...acoustical properties in the building envelope,” says Enclos’ Patterson. He says the industry has a bad record of investing in R&D, but Enclos believes the companies that come out of the recession with new and effective products will have a big advantage.
In addition, Enclos is retooling its marketing. Patterson notes that the typical contractor website is little more than a company brochure. Instead, Enclos is including on its websites technical documents and instructional guidelines to help educate potential clients on the language and concepts regarding the building envelope, Patterson says.
With an eye toward R&D, KHS&S acquired a BIM software firm last year and now is developing a program to allow different BIM software platforms to work together. Suder says the use of different platforms by different parties is a roadblock to the effectiveness of BIM.
While the workforce shortages of a few years ago have all but disappeared, many subs worry about the impact of the recession on future personnel needs. “There are 3,000 union electricians out of work in New York City, and that is tragic,” says Mann. He says many people in the trades may consider retiring.
Some contractors are working to ensure they are prepared for the market turnaround. “We are doing our best to upgrade our expertise and skills,” says Rondeau of Dunkin & Bush. The firm has maintained an internship program for the past three to four years. “A lot of young people are finding it tough to break into the industry in this market, but we are continuing to bring in young, talented people,” Rondeau says.
Layoffs are a fact of life in this recession. However, some firms are taking advantage of this unfortunate situation. “We’ve started hiring high-quality people who were out of work,” says Walker of Nicholson Construction. He says this is a new experience, saying, “Usually, the poor performers are let go in a recession, but we are finding some top people.”
Southland Industries, on the other hand, is working hard to hold on to its people, transferring them from office to office, depending on where the work is. “We did not train them up only to let them go,” says Lynch.
The panic many large specialty contractors felt last year has given way to a grim determination to pursue and perform work in a prudent manner, holding on until the market turns around. “The smart contractors will get stronger coming out of this,” says Bacon.
