Author: Peggy Smedley
If we know lighting can reduce crashes up to 42% for nighttime injury pedestrian crashes at intersections, then why do some states still have poor lighting at nighttime? According to the U.S. DOT (Dept. of Transportation) FHWA (Federal Highway Admin.), the number of fatal crashes occurring in daylight is about the same as those that occur in darkness. However, the nighttime fatality rate is three times the daytime rate because only 25% of vehicle miles traveled occur at night. Therefore, at nighttime, vehicles traveling at higher speeds may not have the ability to stop once a hazard or change in…
Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3—and sometimes even Scope 4—are a greater focus for businesses all around the world. Many businesses recognize that CO2 emissions are harmful to the environment and want to do the right thing. In recent years, we have seen the movement toward reducing emissions pick up speed dramatically. In some cases, we are seeing companies almost take an about turn when it comes to focusing on reducing emissions and being more sustainable. “If you look at science-based targets initiatives, or just the number of organizations in the world—which is companies and governments in the world—that…
Where have homes gained the most value in the past year? The answers, trends, and reasons might be a bit surprising, as we look at the cost and price of homes across the country and where we are seeing the highest increases. When we look a bit closer, some interesting trends begin to emerge. To dig in a bit deeper, a study by real estate site TNRealEstate.com used data from Zillow to compare the average home value of 2021 and 2022 in every state to see where the most significant percentage increases in value were across the county. It found…
As we head into a New Year, builders need to keep a close eye on market conditions and trends, as the economy is fluctuating constantly. Will the New Year bring an uptick in residential building? What demographic will be most likely to buy and sell in 2023? Some new research points to interesting trends for the year ahead. HomeLight recently published its Top Agent Insights Report for New Year 2023, which surveyed more than 1,000 real estate agents. The consensus is that there is an affordability crunch amid economic uncertainty in today’s market conditions, which is requiring buyers and sellers…
As I always say, the pace of change isn’t going to slow down. In fact, I would suggest the COVID-19 pandemic sped it up, as customers have now come to expect faster service, delivered in more ways than ever before. Companies that want to succeed in today’s fast-paced world need to focus on the needs of the customer, while also finding the right people who can lead the charge within the organization. This heightened need to focus on client satisfaction is evident in research in a new report Making Way for Industry 5.0 by Visual Components, which suggests 60% of…
The United States has reached the important threshold of 5% of all new vehicle sales being electric, and from what we can tell from when other countries reach that same threshold, EVs (electric vehicles) really begin taking off. The challenge is we need the charging infrastructure to be able to enable EV growth—especially in rural areas. “We are nowhere near the amount of charging needed to support the various lifestyles we all live, whether that is charging at work, at home, along highway corridors, and in rural areas,” says Hannah Steinweg, public policy manager, Rivian. “Right now, only about one-fourth…
For several decades, I have been preaching the importance of people, process, and technology. It is hard to succeed with one without the other two. Now, we see one of the legs of the stool is collapsing, as the worker shortage is surging in all industries including construction, infrastructure, and engineering. In last week’s blog I began to look at potential solutions to the worker shortage including legislation, guidance and mentorship, partnering with schools, bringing more women into the workforce, and the attraction of technology. This week it’s imperative we discuss in this blog series and dig a bit deeper…
Those of you working in construction and manufacturing feel the worker shortage day in and day out. The rest of the world just reads about it or hears about it in the news. But I can’t stress the severity of this problem enough. It deserves repeating again and again, until we do something together, collectively. We are better together, certainly stronger, safer, more productive, more resilient, more sustainable, more circular, and the list goes on and on. Simply, you get my point. Every day another Baby Boomer exits the workforce. Businesses large, medium, and small are trying to find the…
Here in South Carolina, there have been a bevy of new announcements surrounding manufacturing and the supply chain that are sure to bring jobs and resiliency to the American manufacturing supply chain. Let’s look at just one example. Last year, Masonite Intl. Corp., which is a manufacturer and distributor of interior and exterior doors and door systems, announced plans to open a new location, which was selected in part due to its proximity to customers and suppliers, workforce quality, and availability, and the business climate. Since moving here, I have seen firsthand the efforts being put forth to bring manufacturing…
New data suggests the construction industry is adding new workers, but at a rather modest pace that may not be enough to fill in the gap left behind by a retiring workforce and those who left the industry during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Will it be enough? And how will we fill in the gap? I recently had a roundtable conversation that will help us answer some of these questions. First, let’s look at some hard numbers. Total construction employment moved up by only 1,000 employees to 7,721,000 in October, an increase of 266,000 or 3.6% from a…