Porter

Construction is in Allyn Brice’s genes. He was drawn to the industry as a young boy and began running blueprints in the early 1970s. After high school graduation, he started working as a laborer for R.C. Stevens Construction Company, Winter Garden, Fla., a firm started by his grandfather in 1926.

“As a kid, I knew I wanted to work in construction,” he says. “It just appealed to me and I couldn’t wait to get into the field and go to work.” 

Read the entire story in Construction Executive.

Family-Owned Company with an Industry-Wide Focus

American Infrastructure Is ABC’s Contractor Of the Year   

By Jessica Porter

American Infrastructure, Worcester, Pa., has a three-part vision: compete with the best, fastest and safest companies in the world; build a great place to work that incorporates the values of the merit shop; and leave footprints in the construction industry by becoming a leader. That vision plays out every day in the company’s operations—making American Infrastructure a perfect fit to receive Associated Builders and Contractors’ (ABC) Contractor of the Year award.

“The harder we work to make ourselves better and to make ABC stronger, the better we can make the industry,” says CEO Ross Myers. “If we can get better at something and share it with others, the whole industry benefits.”  

Read the entire story in Construction Executive.

Finding the Right Fit

Craft Professionals Excel Once They Discover Their Niche in the Construction Industry

By Jessica Porter

Though Harold Harris, a millwright, and Kyle Kliebert, a welder, work in different crafts, they share much in common. Both made a career change to the construction industry after feeling dissatisfied with their original jobs, attended Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Pelican Chapter’s Training Center, work for Turner Industries Group, Baton Rouge, La., and are a part of ABC’s National Craft Championships. The craft competition, which has been testing the skills of construction apprentices for more than two decades, will take place next month in San Antonio.

The Beginner 

A positive attitude, dedication and a desire to learn led Harris to the millwright industry, where his eight short months of experience have already resulted in great achievements. Harris is heading to San Antonio in April to compete in the ABC National Craft Championships after winning first place in the millwright competition at the Pelican Chapter’s craft championship.  

Read the entire story in Construction Executive.

The Skills to Succeed

Craft Competitions Give Construction Apprentices Confidence, Career Advancement

By Jessica Porter

Last December, the San Diego Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) held its 10th annual Apprenticeship Craft Champions Competition, which determines the best electrical, plumbing and sheet metal students from the ABC San Diego apprenticeship program. In addition, apprentices and trainees compete for a chance to go to the 2012 ABC National Craft Championships, which will be held April 24–27 during ABC’s EdCon & Expo in San Antonio, Texas. Participants in the National Craft Championships must perform a written exam and a practicum designed specifically for their trade, with judges and other industry members and competitors just a few feet away.

During the past nine years, students from the ABC San Diego Chapter have won nine medals at the national competition. This year, the chapter will send three people to the competition; among them is Jorge Sevilla, who won the local electrical competition. 

Read the entire story in Construction Executive.

Boom on the Bakken

Demand for Construction Exceeds Supply in North Dakota     

By Jessica Porter

Life in western North Dakota is unlike anywhere else in the country. Despite extreme weather conditions, the state managed to escape any kind of economic recession and boasts an unemployment rate of just 1 percent. Since August 2008, the workforce has increased by almost 10,000 people, resulting in towns that developed minimally during the past 30 years almost doubling in size. It’s safe to say business is booming in North Dakota, thanks to the Bakken Shale.

The Bakken Shale, an underground rock formation estimated to contain billions of barrels of oil, predominately falls in North Dakota, but also covers parts of Montana and Saskatchewan, Canada. Drilling has been going on in the area in phases since the 1950s, but the current boom is expected to produce the largest amount of oil.

Read the entire story in Construction Executive. 

The Sky’s the Limit

Area Energy & Electric Employees Rise From Apprenticeship to Management Positions   

By Jessica Porter

Be on time, watch your attendance, absorb all the training you can get, apply yourself with a good work ethic and the sky’s the limit. That’s the advice Ken Schlater, founder and CEO of Ohio-based Area Energy & Electric, Inc., gives to every person who comes to him with an interest in becoming an electrical contractor. A former high school business teacher and basketball coach, Schlater is a pro at giving talented young people the push they need to be successful.

After years of being mentored by his father, also an electrical contractor, Schlater left his teaching career and worked in the electrical contracting industry for 10 years until starting a company of his own. 

Read the entire story in Construction Executive.

Safety Is No Accident

Programs Hold All Employees Responsible for Keeping Workers Safe  

By Jessica Porter

Keeping employees safe on the job requires extensive training programs and a culture of safety that applies to everyone in the company—from the CEO to field workers. Brea, Calif.-based NCM Demolition and Remediation found this out as it sought to create a top-notch safety program based on the tenets of three companies merging together.

Nuprecon, CST Environmental and MARCOR Environmental began the merger in 2006 and officially became NCM Demolition and Remediation in July, boasting more than 2,000 employees, 23 offices and $220 million in annual sales. 

Read the entire story in Construction Executive.

Conquering New Territory

Companies Step Outside Their Typical Markets to Drum up Business  

By Jessica Porter

If someone asked Derrick Wallace five years ago where he would be today, he never would have guessed the answer would be leading Construct Two Group into Africa to build a new city. But being based in hard-hit Orlando, Fla., this was the best way he found to keep the company afloat.

“This was my effort to keep my people working and to provide a future for them,” says Wallace, who is chairman of Construct Two Group. “I’ve been through tough times, but never to this extent.” 

Read the entire story in Construction Executive.

It’s All In the Details

Project Teams Emphasize Unique Interior Elements  

By Jessica Porter

Whether it is a one-of-a-kind ceiling, dramatic floor, meticulous millwork or innovative light placement, contractors have plenty of room to infuse creativity into a project without losing functionality. And with product improvements arising every day, it is more feasible for contractors to pay extra attention to the details. 

Reach for the Stars At a cost of $21 million, the 54,000-square-foot Hurst Conference Center in Hurst, Texas, is elegant and modern from top to bottom. But what stands out the most is a 15,000-square-foot ballroom that can accommodate 900 guests. AUI Contractors, LLC, Fort Worth, Texas, faced the challenge of making the space versatile and out of the ordinary—a task the firm accomplished with an innovative, yet functional, ceiling component. 

Read the entire story in Construction Executive.

No Soldier Left Behind

Military Health Care Facilities Take a New Look at Rehabilitation

By Jessica Porter

Since the United States declared war on Afghanistan in October 2001, more than 11,000 U.S. soldiers have been wounded in the Middle East.

The medical system responsible for caring for these soldiers has been totally revamped in recent years after The Washington Post discovered in 2007 that many soldiers recovering from traumatic injuries at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., were housed in barracks infested with rodents, cockroaches and mold. Also, complicated paperwork processes made it difficult for soldiers to get the continuing care they needed.

Read the entire story in Construction Executive.

Get your heart pounding: The best hotels for adrenaline junkies

Spice up your vacation with a little adventure. These hotels have unique activities that will get your heart and give you the adrenaline fix you crave. From wild rides to death-defying dives, these attractions aren’t for the faint-at-heart.

Read more on Oyster.com

Feel the love: Save on rooms for a romantic Valentine’s Day weekend

Spice up this Valentine’s Day by taking that special someone to one of Oyster’s favorite romantic hotels. Sound expensive? All of these hotels are on sale this weekend, so they won’t break the bank, and they still have rooms available. So act now, pack your bags, and brace yourself for a Valentine’s Day weekend to remember!

Read more on Oyster.com

If you like pina coladas… (then you’ll love these great swim-up bars)

Besides being sprawling beach resorts in the Caribbean, these hotels have one very important thing in common: A spectacular swim-up bar. And while the swim-up bar is arguably the best part of being on vacation(who doesn’t love to backstroke towards their Slippery Nipple or Fuzzy Navel?), we at Oyster know that there are many factors that elevator a swim-up bar from good, to great. So below we’re taking into consideration drink quality, music, munchies – and more – to determine the absolute best Caribbean swim-up bars (apologize in advance for the not-so-hot beach bods).

Read more on Oyster.com

The 5 wildest waterslides on Oyster

Everyone knows a water park is only as good as its best slide, so we did a little digging and found the tallest, longest, and most heart-stopping slides on Oyster. Put on your big-boy pants, because these slides are not for the faint at heart.

Read more on Oyster.com

Famous scandals: The most notorious hotels in politics

Being such a powerful city, it is no wonder Washington, D.C. has seen its share of political controversy. Lucky for us, some of the juiciest scandals took place in hotel rooms. Below are some of our favorite stories to hit the newsstands.

Read more on Oyster.com

Builder's Choice Award Winners

Sanders/Lee Residence
Ketchum, Idaho
By Jessica Porter

The rough-hewn rock and heavy timber exterior of this 4,800- square-foot townhouse is only fitting for its mountain location in the historic mining town of Ketchum, Idaho. But rather than continuing the same aesthetic inside, the interiors offer a serene counterbalance of clean lines and polished surfaces. Radiant-heated cast concrete floors and fireplace surrounds are inlaid with fossils, semi-precious stones, mosaic tiles, and copper accents.

Read the whole story on Builder Online


Olympia Avenue Student Housing
Pullman, Wash.
By Jessica Porter

When the architects at Mithun were hired to design Washington State University’s first new residential hall in 30 years, they knew they’d been handed the keys to do something different. Now on track to receive LEED Silver certification, the 76,250-square-foot building features a geothermal heating and cooling system, distinctive sun shades, a stormwater collection system that reuses water for irrigation, low-flow plumbing fixtures designed for 20 percent water savings, and a location close to public transportation. Recycling and reuse strategies also allowed the builder, Graham Construction, to achieve a 50 percent reduction in construction waste.

Read the whole story on Builder Online


Eastlake 2851
Seattle
By Jessica Porter

Located in a former industrial area, this mixed-use project blends 127 waterfront apartments, 5,200 square feet of ground-floor retail, and underground parking into a prime spot adjacent to public transit. Every residential unit enjoys a view of Seattle’s Lake Union, while retail shops front a busy avenue on the building’s opposite side.

Read the whole story on Builder Online

Rising Star

The Energy Star for Homes Program enters a third, tougher phase next year. Here's how America's favorite green building program could affect you.
By Jessica Porter

Like a spaceship rocketing into the heavens, the Energy Star for Homes program is about to ignite the rocket's third stage. So far, dealers haven't had to do much besides enjoy the ride. But starting next year, program director Sam Rashkin says, you can expect to be put to work.

Read the whole story in ProSales Magazine

The Bugs that Made Summer Stink

The reason why stink bugs were such a pain this year.
By Jessica Porter

The invasion of the stink bugs may finally be coming to an end for the year, and feel free to blame the infestation on last year's freezing winter.

During the winter months, stink bugs go into the ground and wait until warmer weather. Because last year's winter was so cold, they went deeper into the ground than usual.

Read the whole story on Reston Patch.

Young Students Discover New Possibilities with Construction

A program in Cincinnati shows at-risk children the benefits of going into the housing industry.
By Jessica Porter

Middle-school students at Quebec Heights School in Cincinnati, an Ohio public school with no air conditioning and where 90% of students live at or below poverty level, are learning that they have more post grade-school options than a dead-end job.

They are discovering this through Construction Clubs, a free, eight-week afterschool program run by local volunteers to introduce students to various aspects of construction. Anne Mitchell, a construction industry advocate at Southwest Ohio Region Workforce Investment Board in charge of middle school outreach, says it is important to show children these skills—and opportunities--at a young age.

Read the whole story at Builder Online

Please, Don't Feed the Wild Animals

RA rules say leave wildlife alone, for a variety of reasons.
By Jessica Porter

As tempting as it may be to feed those cute little squirrels on your back porch, or to leave some food out for animals during the coldest winter months, resist the urge.

It is actually against a rule that was approved by the Reston Association board of directors in May 2008. The resolution states the feeding of non-domesticated wild animals (except songbirds) is prohibited. Some of these animals include foxes, deer, squirrels, skunks, raccoons and opossums.

Read the whole story on Reston Patch