Editor’s Note: Once again, we have a range of responses. In this case, however, the range seems to be wider than usual, with some of you saying you’re busier than you’ve been in 10 years while others are seriously questioning the nerve we have to even pose such a question in the first place. But in the end, it seems we are correct in assuming that things are turning around as 58 percent of those who responded gave indications that the economy is indeed heading to more positive ground. Of the remaining 42 percent, 32 percent of you are not seeing any economic improvement while 10 percent are somewhere in the middle. (Note: Not all answers are printed here.)
The only bad part of our unscientific, completely unmethodical survey? Most of the respondents neglected to provide their location, so we don’t know exactly where the business is booming. Although now that I think about it, perhaps not giving their names and locations was a cunning way of keeping it all to themselves. Smart move, folks!
Strippers at the office parties!
—Anonymous
What country are you in? The economy is a mess and it’s going to get much worse. Wake up and look around … Please.
—Anonymous
Increasing revenues, but still no significant number of jobs on the books.
—Anonymous
General contractors asking, rather than telling.
—Anonymous
We are able to be more selective in the types of jobs that we pursue as well as the GCs that we desire to work with.
—Jeff Mylin, Paramount Contracting, Inc., Lancaster, Pennsylvania
The economy is still dragging. Obamacare hangs over the business world like a giant cloud. New taxes in the way of increased fees, local, state and federal and regulating industries like the EPA, are putting more and more cost increases on businesses. The measure of unemployment stands at 7.4% but the true unemployment is higher.
—Anonymous
20 jobs, 10 guys, 5 ladders, still so stressed not sleeping.
—Anonymous
Steady flow of work, and profitable. But … shortage of skilled tapers and hangers is holding us back.
—Concord, New Hampshire
Backlog is piling up. There is reorganization inside the company. Company policies are being reviewed. We are hiring more manpower.
—Anonymous
It’s not turning around. There are markets that are gone. And we continue to throw our businesses out of the country. We are also competing with foreign labor on our own soil, with no support from our elected officials.
—Anonymous
My heartburn has returned and my left eye is twitching again!!
—Anonymous
More construction jobs to bid, and we find it harder to find people for employment
—Anonymous
I have work lined up for next three months. Never been this busy in 10 years.
—Anonymous
Who said the economy turned around? Did I miss something? Take away all the government spending (borrowed money). We are in deep and no good way out.
—Anonymous
While I have never been completely dead in the water even at the worst in the last few years I am getting sometimes as many as 5 calls a days. There are so many construction Dumpsters in some areas around here that the news has mentioned the boom here.
—Kevin Lithgow, KL Drywall LLC, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Pre-bid meetings are no longer being held at the same arenas that Justin Bieber sells out.
—Howard Bernstein, President, Penn Installations, Summerhill, Pennsylvania
It’s amazing how morale around the office changes when you actually get paid for a job!
—J.D. Chambers, J & B Acoustical, Mansfield, Ohio