Big-D Featured on Military Makeover: Operation Career on Lifetime TV!

Big-D Construction, part of the Big-D Family of Companies, was featured on Military Makeover: Operation Career on Lifetime TV. A spin-off from Military Makeover with Montel Williams, Military Makeover: Operation Career is traveling the country seeking out companies with a commitment to veterans who transitioned out of the military and back into civilian life through a trades career path. The episode showcasing Big-D Construction highlights three hardworking veterans based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They include a former officer in the Army, a former Sr. Airman for the U.S. Air Force and a former Navy SEAL. “Here at Big-D Construction, … Read more

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Modular Construction Goes Mainstream

How modular classrooms help with COVID restrictions, supply chain challenges + dwindling workforce By Robert Ussery It’s no longer your father’s classroom… or even yours, for that matter! Modular construction has come a long way in the past few decades. What was once little more than a construction system for quickly building portable classrooms, has evolved into an efficient and cost-effective way to build aesthetically pleasing schools. As a case in point, Otto Construction – a 75-year-old family business based in Sacramento, California – recently completed work on the Rancho Santana School in Hollister, California, about 90 miles south of … Read more

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Teens Sign on for Careers in Skilled Trades

Boldt recently hosted a signing day to celebrate its youth apprentices committing to pursue a career in the skilled trades or attend a post-secondary institution. Following the signing day, the company hosted a new career event called BuildX, an interactive day-in-the-life experience to connect industry leaders and high school students curious about a career in construction, architecture or engineering. Boldt’s youth apprentices signed letters of intent to either an area university, or union, where they will pursue a career in the skilled trades – a sector in high demand due to large labor shortages. According to the Associated Builders and … Read more

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Analysis of Contractor Surveys Shows Construction Workforce Shortage is Disproportionately Impacting Nonunion Firms

A review of 2018-21 Associated General Contractors of America surveys of more than 5,000 member firms nationwide reveals that nonunion construction firms are facing significantly greater workforce supply problems than their union counterparts. These problems preceded the COVID-19 pandemic. The surveys, which include responses from 1,768 union contractors and 3,893 nonunion contractors, were analyzed by researchers from the nonpartisan Illinois Economic Policy Institute and the Project for Middle Class Renewal at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The Associated General Contractors of America represents more than 27,000 construction firms nationally. It releases its topline survey data each September and, since … Read more

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Not Your Average Shop Class

Career Academies provide learning opportunities, hands-on tech training By Wade Engebretson Not everyone in high school knows what they want to do with their lives or where they want to work. Even if a student wants to pursue a particular field of study, a traditional four-year degree may not turn out to be the right fit. In addition, the exorbitant costs and long-lasting debt may be too steep to consider. Yet today’s reality is the great majority of jobs require some post-high school education. One creative approach to tap into a person’s individual interests and personalized skill set is through … Read more

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