In this Issue:

• Fear Factor
• The First Look Hotsheet: Extraordinary Candidates
• A Second Chance and a Grateful Heart
• Riveting News
• Hard Hat Humor

Fear Factor

In my 17 years in the Executive Recruiting Industry focused on commercial construction, I have never been through a year similar to 2009. The construction market was battered. There has been work in some public venues, but the number of participating General Contractors in that market went up four to five fold. Some markets came to a relative halt: condos, retail, corporate office, hospitality and private assembly work. Where there was still a market for commercial projects, the new banking terms often shut down the building process. Quick fixes were sought. Many companies jumped into the federal and medical marketplaces as a quick fix rather than a business strategy that required a process of two years to see true returns. This only increased panic and fear.

The temptation to jump in a fox hole was great, and unfortunately, some companies took that option. Weathering the storm was the new paradigm. Surviving a storm is always good business, yet survival is not enough.

Continuous quality improvement, continuous education and selective acquisition of talent came to a standstill for many companies last year. Those processes should become MORE important under duress than less. The companies that shunned fear and continued to prepare themselves for the turnaround, even as they were downsizing, are now prepared for the future. Others are not so fortunate. Where is your company today?

2010 is a New Year. Most General Contractors feel they have seen their bottom and it is only up from here, albeit a very slow climb. I believe most organizations are glad to say goodbye to 2009’s business climate, and I am most happy to see the fear of 2009 leave the equation.

Now that your planning process is beginning anew, what is your strategy? Acquisitions have increased as some firms have spent their liquid capital in survival and a merger is the best way to move forward. Are you diversifying your portfolio? Ask any retail specialist or hospitality specialist if they recommend diversification. Are you in the federal marketplace and feeling invincible? In two years, you will probably have twice your current competition and in four years, half the opportunity as we all face a choice of debt reduction or bankruptcy as a nation.

Nothing beats planning, organization, continuous education and world class leadership in facing the future. I am proud to be a part of a company that continues its quality improvement processes through 2010. We at Kimmel & Associates feel great about the future of our industry.

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The "First Look" Hotsheet: Extraordinary Candidates

#366948 Project Manager, PE with LEED AP BD+C - Projects include hi-rise condo, mixed-use, restaurant, naval station redevelopment and retail in excess of $50MM. Excellent job history and strong in MEP. Currently with a major national General Contractor and ready to move career to the next step. Located in the Midwest, open to relocation.

#316305 Travelling Healthcare Superintendent - Spent the last eight years with a major Healthcare Design/Build Contractor on projects up to $60MM. Was considered one of the up-and-coming superstars until the economy forced company layoffs. Great people skills and a skilled builder who makes things happen. ASHE certified, willing to relocate or travel.

#257397 Project Executive / Senior Project Manager - Mission Critical/Data Center design/build. Extensive experience in management of construction teams on successful, profitable projects to $50MM. Client satisfaction and team focused. Impressive resume also includes preconstruction and operations experience. College degree and extremely stable, solid work history for two companies in 15 years. Employed; seeking an opportunity to positively affect company growth and profits while delivering an exceptional product for a quality company. Open to relocation.

#578840 Senior Project Manager - This dedicated Manager’s career grew quickly with ICI and Civil Contractors while earning CET and Gold Seal Certification. Has risen relatively quickly within one of the top 20 Contractors in Eastern Canada but feels another organization could offer greater career and personal development. A $40MM+ project is finishing at the end of the month and now could be an ideal time to make a transition. Open to relocation and travel depending on the opportunity. Has filled roles as Quality Assurance, Estimator, Project Manager, and now Senior Project Manager/Project Director. In Toronto currently – open to all locations in Canada, USA, and international. Canadian citizen.

#570823 Project Director - Project Director of a $650MM+ Smelter Plant abroad for major global Civil Construction and EPC Contractor. Previous experience as Operations Manager and Division Manager for large national and international companies. Strong background running $40MM/year civil construction division previous to current mega-project role. Metallurgy project is finishing; returning to Montreal with current employer. Would prefer to move into a civil construction company in Canada to continue to oversee large successful projects, help build their operations, while reducing travel abroad for mega projects. 20+ years of construction experience. Quebec native, degree in Civil Engineering, Professional Engineer, and fully bilingual. In Montreal currently. Canadian citizen.

#112613 Vice President of Operations - For national $800MM Industrial General Contractor firm specializing in large capital and EPC projects, seeks new opportunity in the Texas industrial marketplace. Registered Professional Engineer (Texas) with 23 years industry experience includes refinery, petrochemical, power, and mid-stream gas processing and transportation. Project size up to $100MM.

#39706 Vice President or COO - This candidate is a dynamic Senior Manager located in the DC/Metro Area. Engineering degrees and MBA have prepared in organizing companies to be more profitable and to put in place training programs to assist in the professional growth of a company’s staff at all levels of responsibility. With years of experience in higher education, residential, commercial, health care and governmental projects, has the ability to move a company into the busiest areas of construction and open up new business opportunities.

#397823 General Mechanical Superintendent - A strong Superintendent with experience working with and for two of the top 100 Mechanical Subcontractors in the nation. Currently located in Ft. Worth, TX. 28 years of pipefitting experience overseeing labor, scheduling of manpower for projects, shutdowns, supervised in-house fabrication shop, and performed project estimations with some Project Manager duties. Has been responsible for up to 80 Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Welders on project sizes from $2MM to $15MM. Open to relocation.

#521213 Client Services Manager - Passionate PE with 21 years experience and great communicaton skills. History of designing, engineering, permitting, inspecting, supervising, and managing public ulility / public works and private construction projects. Currently working on rehab of a $10MM/day water/wastewater treatment plant. Leader of traditional and new-millennium research tools and approaches to problem solving including incorporating engineering practices in the world market for energy conservation. Emergency management relating to Incident Command System 100, 200, and 700. Disaster management for water/wastewater utilities MGT 343 and MGT 344. Interested in Southeast Florida only.

#563152 Lead Engineer - Lead Engineer for New York company’s Smart Grid initiatives. Strength is in the large commercial markets. Understands the customer base and has exceptional skills in acting as the liaison between the company’s Smart Grid development team and the respective local communities. Extraordinary education pedigree: B.S.- Accounting; B.S. – Electrical Engineering & Applied Physics; MBA – Business; Master’s – Engineering and Executive Doctor of Management. This candidate is mobile and given the right opportunity, will relocate anywhere in the United States and will consider positions internationally.

#114831 Structural Steel Fabrication Estimator - Commercial and industrial projects including manufacturing plants, schools, churches, hospitals, office buildings and medical facilities. Accurate and complete material take-off. Solid employment history. Projects up to $50MM. B.S. Construction Management and computer savvy. Available immediately. Prefers locating East of the Mississippi.

#544636 Structural Detailer - Career Detailer with over 25 years of checking and detailing experience. Structural, miscellaneous and light bridge experience. AutoCAD proficient and just completed StruCAD training. Very stable work history, same company for the past 13 years. Soft spoken, diligent personality. Available immediately, willing to relocate.

#447455 Bridge Executive - 30 years of experience in field operations, executive management and estimating with extensive experience in bridge construction. Possesses broad based knowledge in heavy civil, marine and railroad construction working with both private and public entities. The majority of delivery method has been bid-build. Significantly increased revenue, market share and profitability of division currently managed. Holds a Civil Engineering Degree. Prefers Southeast and South-Central.

#436062 Design Engineer - Currently resides in Minnesota. Great combination of skills in both design and engineering, and has been involved in some signature, high profile projects. 25+ years of industry experience. Focused efforts primarily on design of jobs ranging in value from $10MM-$200MM. Majority of experience is working with unitized systems (80%). Worked on domestic and international projects. Prefers Southeast and Midwest location.

#582270 Electrical Engineer - One job since graduation with B.S., M.E. and E.E. Technology from Rochester Institute of Technology. Must stay within 90 miles of Rochester, NY, or is open to commuting on weekly basis anywhere. Available immediately. Experienced in substation, distribution, interconnection and generation engineering. Also managed NERC compliance.

#578760 Highway Construction Materials/Manufacturing Professional - This asphalt paving business leader offers 21 years of progressive growth in all areas of operations and senior business management. Extremely stable work history, and well-regarded by industry peers. Offers significant leadership in project engineering/construction management; manufacturing management; business development; technical management and plant/field support; development/commercialization of new products; and corporate development/strategy. Currently in the South-Central region, will consider relocation nationwide.

#579545 C-Level Executive - Equipment dealership executive formerly of the largest Deere dealer and second largest CASE dealer in the country with extensive turnaround experience. Experienced in overseeing branches/dealerships in excess of $300MM in annual revenues with full P&L responsibility. Last position was as COO of a dealership purchased by a private equity firm. Candidate was handpicked to return the company to profitability for subsequent sale, which has been completed. MBA from Tulane University with superior references and strong sales/business/finance skill set. Currently located in the Southwest and open to relocation nationwide for positions involving oversight of $50MM+.

#257946 Senior Estimator - Over 20 years of experience with past five years at a General Contractor in the Southeast. Motivated to make a change for the right reasons. Projects include: government, office, retail, church, golf clubhouses, parking deck, hotel, fire station, condos, higher education, K-12, MOB, hospital, and CCRC up to $30MM. Construction Management degree; can easily relocate.

#570545 Executive - Seasoned Executive with experience in procurement, preconstruction, estimating and operations. This candidate has had a primary focus in leading federal efforts of procurement of Milcon work throughout the South. Value of individual projects have been as large as multiple $100MM in size. Brings strong connections at the COE, NAVFAC and GSA. Is interested in helping grow an existing MilCon builders portfolio or helping a qualified builder become a qualified MilCon builder.

A Second Chance and a Grateful Heart

The letter below was written by Paul Samuels, Executive Vice President – Kimmel & Associates as he was recovering after a heart attack on January 23, 2009, that was completely reversed thanks to immediate treatment at Mission Hospital in Asheville, NC.

Dear Friends,

First I wanted to thank everybody for their prayers, phone calls and food that was smuggled in to me over the past few days; I have been touched by your genuine concern for me and it is truly appreciated.

I will attempt to tell my story in this letter. The purpose is to not only tell you what happened, but what was learned through this ordeal -- I believe there is always something to be learned from the experiences of others and the more we know the less we fear...so here goes.

On Friday afternoon I went on a bike ride with the entire Ashburn family, and Vince Luca. We ventured in the Jenkins Valley area west of Asheville for a midday, hour and a half ride. About halfway into the ride, I noticed that I was unusually fatigued and had to stop several times to catch my breath. The crew forged ahead and I stopped at a service station to take a break and assess my energy to finish the ride.

After five minutes or so I threw in the towel and called Vince to pick me up when he got back to the car. I then sat down on a bench and had a conversation with myself...tightness in chest and arm, check...lots of sweating, check...nausea, check...tingling in fingers check, check, check. At this point, I was not in any pain and was not afraid; I just picked up the phone and called 911.

After that I lay back on the bench and turned over control to others. About 10 minutes later the EMTs arrived at the same time Vince did. Vince picked up my bike and the EMTs picked me up for a ride to Mission Hospital. During the ride, the EMTs determined I had unusual heart rhythm and gave me some aspirin and some spray nitroglycerin in my mouth, popped in an IV and made several jokes about my biking clothes and the excessive use of spandex!

In the ambulance it was determined that I was having a heart attack and the EMTs explained what was going to happen when I got to the hospital. My goal was to remain calm, control my breathing and pay attention to what was happening around me. Instead of going to the emergency room, I was taken to a special Cath Ward in the Heart Tower at Mission. As soon as I was wheeled in the door, a large clock was set as a timer and the staff got to work. Within one minute they had run a catheter up my leg and injected dye into the arteries of my heart and started to take pictures.

It was determined that I had 100% blockage of the left anterior descending artery and a special stent needed to be put in to support the artery wall. This stent looks like a little spring and acts as scaffolding for the artery. During this procedure I was fully awake and was not on medication; I was on a local anesthetic where they put the leg cath in.

Since two of the doctors were bikers, the conversation turned to bikes and gear and the next thing I knew the doctors had finished their work...start-to-finish. The whole procedure took 17 minutes and was pain-free. I spent the next two days sitting in a hospital room eating crappy food, relaxing and watching movies.

This has also been a time of reflection. I was very lucky. Because I identified the signals early and went to the hospital quickly, I avoided ANY heart damage. This is the best news and, according to the doctors, somewhat rare. Several doctors said that most people ignore the signals and end up in worse shape later on.

I am also grateful that I was not in some remote area of the country not near a sophisticated medical facility. I am really impressed at the level of professionalism in our medical community here in Asheville. The big question that comes up in my mind is, how could I have a heart attack? WHY DID THIS HAPPEN TO ME?

I eat well and exercise and I have low cholesterol...unfortunately there is no clear answer...some is related to genetics and the rest is a mystery at this point. I have fully accepted what happened and I have chosen not to be depressed or angry, but to use the experience to get a better understanding of my body and develop habits that keep me healthy for the rest of my life.

So what are some of the lessons learned...Number one; pay attention to what is happening to your body. I really could have toughed it out and finished the ride, taken an Advil and gone back to work but I set my ego aside and called 911. Number two; pay closer attention to stress, diet and exercise. It's easy to let it all slip by, but in the end it does catch up to you.

I would have to say that my strongest feelings are ones of gratitude. I feel so lucky to have friends who really care about me -- this is worth more to me than any amount of money I could ever have. As for me, I still plan to run a 1/2 and full marathon in 2009.

Sincerely, Paul

Shortly after writing this letter, Paul Samuel's doctors encouraged him to attend a rehabilitation program called Heart Path, which gave him pause. "The male ego kicked in, and I was thinking of Heart Path as a program for older folks," he said. "I was lucky enough to come out of this with no heart damage due to the early treatment I sought, so why should I do something like this?" But he relented, and it was a good decision. Paul has done so well that he completed the Kiawah Island Marathon in December 2009.

"I was freaked out, coming from a place of taking my health for granted, to find myself in the patient role; people ask me why I ran the marathon and of course the physical hurdles were significant, but more importantly, I feel like I conquered my fears. Now I know that when I run to catch a bus, I'm simply out of breath as opposed to having another heart attack, and that is huge -- I am so grateful. My doctor said I've had the biggest 'stress test' there is, so running a marathon is a great thing for me again."

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CARTOON

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January Construction Retreats 1%

New Construction Starts in December Climb 5%; Annual Total for 2009 Drops 26% to $412 Billion

Dubai Stands Tall as Skyscraper Debuts

National Mall Plan Option Incorporates LEED

Cintra-Led Team to Begin $2B North Texas Road Project