Author
Economist expects recovery to continue into 2013
In a 2013 construction forecast released Dec. 4, ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu predicted nonresidential construction spending to expand 5.2 percent next year, with much of the expansion coming from privately financed projects. “With the elections now behind us, the hope is the White House and Congress will be able to successfully navigate the nation past its fiscal cliff,” Basu says. “If that happens, the latter half of 2013 could be surprisingly good for nonresidential activity given the large volume of construction projects that were put on hold during the course of 2012. However, the baseline forecast calls for only moderate expansion in nonresidential construction spending next year.” According to Basu, rising consumer confidence will lead to a 10 percent expansion in total commercial construction. He also noted the fastest growing major U.S. industry during the last year in terms of absolute job creation was professional and business services, and because many firms in this category use office space, office-related construction spending is expected to rise 10 percent. In addition,… Keep Reading
MSHA, NSSGA reaffirm education, training alliance
MSHA and NSSGA will maintain their now 10-year-old alliance aimed at preventing injuries and illnesses at U.S. aggregates operations. Signed at MSHA’s headquarters on Dec. 7 in Arlington, Va., the agreement calls for the two organizations to work closely together on the promotion of safe working conditions, the development of effective miner training programs and the expansion of mine safety and health outreach and communication. “Although the alliance is precluded from getting into the area of enforcement, the work done in training, leadership and education by way of Safety Alerts, NSSGA’s magazine safety pullouts and quarterly CEO safety newsletters is critical for all aggregates operators," says Louis Griesemer, the alliance's co-chair who's also president and CEO of Springfield Underground Inc. in Springfield, Mo. The agreement calls for the two organizations to work closely together on the promotion of safe working conditions, the development of effective miner training programs and the expansion of mine safety and health outreach and communication. Both groups work to promote a national dialogue on safety and… Keep Reading
Main hails appeals court decision as miner victory
MSHA Assistant Secretary of Labor Joe Main called a U.S. Court of Appeals rejection of a worker discrimination case a resounding victory for miners and their right to identify hazardous conditions that put themselves and others in danger. Main made his comment in reference to a case in which the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit rejected an appeal of Cordero Mining LLC. The court affirmed a Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission law judge's earlier decision in which the judge ordered Cordero Mining to reinstate a discharged employee to her former position, compensate her for lost wages and benefits, and remove from her personnel files any references to the discharge. The court also upheld a $40,000 penalty Cordero Mining must pay. The case stems back to May 2010, when a shovel operator with 28 years of experience as a miner filed a complaint with MSHA alleging that Cordero Mining terminated her employment in retaliation for her repeated safety complaints. The miner claimed her unlawful discharge had… Keep Reading
Institutional building increase boosts Dodge Momentum Index
The Dodge Momentum Index, the monthly measure of the first report for nonresidential building projects in planning, held steady in November, according to McGraw-Hill Construction. The index registered a 92.5 in November – an increase relative to October's revised 92.0. The modest gain in the November index was the result of an increase for institutional building, which grew by 1.7 percent in November. The education component of the index was a bit stronger in November, although it's likely to settle back in the coming months as budget constraints linger. The increase in institutional building plans was partially offset by a decline in the commercial component of the index, which in November eased 0.6 percent from October. New development plans for office projects slipped in November, although new plans for store projects rose modestly over the month. After reaching a low point in mid-2011, McGraw-Hill Construction says the Dodge Momentum Index's turnaround has been a slow and hesitant one, with monthly upward movement often followed by a decline. A recovery in… Keep Reading
FLSmidth names new global CEO
Thomas Schulz, president of Sandvik Construction, is leaving Sandvik to become CEO of FLSmidth & Co. Schulz has worked for Sandvik since 2001 and has had various positions within the company. Jorgen Huno Rasmussen, FLSmidth's current CEO, will retire midway through 2013. Schulz is expected to assume the CEO position around that time. Sandvik, meanwhile, has initiated a search for Schulz's successor. Keep Reading
Vulcan develops product calculator app for iPad, iPhone
Vulcan Materials Co. has launched a product calculator app for Apple's iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad mobile devices. The Vulcan Materials Product Calculator is a tool that allows users to estimate the construction materials needed for building and paving projects. The app is free and can be downloaded from the Apple App Store. By entering project dimensions such as length, width and thickness, and material properties such as density, the product calculator estimates needed quantities for different aggregate, asphalt and concrete products. To assist with calculations, menus are also available for selection of typical density values for different aggregate types. Keep Reading
Rivet, Lapan accept new Atlas Copco positions
Andy Rivet has been named manager at Atlas Copco's store in Ludlow, Mass., and Cory Lapan will take over Rivet’s former position as service manager at that location. Rivet had served as service manager at the Ludlow location since 2005. He originally joined Atlas Copco as a field service technician in 2000. In his new role as store manager serving the Northeast region, he will oversee Atlas Copco's Surface Drilling Equipment, Drilling Solutions, Geotechnical Drilling and Exploration, and Dynapac product lines. Lapan had served as a field technician at the Atlas Copco's Ludlow service center until this new appointment. He joined Atlas Copco in February 2006. Keep Reading
Martin Marietta to try new approach in pursuit of Vulcan
Martin Marietta Materials Inc. was unsuccessful earlier this year in its hostile takeover attempt of Vulcan Materials Co. But Martin Marietta won't give up trying to purchase the top crushed-stone producing company in the United States. According to the Wall Street Journal, Martin Marietta will now look to make a friendly offer to buy its rival. The Wall Street Journal cited people close to the decision in its Sunday night report. Vulcan previously rejected a bid from Martin Marietta of nearly $5 billion. The bid was unsolicited, and Vulcan said at the time that it undervalued the company's worth. In another attempt, Martin Marietta offered Vulcan half of each of its shares in return for full Vulcan shares. Keep Reading
How will Shuster differ from Mica as chairman?
The U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee got six years out of its most recent chairman, Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.). Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) will take over in January, and he'll offer a different approach to getting legislation passed according to Rep. Patrick Meehan (R-Pa.). According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Meehan says Shuster (pictured at right) is less ideological than Mica and more likely to look for common ground across party lines. "Bill has a very good demeanor and an ability to communicate with people," Meehan says "He's a consensus builder. He's very easy to get to know, and he's effective at including others." Meehan also told the Post-Gazette that he respects Shuster even though the two sometimes butt heads. One disagreement Shuster and Meehan have is whether gas taxes should be enforced to support transportation. In a meeting with reporters Thursday, Shuster said he intends to explore increasing the 18.4-cents-per-gallon gas tax. Keep Reading
