GroundBreak Carolinas Insights- October 2, 2018

Dr. Bruce Yandle, Dean Emeritus, Clemson University College of Business & Behavioral Science, will speak about the impact of the economy on the construction industry as keynote speaker for Clemson’s 3rd Annual Construction Industry Symposium scheduled for Thursday, October 11, 2018, at the Greenville Marriott (S.C.). Dr. Yandle’s presentation, "The Economic Situation: The Nation, Region, and Construction Industry," is the first session on the day’s agenda.

The one-day regional conference is themed, "The Ever-Changing World of Construction: Today’s Challenges, Tomorrow’s Opportunities." The event will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. followed by a networking event.

The construction industry in North Carolina and South Carolina is experiencing exciting times. The GroundBreak Carolinas' team is interested in identifying and featuring those individuals who are influencing construction and having a significant impact on the industry.
We are pleased to announce the inaugural GroundBreak Carolinas Most Influential in Carolinas Construction. Nominees can be from any part of the industry: owners, developers, designers, constructors, suppliers, professional services, educators and others.
Read More

The Carolinas Associated General Contractors (CAGC) Young Leaders (YL) arrived at Catherine’s House on Friday, September 21, to do some much needed updates in multiple rooms in the house. Catherine’s House is a non-profit organization serving North and South Carolina that provides transitional housing to women and mothers with children who are homeless. Located in Belmont, North Carolina, near Charlotte, Catherine’s House is a sponsored ministry and subsidiary corporation of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, South Central Community.
Read More

Trees have provided a viable building material for centuries, and although steel and concrete have taken center stage in contemporary construction, lumber is making a comeback. Building with wood has a number of advantages. For the past five years, Clemson University’s Wood Utilization + Design Institute (WU+D) has been educating individuals in the Southeast about these benefits, including the fact wood takes less energy to produce than most other building materials, giving it a lower carbon footprint. In addition to being renewable and aesthetically pleasing, wood also is stronger, can resist heat and absorbs sound.
Read More

With 80 percent of contractors reporting difficulty in finding hourly skilled craft professionals, we must continue our drive to recruit, train and retain individuals within the workforce. Although we are seeing increases in funding, we are lacking the trained workers to build our infrastructure and projects. Because at the beginning of everything within our nation is construction — from the roof over our heads to the roads we travel — we have lost our edge of being an innovative, progressive country.
Read More

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) invites the public to cast their vote for the fourth annual AIA Film Challenge People’s Choice Award. Voting is open until Oct 7. The 2018 AIA Film Challenge invited architects and filmmakers to collaborate in telling stories of architects, civic leaders, and their communities working together toward positive community impact. A panel of judges made up of architects and film/media professionals will select the Grand Prize Winner, but the public’s input is needed to select the People’s Choice Winner. Fans can vote for three- to five-minute documentary-style short films that Film Challenge participants have produced, shot and edited.
Read More

PSMJ Resources, Inc. has announced the 24 winners and eight honorable mentions of the 2018 Premier Award for Client Satisfaction, which honors architecture and engineering firms that deliver a truly exceptional client experience. Several firms with offices and projects in North Carolina and South Carolina made the list. Delivered in partnership with the client experience experts at Client Savvy, this award is based on data collected from 280,000 surveys across 300 firms. It is the only designation in the industry that highlights firms’ commitment to client experience.
Read More

Construction contractors remained confident during the second quarter of 2018, according to the latest Construction Confidence Index released by Associated Builders and Contractors.

More than three in four construction firms expect that sales will continue to rise over the next six months, while three in five expect higher profit margins. More than seven in 10 expect to bolster staffing levels, though that proportion has fallen relative to the previous quarter, perhaps in part due to the skilled labor shortage in the United States. All three key components measured by the survey: sales, profit margins and staffing level remain well above the diffusion index threshold of 50, signaling ongoing expansion in construction activity.
Read More