According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), falls are the leading cause of private sector worker fatalities in the construction industry. Everyone who works at heights, whether it’s on a roof, scaffolding, or the edge of a tall building, should have properly fitting safety harnesses, yet not all contractors have the supply they need to…
Civil Engineers See ‘Huge Progress’ in Mass Timber as New Building Opens at Clemson University
CLEMSON — Michael Stoner was sitting in the Clemson University building where he helped conduct some of the nation’s first research into mass timber when Graham Montgomery walked in and set a paper bag containing a sausage biscuit onto the table. The gesture was a throwback to old times, when Stoner was an undergraduate, Montgomery…
It’s Time to Re-Think the Annual Performance Review Process
Whether the reviewer or reviewee, very few people enjoy annual performance reviews. For the reviewer, providing a performance review is a large responsibility. To conduct one properly requires a significant amount of planning and work. Reviewers must think back over a full year as they consider an employee’s actual performance. They should have a written…
50 Construction Terms Every Construction Manager Should Know
The construction industry has many specific terms and acronyms that can be extremely confusing at first. Being a technology-focused construction company, we put a heavy focus on ensuring our employees understand the ins and outs of construction terminology, as not all things can be taught in classrooms. Rather, the knowledge is acquired through spending time on the…
Operation Give Back: CAGC Young Leaders Spruce Up Housing for Homeless
The Carolinas Associated General Contractors (CAGC) Young Leaders drew 13 volunteers to Catherine’s House on Friday, September 20 for the group’s Fall Operation Give Back Project. The project started with just two residents’ rooms; however, CAGC volunteers were in high gear and managed to paint the two residents’ rooms, a sitting room, and multiple pieces…
ABC Carolinas Showcases Apprenticeship Program at Charlotte Open House
ABC Carolinas marked Careers in Construction month this October by holding an Apprenticeship Open House at the association’s Charlotte training center on Tuesday evening, October 8. Among the more than 120 guests in attendance were current enrollees in ABC-Charlotte’s Electrical Apprenticeship Program, together with ABCC instructors, and representatives from their employers – local, regional and…
FMI Releases North American Engineering and Construction Outlook, Third Quarter 2019 Report
FMI Corporation, the leading provider of consulting and investment banking services to the Built Environment, is pleased to announce the release of its third quarter 2019 North American Engineering and Construction Outlook. The publication offers comprehensive construction forecasts for a broad range of market segments and geographies in the U.S. and Canada, as well as…
Careers in Construction — A Month-Long Celebration
Spearheaded by NCCER and Build Your Future (BYF), the seventh annual Careers in Construction Month is in full swing this October. Forty states, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Washington D.C. have filed proclamation requests, making 2019 the highest participation ever for this nationwide observance. The celebration was launched to increase public awareness, inspire the next generation of construction craft…
Spotlight: Aprille Bell, Dixon Hughes Goodman
GroundBreak Carolinas regularly features people who are making things happen in the construction industry. This week, we caught up with Aprille Bell with Dixon Hughes Goodman. She is the Office Managing Partner in Dixon Hughes Goodman’s Winston-Salem, NC office. Aprille joined the firm in 1991 and is responsible for maintaining client relationships, supervising audit engagement…
Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Case Regarding Critically Needed Atlantic Coast Pipeline
The Atlantic Coast Pipeline is a critical infrastructure project jointly developed by Dominion Energy, Duke Energy and Southern Company that would bring much-needed natural gas supplies to the Southeast, as well as economic growth in rural areas of the region. Late last year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit vacated the U.S….
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NAWIC Columbia’s Block Kids Building Competition Encourages Creativity in Construction
On a Saturday morning in mid-January a group of women from the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) in Columbia, S.C., were thrilled to host students from kindergarten through sixth grade for the local 2020 Block Kids competition. Each year, NAWIC members in Columbia join their counterparts across the country by participating in the…
South Carolina Skilled Trade Alliance: Solving the Construction Industry Workforce Shortage
The South Carolina Skilled Trade Alliance (SCSTA) recently rolled out its plans for creating a workforce pipeline for the Building Construction Trades in the state through a series of informational events in the Upstate region. Held on Tuesday, February 11 at Greenville Technical College’s Center for Manufacturing Innovation, both the morning and evening sessions were…
Ronny Gillespie: Teaching the Next Generation of Electricians
With a passion for problem-solving and a heart for teaching, project manager Ronny Gillespie is living in his “sweet spot.” By day, Gillespie manages construction projects for Walker & Whiteside, a leading design-build electrical contractor in Greenville, S.C. After hours, he “pays it forward” as an instructor for the rigorous, four-year Upstate South Carolina Electrical…
Madison Bolick, Construction Science and Management Major: Making the Most of Her College Experience
Madison Bolick knew she was going to follow in the footsteps of her two older brothers by attending Clemson. Once she was accepted, she narrowed her choice of degree program to either Health Science or Construction Science and Management (CSM). The latter had always intrigued her because several members of her family were in the…
