North End developer seeks city money

Highway bill enters homestretch

Published: May 1, 2012
Tags: AFL-CIO, AGC, Associated General Contractors of America, Keystone XL pipeline, Obama, Ray LaHood, TBA, transportation bill, Transportation Builders Association

Defying expectations, Congress has reached the homestretch on a major overhaul of federal transportation programs that is critical if the nation is to avoid steep cutbacks in highway and transit aid.

Firm turns drywall supply, demand on its head

Published: October 25, 2011
Tags: AGC, Appleton Lathing, Associated General Contractors, Associated General Contractors of America, Bob Fleming, CertainTeed Gypsum, Craig Weisbruch, Drywall, Eagle Materials, Fleming Building Products, Jeff Beiriger, Ken Simonson, Michael Winghart, National Gypsum Properties, Wisconsin Roofing Contractors Association

A national drywall manufacturer is bucking the economic principle that prices go up to match increased demand.

The good side of the recession: Industry’s fatality numbers drop

Published: August 26, 2011
Tags: AGC, Associated General Contractors of America, Associated General Contractors of Greater Milwaukee, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Dan Burazin, Department of Labor, fatalities, Ken Simonson, recession, safety, Schilleman, The Boldt Co., work place safety

The recession saved lives in the construction industry.

Kenosha County leads nation in adding percentage of construction jobs

Published: August 3, 2011
Tags: AGC, Associated General Contractors of America, jobs, Kenosha County

The adjacent counties of Kenosha in Wisconsin and Lake in Illinois combined to add the highest percentage of construction jobs in the nation over the last year. From June 2010 to June 2011, both counties added 2,600 jobs, a 20 percent increase over the previous year. Overall, in the last year construction employment increased in [...]

Federal system could level employment playing field

Published: July 25, 2011
Tags: Associated General Contractors of America, Ben Kurten, Department of Homeland Security, E-Verify, Grant Sovern, Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, Jeff Shoaf, Lamar Smith, Quarles & Brady LLP*, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren SC, Rep. Heath Shuler, SAVE Act, Social Security Administration

Construction firms struggling to ensure the legality of workers on job sites may soon see some assistance at the federal level.

The new American dream: Write a rent check

Published: May 24, 2011
Tags: AGC, apartments, Associated General Contractors of America, Case-Shiller home price index, CoStar Group, John McIlwain, Ken Simonson, Murphy Development, Patrick Murphy, rentals, Urban Land Institute

By James Briggs and Derek Kravitz The Daily Reporter and Associated Press Building and owning rental properties is bumping homeownership from center stage in the American dream. A growing number of Americans can’t afford a home or don’t want to own one, a trend that’s spawning a generation of renters and an increase in apartment [...]

Obama order weighs political contribution factors

Published: May 13, 2011
Tags: AGC, Associated General Contractors of America, Brumbaugh, Building Commission, Carney, Division of State Facilities, Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council, Miron Construction, Obama, Plale, Risser, Turmail

By Jack Zemlicka President Barack Obama‘s proposed executive order that would require contractors disclose political contributions when bidding on federal projects sets an unneeded precedent, Wisconsin building officials say. But those same people acknowledge that the current competitive bid process doesn’t eliminate the perception that politics could come into play when contractors are vying for [...]

Contractors hesitant to clear benches

Published: April 25, 2011
Tags: AGC, Associated General Contractors of America, Bill Jackson, contractors, Engineered Construction, Howard Immel, Ken Simonson, Martzke

By James Briggs Wisconsin‘s construction companies remain hesitant to hire new workers, even as many contractors report an increase in work. Verona-based Engineered Construction Inc., for example, is ready to build a 12,600-square-foot shopping plaza in Madison. The strip mall reached 100 percent capacity — or 25 letters of intent — before the first shovel [...]

Economist: Future looks bright for Milwaukee remodeling industry

Published: March 3, 2011
Tags: Associated General Contractors of America, Haughey, Ken Simonson, Reed Construction Data, Scott Walker

By James Briggs The next two years will bring a mixed economic bag for the construction industry, which should show signs of growth by late this year, economists said Thursday. “I think there’s a fairly high level of confidence we’re going to see an upturn in construction over the next year or so,” said Kermit [...]