In this Issue:

• Lead Story: Turning New Employees into Lifetime Employees
• The First Look Hotsheet: Extraordinary Candidates
• Ear to the Ground: Trends in Construction
• The Poll: Which year was best for your business?
• Article: Good for the Goose - Good for the Gander
• Hard Hat Humor
• Riveting News: Construction Industry News
• Made in the USA: The Washington Monument

LEAD STORY: Turning New Employees into Lifetime Employees

One way in which Kimmel & Associates has tried to grow as a search and consulting firm in construction has been to encourage its clients to work actively and with foresight to welcome new employees. In 25 years in the industry, we have watched companies suffer their share of bust-outs, and we know what a roadblock that is to a company trying to maintain a tight schedule and strengthen its roster. Clients don't like bust-outs, and we don't like bust-outs. Kimmel & Associates has found these tips to be of use when construction companies welcome a new employee and reinforcing his or her value to your team. If your goal is to make a new employee into a lifetime employee, these suggestions can start turning a new hire into a trusted ally. » Read Full Article

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.

#358465 Superintendent - This candidate is in Florida, but he is very open to relocation or travel to pretty much anywhere for the right opportunity. He is an experienced Superintendent that has an Associate's Degree, computer skills, and commercial and multifamily experience. Projects include condo, resort, office, high-rise, mid-rise, bank, research facility, etc. Several projects from $7 million to $70 million range.

#91190 Superintendent - Open primarily to South Carolina, North Carolina, or Georgia. This candidate has experience with Garden Style, Mid-Rise, and High Rise condos, apartments, & hotels.

#55492 Senior Project Manager - This Senior Project Manager has National as well as international experience with garden, mid-rise, and high rise residential and commercial condos, apartments, etc. He is degreed and has 25 plus years of experience in construction and development. Several projects between $20 million and $80 million. Open to relocation.

#371508 Project Executive / Director of Commercial & Resort Development -
Loyal executive with experience in leading large mixed use and resort development teams in the western US and the Southeast. This leader is experienced with the oversight of all of the development and some of the construction of very high end lifestyle centers, mixed use & commercial developments. Excellent problem solver, forward thinker and team player.

#35898 Senior Project Manager - This veteran Senior Project Manager is well versed in running large projects in the mixed use, retail and high-rise condo segments. Multi degreed, excellent references and job history. Available to relocate and travel. High standards, excellent job knowledge and the ability to get large projects completed.

#35864 Project Manager - Young, articulate, intelligent project manager/assistant project manager. Very interested in making a move into a larger company with outstanding opportunity to learn and advance his career as a construction professional. Largest project so far $2-1/2MM but can run multiple projects this size. Retail ground up and also ti experience. Excellent references and job history. $75K OBO.

#296030 Project Engineer/Manager - Young Electrical Engineer with experience in electrical/mechanical design, estimating and project management seeks opportunity with stable and growing company. Offers a diverse project list and the fervor for a challenge. Excellent references & strong work ethic. In Detroit but is willing to relocate.

#367742 Senior Project Manager - Accomplished Steel Project Manager with excellent record of running expansive fabric structure projects. Knows bib structural steel and is an expert rigger. Looking to team up with leading NE firm. Former military, tech savvy. Excellent references and job history; he would like to remain in the tri-state area.

#369591 Project Superintendent - Young construction manager with 4 years of experience managing a wide variety of grading/site prep projects. Business degree, sharp with profit/loss. Seeking entry level position in central Florida with stable company.

#193004 Division Manager - Has managed up to $60 million in asphalt paving and aggregates. Created profitable commercial division.

#93662 Division Manager - Senior Manager has managed up to $30 million in landfill and site construction. Knows most of the players in central Florida.

#80981 Production/QC/Operations Manager - Senior asphalt manager, well-rounded in laydown, production, QC, has managed asphalt divisions for well-known Carolinas contractors. Would like to be in Charlotte or along the Carolina coast.

#42372 Project Executive/Operations Manager - Senior management professional in the Las Vegas area with hospital and self perform concrete experience is looking to make a move in the Las Vegas market. This individual has run large projects and run operations for out of town contractors for the past 10 years in Las Vegas. He has excellent fiscal and personnel management skills. He will be a great asset to your organization.

#364959 Operations Manager - Geotechnical/Deep Foundations engineer with M.S. in Civil and Structural Engineering. He is currently running his own foundation company abroad, but he is U.S. educated and he has a successful history with companies in the U.S. Design, project management, construction management.

#333922 Project Manager - Project Manager with 20 years of experience in Heavy Industrial Construction and Project Operations Management. Looking for excellent opportunity with upward mobility. Thorough knowledge of all phases of construction and commissioning stage. FCCU, CCR, LNG, Hydrogen Plant, Car Plants, Glass Plants, Jet Engine Test Facility, EPA Mandated type work, and many others. Excellent references and job history. Would like to be in the Houston area.

#231720 General Superintendent - Strong Superintendent with Project Manager skills. He is the kind of person you can hand a problem job to. He can save the job or solve the problem and hand it back to another Superintendent and move on to the next problem. A leader with a positive attitude and a winning spirit is not easy to find nowadays.

#261886 Senior Project Manager - Twenty years of successful major structural steel projects with proven business development and sales/estimating skills. Knows cranes, has bridge and stadium background as well as post tension expertise. Currently has full P&L responsibility. He is in SE Coastal Florida, but will look at opportunities in the Mid-Atlantic region and New England. Strong!

#361487 VP Marketing & Sales - Marketing & Sales Executive with an award-winning successful track record in the multi-family and single family residential market. Undergraduate degree in Communications & masters degree in Urban Planning. Over fourteen years of experience in developing successful marketing & sales programs. Very sharp, highly skilled leader, business manager, trainer and team player. Experienced in the real and perceived benefits that “green” building offers consumers in today’s marketplace. Willing to relocate for the right executive position.

# 336614 Project Manager - Young Project Manager and Estimator with 10 years of experience with commercial HVAC. Proficient in QUICKPEN, Estimation and Quote Express. Has estimated and run projects up to $4 million. Looking for excellent opportunity with upward mobility.

#36990 Senior Project Manager/ Estimator / Sales Engineer - This ground-up HVAC, wet and dry side manager had a 15 year tenure with his last company until they were sold and eventually closed. With hospital/healthcare, commercial, schools and institutional projects to $4.1m in his background, he can wear both hard-bid and design/build hats for a company. In addition, he has served as a Service Operations/Sales Manager selling both maintenance and retrofit contracts. In California now, he is open to either a Northern or Southern California opportunity.

#36377 Senior Project Manager / Estimator - With only two companies in the last thirteen years on his resume, this all-around Project Manager has supervised sheet metal, GC, and plumbing projects. With a project list of hospital/healthcare to $8m, government projects to $10m, college/university projects to $3m, and sports / entertainment work to $4.5m, he would be a fortunate catch for a mechanical contractor or a GC with an MEP coordinator need. The candidate desires a California company, but would consider both the LA/San Diego area or a Northern California location.

#256957 Project Manager/Estimator - Experienced in all management phases of construction including pre-construction budgeting and value engineering, client contract negotiations, estimate preparation and bidding, analyses, execution and administration of prime and subcontracts, change order evaluation and negotiation, scheduling as a tool for costs control, documentation, preparation and negotiation of claims. Projects: Public Works and Private projects ranging from $2-7 Million.

#368205 Traveling Superintendent - Over 28 years of experience in commercial construction with emphasis on estimating, personnel management, and project management. Journeyman carpenter by trade. Experienced with all phases of “in the field” construction procedures, job site trouble shooting and problem solving, staff coordination, job-specific purchasing, project management, and estimating in both the public and private sectors. Familiar with contract procedures and implementation, document interpretation and control. Experienced with MS Word, Excel, Expedition, Sure Trak. Certified Storm Water Coordinator – Wal-Mart and Home Depot projects.

#245850 Project Engineer - This strong Project Engineer wants to be a part of a successful construction company which provides the opportunity for growth and career advancement. Maintain client relations and service client requests, Control RFI’s, submittals, schedule, and bulletins, Supervise subcontractors and coordinate/direct construction activities in the field, Organize and lead meetings with subcontractors, owners, architects, and engineers, create scopes of work and obtain final pricing, process and control project documentation and records through construction technical software, interface with city inspectors to obtain sign-offs/Certificate of Occupancy. Open to relocation, degreed and Dean’s List.

Ear to the Ground: Trends in Construction

The Kimmel Construction Industry Newsletter spoke recently with five members of the 12-member Mechanical/Electrical Division at Kimmel. The consultants provided insights into their marketplaces and even made some educated guesses as to which trends will strengthen and which types of work may diminish in the coming months or next few years. Hear what these experts in Mechanical-Electrical search have to say about your part of the country.

Construction Industry Newsletter (CIN): What do you hear when you survey the territory you work and talk to your clients everyday?

MARK JONES (Mechanical-Electrical Contractors, Mid-Atlantic and the Carolinas):
There is such tremendous demand for talented project managers and superintendents. That's self-evident, like saying a baseball team really wants good starting pitching and solid hitting, but the need is as pronounced as I've ever seen. PMs and Supers of various skill levels are gold right now.

CIN: Where is the demand the greatest?

MJ: The types of projects that are flourishing are healthcare, hospitality, mixed-use, and offices, among others. Washington, D.C. is an exciting place to work right now: there is, not surprisingly, an abundance of government work, as well as high-rise residential and condos.

CIN: What about down through Virginia and into the Carolinas?

MJ: There is a great deal of work throughout the Southeast in rebuilding infrastructure. There is good work for people who can build water and wastewater facilities. Electrical talent is in demand for power and substation operations, and I am also addressing clients' needs for electrical professionals who can work on smart signs for traffic regulation, such as you see in Atlanta.

CIN: Do you see other trends of interest?

MJ: I have definitely been in touch with any number of candidates who are intrigued by the prospect of relocating from the Northeast and upper Midwest down to the Southeast and Southwest. Beyond the milder climate, candidates see a different lifestyle that appeals to them, and a lower cost of living in many markets that stretches their dollars and allows, for example, a PE in some giant metropolitan area up North who's renting a house to own a bigger house in Raleigh or Charlotte.

Construction Industry Newsletter (CIN): What building trends are you seeing?

ALICIA SISK-MORRIS (Mechanical-Electrical Contractors, Northeast and Florida):
Up until recently the big trend in Florida was mixed use condominiums. But everything is cyclical, and the market for that appears to be slowing for now in Florida, even though I know it's still strong in other places around the country. But now the hot trend appears to be schools. That market is very strong and estimators are projecting that this trend should last for another 5 years. Commercial and hospital work also appears to be steady.

CIN: That's some of what you see in Florida, but you also work the Northeast.

ASM: The Northeast appears to also be enjoying a strong push in the school market. We see renovations and new additions as well as new buildings starting throughout the market. Current concerns are that the ever-tightening schedules are now so unreasonable that the subcontractors are being affected tremendously. The ever-changing technology is also another factor in building construction; subcontractors are having to constantly be diligent to stay up on the latest trends as they are changing so quickly, particularly as it relates to multi media needs.

CIN: How are companies adjusting to changes in market conditions?

ASM: I have seen several shifts. Some subcontractors are seeking to add additional services or departments such as a service department. Other companies are looking to supplement their commercial and medical markets with work in industrial markets such as petro/chemical and water/waste water plants.

CIN: What skills are companies most interested in when interviewing candidates?

ASM: Estimating and AutoCAD engineering and design are in huge demand throughout the east coast. More and more of the mechanical and electrical engineering grads are seeking employment in product design or computer industries, leaving a serious shortage in the construction industry.

Construction Industry Newsletter (CIN): California always seems to have a few surprises. What do you see in that market?

ROBERT STEIN (Mechanical-Electrical Contractors, California):
It remains a hot market. Institutional work, schools, libraries, offices, 911 centers, healthcare ... there is activity in all those disciplines. Plus, there is a flurry of activity in labs, biopharm, clean rooms. I am scrambling to find the right people for my clients in those specialties. Biopharm and all its adjunct industries has taken off in San Francisco, the Silicon Valley, northern San Diego County. And, here’s something fairly specific to California, since you asked. Of real interest is work that must be done to conform to a seismic referendum that was passed that demands lots of retrofit work.

CIN: Which other regions are active?

RS: East Los Angeles, the Inland Empire, Riverside, Sacramento has a big hospital project, LA and San Francisco continue to reclaim their downtowns. San Diego residential is big right now, and I’m also seeing lots of high-rises, 30 stories and up, in San Diego.

CIN: What talents are most in demand right now?

RS: Everything. I am certainly looking for PMs and Estimators who can do public works. As always, there are great positions available for qualified union Estimators and PMs. There’s equal amounts of work for Design-Build, retrofits, HVAC, Piping, as well as for Hard Bid in healthcare and hospitals. There is a shortage of engineers and designers who know HVAC wet and dry as well as plumbing systems. I have great opportunities for anyone with those talents.

Construction Industry Newsletter (CIN): What are the big needs you see right now?

VICKA TINETTI (Mechanical-Electrical Contractors, Great Lakes and Upper Midwest):
There are outstanding opportunities for operations managers. I know many very solid and accomplished PMs who are still a few years from being able to move up a flight into operations, and that's where the gap is: between Project Management and the upper echelon of management. I liken it to looking for a mechanic who can not only change the oil or replace a battery but can, in fact, fix the entire engine.

CIN: What markets are most active in your territory?

VT: Every market is healthy right now; there is a general resurgence that is encouraging. Chicago is very vibrant right now: my clients there are working at capacity, and I am finding great positions for candidates in the Chicagoland area. One thing I've picked up about Chicago is that there are so many small, new contractors opening up for business that they're bidding low to get work and establish themselves. Prominent owners I've talked to recognize this as a by-product of a healthy economy, but the effect is to dilute the market and drive contractors' prices down. So this glut of contractors signals a strong economy but also flattens out the profit margin for everyone involved.

CIN: Any industries rising or falling?

VT: Some industries are immune to recession or slowdowns; healthcare is, as always, booming. Every hospital has capital improvement projects going on right now. But, honestly, I am meeting strong candidates in markets from Milwaukee to St. Louis to Madison to Kansas City and everywhere in between.

Construction Industry Newsletter (CIN): You do a tremendous amount of work in Texas. Where is the demand the greatest right now?

POLLY McKINNISH (Electrical Contractors, Texas):
The saying "Everything is Bigger in Texas" is very true, and the need for Senior Project Managers and Estimators for Electrical Contractors is especially big currently. Experience with large electrical commercial projects is needed throughout Texas. I have top-of-the-line clients that have immediate needs.

CIN: In which markets are you concentrating your work?

PM: Just about every city in Texas: Austin, Dallas, Houston, of course, but Southern Texas is really coming along as well. The opportunities range from Superintendent to Branch Management. An Electrical background in commercial and light industrial with projects medium to large will open doors to a real career-minded person.

CIN: What building trends are driving those markets?

PM: The market is wide open right now, especially Texas-based companies that have projects all over the USA, and the corresponding open positions that coincide with those projects. Any commercial and light industrial needs appear to be the greatest with Hotels, high-rise, schools, government contracts. Electrical Sub Contractors have pressing needs for home-based Project Managers to traveling PM’s and Superintendents. An experienced Project Manager or Estimator can be placed immediately: the need is that great.

CIN: You work in other states as well. What's going on in Louisiana, Colorado and Oklahoma?

PM: There are great opportunities in each of these states. Louisiana and Colorado are leading the way for strong needs for Estimators and Project Management. The cost of living will be a plus for the right candidates. My clients have led the way searching for talented Electrical Project Managers and Estimators that would like to be groomed to move toward Executive level positions.

CIN: Do you see other trends of interest?

PM: Absolutely; there is a tremendous need for Electrical Designers. Hospital, healthcare, commercial. At one time clients were only interested in PE's, but not anymore. Opportunities are abundant for professionals with Design/Build experience and a Project Management background. Many clients have different stages of designer needs.

Good for the Goose - Good for the Gander

By Guest Writer: Gary Micheloni

I know … you’re swamped with work and struggling to bring your project in on time and under budget, so you look at this headline and wonder how an old saying applies to your hectic life. Probably makes you want to say, “So, what in the heck do geese and ganders have to do with my making a buck or surviving in business?” Well, what that old expression is actually talking about, to you and me, is the always intricate relationship we build with our clients and subcontractors. So let’s sort this one out – carefully and slowly. » more

About Gary Micheloni
Gary Micheloni has worked in construction for a number of years, during which time he developed the idea of the “Full Contact Project Manager.” When Gary speaks with his typical enthusiasm about Full Contact Project Management, he means a PM who is completely in touch with his project, remaining detail-oriented and customer service-minded, a calm presence in the hub-bub of a construction site. But he also means a professional whose service to his own employer makes him unwilling to do a lot of extra work for free, except for those occasions where his company might make a donation for the good of a community or a project. It's the more professional side of being a PM.

Get your free copy of The Winning RFI, and learn how to use it. Go to Gary’s website www.fullcontactPM.com and look for the link. Gary’s columns in several magazines make him one of the most widely-read construction writers today. He is author of the new book, Get Paid for a Change!, subtitled The Contractor’s Blueprint for Turning Extra Work into Extra Money—through Change Orders. Gary is a working project manager, speaker and consultant. You can contact him by e-mailing to coachgary@fullcontactPM.com.

HARD HAT HUMOR

Which year was best for your business?

• Severe, Extended Droughts Seen for Colorado River Basin
• Clean Water Funding Bill Heads for House Floor Vote
• California Loses Apprentice Review

The Washington Monument

The Washington Monument stands tall over the landscape of the nation’s capital, a fitting tribute to Founding Father and first president George Washington. The white obelisk at the west end of the National Mall is among the world's tallest masonry structures, standing 555 feet, 5-1/2 inches in height and made of marble, granite, and sandstone.

Robert Mills, a prominent American architect of the 1840s, designed the structure. The actual construction of the monument began in 1848, but was not completed until 1884, almost 30 years after the architect's death. This hiatus in construction was due to lack of funds and the intervention of the American Civil War. A difference in shading of the marble, visible approximately 150 ft (45 m) up, clearly delineates the initial construction from its resumption in 1876.

Upon completion, it became the world's tallest structure, a title it inherited from the Cologne Cathedral and held until 1889, when the Eiffel Tower was completed.

At the time of its construction it was the tallest building in the world. It is still the tallest building in Washington D.C., and due to a 1910 law restricting new buildings' height to be no more than 20 feet (6 m) greater than the width of the street they're on, probably always will be (there is a popular misconception that the law specifies that no building may be taller than the Washington Monument, but in fact the law makes no mention of it).

The Washington Monument drew enormous crowds even before it officially opened. During the six months that followed its dedication, 10,041 people climbed the 893 steps to the top; that number of visitors reaching the summit increased dramatically after the freight elevator was altered to carry people. As early as 1888, an average of 55,000 people a month went to the top, and today the Washington Monument has more than 800,000 visitors each year.

Sources for this article include Wikipedia.

[top]