Minnesota Concrete & Masonry Contractors Update
March 2010
By
Gary Botzek
Executive Director
One way that trade associations recognize and reward building achievements of their members is to run awards contests! The Minnesota Concrete & Masonry Contractors Association does such a program annual.
In February the MC&MCA awarded member companies with 10 masonry and six concrete building projects. They were selected from 38 total entries and judges by volunteer architects. The winners were as follows:
B & D Associates, Inc. for Phoenix on the River-Minneapolis
Northland Concrete & Masonry Company, LLC for Windsor Plaza
Kowalski's Market – Eagan
TCF Bank Stadium-Minneapolis
Regions Hospital Expansion St. Paul
St. Croix Preparatory Academy-Stillwater
Calhoun Square Parking Ramp Expansion-Minneapolis
Twin City Tile & Marble Company for The Catholic Church of St. Michael
Serice Construction, Inc. for St. Olaf College, Regents Hall of Natural & Mathematical Sciences-
Northfield
Advanced Masonry Restoration for The Phillips Family Foundation Office Building-Minneapolis
Grazzini Brothers & Company for Winona State University - Maxwell Hall
BOR-SON Construction for Zenith Condominiums-Minneapolis
Bulach Custom Rock, LLC for Minnesota Zoo - Russia's Grizzly Coast & Central Phalen-
Apple Valley
Cub Foods Store – Phalen area St. Paul
Hicks Residence-Minneapolis
Adolfson & Peterson Construction, Inc. for U of M Utility Building & Switch Station—St. Paul.
The MC&MCA is proud of each and every one of our winners!! Great projects in a very tough economy.
Economic Conditions/Forecasts
The economy, both at the national level and here in Minnesota continues to drag. According to the AGC economist, the unemployment rate for construction workers jumped to 27.1% in February. That is up from 21.4% last year. All industry unemployment rate for February was 10.4% compared to 8.9% in February 2009. Employment in architectural and engineering services, according to the AGC economist, fell 0.2%and 6.8% in the last year. Average hourly earnings in construction rose to $25.30--which is up 68 cents per hour from one year ago.
The Governor signed a major funding investment bill earlier in the week. Although he lined item vetoed over $300 million worth of building projects—including many vertical buildings—around $680 million worth of building projects will be moving forward in the next year or two!
Next the Governor and the Legislature, hopefully, we agree on a deficit reduction plan that will allow businesses, including the construction industry, to get back into the building game!
Posted: Wednesday, March 31, 2010
