By Paul Snyder Contractors working on state projects should have a choice between hiring apprentices and journeymen, according to construction groups asking the state to ease its employment rules. “We want to see apprenticeship standards used as encouragement; not a ...

Tagged with: ABC AGC apprentices Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin Boullion Department of Workforce Development DWD hiring Mielke Wisconsin Laborers District Council

By Darryl Enriquez Longtime roofing contractor Leo Kaltenbrun of Sheboygan is skeptical of proposed penalties as high as $2,000 for generals and subs that fail to register with the state before going on a work site. When Kaltenbrun, 90, founded ...

Tagged with: ABC AGC Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin Boullion Department of Commerce Mielke penalty subcontractor

By Paul Snyder The state Building Commission probably will have the rest of the year to decide whether Wisconsin’s bidding process is as efficient as it could be. The state Legislature is unlikely to vote Thursday on a bill that ...

Tagged with: AGC Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin Boullion Building Commission construction manager at risk Kaufert multiple-prime contracting single-prime contracting Wisconsin Legislature

By Paul Snyder A proposal to license heavy equipment operators is overkill for an industry already with plenty to lose if the wrong person is running a big machine, according to a 31-year construction veteran. “There are some operators that ...

Tagged with: AGC Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin bill Boullion Construction Business Group crane excavator heavy equipment license Speedway Sand & Gravel

By Paul Snyder Subcontractors searching for state project deliveries perfectly free of bid shopping might have to settle for a good-enough compromise. “Is trying to stop any bid shopping after the general contractor’s bid better than what there is now? ...

Tagged with: AGC Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin bid bidding Boullion Division of State Facilities Helbach Hintz Risser subcontractors Wisconsin Department of Administration

By Paul Snyder Time is running out in this legislative session for a bill that would change Wisconsin’s contractor liability law. Subcontractors vow to keep pushing for passage, but the bill is trapped in a Senate committee and has a ...

Tagged with: AGC American Subcontractors Association of Wisconsin Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin Beiriger Boullion Boycks Lena Taylor subcontractors Wisconsin Builders Association Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association WTBA

By Paul Snyder A state lawmaker wants to require public buildings be constructed to green standards despite fears by project owners that the law would bust their project budgets. State Rep. Louis Molepske Jr., D-Stevens Point, has introduced a bill ...

Tagged with: Assembly Committee on Jobs Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin bill Boullion certification David Miller Doyle energy-efficient green Kaufert Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design LEED U.S. Green Building Council University of Wisconsin System

By Paul Snyder Fearing a diesel emissions crackdown that could cripple construction company budgets, industry groups want new rules approved before the state has a chance to study the issue. The Wisconsin Clean Diesel Coalition — with the Associated General ...

Tagged with: 1000 Friends of Wisconsin ABC AGC Associated Builders & Contractors of Wisconsin Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin Boullion clean energy Dane County Department of Natural Resources diesel DNR Governor’s Task Force on Global Warming Hiniker Miller Plale Tom Walker Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association WTBA

By Paul Snyder Associations for subcontractors and general contractors are at odds over a new bill that would ban risk transfer in construction contracts. State Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee, is gathering co-sponsors for the bill, which would invalidate construction contracts ...

Tagged with: Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin Beiriger Boullion DeWitt Ross & Stevens SC Larry Michael liability risk transfer Selzer-Ornst The Brehmer Agency Wisconsin Supreme Court

By Paul Snyder Legislative and industry skepticism is stacking up against a bill that would prohibit contractors on state projects from contributing to political campaigns. State Rep. Marlin Schneider, D-Wisconsin Rapids, said he is willing to amend his bill, which ...

Tagged with: AGC Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin bill Boullion election Smith Stone