Specialize or Diversify?
In these troublesome times, much is written about business survival, and much of this is cast as the question: To prosper—or even to survive—should you specialize or diversify? The answer, both in our own and in related industries, comes up as a resounding “Yes.” “Yes, what?” you may wonder. Yes, the pundits inform […]
A Picture’s Worth?
You just got a great resume from someone you’re thinking of hiring, and you decide to Google the guy to see what you can learn. You find his Facebook page, and you see that this 24-year-old male’s profile picture clearly shows him mooning the camera. Do you hire him? Why/why not? Most of […]
New Directions
I have been harping on this page now for half my tenure as president on how we can affect change in our business by being more engaged in our association and other aspects of the construction industry. Last month we participated in a great example of affecting change by going to our local voting stations. […]
AWCI on the Job
Fall Conference a Success AWCI’s Industry Executives’ Conference & Committee Week, Sept. 28– Oct. 2 in Tucson, Ariz., was deemed a success by AWCI’s leadership. With attendee numbers that match those of last year’s conference in Puerto Rico, some suspect the economy may be making a comeback even though many regions of the country […]
Justifying Industry Association Meetings
The flyer arrives in the mail advising the business owner or senior managers that their industry association is hosting an industry meeting. The meeting topics include, among others, management skills, industry standards, government regulations, economic forecasts, information technology advances and election of association officers. There’s nothing sacred or secret about the flyer, and it likely […]
Making the Jump from Residential to Commercial Construction
Residential builders, whether general contractors or subcontractors, make scores of decisions every day, choices affecting labor, material, methods, personnel and more. Ultimately, it’s these decisions that spell the difference between success and failure because they affect virtually every aspect of the building project including project schedule, quality, cost, client relations and even employee morale. You […]
“Tag—You’re Obligated!” Part 2
As you should recall, our last installment of Estimator’s Edge dealt with contract terms and conditions (yawn), and included the promise (threat) that this month’s column would continue along those lines (the horror!). Since then, I’ve received some mixed feedback on my original effort. It seems that a number of readers are still a bit […]
Are You Drinking Responsibly?
Anyone who has seen or heard an ad for beer, wine or liquor has heard the tag line, “If you drink, drink responsibly.” To drink responsibly sounds like an unattainable feat; don’t many people have a drink to relax and escape their responsibilities for a bit? When looked at more closely though, this statement refers […]
What It Is All About
Tucson, Arizona—I am preparing to depart home to Columbus and am beyond my deadline. Magazine publishing deadlines unfortunately don’t always coincide with important events, so I forewarned our editor this would be the case when I realized the timing of the annual AWCI Industry Executives’ Conference & Committee Week. Aside from a great location and […]