Prompt and successful completion of the building construction work for the Olympic Games in London this summer could be a chance for UK firms to get work all over the world – a leading publication in the trades, Construction Enquirer, reported today. One of the UK’s leading International Consultants, McBains Cooper, has urged the Government’s trade teams to introduce more building contracts from abroad for the building construction industry in Britain. Mr Thirkettle thinks that every business in the UK has the unique opportunity to promote itself and bring more investment from abroad. MORE >>

Image via Wikipedia. In May of last year, we discussed an opinion in U.S. ex rel. Thyssenkrupp Safway Inc. Tessa Structures LLC.  If you recall, this case involves a three way payment dispute between a supplier, Thyssenkrupp, a subcontractor, Tessa Structures, and a general contractor, Vista Contracting.  As discussed in the prior post, Thyssenkrupp did not get paid on a federal project and filed a Miller Act bond claim against all of the appropriate parties and a breach of contract claim against Tessa Structures.  In the opinion ( U.S. ex rel. Thyssenkrupp Safway Inc. The takeaway?  license. MORE >>

During the State of the Union address Tuesday, President Obama outlined plans to create a nation that’s “built to last,” underlining many key energy policies that will assist in energy independence. One of the primary aspects of his speech involved decreasing investments on foreign oil, not only from a sustainability standpoint, but also in terms of increasing our national security. The increased tensions in the Middle East coupled with continued economic reliance on foreign oil has created a real threat to the stability of America’s energy needs. read more MORE >>

For some reason, some managers believe that always telling the craft labor the project is losing money is a good way to increase the productivity but I don’t see the logic behind this strategy.  I believe being honest to the workers in the field is the one and only way to go. . Lying does nothing but demoralizes the employees and will not encourage them to increase their productivity.  In general, people want to do a good job and take pride in the work they do.  Telling them how the job is progressing is another way of saying they are doing a good job which can actually make them work harder.  MORE >>

Kohler® has introduced a new line of Apron-Front Kitchen sinks for 2012. The Whitehaven™ Collection is made of Kohler's famous Enameled Cast-Iron. The sinks give you the durability and look of a bygone era. Kohler Apron Front Sink k6488 k6487 2012 k6486 Kohler Whitehaven k6489 Apron Front Sink MORE >>