Although U.S. construction employment hit a two-year high in January, it remains below peak levels in 329 out of 337 metro areas, including Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, Ill, where employment has declined by 35 percent since peaking at 187,200 jobs in 2001, according to data compiled by the Arlington, Va.-based Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). On a percentage basis, job losses in the Chicago-Joliet-Naperville area were the fourth worst in the nation, behind Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, Ariz.; Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif.; and Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev.Year-over-year data present a mixed picture for the Midwest, with Illinois, Ohio and Indiana showing employment gains from December 2010 to
Although average construction backlogs in the Midwest remained largely unchanged for the fourth quarter of 2011, backlogs slid 3.2% nationwide, from 8.1 months to 7.8 months, for the same period, according to Washington, D.C.-based Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). Backlogs in middle states, including Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri, rose from 6.22 months to 6.53 months between the third and fourth quarters, putting the region roughly on par with Western states, but well behind the Northeastern and Southern regions, whose backlogs for the fourth quarter averaged 7.99 months and 8.92 months, respectively.“The disparity between regional construction is on the
A 33-year-old urban planner whose designs have shaped cities worldwide, a 34-year-old architect who executed the Land of Lincoln's first LEED-Gold-certified apartment tower and a 38-year-old builder with a penchant for online marketing programs are among the rising stars selected as ENR Midwest's Top 20 Under 40.
CourtneyBrian Courtney has joined Chicago-based general contractor and CM Reed Construction as senior project manager. Courtney previously was senior project manager with construction manager and general contractor Barton Malow Co., where he managed a multiproject construction management portfolio. Courtney's current duties include working with building owners to develop strategic architectural plans for projects; overseeing estimating; securing permits; soliciting and negotiating subcontractor bids; and working to ensure successful and timely completion of Reed's projects. Ken Fuller has joined Miron Construction, Wausau, Wis., as an industrial project manager. His responsibilities include budgets, scheduling, preliminary estimates, coordination of construction activity, project closeout
ENR Midwest's top 20 design and construction professionals under the age of 40 were selected on the basis of their contributions to their professions and their communities.
An 850,000-sq-ft LEED-Platinum corporate headquarters, a center for homeless youth and a cable-stayed bridge spanning the Missouri River are among the projects a panel of industry professionals have awarded top honors in ENRMidwest's Best Projects 2011 competition, an annual program recognizing outstanding design and construction in a variety of categories.
Robert Mortimer and Michael Gould have been named senior vice presidents with Chicago-based contractor James McHugh Construction Company. Randy Bullard, Peter Campagnolo, Brian Fish and John Kelly were named vice presidents with the firm. John Tuisl has been named vice president of safety and risk management with Northbrook, Ill.-based contractor Kenny Construction Co., while Tom Lubas Jr. has been named assistant risk manager for the firm. Kenny recently combined its safety and risk management departments. Kenny is the only construction company to have been awarded the National Safety Council's Green Cross for Safety. Kurt Jaeger has been appointed vice president
In the warm, waning days of summer, mechanical crews are replenishing their ranks in a push to bring the $1-billion Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago on line by late fall. “We peaked with 80 workers or so, then got really skinny for awhile,” says Scott Tranter, group vice president with The Hill Group, the project's Franklin Park, Ill.-based mechanical contractor. “Today, we're back up to about 25.”The task at hand is almost a project unto itself, one of several Hill has tackled as the 23-story structure has taken shape on the campus of Northwestern Medical Center,
Rather than wait and see whether modest gains in construction activity this summer heralded a return to economic stability, many builders in the Midwest and elsewhere are heading for the exits. Related Links: Although national construction employment inched to a 15-month high in July and remained virtually unchanged in August, “unemployed workers are leaving the industry at seven times the rate they are finding jobs in it,” says Ken Simonson, chief economist with the Arlington, Va.-based Associated General Contractors of America.“We need a recovery to market to the prospective work force,” says Anirban Basu, chief economist with Arlington, Va.-based Associated
SCHMALZ The LiRo Group, New York, hired Richard Schmalz as vice president. He will head the firm's engineering division and will direct all design engineering activities, including civil, structural, transportation, traffic engineering and landscape architecture projects.WINCKOAmy K. Wincko, first vice president of construction operations for Tishman Construction Corp., an AECOM company, was awarded the Corporate Professional Achievement Award at the Professional Women in Construction's Salute to Women of Achievement luncheon in recognition of her management role on major projects. These include 1 WTC, the World Trade Center Hub and 4 WTC. Wincko has been with Tishman since 2001.The McGraw-Hill Cos.,
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