After profiling the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) sustainability efforts in previous articles, Construction in Focus caught up with the organization once again, this time to learn about an exciting new report. State of Decarbonization: Progress in U.S. Commercial Buildings 2023 discusses the sector’s progress, the current status of data availability, and mechanisms available to reduce the carbon emissions of commercial buildings in the United States—the first report to compile all of this information into a single source.
Claire Suttles
J. Pettiecord
A Premier Specialty Contractor
Known as one of the Midwest’s premier specialty contractors, J. Pettiecord, Inc. handles large-scale land clearing, environmental remediation, demolition, wood waste grinding, railroad services, underground storage tank removal, snow removal, dump trucking, and heavy haul trucking. With 70 full-time employees at the ready, the Bondurant, Iowa-based business is well prepared for whatever short-term, long-term, or emergency project comes its way.
Atlantic TNG
The Precast Advantage
Atlantic TNG LLC, originally Atlantic Concrete, has been casting quality precast concrete products since 1969. In 2019, we sat down with Megan Kitchner, a third-generation precaster who launched her own division of the family business in 2011. We checked back in with Kitchner this month to learn the latest from her Sarasota, Florida headquarters.
American Concrete Institute
Education and Support for a Better Industry
The American Concrete Institute (ACI) is always advancing the industry by guiding and assisting individuals and organizations involved in concrete design, construction, and related materials. With more than 100 chapters, 146 student chapters, and over 30,000 members spanning 120 countries, the Michigan-based non-profit develops and distributes consensus-based standards, technical resources, educational programs, training programs, and certification programs.
Easi-Set Worldwide
Innovation You Can Count On
Headquartered in Midland, Virginia, the Smith-Midland family of companies includes three precast concrete manufacturing facilities, a barrier rental company, an advertising and marketing business, and a product licensing subsidiary: Easi-Set Worldwide.
CROM
70 Years of Success
CROM is a Gainesville, Florida-based specialty contractor with five locations across three states, and has been building and restoring essential infrastructure for 70 years. “The company has remained a market leader in prestressed concrete since 1953,” says Director of Restorations and Field Operations, Bruce Russell.
AEC
Bridging the Gap Between Acoustics, Construction, and Design
Barbara O’Toole launched AEC in 1991 with a vision to bridge the gap between acoustics, construction, and design. “She started the company by taking her knowledge of acoustics and marrying that together with what she saw as a void in the industry,” says Executive Vice President Crystal Durham.
Andropogon
Designing With Nature
Andropogon, a Philadelphia- and Raleigh-based landscape architecture and ecological design firm, gets its memorable name from the Latin word for a type of grass. “The significance of that is that it’s a pioneer species,” says Principal and Director of Practice Development Darren Damone. “It’s one of the first grasses to recolonize and restore environmentally degraded sites.”
TerraWise Solutions
Superior Products, Superior Partnerships
TerraWise Solutions supplies superior products that hold up against the very toughest job site conditions. With over 20 years’ experience under its belt, the McDonough, Georgia-based business has emerged as a leader in premier positioning technology, known for providing the latest, most leading-edge equipment from Leica Geosystems, one of the world’s largest positioning technology manufacturers.
Braam’s Custom Cabinets
One-of-a-Kind Cabinetry
Braam’s Custom Cabinets got its start as a humble three-man family operation in Southwestern Ontario. Four decades later, with founders Peter and Rob Braam still at the helm, the business has grown to fill a 47,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and two showrooms in London, Ontario and Oakville, Ontario, and employs about 70 people across all three locations.
YORK1
A Company That Stands Out
YORK1 is a forward-thinking and innovative environmental company with a fully integrated infrastructure division. This impressive team delivers environmental services focused on non-hazardous solid waste management, asset recovery, soil remediation, beneficial reuse, and liquid waste solutions—all while ensuring strict compliance with safety and environmental regulations. At the same time, its infrastructure offerings include civil and site services, demolition and abatement, excavation, shoring and foundations, and telecom and utilities.
Controlled Demolition Inc.
The Demolition Pioneers
Controlled Demolition Inc. (CDI) has been a global pioneer and leader in explosives demolition for over seventy years. Three generations of the Loizeaux family have steered the company through decades of innovation from their Maryland headquarters, setting world records and felling thousands of structures across six continents.
Shoring Up the Construction Workforce
Help Wanted
It’s no secret that construction companies are struggling to find workers to fill vital job openings. The workforce shortage has officially surpassed half a million in 2023. In order to meet labour demands this year, the construction industry must attract 546,000 new employees on top of the normal hiring pace, Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) determined using a proprietary model to estimate the numbers.
Association of Outdoor Lighting Professionals
Supporting the Outdoor Lighting Industry
The Association of Outdoor Lighting Professionals (AOLP) is on a mission to promote and advance the landscape and architectural lighting industry.
Brink Constructors
An Asset to the Industry and the Community
Electrical contractor Brink Constructors, Inc., a Quanta Services company, boasts more than 75 years of experience in high-voltage transmission line and substation erection. Headquartered in Rapid City, South Dakota, the business has expanded from its Midwest roots to include regional offices in Princeton, Minnesota and Leesburg, Florida.
Alpha Iron
Committed to Quality, Safety, and Growth
Alpha Iron, part of the Alliance Industrial Group, Inc., specializes in steel erection, fabrication, steel painting, and coatings for a variety of industries including high-tech, commercial, marine, bulk handling, primary metals, energy, and chemical.
Jeremy Hiltz Excavating Inc.
Continued Success in the Granite State
Jeremy Hiltz Excavating Inc. specializes in large-scale commercial excavation work. Founded by Jeremy Hiltz in 1996, the business has grown steadily over the years to become a major player within the New Hampshire market, leading to the company tagline ‘We Dig NH…’
CRS Crane Solutions
The Crane Experts
CRS Crane Solutions knows cranes. In business since 1991, the Alberta-based company has grown into one of the largest crane suppliers in North America, building a reputation for exceptional lifting solutions and a relentless commitment to customer service. The team produces more than 150 cranes a year, with up to 175-ton capacity and 130-foot span, in one of the biggest crane manufacturing plants on the continent, which boasts a whopping 30,000 square feet of quality-controlled production space.
Cultivating Psychological and Physical Safety Onsite
Staying Safe
Narrow scaffolding and steep roofs, gaping pits and collapsible trenches, heavy machinery, and live wires—construction sites can be dangerous places. Traditionally the industry has focused on these ever-present physical hazards, which is certainly critically important. However, feeling safe psychologically while onsite is also crucial.
Zen Residential Ltd.
A New Take on Property Management
Zen Residential Ltd. is a leading property management company based in Edmonton, Alberta. With over 30 years’ experience in the industry, having robust, fully digitized systems in place, this business has earned its place at the top.
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