In this Issue:

• Lead Story: Favorites List: Builders Recall their Favorite Projects
• The First Look Hotsheet: Extraordinary Candidates
• Ear to the Ground: Trends in Construction
• The Kimmel Scholarship for Students in Construction: 138 and Counting
• The Poll: How many people does your firm employ?
• Hard Hat Humor
• Riveting News: Construction Industry News
• Made in the USA: Ford Field

LEAD STORY:
Favorites List: Builders Recall their Favorite Projects

Everyone loves lists. We can’t wait for the pre-season Top 25 polls in college football. Some of us watch David Letterman just long enough to hear his Top Ten list for the night before clicking the TV off. People magazine lists its 50 sexiest people.

“The 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers’ first flight in Kitty Hawk fell in December, 2005, so we were definitely presented with a deadline we could not miss.” Not only did Hensel-Phelps complete the job on time, they were able to give back over $2 million to the museum by making innovations in the design and construction. “It felt right and good to donate that money.”
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Our enjoyment of lists made the Construction Industry Newsletter wonder if professional builders compile lists in their heads. For example, after a Project Manager has been in the field for a few decades, does he have a list in his head of his favorite projects? Can a V.P. of Operations, who has overseen hundreds of projects, select a few that distinguished themselves as notable achievements in some way?

The Construction Industry Newsletter talked to a number of experienced professionals to discover answers to those questions. Invariably, the buildings that make the lists of favorite projects are those that come to define a community or serve as a gathering place that reflect something admirable about the city where they stand, and, in some cases, were erected only after significant problems were solved and obstacles overcome. » Here are three such stories.

The "First Look" Hotsheet: Extraordinary Candidates

Listed below is just a small sampling of candidates with whom we are associated. Your needs may be different; please do not hesitate to contact us so that we can assist you with finding the right professional for your organization. The Kimmel & Associates network has the relevance, reach, and response to find the candidates who fit your specific needs. Please call 828.251.9900 or contact us by e-mail.

#211767 Senior Superintendent - Excellent multifamily Senior Superintendent! Projects include 2- to 7-story apartments, town homes, and hotel (20 + projects built). Structures include wood frame, concrete (CMU), steel, and tunnel form concrete. Compensation is $100K base, plus bonus potential, auto allowance, and per diem if out of town. 25 + years of experience; open to travel in the Southeast.

#55526 Executive Vice President/Director of Construction - Multifamily Executive that is open to most areas of the country! 25 + years of experience with over 20 years in executive management.  Degreed with a BS in Building Construction and an Associates degree in Civil Engineering.  Holds a GC License in 7 states.  Among the 170 + career projects he has completed are apartments, town-homes, condos, lofts, infill projects, and high density, with a lot of commercial and theme park construction in the early management years.

#285819 Estimator/Project Manager - This dedicated, talented electrical project manager/estimator has experience with projects up to $1.2 million in hospitals, all commercial, heavy industrial as well as food plants. Proficient in Estimation. 11 years of experience in the field and 12 years in the office. Wants to stay in the Northern Illinois/Milwaukee area.

#343569 Senior Project Manager - Over 20 years of experience in HVAC and construction estimating, job take off and project management. Has run projects from Hotels, Multi-family, Bio Labs, Libraries, Mall stores, Restaurants. Based in Ohio.

#289115 Superintendent/Project Manager - Solid Superintendent / Project Manager with 20 + years of experience in heavy civil construction. Experience with site work, concrete, asphalt paving and structures. Civil Engineering degree, bilingual English / Spanish. Based in Colorado.

#26459 Estimator-Multifamily - This dedicated, talented multifamily estimator needs to relocate to the Southwest or lower Midwest. Currently working on projects throughout the Southeast. Has a couple of years of commercial experience as a project engineer, then the last 4 in estimating. Aspires to move into project management over time. Larger metro areas preferred.

#242897 Multifamily Project Manager/Estimator - This loyal degreed project manager/estimator builds garden style apartments for a national third party GC. Has worked for only 2 companies since 1991. Started in commercial construction and would be open to commercial or multifamily opportunities. Candidate prefers a combination of estimating and project management or just project management. Not willing to take on an exclusive estimating role. Excellent relationships with subcontractors. Houston-based, and prefers to stay there.

#339309 Senior Development Manager - Superior development candidate with excellent business experience and academic credentials within development, lending, finance, administration and management areas of real estate. Extensive national development and underwriting experience. Managed a $100 million multifamily real estate portfolio, developed operating and underwriting standards used by several multifamily real estate operations as well as conventional long-term care financing programs. Open as to location; would absolutely consider overseas placement.

#332651 Director of Internal Operations - Results-oriented Director of Internal Operations led his company’s hard cost reduction initiative and achieved 17.5% reduction in the Denver market, saved over $70,000 in hard costs for Multi-family product. Designed, engineered and implemented New Community Opening Schedule and led cross-functional team to achieve $500,000 in annual cost reduction. Responsible for all aspects of the home building business between Sales and Construction (Purchasing, Architecture, Start packages, Option Selection) for $89 million/year business unit of his Chicago-based employer. Will consider all challenging opportunities in the Denver area.

#31946 Assistant Project Manager/Project Manager - Young, college educated, eager to grow and learn. Experience with residential rehabs/renovations in and around New York City. Has mechanical and HVAC experience. If you’re looking for someone who can grow with your organization, this is your man. Wants to stay in the New York City area.

#343832 ME/PE/Project Manager - THE ULTIMATE 4-HEADED MONSTER!! This candidate, with most of his career still ahead of him, can design HVAC (wet and dry), conceptually estimate to $1.2m, project manage his own work to $3.3m, and support a sales team with technical knowledge as well as up-sell to a client. With both mechanical contractor and MEP design work in his background, this candidate can handle design/build work for schools, churches, high-rise to 28 stories, labs with complex mechanical systems, and commercial structures. He prefers the San Diego market.

#342790 Senior Project Manager - This candidate has run the Mechanical branch office of a $60m company, as well as run mechanical projects as diverse as hospitals, universities, casinos, schools, and high-rises. He can handle HVAC wet or dry work. With a progression from intern, to Assistant PM, to Estimator, to Senior Project Manager, to Branch Manager in eleven years, this degreed individual would be a fortunate catch for a growing operation. Desires a placement in a warm climate area, with San Diego or Phoenix as top choices for his family.

#34018 Estimator - Young estimator with excellent references. Experience with schools, waste water, large big box retail, projects up to 15-20MM. Excellent computer and conceptual skills. Ready to move; would like to relocate to Cincinnati.

#31697 Senior Project Manager - Last 17 years with same employer, commute forcing a change. Strong healthcare experience. Largest project $160MM. Based in Northern Illinois.

#10373 Senior Project Manager - Very strong in large concrete projects up to $30+MM. Excellent computer skills; loves running large projects, public and private work. Wants to stay in Illinois.

#78033 Project Manager - Young project manager with excellent record of running school projects. Looking for excellent opportunity with upward mobility. Purdue grad; track record of running several multimillion dollar projects simultaneously. Excellent references and job history. Chicago based.

#148456 Project Executive - This accomplished Project Executive has a great track record of accomplishment and long-term employment with a few GCs and a developer. Experience with high rise, hospital, office buildings, retail and civil work both as a hands-on Project Manager and leader of other Project Managers on projects up to $125 million. He is looking for a career opportunity in the Dallas – Fort Worth area.

#256786 VP-Sales Manager - This individual has several years of experience as a VP and Sales Manager along with a stellar work history with medium to large companies. Possesses extensive knowledge of the industry and its nuances. Would be an excellent VP of Business Development or could easily oversee an estimating department. Must stay in the Fort Myers or Naples Florida area.

#166230 Chief Estimator-Preconstruction - Excellent preconstruction and estimating abilities and great management skills make this Chief Estimator stand out. Experienced with estimating, conceptual, design/build and hard bid. Has worked on projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars in many sectors. Currently located in the Mid-Atlantic and is open to relocation.

#337731 Estimator/Project Manager - Mid-career, well-experienced, heavy-civil estimator/project manager that handles excavation, site concrete and DOT bridge work. Seeking NE Ohio or Mid-Atlantic.

#255603 Project or General Superintendent/Bridge - Well-experienced career bridge superintendent handling project super duties on larger bridges and general super duties on several small- to mid-sized projects. Wants to stay in Kansas City.

#96396 Sr. Project Manager/Program Director - Experienced and energetic Senior Project Manager, Program Director or Cost and Scheduling Engineer with strong airport background; could fit GC or design-build/Construction Management Company. Strengths in cost engineering, scheduling and relationship building. Projects range from civil site to industrial and commercial. Wants Chicago.

#126181 Estimator/Project Manager- Site Utility - Established and ambitious estimator/project manager for civil site and municipal utility work looking to the Midwest for family relocation from California.

#70334 Area Manager-Heavy Civil - Strong heavy civil experience with excavation, utility, concrete and bridge. Started satellite office for large Midwest company and in five years built $100mm in volume. Strong management and business development capabilities tied to a strong technical background; registered P.E. Based in Indiana.

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EAR TO THE GROUND: Trends in Construction

This Issue: Heavy-Civil Construction

The Construction Industry Newsletter spoke with the consultants in the Heavy-Civil Division at Kimmel & Associates to hear their opinions on trends in the market and their forecasts for the next few months and years.

Calvin Allen serves the Heavy-Civil market for the Southeast.

CIN: You work several states. What's going on in some of your territory?

CA: North Carolina is looking at a huge backlog in highway work and maintenance. There is talk of a toll road scenario developing for I-95 through North Carolina. I-95 is drawing a lot of attention, in fact. It’s overloaded, and might be facing a $9B overhaul and widening.

CIN: What do you see elsewhere?

CA: There are all kinds of innovative ways that cities and states are finding to pay for huge projects. Some Interstate work might have, for example, 80% Federal and 20% State funding. Cities like Atlanta will have a bond referendum that eventually settles into a situation where taxpayers, the city, the DOT and other sources end up funding the project.

CIN: Interesting.

CA: In fact, speaking of DOTs, I see another trend there. They’re drawn more and more to design-build work.

CIN: Why?

CA: Because the company they hire is responsible for the design and therefore the state gets a static price without any big financial surprises. I see that developing over time as a way states will want to go.

CIN: You do a lot of work in Water and Wastewater. What’s happening there?

CA: The EPA has passed strict new codes for water purity. Deadlines to meet those restrictions are kicking in for small municipalities, which struggle to pay for them. So lots of communities are teaming up to form Metropolitan Sewage Districts to spread the cost to 3 or 4 towns. These Metro Sewage Districts become a political entity that doesn’t answer to anyone, but it’s an effective way for the small towns to keep up.

David Goodrum serves the Heavy-Civil market on the West Coast.

CIN: What building trends do you see specific to the West Coast?

DG: There’s a big increase in the number of projects devoted to mass transit right now out West. Light rail connecting cities to towns and suburbs. As subdivisions grow into towns, they’re going to need and demand infrastructure projects like that.

CIN: You’ve been doing a fair amount of work in the Pacific Northwest lately.

DG: Well, there’s a lot to be done. The Pacific Northwest is a hotbed right now for new bridge construction and bridge retrofit.

CIN: How about California? What do you see there?

DG: The money for highway work is still coming in consistently from the Federal Bill in 2005; Schwarzenegger is an advocate of spending it on new highway work as well as upgrades.

CIN: Is any part of the state of particular interest to you right now?

DG: California as a whole is always dynamic. San Diego and LA continue to grow together into one giant metropolis. Therefore, there’s a big need for underground infrastructure, wet utilities, roads … as well as the engineers, project managers, and estimators who can build them all.

Taylor Maurer serves the Heavy-Civil market for the Northeast.

CIN: What has caught your attention lately as you watch the market?

TM: The Eisenhower Highway System is turning 50 years old, so we’re definitely going to see a wave of expansion and reconstruction on the Interstates.

CIN: What else?

TM: It’s no great insight to say that Metro areas such as Washington and the New Jersey corridor have terrible gridlock; I think those places are going to approach solutions from a new angle. We might see more toll roads and public-private partnerships to solve the problems.

CIN: What trends other than on the highways do you see?

TM: There’s lots of marine construction … piers and shipping. Old ports are being re-designed to accommodate oversized freight ships. Lastly, I see a push for L & G construction - liquid and natural gas - because any perceived petro crisis like we’ve seen this year always gets people scrambling for alternative fuel sources.

Steve Deweese serves the Heavy-Civil market for the Rocky Mountains.

CIN: What are you seeing in the Rockies?

SD: There is huge population growth in Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Denver. The highway system and other infrastructure are struggling to keep pace with the rate of population increase. Therefore, there is a tremendous effort underway to expand highway building, including roadways, bypasses, loops, everything. I see greater blending of public and private funds to accomplish these essential jobs. These are immediate needs.
CIN: Why is this segment of the industry fighting to stay on top of its workload?

SD: The people in the business are top-notch, but there is a definite shortage of technical talent and manpower entering heavy-civil construction. Grads from CM and Civil Engineering programs are drawn, right now, to construction in the pharmaceutical, medical, computer and other high-tech fields. The dirty hands positions are falling behind.

CIN: What’s the solution?

SD: Construction is, like most enterprises, cyclical. Eventually the supply will catch up to the demand; it always does. That’ll be forced by greater rewards for the companies that can meet the demand. Make no mistake, these projects have to be – and will be - built.

Broc Fountain serves the Heavy-Civil market for the Midwest.

CIN: What’s happening in the Midwest? Boom, bust, or somewhere in between?

BF: The region as a whole is still benefiting from the Transportation Bill of 2005. Money is coming in, sometimes in a trickle, sometimes in much greater quantities than that.

CIN: Where are you seeing activity?

BF: Chicago is the strongest market – it’s rolling right now. Roads, tollways, bridges, underground, utility …everything has heavy growth right now. It’s exciting.
CIN: What other market is strong?

BF: A new highway is going up from Evansville to Indianapolis over the next 4-5 years; that’s going to be a massive job that’ll bid out in 2007; companies from Indiana all the way over to Illinois will try to get a share of that work.

CIN: Are there builders to do the work?

BF: The greatest need is for estimators who can handle a broad range of heavy-civil work, from highway to water and wastewater.

CIN: Several of you have mentioned water and wastewater.

BF: There is a sharp increase now in municipal demand for new facilities; the Mom-and-Pop operations are fighting to get business against the larger companies, which have the ability to create a big water resources department and tackle many jobs of various sizes.

CIN: I keep hearing you five say there is a need for builders who can do heavy-civil work.

BF: It’s true. These companies don’t have enough people to get the work done. The work is going to continue to expand, and the talent pool has been shrinking; the challenge is, and will be, to deepen that pool as time goes by.

Thank you, all.

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The Kimmel Scholarship for Students in Construction:
138 and Counting...

In 2004, the leadership at Kimmel & Associates began the Scholarship for Students in Construction as a means to encourage college students to consider construction as a career. Since the Fall 2004 semester, Kimmel & Associates, the leading executive search firm in the construction industry, has given 138 scholarships to students at 64 different colleges and universities located in 31 states, from Washington to Florida and from Massachusetts to California.

Kimmel & Associates is currently accepting applications for the Spring 2007 semester award and will take them until November 15, 2006. The application is accessible via the construction homepage of kimmel.com and can be completed online or printed and mailed back in.

As the number of applicants has increased each semester, the requirements have become slightly more stringent. An applicant now must have a construction professional call in a reference for the applicant, providing a very brief testimonial to the applicant’s talent and commitment to the construction industry.

Those who receive this round of the $1000 award will have the money put directly into their college account in time to defray costs for the Spring 2007 semester. Please visit the construction pages of kimmel.com and read further about the Scholarship for Students in Construction.

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HARD HAT HUMOR

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How many people does your firm employ?

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Ford Field

In November of 1999, the Detroit Lions hosted a groundbreaking ceremony to present renderings for and the name of a new football stadium in downtown Detroit. Three months later, in February 2000, workers begin installing 380 concrete caissons into the ground as construction began on what would become Ford Field. The completed stadium, a 65,000 seat domed structure, was the result of a partnership between Hunt Construction and Jenkins Construction. Among many construction achievements, one noteworthy innovation involved lifting steel for the roof; the steel weighed approximately 2,800 tons (5.6 million lbs.) and spanned 450 feet and was lifted by a computerized system of pulleys, cables and jacks; no lift of that magnitude had been completed in the United States before this project. Over time, the roof, the upper and lower decks, the field, the 23 staircases and 16 elevators and 8 escalators, the 105 restrooms, and the two 27’ x 96’ endzone video boards were all finished. To great fanfare, the Lions played their first regular season game there on September 22 when they hosted their old rivals the Green Bay Packers. Excitement around Ford Field crested when it served as the site of the Super Bowl on February 5, 2006.
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