City Grill

Randy Abdullah  
Executive Vice President 
Walbridge 

“There are pockets of development in the Detroit area, but recent commercial project starts have slowed post-COVID due primarily to high interest rates and inflation,” Abdullah says. “The pockets of development will one day help connect disparate neighborhoods in the region.” 

One trend gaining traction in the last year is construction trade labor traveling to other locations/geographies where there are commercial project starts, he says. “We’re also seeing more net carbon zero designs that incorporate mass timber, geothermal or low carbon concrete mixes, and more environmental product declaration certifications for materials,” he says. 

“Bidding activity in Detroit has decreased, but construction will be steady for the next 12-16 months as major projects wrap up. Future construction in Detroit is not as robust as we’ve seen in previous years, but there are bright spots,” he adds. “This past year major  innovation and research hubs have begun to move forward. There are several major programs in the city in the preconstruction stage aimed at creating research hubs and academic/medical or industry collaborations.”  

components of larger developments. Specific to higher education/ healthcare/ municipal, the construction market is active relative to recent years.  

Automotive and manufacturing companies continue to invest in construction, but it’s largely outside of the metro Detroit region. This is causing many of the construction supply chain vendors and trade contractors to follow them to other geographies. 

Nationally, labor availability is a challenge for the AEC community. Many skilled trade workers are retiring or near retirement age, and younger generations aren’t interested in the construction industry or trades. The AEC community needs to do better recruiting new talent. 

There is also an imbalance of work opportunities, which is pulling available resources into the industrial market. The battery electric vehicle, cloud data center, and advanced manufacturing markets are thriving and talent is pursuing these jobs nationally because they offer more opportunities for work and better pay. 

Walbridge, like many contractors, is not immune to the labor challenge. We continue to partner with schools, universities and organizations locally and across the country to promote the industry and skilled trades as well as recruit new team members. Our focus is on supporting long-term customers regionally and nationally regardless of the market. This means we need our team members to be mobile and have a very detailed and deliberate plan of how we will staff a job site. As we begin to balance work opportunities in other regions with available resources, we will need to offer incentives and amenities to encourage worker mobility.  

Walbridge is currently supporting local projects in the infrastructure and education and R&D sectors.