Construction Industry News

SAUK CENTRE, Minn (Oct. 25th, 2023) — Felling Trailers Inc. conducted its eleventh annual online auction of an FT-3 drop deck utility trailer to benefit a nonprofit organization: Pockets of Hope. A winning bid of $5,505.00 won the auction that ended at noon on Sept. 15. The bid winner was Joe Kostreba of Sauk Centre, Minnesota.

WASHINGTON (Oct. 11, 2023) — Construction input prices increased 0.2% in September compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index data released. Nonresidential construction input prices increased 0.2% for the month as well.

NEW YORK (Oct. 19, 2023) — WINT Water Intelligence, a provider of water management and leak-prevention solutions for construction, commercial, residential and industrial applications, has been selected for the ESG Impact innovation program for 2023. ESG Impact is run by RealTechX, the programs arm of real asset technology investor, Taronga Ventures.

WASHINGTON (Oct. 17, 2023) — After a strong second quarter, equipment and software investment growth is expected to slow over the remainder of the year, according to the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation’s Q4 update to the 2023 Equipment Leasing & Finance U.S. Economic Outlook. The report revised its annual estimate for equipment and software investment growth to 3.0%, most of which occurred during the first half of the year.

KATY, Texas (Oct. 17, 2023) — Kobelco Construction Machinery USA, a global crawler excavator and crawler crane manufacturer, announced the retirement of Greg Ballweg.  

ATLANTA (Oct. 10, 2023) — Sage, a software provider for small and midsized businesses in the construction industry, announced the expansion of its construction cloud suite. With the launch of Sage Construction Management, Sage adds cloud preconstruction and project management capabilities to its construction portfolio. 

MOBILE, Ala. (Oct. 12, 2023) — Thompson Engineering, a multidisciplined engineering firm with offices in eight Southeastern states, announced Kendall Kilpatrick will be the company’s CEO effective Jan. 1, 2024. Kilpatrick succeeds John Baker, who will remain CEO and chairman of Thompson Holdings, the parent company of Thompson Engineering.

NASHVILLE, Ill. — On Thursday, Sept. 28, Montabert USA celebrated the launch of its new in-house repair and remanufacturing capabilities at the company’s North American Operations facility in Nashville, Illinois, about 50 miles east of St Louis. Attendees included all Montabert USA sales and service personnel, as well as representatives from Montabert’s home office in Saint Priest, France, and members of the industry trade press and local media.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Oct. 12, 2023) — Construction Business Owner (CBO), the leading business magazine for contractors, is pleased to announce the eight finalists of its Outstanding Women in Construction (OWIC) 2023 honor.

OWIC was designed to recognize industry-leading females and their skills, achievements and contributions to the construction industry. The eight finalists selected for OWIC 2023 are:

HAMILTON, N.J. (Oct. 6, 2023) — The Dodge Momentum Index (DMI), issued by Dodge Construction Network, improved 3% in September to 182.5 (2000=100) from the revised August reading of 178.0. Over the month, the commercial component of the DMI fell 1%, while the institutional component increased 9%.

FAIRFAX, Va. — Trench safety is the top priority of the National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA) and the American utility construction industry. Intense, realistic training for first responders is required to support successful trench rescues, and a new trench training site opened Oct.

WEST FARGO, N.D. (Oct. 4, 2023) — Doosan Bobcat Inc., a company within Doosan Group, has expanded its global branding strategy as it announces its RYAN turf renovation equipment will rebrand under the Bobcat trade dress in 2024. Bobcat, a global compact equipment, innovation and worksite solutions brand, invented the compact equipment industry when it introduced the first compact loader in 1958.

WASHINGTON (Oct. 3, 2023) — The construction industry had 350,000 job openings on the last day of August, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). JOLTS defines a job opening as any unfilled position for which an employer is actively recruiting. Industry job openings decreased by 3,000 last month but are up by 5,000 from the same time last year.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University and Trimble are establishing the Trimble Technology Lab at Purdue, focused on teaching and research for construction management technology.

The lab is hosted by the School of Construction Management Technology within the Purdue Polytechnic Institute and will bring Trimble’s industry-leading construction technologies into a dedicated learning environment for Purdue students to learn and innovate. 

HAMILTON, N.J. (Sept. 20, 2023) — Total construction starts rose 6% in August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.3 trillion, according to Dodge Construction Network. Nonresidential starts rose 40% thanks to a large pickup in manufacturing and transportation buildings. Residential and nonbuilding starts fell 1% and 14%, respectively.

CHICAGO (Sept.

PEOSTA, Iowa (Sept. 19, 2023) — Mi-T-M Corporation has announced Dave Thiesse as vice president of commercialization. Thiesse will oversee all commercialization activities at Mi-T-M including sales, sales support, product development and marketing.

Thiesse will be stepping in for former Vice President Dana Schrack, who recently retired after 33 years with Mi-T-M.

IRVING, Texas (Sept. 18, 2023) — The American Concrete Pipe Association (ACPA) announced its Pipe School 2024 held Jan. 29 to Feb. 1 in Frisco, Texas, just outside of Dallas. Held at the Embassy Suites Hotel & Convention Center, the Pipe School will continue the Concrete Pipe Week 2023 theme of Engineered Strength. Proven Resilience. Undeniable Sustainability.

WASHINGTON (Sept. 12, 2023) — Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) reported that its Construction Backlog Indicator declined to 9.2 months in August, down 0.1 month, according to an ABC member survey conducted from Aug. 21 to Sept. 6. The reading is 0.5 months above the August 2022 level.

View ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator and Construction Confidence Index tables for August.

HAMILTON, N.J. (Sept. 8, 2023) — The Dodge Momentum Index (DMI), issued by Dodge Construction Network, declined 6.5% in August to 178.0 (2000=100) from the revised July reading of 190.3. Over the month, the commercial component of the DMI fell 1.6%, while the institutional component fell 14.8%.