ConstructionForum 🕸

From Call Newspapers: The St. Louis County Planning Commission held a public hearing Dec. 19 on a petition for administrative offices and an overnight boarding facility for a dog rescue nonprofit in Affton. Needy Paws Rescue, a volunteer nonprofit organization that rescues dogs from kill shelters and takes in strays and surrendered pets in the area, […]

From St. Louis Public Radio:  Aurora Bihler has spent the past nine years as a union ironworker in St. Louis. It wasn’t always her career plan, but, with a degree in fine arts and sculpture, she realized she needed to find a more stable career. The path wasn’t easy, but Bihler hopes that others — […]

From Construction Dive: Dive Brief:Construction’s job openings were largely flat in November compared to the month before, according to new Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The amount of unfilled positions for which contractors are actively recruiting declined by 2,000 to 388,000, according to analysis from Associated Builders and Contractors. That small drop — down less than […]

From Gensler: Can you talk about why workplaces are so important to how a healthy city functions, and how, if we’re not taking steps to repopulate cities and keep them active, there are going to be big economic consequences? Sofia Song: I absolutely think that businesses and workplaces are essential to a city’s vitality. We need […]

From Thomas Net: As the renewable energy industry grows across the world, so do the opportunities for employment in this field. From positions as agricultural and food scientists to solar photovoltaic installers, it is now possible to develop a career on the cutting edge of industry that is both lucrative and rewarding. In the United States, […]

From Construction Dive: Each year, Construction Dive spotlights dozens of the industry’s top women leaders in our Construction Champions program. With this year’s Women in Construction Week coming up March 5 to 11, we’re looking for a new set of pros to highlight. We need your help identifying the women who are working to shape the commercial construction […]

From City Scene STL: A development plan, submitted by Ellen Reid of the Reid Group Luxury Real Estate to the City of Clayton on December 29th, details a plan for a new hotel in the DeMun Business District. It would be the first of its kind for the neighborhood. The proposed hotel will reside in two […]

From Thomas Net: Construction machinery and equipment company Caterpillar announced that its first battery electric 793 large mining truck had a successful demonstration. The prototype displayed its abilities on a 4.3-mile course with customers in attendance. Caterpillar reported that the prototype, loaded to capacity, reached a maximum speed of 37.3 miles per hour, traveled over half a mile up a 10% grade […]

From Saint Louis Public Radio: The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District has hit a significant milestone and has finished drilling the Jefferson Barracks Tunnel. When fully completed, the seven-foot-diameter pipe will run up to 220 feet underground for more than three miles from northern Oakville to the confluence of the River des Peres and Mississippi […]

Millstone Weber, LLC began 2023 planning for the future, with the announcement of four promotions within the company. Chris Gottman, was named president and chief operating officer. He was previously senior vice president of construction. Justin Brooks, formerly structures manager, promoted to director of operations. Brett Lennon is the new director of project management. He […]

Poettker Construction, an award-winning family-owned construction company, closed out the 2022 calendar year with tremendous employee, financial, industry, philanthropic and market sector growth across the company. “Over the past 18 months, our company has faced many challenges; from the unexpected death of Poettker’s founder, my father Chuck, to the current supply chain and workforce challenges, […]

Kadean Construction is pleased to announce that Jim Driscoll has joined company’s St. Louis headquarters as Director of Preconstruction. He will be responsible for the overall development of construction planning, design and strategies for negotiated and design-build project opportunities that meet the client’s vision, expectations, and budget for each project prior to the start of […]

CannonDesign is thrilled to announce that Amy Phillips is their new St. Louis (STL) Office Practice Leader. Amy joined CannonDesign in 2016 and has excelled in her previous role as the STL and Denver Business Practice Leader. The past few years have been transformative for the industry, and Amy is ready to lead the office […]

Today the Associated General Contractors of Missouri (AGCMO) announced its 2023 officers and board of directors for the statewide association representing contractors and suppliers in 110 counties throughout Missouri. Tom Huster, president of KCI Construction Company, has been elected chairman of the board.  KCI, with offices in St. Louis and Springfield, MO, began in 1922 […]

by Tom Finan, Executive Director/Co-Founder, Construction Forum Demetrious Johnson grew up as the youngest of eight children of a single mom in the Darst-Webbe housing projects. He focused his attention on football — first in the projects, then for McKinley High School. He frequently told the story that the first time he ever ate at […]

From rejournals: A total of 259 million square feet. That’s how much spec bulk distribution space was bult during the last six years in major Midwest markets. And companies didn’t hesitate to fill that space, with 86.8% of this spec construction occupied as of the third quarter of 2022. That’s one of the highlights of the […]

From St. Louis INNO:  The Army ROTC paid for veteran Will Gunn to attend college at Washington University in St. Louis and paved the way to a career in education. He worked as an admissions officer at WUSTL, college counselor at De Smet Jesuit High School and social studies teacher for Saint Louis Public Schools. […]

From Thomas Net:  Predictions for 2023 have been all across the board, and hints at a recession have workers across many industries increasingly concerned about their job security. But it appears some have less to worry about than others. Payscale – a compensation data and software firm – recently published a report identifying the jobs in 2023 […]

From Money: With the ongoing labor shortage, companies are having difficulties filling trade jobs that require specialized skills obtained through routes other than a four-year college degree. Trade careers exist in various industries, often involve hands-on work and can allow for a quick entry into the job market. In addition, plenty of trade jobs can pay well, though […]

From St. Louis Business Journal: Especially on the for-sale housing side, the construction market is slowing in the wake of higher interest rates and concerns about a recession in 2023. In November, total construction starts declined by 18%, with nonresidential building starts — encompassing sectors like offices, warehouses, hotels and shopping centers — losing 25%, nonbuilding […]