My boss at my first engineering job told me that a PE license and a dollar will get you a cup of coffee.
Now that’s one heck of a saying, and at 22 years old, I didn’t really get it. I eventually put two and two together and realized that since a cup of coffee […]
While we may not often talk about them, we all remember the dark ages. These are the years where work in the architecture, engineering, and construction field fell to levels not seen for, at a minimum, decades. I was not one of the lucky who lived in a castle with a moat, so I was […]
Everybody loves to get hung up in contract language. On construction projects, contractors, owners, and subs will fire contract language back and forth like missiles in what gets to be an arms race of legalities that negatively affects projects by creating panic and anxiety. When lawyers get involved, the language starts to get twisted and manipulated […]
I’ve spent the past four years starting a construction company through the public bidding process. While I have arguably been successful in doing this, it has not come without plenty of headache, heartache, and just plain unimaginable stress.
I’ve probably bid at least 100 public RFPs, but I’ve only been awarded less than 10. I’ve dealt […]
I will often get asked, “What is Constructonomics?”.
Actually, that’s a lie. I very rarely, if ever, get asked that question. I’m not sure why I lied about that, but most likely because that’s how a post like this would typically start.
Nevertheless, I do think about the question a lot […]
I received an email a few weeks ago from Brent Darnell telling me and a number of his other LinkedIn contacts that ENR magazine published a review of his book, “The People Profit Connection.” Due to time constraints, workload, prior obligations (ok fine, it was procrastination), I just got around to reading it […]
This graph was created by Crystal Soda Blast.
I didn’t know much, if anything, about fracking until about three months ago when I downloaded a podcast of This American Life that explored the issue and then specifically looked into two professors who had conflicting opinions about the benefits of fracking. After listening to the podcast, I came to the […]
I would have loved to explain to Andy Rooney in 1978, when he started doing his bit for 60 Minutes, the whole blog phenomenon. I’d have to start with explaining the internet, email, laptops, and worst of all, the extinction of the typewriter. There would be no better sight than to see those eyebrows […]
On Friday I happened to be in a little place called New York City. While there, I happened to stroll through a particular street you may have heard of once or twice before – Wall Street.
This time however, there was no sign of Michael Douglass charging along the sidewalk in an Italian suit with a […]
I just purchased the plans for the Cecil County Health Center in Conawingo, MD. The total project cost will come in around $2 million, however at this time, I do not have the bonding capacity for this job. I’d like to partner with another general contractor or subcontractor that could make up the difference in bonding […]
Schuylkill has to be one of the weirdest words to spell. Try spelling it without looking – I guarantee you won’t get it. I always thought it was an Indian word but after reading somewhere on the internet, I learned that it’s actually Dutch, named by its Dutch discoverer. Either way, it’s hard to spell, however, it is […]
Remember the days when it was a big deal to go to Las Vegas or Atlantic City and throw a few bucks down on black or red and possibly pull a few slots? It was fun to make a trip of it. Yeah, you would lose a lot of money more often than not, but […]
This post was written by SPANCO, an industry leader in overhead cranes since 1979. You can find a variety of products on their website including jib cranes, gantry cranes, or an electric hoist.
Moving heavy loads around a work environment demands careful attention to safety. Accidents can take a hefty toll in life, limb, and […]
