Tag: 2007 July Issue

Construction Business Owner, July 2007

Project management is more than a familiar phrase to those of us in the construction industry; it is a job title for many of us. Maybe we aren't the project manager, but almost all of us work exclusively on projects. This is the nature of the construction industry, as projects are our lifeblood; they are the revenue-producing activities that we love to hate.  For many, they can bring joy and pain, profit and loss, and success and failure.

Construction Business Owner, July 2007 

Almost half of today's non-residential (single-family) construction takes place in the public sector where contract surety bonds are required by law as a way to protect taxpayer dollars. In addition, more and more private project owners or their lenders are stipulating bonding requirements on their construction projects. Prime contractors are also more frequently requiring subcontractors to obtain bonds.

Editor's Note: This is the seventh in our 2007 series of The Business Owner Toolbox written by our regular columnist George Hedley. Each article is written to provide you with practical, immediately applicable business management tools to assist you on your path to building a successful, growing business.

When companies talk about cost-justifying their information technology (IT) investment, what are they really talking about? Are they talking about the cost of servers, infrastructure and people in the form of technical staff or consultants?  Perhaps, but that is only a small part of justifying your IT investment.

Construction Business Owner, July 2007

How well are you serving your customers? This question pertains to both internal and external customers. The internal customers are those people inside the company in which you work with and interact.

If there is one business-related question that I field more than any other, it's this: "How do I make more money?" As it turns out, the answer is often relatively simple. You might want to have a pen and paper ready because here is the advice I almost always give in response: "The easiest way to make more money is to lose less money."

Construction Business Owner, July 2007 

Dear Jayme:

I hate dealing with banks. I have a successful construction business, but every time I go to the bank to finance a project, I walk out feeling confused and not sure I got a decent deal. I have to borrow to finance my business and I feel trapped. What can I do?

Ernie

Construction Business Owner, July 2007

Organizations are adopting a variety of efforts to recruit, attract, hire and retain top candidates to keep pace with shifting business demands since employment is more volatile and the oncoming workforce crisis can be seen on the horizon.

Construction industry employers often face critical shortages of skilled and professional employees. Many wonder if they can hire foreign workers to fill their needs. The answer is maybe.

We have all seen that black puff of diesel smoke coming from a bulldozer or dump truck as it moves about the construction site. While diesel engines provide the power needed to keep our communities running, the exhaust from these workhorses contains pollutants that negatively affect public health and the environment. Fortunately, there are many cost-effective options that can let us harness the power of these engines without compromising clean air and public health.