Why Should a Company Train Its Personnel? Part One
This is the first of two articles dealing with this key topic: training. Whenever construction is strong, it seems almost impossible to find and hire all of the properly trained and qualified people needed. And, even if construction in your area is a bit below normal, it can be equally difficult to find […]
Verbal Contract
You bid a job four months ago, and the contract was verbally agreed to but never signed. Trouble is, the job wasn’t ready for you four months ago … but it’s ready now, and they want you to start in a couple of days. If you were to bid that same job today, your price […]
AWCI…for Life
Another month has gone by, and I am more into the swing of things as your president for this year. Steve Etkin, AWCI’s executive vice president/CEO, and I had the pleasure of attending the annual convention and trade show of our largest chapter, the Florida Wall and Ceiling Association, down at Marco Island, Fla. It […]
Size Matters
In the course of penning past columns, I’ve made several passing references to the impact of volume on approaches to procurement and management of commercial drywall projects. On further examination, I’d have to confess that I’ve written most of these articles coming from the perspective of an estimator/manager in the context of a mid-sized commercial […]
Construction Trends
Survey Finds Many Americans Believe Air Inside Their Homes Is Cleaner Than Outdoor Air, Despite Data Suggesting Otherwise A survey released Aug. 11 by Denver-based Johns Manville found that more than a third, or 38.0 percent, of U.S. homeowners believe the air inside their homes is cleaner than air outside their homes. But the […]
My Friend the Architect
Architects, as part of the natural order things, seem to be the contractor’s nemesis, something vague and uncaring up there on the food chain. Still, the amazing thing is that adversarial though the contractor-architect relation can be at times, at the end of the day it is communication, exchange of views, and mutual […]
How to Split a Company in Two and Double the Profits
Many companies, especially those heavy on specialties, may add new products and services, or create new divisions within the company to diversify. But G. Earl Martin, Inc. took a different route. Instead of creating a new department or division, the company was split into two separate companies under the same ownership. Martin Plastering Contractors, Inc. […]
Tool Safety Quiz
Tools, both hand and power, are found everywhere at every job site, regardless of the trade doing the work. While these tools are a craftsman’s best friends, they bring many hazards to the jobsite. The same tool that makes a job much easier can also be the cause of a tragic or even fatal accident. […]
Wall Heights and Fire Ratings
On a recent road trip my traveling companion asked me what appeared to be a simple question. He raised the question after watching two drywall hangers perform a demonstration of hanging drywall. He pointed out that they were using scraps of the 5/8 inch thick board to pick the bottom edge of the board off […]