U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Construction Industry's Unemployment Rate Declining Construction's unemployment rate dropped sharply in April, to 14.5% from 17.2% in March, although the industry shed 2,000 jobs. Last month's construction jobless rate also was far below the April 2011 level of 17.8%, continuing a long string of year-over-year declines. The Bureau of Labor Statistics' latest monthly report on employment trends, released on May 4, showed the job losses last month in construction's buildings and non-residential specialty-trades sectors outweighed the gains in the heavy-civil and residential specialty-trades segments. Architectural and engineering services added 7,400 jobs in April. GAO Faults
KHANPOURAbdy Khanpour has joined U.K.-based engineer and project manager AMEC as vice president and U.S. nuclear lead. He is based in Atlanta. Khanpour was vice president of engineering and projects at Florida Power and Light Co., a unit of NextEra Energy Inc., where he led engineering strategic direction and technical services for five nuclear plants. He also held management roles at Excel Energy and Bechtel Power Group.HNTB, Kansas City, has named Joseph Lawton, a senior vice president and national construction management practice leader. Formerly a senior vice president at AECOM, he now leads the CM practice across HNTB's infrastructure
Related Links: Engineering News Record Architectural Record Builder Lend Lease (U.S.) Construction LMB Inc., formerly Bovis Lend Lease, and its onetime top New York City executive on April 24 settled charges of decade-long overbilling, worker time-sheet padding and other fraud charges on public and private projects there.The pact with the U.S. Attorney in Brooklyn defers prosecution of the firm. Lend Lease agreed to pay $56 million in penalties and compensation and implement "far-reaching corporate reforms."James Abadie, 55, who had been executive vice president of Bovis and principal-in-charge of its New York City operations, pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit mail
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on April 16 approved plans by units of Cheniere Energy Partners to add up to four modular trains of natural-gas liquefaction and export capability to an existing liquefied-natural-gas terminal in Cameron Parish, La.
MH Analytics Construction's unemployment rate in March rose slightly Economics Lower Unemployment Masks Number of Workers Leaving Construction's unemployment rate in March rose slightly, to 17.2%, from February's 17.1%, as the industry lost an estimated 7,000 jobs last month. But the rate was better than March 2011's mark of 20%. The Bureau of Labor Statistics' latest monthly status report on the employment picture, released on April 6, showed that jobs lost in the buildings-construction sector outweighed gains in the heavy-civil and residential specialty trades.Corruption Former CEO of Concrete-Beam Producer Guilty of DBE Fraud The former CEO of a Pennsylvania concrete-beam
JOHN CHASEJohn S. Chase, an architect who broke barriers in Texas and elsewhere, died on March 29 in Houston after a long illness. He was 87. He served as CEO of John S. Chase Architect Inc., a firm he founded in 1952 after graduating from the University of Texas-Austin as its first black architecture student. Chase also was the first black architect to be licensed in Texas and the first to be admitted to the Texas Society of Architects and the American Institute of Architects' Houston chapter. Chase collaborated on a number of local and national landmarks, and he
James R. Endler, a veteran New York City construction executive on projects such as the World Trade Center, the Disney Epcot Center and London's Canary Wharf, died on March 24 in Manhattan at age 82. A West Point graduate, he also served as an officer in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. After two decades with Tishman Realty & Construction Co., Endler retired in 1983 as president and chief operating officer. Endler then joined Lehrer McGovern Inc., which was later acquired by Bovis, as president. "Jim brought wisdom, maturity, experience and that West Point discipline to our young company," Peter
Brian P. Reed has been elevated to CEO of Jacksonville, Fla.-based engineering firm RS&H as part of a company succession that takes effect on July 31. Formerly senior vice president and director of the firm's aviation program, he will replace Leerie T. Jenkins in the new role. Jenkins remains chairman. David Robertson, the firm's chief operating officer, takes on the added role of president, effective immediately. RS&H ranks at No. 79 on ENR's list of the Top 500 Design Firms, with $143 million in 2010 revenue.Steve Townes has been named CEO of Louis Berger Services Inc., a new corporate unit
MHC Analytics Economics Markets Slip 2% in 2011 Total construction starts last year slipped 2% to $421.4 billion, following the slight 1% gain in 2010, according to McGraw-Hill Construction. "After the steep declines reported during the 2007-2009 period, when activity dropped a combined 38%, new construction starts have essentially stabilized at a low level during the past two years," says MHC's chief economist, Robert Murray.Companies URS Agrees To Pay $1.25 Billion For Canadian Oil-and-Gas Firm Engineer-contractor URS Corp., San Francisco, took a big step into the Canadian oil-sands and related energy sector with its Feb. 20 agreement to acquire Calgary,
Labor Construction Unemployment Stuck at 17.7%, Despite GainsThe construction industry's unemployment rate increased in January to 17.7% from December's 16%, but it was much lower than the 22.5% rate a year earlier, says the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. The agency's Feb. 3 monthly employment update showed construction gaining a further 21,000 jobs in January, after adding 31,000 in December 2011. That brings the industry's total employment to its highest level in two years.Ken Simonson, Associated General Contractors of America chief economist, notes that the increases over the past two months came during unusually mild winter weather. Albuquerque Loses Lawsuit Over