Not long ago, most
professionals belonged to their national, state or local association. Or they
belonged to a peer group, civic club, or some organization that exposed them to
new ideas, skills, and tools, all while networking with other pros.
After decades of quiet avoidance, I recently found the courage to enter a public steam room. Finally, I was prepared to overcome adolescent memories of a sauna experience gone badly.
The last two years remind me of running in the San Diego Marathon. It was a brutally hot event. At the starting line, race organizers distributed salt packets and issued dire warnings to slow our pace – or face the consequences.
I’ve been thinking a lot about engineers lately and concluded they must be alien beings. For reasons I do not understand, God sent these advanced life forms to earth to keep people like me from mass chaos. There must be an engineering angel whose job is to keep us from self-destruction.
Al Levi could have packed it in, gone to Arizona, and led the good life. After all, he sold his contracting company back when the economy was still vibrant.
At first, I did not notice the all-access design of the NextGen Experience house. But then I spotted Waldemar Alameda, a 39-year-old father of two. He was using a walker to navigate the crowded house.
Last week I spent a couple days at the Coverings Show in Las Vegas. Usually, I’m very focused at trade shows on meeting readers or advertisers and talking about their specific interests.
In the last two weeks, I’ve traveled to Las Vegas twice for construction trade shows. While there, I had to turn off the TV in my hotel room to escape the tidal wave of negative political ads.
I’ve always been baffled by the low turnout for many construction-related trade shows. Even when the number of attendees reaches record levels, the total represents a fraction of the universe of contractors, engineers, architects, wholesalers, and maintenance pros who should be attending.
Construction and maintenance pros, do you have what it takes to takes to excel today? I'm not talking about aggressive cost cutting or crazy-efficient management techniques. Chances are you are already doing those things.
Canvassing the International Builders Show (IBS) usually is like drinking water from a fire hose. Fortunately, this year’s version was easier to ingest.
I’ve been feeling pretty good about 2011. There are several signs the economy is rebounding. Many construction-related firms throughout the supply chain have indicated they are gradually climbing out of their respective holes.
Here’s your chance to be part of something groundbreaking - the first all-green virtual conference and expo designed for readers of our print magazines, Web sites, eNewsletters and digital editions.
The Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010, often referred to as the "Cash for Caulkers" rebate program, was approved by the House in May. If passed by the Senate, construction pros will benefit from a new round of tax-reducing incentives for their customers.
Apparently, there’s a little soccer tournament starting
today called the “2010 FIFA World Cup”. I understand it will attract hundreds
of millions of viewers from around the globe.
If I don’t change my life-endangering behavior quickly, I will be pulled over, ticketed, fined, and possibly jailed if I repeatedly drive under the influence.
I don’t know about you, but I’m getting really ticked off by the overreaction to every shift in the economy, especially those that relate to the A/E/C and maintenance fields.
The International Builders Show (IBS) always delivers panache. Building product manufacturers use the industry’s biggest stage to unveil their latest and greatest designs, often with the excessive exuberance needed to stand out among the sea of products on display.
I’m an ardent fan of the great outdoors. I run and bike on nature trails. I’m the family recycling nut. My favorite vacation destinations are Zion National Park, The Grand Canyon, Glacier National Park, and Bryce Canyon. I love lakes, rivers and the ocean.
Last week I drove to Nashville for the birth of my first grandchild. While there I visited an area next to the Cumberland River, which flooded on May 2, killing 30 people and causing at $1 billion in damage
Last week I received an email with the headline, “Have a Safe Work Week” from blogger extraordinaire John Sonnehalter. John was promoting North American Occupational Safety & Health Week, which ran May 2-8. I had great intentions of blogging on this topic during the designated week.
This week I attended the last National Association Oil Heating Service Managers Show in Hershey, PA. Actually, it’s not the last show for this fine organization, but it will be the last show by that exact name.
In my last blog, I introduced a partnership BNP Media forged with BirdDog Jobs, a career center specializing in the skilled trades. Today, we’re pleased to announce another partnership.
