AWCI on the Job
AWCI’s First Digital Catalog Has Been Released The Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry’s first digital catalog, AWCI’s Member Products Catalog 2010, has made its debut. AWCI members have known this catalog as the most complete collection of product information from participating member manufacturers, suppliers and distributors. The catalog’s hard copy, now in […]
Early Measures
Planning and preparation prevent poor performance. —Construction folk-wisdom The well-worn adage above has been the motto of superintendents, operations managers, and field foremen for as long as I have been in construction (way long!). But it obviously applies universally to all fields of endeavor—even to that curious segment of humanity known as construction […]
Delegation and Communication — Two Keys to Successful Management
At heart, business management consists of delegating those things you cannot do yourself (for lack of time or sufficient number of hands) to others, and this delegation is made by communicating. Yes, there are many more pieces to the managerial puzzle, but those are all the different labels we put on various functions, […]
21 Tips for Dealing with Customers
1. Know your customer’s industry, mission, strategy, personnel, values and modus operandi. 2. Become the acknowledged expert for your products and services, and those of your competitor. Know how your customer will—or does—use them. 3. Focus not only on the needs of your direct customer but also on their customer, your […]
Making Meetings Work
2009 is coming to a close, and now is when business owners give renewed thought to how they operate their businesses. Many will be planning to do things differently—all aimed toward getting through 2010—and one component of that is productive meetings. Whether it is management of large corporations or leaders of small companies, a lot […]
Construction Trends
New Standard Document Facilitates Green Building Projects Anyone involved with the design and construction of green buildings can now use the first comprehensive standard contract document that addresses the many challenges associated with these complex projects. The new document, known as the ConsensusDOCSTM 310 Green Building Addendum, was developed by members of the ConsensusDOCS […]
New Conservation Code Needs More Work
Most, if not all, of you labor under the International Building Code or some local variation thereof. Did you realize that another code is coming online that will have just as dramatic an effect on your operations as the IBC? While the International Energy Conservation Code is not new, it is undergoing some changes. The […]
An Impressive Piece of Work
When Rob Aird’s company began work on the D.C. Court of Appeals building it was his biggest historic renovation to date. In telling his story, however, Aird doesn’t begin in 2006 when his crews put up the scaffolding, or 1820 when the building was first designed, or 1849 when it was built, […]
Construction Trends
Cordless Power Tools Survey Indicates Battery Features Most Important to Tool Users Metabo Corporation, an international manufacturer of professional grade portable electric power tools and abrasives for industrial, construction and welding applications, headquartered in West Chester, Pa., completed a blind survey of professional and do-it-yourself tool users on important cordless power tool features in […]