Construction Bulletin articles from September 2006

Construction Bulletin archives from September 2006

Lifting Equipment Helps To Build Skyward.
September 1, 2006... By Ivy Chang Many construction machines are getting bigger and reaching higher Major cities around the world have been competing for the recognition to build the world's tallest building for decades. The Empire State Building in New...

Casino Faces Construction Challenges.
September 1, 2006... By Richard Parrish Veit used a special hammer and bit to drill through substrate materials to form more than 100 holes for pier supports. Anyone who's driven by the Black Bear Casino on I-35, near Cloquet, Minnesota, is used to seeing...

New director hired.(South Dakota's Associated General Contractors of America Highway-Heavy-Utility chapter hired Jean Person as the new education and safety director)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Staff South Dakota's AGC Highway-Heavy-Utility chapter hired Jean Person as the new education and safety director. Jean served over 12 years as a training specialist for the state of South Dakota, eight of which were specifically for the...

Trail King hires Riley.
September 1, 2006... Staff Trail King Industries, Inc. of Mitchell, South Dakota, hired Phil Riley as national sales manager with primary responsibilities to work with Trail King district sales managers and oversee the growth and development of Trail King's...

Women named to Top 10.
September 1, 2006... Staff The Sioux Falls Business Journal included two South Dakota AGC members in its recent list of Top 10 Women-Owned Companies. Buskerud Construction of Dell Rapids, Kari Karst , president, is ranked number four; Construction Signing...

AWC announces new board.
September 1, 2006... Staff The Association of Women Contractors, Minnesota chapter, named a new board of directors for fiscal year 2006-2007. Officers are President Cindy Hemmer , Swan Ornamental Iron; Vice President Sue Blanchard , Safety Signs, Inc.;...

Award nominations accepted.
September 1, 2006... Staff AGC of South Dakota is accepting nominations for membership awards that recognize individual and company achievements. Award categories are Build South Dakota Award -- Recognizes the best highway-heavy-utilities construction in...

Joint venture pursues stadium.
September 1, 2006... Staff Minneapolis based Kraus-Anderson has formed a joint venture with Turner Construction Company, New York, to pursue construction of the new University of Minnesota football stadium. Turner is nationally recognized in sports facility...

IDS may be sold.
September 1, 2006... Staff The Inland Group, an Oak Brook, Ill.-based real estate investment firm, has struck a tentative deal to buy Minneapolis' IDS Center for about $285 million from John Buck Co. of Chicago. The pending sale would be the largest deal for...

AEM supports 25x'25.(Association of Equipment Manufacturers )(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Staff The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) continues to support the 25x'25 national energy initiative that aims to obtain 25 percent of U.S. energy needs from agricultural and other renewable resources by the year 2025. AEM is...

Distribution center opens.
September 1, 2006... Staff Imation Corp., Oakdale, Minnesota, opened a new 364,000-square-foot distribution center in Southaven, Miss., on August 21. The company will consolidate its distribution of Memorex products at this center and close its Memorex...

Braun Intertec names principal.(Brief article)
September 8, 2006... Staff Braun Intertec Corporation, an environmental consulting and engineering firm, has named Charles D. Hubbard , PE, PG, as principal of the company. He is a geologist and senior technical consultant based in the St. Paul office. Hubbard...

Jim Fishbeck promoted.
September 8, 2006... Staff Kraus-Anderson, commercial general contractors and construction managers, promoted Jim Fishbeck to director of its St. Paul office with responsibility for the day-to-day operations. Fishbeck, currently a vice president, has been with...

CNH builds distribution center.(Case New Holland)(Brief article)
September 8, 2006... Staff On August 16, CNH Case New Holland, Lake Forest, Illinois, an agricultural and construction equipment business, formally broke ground on a new state-of-the-art parts distribution center in Cameron, Missouri. The 500,000-square-foot...

AGC stages students' events.(AGC)(Brief article)
September 8, 2006... Staff South Dakota AGC's two chapters, Building and Highway-Heavy-Utilities, are sponsoring Construction Awareness Days to introduce the construction professions to area high school, technical and college students. Students participate in...

Cement use increases.(Brief article)
September 8, 2006... Staff Although the U.S. economy is slowing, experts predict cement consumption in 2006 will reach 129.6 million tons, an increase of 2.3 percent compared to 2005 levels extending a three-year period of continual growth. Growth is also in...

Hearing programs promoted.(Bacou-Dalloz Hearing Safety Group)(Brief article)
September 8, 2006... Staff The Bacou-Dalloz Hearing Safety Group's website has been expanded to provide a wide range of resources to help safety officers and industrial hygienists implement better hearing conservation programs worldwide. Log on to...

USAF Memorial.(United States Air Force )(Brief article)
September 8, 2006... Staff United States Air Force Memorial completed the first of its three soaring spires. The 13th spire piece, a 70-foot-tall, hollow, stainless steel top piece completes the assembly of the memorial's shortest spire which reaches a height...

Construction Starts Summary.
September 15, 2006... Staff How To Use the Construction Starts Summary: The information on this page reports non-residential construction activity in the region by contract value. The chart at the bottom of the page tracks cumulative starts for all...

Editor's Report.
September 15, 2006... By Ivy Chang Have you seen Construction Bulletin's website? We've added a weather corner that tells you the current forecast for the ZIP code you type into the box. Log onto www.acppubs.com and look at the upper left corner for the...

Treatment Plants Improve Water Quality.(Progressive Consulting Engineers, Inc.)(Municipal Builders Inc.)
September 15, 2006... By Stew Thornley Blaine, Minnesota, built more water treatment plants to serve a growing population with better quality water. The Minneapolis suburb of Blaine was a northern outpost more than 40 years ago when it established a public...

Gothard receives PE designation.
September 15, 2006... Staff Mark Gothard , associate principal at Braun Intertec Corp., engineering and environmental consulting and testing firm, received his professional engineer designation. He is the primary engineer for many northern Minnesota clients and...

HDR promotes Wolfe.
September 15, 2006... Staff HDR, Inc., an employee-owned architectural, engineering and consulting firm, named Brett Wolfe as manager, Minneapolis engineering department. His responsibilities include strategic oversight of a comprehensive engineering business...

Contest features projects.(Minnesota Concrete & Masonry Contractors Association)(Brief article)
September 15, 2006... Staff The Minnesota Concrete & Masonry Contractors Association (MC&MCA) sponsored its 25th annual contest to recognize concrete and masonry architectural design and workmanship and promote public awareness of the industry's products and...

AGC presents scholarships.
September 15, 2006... Staff AGC of Minnesota presented eight scholarships to outstanding students with career interests in the construction industry enrolled in Minnesota post-secondary construction programs. The 2006-2007 recipients are Dunwoody College of...

Bobcat honors dealers.(Brief article)
September 15, 2006... Staff Bobcat Company, manufacturer of compact equipment and attachments in West Fargo, N.D., recognized area dealers for their exemplary service in providing Bobcat equipment to customers. Dealers honored with 40-year service awards:...

LBX builds distribution center.(Brief article)
September 15, 2006... Staff LBX Company, makers of Link-Belt earthmoving, forestry and material handling equipment, started construction of a 50,000-square-foot service parts distribution center at its recently completed corporate headquarters in Lexington,...

Association updates website.
September 15, 2006... Staff National Demolition Association members can now download valuable project survey forms and site-specific program and job hazard analysis forms from the association's website, www.demolitionassociation.com , then click on Members ONLY...

Programs teach design.(Brief article)
September 15, 2006... Staff The National Building Museum (NBM) is launching its first design education program to national audiences by offering math, science and engineering curricula, disciplines that support a U.S. economic competitive edge in the changing,...

Welcome home.
September 15, 2006... Staff Hundreds of North Dakota contractors and volunteers appeared in Minot, N.D., during the week of August 20 to surprise the Bliven family with a new home. Ty Pennington, ABC-TV's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" show team leader, and...

Lano appointed to board.
September 22, 2006... Staff Kubota Tractor Corp. has selected Brad Lano , Lano Equipment Inc., Ramsey, Minnesota, to serve on its National Dealer Advisory Board. He was selected by fellow dealers in the northern division of Kubota to represent them for a second...

Total Station checks alignment.(portable layout and measurement tool information)(Brief article)
September 22, 2006... Staff Trimble offers the Spectra Precision[R] TS515 Mechanical Total Station, a portable layout and measurement tool for general and concrete contractors in commercial and residential applications. The total station is designed for layout...

Manitowoc hires Scott Reeves.
September 22, 2006... Staff Scott Reeves was hired as director of material management at Manitowoc Crane CARE to oversee the replacement parts inventory and the rapid response purchasing teams in Shady Grove, Pennsylvania, and Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Reeves has...

South Dakota DOT recognized.(Department of Transportation)(Brief article)
September 22, 2006... Staff Two national magazines recognized South Dakota's DOT for its road mapping and information gathering system. The August issues of Professional Surveyor Magazine and ArcNews featured South Dakota's database of its 83,000 miles of roads...

Fabcon designs finishing machine.(Fabcon Inc.)(Brief article)
September 22, 2006... Staff Fabcon, a manufacturer of precast panels, designed an automated finishing machine to create the most accurate exterior wall finish with a tolerance of 1/8-inch. The machine is now used at Fabcon's manufacturing facilities in...

Takeuchi relocates facility.(Brief article)
September 22, 2006... Staff Takeuchi U.S., manufacturer of compact loaders and mini excavators, has moved to a new 250,000-square-foot headquarters, training, parts, and distribution facility at Valentine Industrial Park in Pendergrass, Georgia. This is the...

Heil sells truck business.(Heil Environmental Industries Ltd. sold truck equipment business to Truck Bodies and Equipment International Inc.)(Brief article)
September 22, 2006... Staff Heil Environmental sold its truck equipment business to Truck Bodies and Equipment International Inc., a portfolio company of Kirtland Capital Partners. Heil manufactures a full line of refuse collection and recycling vehicles at its...

JCB DIESELMAX sets record.
September 22, 2006... Staff Andy Green set a new record driving the JCB DIESELMAX on the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, in August. His first day test set a record-breaking speed of 328.767 mph. The following day he broke his own record with a 350.092-mph run...

St. Mary's expands campus.(Brief article)
September 22, 2006... Staff St. Mary's University, Minneapolis, bought the neighboring Memorial Blood Center to add space to its campus. The purchase closed on August 29 and will increase the school's space by 35,000 square feet and 100 parking spaces. Ongoing...

Sealant coats tire crown.
September 22, 2006... Staff A new permanent sealant from Goodyear offers a quick payback for fleets operating in high-puncture applications such as waste hauling and construction. DuraSeal is a gel-like, rubber sealant compound built into the inner liner...

Medical center built.
September 29, 2006... Staff Krause-Anderson Construction Company has completed a two-year redevelopment of the Virginia Regional Medical Center (VRMC) in Virginia, Minn. Financed by the city of Virginia, the 80,772-square-foot facility is leased to St....

Schoell Madson hires Ho.(Truc Ho)(Brief article)
September 29, 2006... Staff Truc Ho, P.E., has joined Schoell Madson as a senior associate. He has over 25 years of experience in engineering and is a licensed engineer in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Ho is responsible for the design and project management of site...

Poll says "yes" to amendment.(Brief article)
September 29, 2006... Staff An unscientific poll at the Minnesota State Fair showed that 66 percent of over 6,500 fair attendees support an amendment that dedicates the motor vehicle sales tax to transportation. The Minnesota House public information services...

Sunbelt merges with NationsRent.
September 29, 2006... Staff Sunbelt Rentals, Charlotte, N.C., acquired NationsRent through a merger to form the third-largest equipment rental provider in the U.S. rental market. The combined company will provide services through more than 470 locations,...

Contractor confidence falls.(Brief article)
September 29, 2006... Staff Construction and contractor industry confidence in the economy has dropped by nearly 40 percent in the past three months, according to a survey of the International Profit Associates Small Business Research Board. The survey...