Architecture
AIA/Deltek Architecture Billings Index Sees Stable Business Conditions in July
The American Institute of Architects (AIA)/Deltek Architecture Billings Index (ABI) results for July signals mostly stable business conditions. The ABI score was 50.0, indicating that billings at architecture firms remained flat for the month. “This is the third straight month that billings at architecture firms have stabilized,” said AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, PhD. “New project…
AIA Greenville Launches PAWchitecture Design-Build Competition to Benefit Local Animal Care Foster Program
AIA Greenville, a local section of the South Carolina chapter of the American Institute of Architects, is pleased to announce its inaugural PAWchitecture Greenville design-build competition benefitting Greenville County Animal Care’s Safety Net Foster Program. The competition will bring together local architects, designers, builders and students to create one-of-a-kind, high design dog houses and cat condos…
AIA Charlotte Invites Teams to Register for CANstruction 2023 to Benefit Second Harvest Food Bank
AIA Charlotte announces that CANstruction 2023 team registration is OPEN! CANstruction combines the competitive spirit of a design-build competition with a unique way to provide hunger relief assistance by collecting canned food for distribution to local food banks. Competing teams showcase their talents by designing sculptures made entirely from canned foods. After the structures are…
Contracting
Marcum’s Q2 2023 Construction Index: Industry Battles Headwinds but Manufacturing-Related Construction Soar
The Marcum Commercial Construction Index for the second quarter of 2023 reports that the construction industry retained momentum through the first half of the year despite ongoing headwinds in the form of labor shortages, high borrowing costs, and tight credit conditions. While certain segments, like manufacturing-related construction, have continued to surge, spending in other segments has moderated…
ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator Up in July, Contractors Remain Confident
Associated Builders and Contractors reported today that its Construction Backlog Indicator increased to 9.3 months in July, according to an ABC member survey conducted July 20 to Aug. 4. The reading is up by 0.6 months since July 2022. View the full Construction Backlog Indicator and Construction Confidence Index data series. The South remains the region…
Marcum Releases the 2023 National Construction Survey: Construction Industry Navigating Rising Interest Rates and Economic Challenges
The construction industry is grappling with the implications of rising interest rates, inflation, and changing economic dynamics, according to Marcum’s 2023 National Construction Survey. The annual survey is conducted by Marcum, one of the leading construction accounting firms in the country. The survey covers a range of topics, from top priorities to problems, strategies, possible solutions,…
Energy
The Built Environment Blunder Causing Significant Carbon Emissions
The U.S. Department of Energy reports that, as of 2021, buildings consume 39.1% of U.S. energy and 75% of electricity,(1) which accounts for 16% of carbon emissions.(2) Creating a comfortable indoor environment by providing adequate light and temperature control uses most of this energy. Buildings that effectively insulate from moisture and wind while allowing fresh…
Duke Energy Awards $3.2 million to Innovative Education Programs
Duke Energy announcedit is awarding $3.2 million in grants to support 131 innovative K-12 education programs across the communities served by the company. “Bright futures begin in the classroom, and every child deserves a fair chance at academic success,” said Cari Boyce, president of the Duke Energy Foundation. “The grants we are making today are…
USGBC Launches LEED Zero Certification for Net-Zero Buildings
USGBC’s new certification program encourages net-zero operations for carbon emissions, water and energy use, and waste management. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) launched LEED Zero, a new program that will address net zero operations and resources in buildings. “Net zero is a powerful target that will move the entire industry forward,” said Melissa Baker,…
Engineering
Davis & Floyd Acquires Andrews Engineering, Expands Reach in South Carolina
Davis & Floyd, Inc., a leading engineering firm in South Carolina, announced today it has acquired Andrews Engineering Company, Inc., a respected Beaufort (S.C.)-based engineering firm. The acquisition is part of Davis & Floyd’s strategic plan to expand its capabilities and services in the coastal region of South Carolina. Andrews Engineering, founded in 1990 by…
CRB Opens New Office in Jacksonville to Meet Rising Life Sciences Needs in Florida
Florida’s rapidly expanding biopharma marketplace is a major contributor to advances in pioneering patient therapies and technology-focused health solutions. In order to support the state on this mission, CRB – a leading global provider of engineering, architecture, construction, and consulting solutions to life sciences and food and beverage clients – today announces the opening of its new Jacksonville office. The…
Coulter Jewell Thames, P.A. Combines with Thomas & Hutton to Serve Expanding Raleigh-Durham Market
Durham, North Carolina, October 20, 2022 — Thomas & Hutton (T&H), a Southeast-based professional consulting firm, is pleased to announce the addition of Durham’s Coulter Jewell Thames, P.A. (CJT) to the team. With offices in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee, T&H’s addition of CJT increases its presence in the Raleigh-Durham region. The combination…
Equipment
Compass Group Invests in South Carolina Bridge Infrastructure Equipment Provider
Compass Group Equity Partners, a St. Louis-based private equity firm specializing in growing lower middle market companies, announced an investment in Anderson UnderBridge, a manufacturer and rental operator of mobile bridge inspection trailers and trucks utilized in the inspection and maintenance of bridge infrastructure. This partnership is the first step in the creation of a full-service…
Absolute Powerhouse: Next-Generation 2022 Toyota Tundra
With a plethora of adventure-ready, go-anywhere, been-anywhere vehicles cementing its foundation, the all-new 2022 Toyota Tundra is born from a lineage of trucks and SUVs rooted in quality, durability and reliability. Its predecessors hit the million-mile mark on more than one occasion thanks to a team of engineers who built the truck above and beyond…
Caterpillar to Expand Hydrogen-Powered Solutions to Customers
Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) today announced it will begin offering Cat® generator sets capable of operating on 100% hydrogen, including fully renewable green hydrogen, on a designed-to-order basis in late 2021. More immediately, the company will launch commercially available power generation solutions that can be configured to operate on natural gas blended with up to 25% hydrogen. These…
Facilities
Eight Reasons Why You Need to Have Annual Plumbing Checks
Running a business can be a daunting feat. New problems will catch you off-guard and sometimes all you can really do is take the bull by the horns, and hope that everything will return to normal. Even a short business interruption can mean losing thousands of dollars! A business owner keeps an eye on the…
Five Electrical Safety Tips for Commercial Buildings
To some, a workplace may feel like a second home. It’s a place where employees form bonds and battle hardships together. Whether you’re a company CEO, a higher-up, or the owner of a commercial building, keeping your establishment a safe place for everyone will increase their productivity and give you peace of mind as well….
8 Reasons Why You Need to Have Annual Plumbing Checks
Running a business can be a daunting feat. New problems will catch you off-guard and sometimes all you can really do is take the bull by the horns, and hope that everything will return to normal. Even a short business interruption can mean losing thousands of dollars! A business owner keeps an eye on the…
Maintenance
Building, Supporting, Maintaining: Harper Announces New HarperXS Division
Harper General Contractors has long been a leading innovator in construction services in the Southeast. As they continue to evolve, Harper has seen the importance of pursuing new opportunities to grow and provide even more value to their clients and community. In 2015, Harper leadership saw a need to provide their current and future clients…
Culvert Rehabilitation Project Features InfraSteel
The InfraSteel culvert rehabilitation solution is chosen by the Town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina for its Booker Creek Culvert at Elliot Road Rehabilitation Project. The InfraSteel slip-liner will preserve the existing failing bridge structure and avoid a road closure. According to InfraSteel executive Cullom Walker, “Elliot Road is busy and intersects heavily traveled US…
Products
Titan America Completes Full Conversion to Low Carbon Cement Production
Titan America LLC is proud to announce the full conversion of its cement plants to the production of Type IL portland-limestone cement, a low-carbon construction material. TITAN Cement Group has committed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees C and deliver net zero concrete by 2050. Titan America is the first US based cement company to fully convert to…
Cree Buildings, Walbridge Partnership Brings Sustainable Timber-Hybrid system to U.S.
A milestone partnership will allow Walbridge to utilize Cree Buildings’ timber-hybrid system in projects throughout North America. Austria-based Cree Buildings, with a range of successful projects throughout Europe and Asia, is a system for timber-hybrid buildings that utilizes prefabricated components. Focusing on sustainable construction, the license agreement with Detroit-based constructor Walbridge will support major customers…
Concrete – the World’s Most Widely Used Material – Targets Carbon Neutral Future
Forty of the world’s leading cement and concrete companies today unveiled a joint industry ‘2050 Climate Ambition.’ The ambition statement demonstrates the commitment of the industry across the globe to drive down the CO2 footprint of the world’s most used man-made product, with an aspiration to deliver society with carbon neutral concrete by 2050. Launched by…
Suppliers
Colony Hardware Announces Acquisition of New South Construction Supply
Colony Hardware, Corp. (“Colony” or the “Company”), a leading direct-to-jobsite distributor of construction materials and jobsite supplies, has announced the acquisition of New South Construction Supply, LLC (“New South”), a South Carolina-based value-added distributor of rebar, concrete, masonry, waterproofing products, and contractor supplies. “Bringing New South Construction Supply and Colony Hardware together is impactful in…
Ingevity to acquire leading pavement marking materials business, Ozark Materials
Ingevity Corporation (NYSE:NGVT) today announced it has reached an agreement to acquire privately-owned Ozark Materials, LLC and Ozark Logistics, LLC (“Ozark Materials”) in an all-cash transaction valued at $325 million. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions, and Ingevity expects to close on the transaction by early Q4 2022. Ozark…
Markel Announces Investment in Metromont
Markel Corporation (NYSE: MKL) and Metromont LLC announced today that they have entered into a definitive agreement for Markel to acquire a majority interest in Metromont. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2021. Additional terms were not disclosed. Operating as a third-generation family business,…
Supply Chain
Construction Partners, Inc. Completes North Carolina Acquisition
Construction Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ: ROAD) (the “Company” or “Construction Partners”), a vertically integrated civil infrastructure company specializing in the construction and maintenance of roadways across five southeastern states, today announced that it has acquired R.P.C. Contracting, Inc., an asphalt and paving contractor based in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The transaction adds two hot-mix asphalt plants to the…
“Fireside Chat” with Patrice Gilmore, National Supplier Diversity Lead, DPR Construction
Patrice Gilmore, CCA, is the latest Triangle-area woman to be honored by Chix Dig It – Celebrating Women in Construction, a Raleigh-based non-profit dedicated to attracting the best and brightest women to the architectural, design and construction field – professional and craft. GroundBreak Carolinas is pleased to present this “Fireside Chat” with Patrice, part of the “Evolving Women in AEC”…
Sustainability
Duke Energy Honors Eight Organizations with 2023 Power Partner Awards
Duke Energy has chosen eight organizations to receive its 2023 Power Partner Award. The annual program founded in 1992 honors businesses and other organizations that have demonstrated excellence in sustainability, safety, service, and problem solving. “We value our large commercial, industrial and government customers and encourage them to strive for organizational excellence,” said Chris Edge, Duke…
Duke Energy to Pilot EV Charging Subscription Service in North Carolina
As North Carolina looks toward a cleaner energy future with reduced greenhouse gas emissions and clean transportation, Duke Energy, General Motors, Ford Motor Company and BMW of North America are teaming up to launch a new electric vehicle (EV) pilot program in the state aimed at bringing certainty to the cost of EV charging. Duke Energy’s 12-month EV Complete Home…
New Report Highlights $15 Billion in Utility-Scale Clean Power Investments in North Carolina
A newly-released report from the American Clean Power Association (ACP) details significant contributions being made in North Carolina from utility-scale clean energy projects. The report, Clean Energy Powers North Carolina, finds that nearly 10% of the state’s energy capacity is currently generated through solar and wind projects. Clean energy capacity in the state now stands at 6,433 megawatts…
More Operations
Marcum’s Q2 2023 Construction Index: Industry Battles Headwinds but Manufacturing-Related Construction Soar
The Marcum Commercial Construction Index for the second quarter of 2023 reports that the construction industry retained momentum through the first half of the year despite ongoing headwinds in the form of labor shortages, high borrowing costs, and tight credit conditions. While certain segments, like manufacturing-related construction, have continued to surge, spending in other segments has moderated…
Duke Energy Honors Eight Organizations with 2023 Power Partner Awards
Duke Energy has chosen eight organizations to receive its 2023 Power Partner Award. The annual program founded in 1992 honors businesses and other organizations that have demonstrated excellence in sustainability, safety, service, and problem solving. “We value our large commercial, industrial and government customers and encourage them to strive for organizational excellence,” said Chris Edge, Duke…
Duke Energy to Pilot EV Charging Subscription Service in North Carolina
As North Carolina looks toward a cleaner energy future with reduced greenhouse gas emissions and clean transportation, Duke Energy, General Motors, Ford Motor Company and BMW of North America are teaming up to launch a new electric vehicle (EV) pilot program in the state aimed at bringing certainty to the cost of EV charging. Duke Energy’s 12-month EV Complete Home…
AIA/Deltek Architecture Billings Index Sees Stable Business Conditions in July
The American Institute of Architects (AIA)/Deltek Architecture Billings Index (ABI) results for July signals mostly stable business conditions. The ABI score was 50.0, indicating that billings at architecture firms remained flat for the month. “This is the third straight month that billings at architecture firms have stabilized,” said AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, PhD. “New project…
