Building on a solid foundation By Chris Schmidt According to Jim Bradford, senior superintendent at Skanska, being a construction superintendent has been extremely rewarding and “it has been a life teacher for me.” An industry veteran with more than 40 years of experience, Bradford says constructing buildings is a lot like building in life. You need to have a solid foundation and need to build a strong structure to hold against life’s challenges like weather (for a building) and financial struggles (in life). Join Construction Superintendent as Bradford shares in this issue why he keeps coming back for more. (Q) … Read more

By Bernard Markstein, Ph.D. Despite a particularly challenging winter, construction activity has held up surprisingly well and the overall construction economy should continue to improve in the coming summer months. Construction activity typically slows during the winter and, with the unusually severe storms around the country, this winter was no exception. A good indicator that the construction economy is improving is that construction spending this winter was actually higher than last year. Year-to-date (January through April) spending for all the major groups — nonresidential buildings, heavy (civil) engineering and residential, was higher than in 2013. The U.S. Census Bureau reported … Read more

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Kraus-Anderson Construction Company will build a new district high school and adjoining, municipal event and recreation center in Watford City, North Dakota, in the fastest-growing county in the nation. The approximate, combined construction cost of the two projects is in excess of $100 million. Watford City’s population is soaring with the energy boom from the Bakken oil fields in western North Dakota. From March 2013 to February 2014, the McKenzie County School District has grown from 200 to 1,060 K-12 students—doubling the size of the district since 2010. A 2013 census lists the county’s population at 9,314, … Read more