Is there room at the inn? Odds are, yes, there is room…too much room. That means there’s less need for more rooms—and what’s bad for the hotel business is equally bad for the construction industry. Photo: Steve Kaelble / Midwest Construction The new JW Marriott Hotel in Indianapolis is one of just a few large hotel projects going on in the Midwest. At 34 stories, it is the tallest hotel in Indiana. The statistics tell a grim story. U.S. hotel occupancy rates have been dropping since 2007, and by the fourth quarter of 2009 they had hit 50.6%, according to

HIRES GOODALE Jeff Goodale has joined the Chicago office of architectural firm HOK as senior vice president and co-director of the justice practice. Goodale has been in the profession for more than 20 years. His experience includes master planning, programming, design, security consulting and construction management for a number of criminal justice system projects. Jeff Mazanec has joined R.A. Smith National as senior project manager in the municipal services division at the company’s Appleton, Wis., office. Mazanec has more than 31 years of experience in municipal engineering, transportation, downtown revitalization, water and wastewater, water resources, solid waste, and environmental engineering

MROWIEC Most construction contracts or construction supply agreements contain required completion or delivery dates. Some also incorporate a construction schedule. But some contracts neither provide a specific, firm completion date nor expressly incorporate any construction schedule. If an agreement does not provide a completion date or does not incorporate a schedule, may a construction schedule nevertheless assist in determining a party’s timeliness obligation? That issue was addressed in the recent case of International Production Specialists, Inc. v. Schwing America, Inc., 2009 U.S. App. LEXIS 19842 (7th Cir. Sept. 2, 2009). In Schwing America, Volst-Alpine Industries, Inc. acted as general contractor

My contracting firm has generally resisted leasing construction equipment in the past. We always bought because times in recent years were good or average and we always knew we’d have the equipment we’d need for projects.

Epstein-Metter Studios, Chicago, and Dake Wells Architecture, Springfield, Mo., recently earned honors from the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Related Links: William Bast Named President of National Structural Engineers Council AIA Chicago Names Vitale Young Architect of 2009 Lean Construction Institute Forms Ohio Valley Chapter AGC of St. Louis and OSHA Form Partnership AIA Chicago Names Nagle Hartray 2009 Firm of the Year Great Lakes Design-Build Institute Elects Officers Northeast Indiana Building Contractors Name Officers for 2010 American Society of Safety Engineers Adds Occupational Health Nurses to Membership CISCO Honors Top Chicago-Area Construction Projects of 2009 Somerville Earns Best Existing

St. Louis contractor Paric is managing the newly started $4.6-million, 51,000-sq-ft renovation of a skilled nursing facility at the Village of St. Mary’s “Villa Theresa” Continuum of Care Retirement Community in O’Fallon, Mo. The work is expected to take 10 months. Related Links: World’s Tallest Building, Burj Khalifa in Dubai, was Designed in Chicago Streeter Place 54-Story Luxury Apartment Tower Completed in Chicago Major Eye Institute is Going from Vision to Reality in Indianapolis Metea Valley High School Completed in Aurora, Ill. Building in Orland Park, Ill., Earns LEED Gold Certification St. Louis Metro System’s New Paint Facility Opens Six

The Associated General Contractors (AGC) of St. Louis and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) St. Louis area office have formed a safety partnership. Contractors that participate in the agreement have a cooperative relationship with OSHA in which, among other benefits, they are exempt from routine OSHA inspections. Photo: AGC of St. Louis OSHA, AGC of St. Louis, unions, and a construction consumers group sign safety partnership agreement. Related Links: William Bast Named President of National Structural Engineers Council AIA Chicago Names Vitale Young Architect of 2009 Lean Construction Institute Forms Ohio Valley Chapter AIA Chicago Names Nagle

The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) now accepts the certified occupational health nurse (COHN-S) credential for members and new member applicants who have a bachelor’s degree and five years of safety, health and environmental (SH&E) experience for professional membership. Professional membership is the highest membership category in ASSE. Other membership categories include member, international member, associate, student, honorary and emeritus. Related Links: William Bast Named President of National Structural Engineers Council AIA Chicago Names Vitale Young Architect of 2009 Lean Construction Institute Forms Ohio Valley Chapter AGC of St. Louis and OSHA Form Partnership AIA Chicago Names Nagle Hartray

The Building Contractors Association of Northeast Indiana (BCA) has elected officers and directors for 2010. Related Links: William Bast Named President of National Structural Engineers Council AIA Chicago Names Vitale Young Architect of 2009 Lean Construction Institute Forms Ohio Valley Chapter AGC of St. Louis and OSHA Form Partnership AIA Chicago Names Nagle Hartray 2009 Firm of the Year Great Lakes Design-Build Institute Elects Officers Two Midwestern Firms Earn National Honors from AIA American Society of Safety Engineers Adds Occupational Health Nurses to Membership CISCO Honors Top Chicago-Area Construction Projects of 2009 Somerville Earns Best Existing Building Award St. Louis

The Lean Construction Institute (LCI) now has an Ohio Valley Chapter. Headquartered in Ketchum, Idaho, the non-profit LCI is an association of construction professionals that researches the principles of lean production in the design, engineering, and construction trades. Related Links: William Bast Named President of National Structural Engineers Council AIA Chicago Names Vitale Young Architect of 2009 AGC of St. Louis and OSHA Form Partnership AIA Chicago Names Nagle Hartray 2009 Firm of the Year Great Lakes Design-Build Institute Elects Officers Two Midwestern Firms Earn National Honors from AIA Northeast Indiana Building Contractors Name Officers for 2010 American Society of