I read this this morning in the New York Times about a re surging housing boon in Las Vegas and Arizona and parts of Florida. Building Is Booming in a City of Empty Houses By DAVID STREITFELD LAS VEGAS — In a plastic tent under a glorious desert sky, Richard Lee preached the gospel of the second chance. Home prices in Las Vegas are down by 60 percent from 2006 in one of the steepest descents in modern times. Las Vegas is trying to recover by building what it does not need. There is a benefit to the seeming madness in places like Las Vegas. MORE >>

The Associated General Contractors of Las Vegas reports the average hours worked and hourly wages for construction workers have spiked in recent months. While the projects contractors are focusing efforts on are unlike the typical megaresorts that once were the main source of employment for Vegas contractors, an increase in small buildings has allowed many to continue working. For this week’s Guest Post Friday here at Musings, we welcome Alex Levin. Alex is a writer for several surety organizations. But, what many want to know is if the worst is behind us. license. MORE >>

What the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is for tech nerds, the AHR is for HVAC pros. Two thousand companies, representing 30 countries, and 50,000 visitors descended on the International Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Expo (AHR) in Chicago this week to hawk, ogle, and pitch their wares. The AHR Expo is billed as the largest and most comprehensive HVAC&R event in the world. Attendees — contractors, engineers, facility managers, OEMs, and just about anyone in the HVAC&R industries — come for educational sessions, workshops, seminars, and product demos. MORE >>

In the last two weeks, I’ve traveled to Las Vegas twice for construction trade shows. While there, I had to turn off the TV in my hotel room to escape the tidal wave of negative political ads MORE >>

was at a trade association meeting listening to one of the speakers talking on this subject, and he kept referring to this company called Zappos in Las Vegas and what kind of brand they built around customer service. Next time you’re in Vegas, give them a call and take the tour. Customer service in most companies can make or break you. How you are treated can define whether you will continue to do business with your company. You can spend millions on brand building and still fall short if customer service is the weak link in the chain. Embrace and drive change. MORE >>