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< PreviousMARC H2-3, JAVITS CENTE R THE LAR GE STC ON STR UCT ION & D ESI GN SHO W FOR NE WY ORK IS SETT OTA KEO VER THE JAVI TSC ENTE R SHOW F EATUR ES: 300 + SPEAKE RS L IVEMUS IC& ENT ERTAINM ENT THOU SANDSOF ATTE NDEES AIACES WORK SHOPS NE TWORKIN G PART IES REGISTERFORLIMITEDFREETICKETS: WWW.NEWYORKBUILDEXPO.COM/2022-TICKETSAlisonLandry,AssistantCommissioner-NYCDepartmentofDesignandConstruction AmanKrishan,Principal-HOK JamesBarrett,VicePresident,ChiefInnovationOfficer-TurnerConstructionCompany MelissaBurch,ExecutiveVicePresident-Lendlease EmilyWeidenhof,DirectorofPublicSpace-NYCDepartmentofTransport TheodoreLiebman,Principal-PerkinsEastman ElizabethVelez,Chairperson,President-NewYorkBuildingCongress,VelezOrganization GonzaloCruz,VicePresident&Urbanism+PlanningLead-AECOM ElliotGlassman,SeniorAssociate+SeniorTechnicalPrincipal-WSP RenaBarta,VicePresidentTransportationInfrastructure-ParsonsCorporation JanWei,SeniorAssociate-Stantec ValTzvetkov,DirectorofVDCandEmergingTechnology-Skanska KennethA.Lewis,President,ManagingPartner-AIA,Skidmore,Owings&Merrill GinaBocra,ChiefSustainabilityOfficer-NewYorkCityDepartmentofBuildings JermaineHuell,NationalDiversityManager-STV BrookeHoran,InteriorDesignDirector-HDR DonalLyons,VirtualConstructionManager-StructureTone Plushundredsmore! 300+ConfirmedSpeakersInclude: NEWYORK'STOPCONSTRUCTION ANDDESIGNTRADESHOWMAKES ANIN-PERSONRETURN New York Build, the largest construction & design show for New York is returning to the Javits Center on March 2nd & 3rd. The show is free to attend and features: 300+ speakers; workshops, thousands of attendees (contractors, architects, engineers, developers, government); networking events including the USA's largest meeting of Women in Construction; plus a Festival of Construction (live music, celebrity guests, entertainment & giveaways). Conference tracks at New York Build cover: the Future of Construction, Government Contracts, Sustainability; Digital Construction, Architecture, Health & Safety, Building Materials; Diversity & Inclusion in Construction and more! ! REGISTERFORFREE: WWW.NEWYORKBUILDEXPO.COM/2022-TICKETSWRITTEN BY DAVID O’NEILL A n industry is only ever as good as its workforce and construction is no dif- ferent in this regard. Going right back to the formation of the state, construction and the building trade in general has been one of the most reliable, trustworthy and innovative groups of workers that can be found. Quite literally, this is a workforce that has built the country from the ground up. Construction has quite rightly earned a reputation second to none and, as evidenced by the continued growth and development of techniques, scale and projects, it continues apace on an upward trajectory. Despite these positives however, there are challenges. Alongside the pandemic induced supply chain shortages and resulting price increases, there is the omnipresent issue of an ever-growing shortfall in skilled workers. | 12 FEBRUARY 2022| 13 APEIRON CONSTRUCTIONTo those outside the industry it may seem a trivial concern but the reality on the ground is far from that. Since 2007, the industry has seen a pinch become much more than that and currently, the inability to fill roles across the construction industry is the main threat to the livelihood of companies and their projects. In order to get a clear picture of how this crisis began, we need to look back almost twenty years. When the financial industry brough global economies to the point of collapse, the effect was colossal. Countries became bankrupt overnight and investment, both public and private, disappeared. Within the construction industry, the resulting devastation led to the evaporation of jobs from every conceivable angle. The Bureau of Labor reported that, between December 2007 and June 2009, around 1.5 million construction jobs were lost. This is not just a number. This loss of skills and experience in a sin- gle industry is staggering. Furthermore, due to the length and depth of the recession, these jobs and more importantly, the workers involved, did not bounce back and return to construc- tion related employment. Instead, these citizens retrained or retired which has left an enormous chunk in the construction landscape; one which has proved impossible to fill ever since. The effects of this worker shortage spreads across many areas of the industry. From minor home renovations to large scale building developments, projects are all being slowed down and costs are rising due to the difficulty in filling posi- tions. With a growing crisis in the residential housing market, this is becoming a perfect storm. Ed Brady, CEO of Home Builders Institute, is understandably concerned when we drill down into the figures. “The construction industry needs more than 61,000 new hires every month, if we are to keep up with both industry growth and the loss of workers either through retirement or simply leaving the sector for good. From 2022 through 2024, this total represents a need for an additional 2.2 million new hires for construction. That’s a staggering number.” With around 300,000 open construction positions currently unfilled, it seems the industry is heading towards a catastrophe which will only be exacerbated further when more competitive industries use financial leverage to attract the most talented workers this year. “The construction worker shortage has reached crisis level. The situation will only become more challenged in the coming year when other industries rebound and offer competitive wages and benefits to prospective employees.” | 14 FEBRUARY 2022Far from being a singular issue however, these pressures heaped upon the construction industry due to these short- ages are far reaching and complex. The much-heralded Infrastructure Bill is set to rejuvenate on many fronts. With the Infrastructure Bill, not only will an aging network benefit, but a flagging industry which has suffered hugely due to the pandemic will also receive a welcome boost. The difficulty now, however, is whether the construction world meet the increased demands that will be placed upon it. With huge amounts of investment ahead, is the industry at risk of miss- ing a huge opportunity by failing to capitalize on the benefits of the bill. The dilemma now facing those within the industry is how do they now, after almost twenty years of declining numbers, turn the tide into the required growth. According to Ed Brady, education is key. “We need to build the next gen- eration of skilled tradespeople in construction. One of our most important tasks as an industry is to work with parents, educators and students, as early as the middle school years, to demon- strate that young people can have the promise of great jobs and careers in the trades.” Given that recent studies have found that 43% of college students would rather be an entrepreneur than an employee, it seems as though a complete dynamic shift may be necessary. On a macro level, the picture within construction is an encouraging one. With growth of around 6% in 2021, increas- ing to almost 10% in 2022, the industry is on course to respond positively to recent global challenges. However, the Associated Builders & Contrac- tors (ABS) reports that even with a conservative estimate, an additional 191,000 workers will be required to meet the demands of this growth. The key question is how new talent can be attracted into the industry. Research and reports into this area are essential and what data there is already makes for interesting reading. The mindset of Gen-Z young adults (ages 18-25) differs greatly from previous generations. These are workers who, research shows, value meaningful work that can offer a level of excitement and are not solely driven by money. Further studies have shown that only 3% of people in this age category have an interest in construction; the view being that this work is physically demanding. By promoting and highlighting the innovation that is currently being developed and is making its way through the construc- tion world, there may yet be an opportunity. The goal should now be to harness the exciting tech being used, thereby drawing in a young, skilled workforce which can assist the industry to reach its potential. For example, the use of both Mixed Reality (MR) and Augmented Reality (AR) may come as a surprise given there are people out there that view con- struction as purely hard labor. Furthermore, innovative use of 3d printers and robotics might go some way to dispelling the myths surrounding the industry. It seems as though this strategy is being used across many universities and colleges. UMass Amherst and Vancouver Community College being just two examples of institutes that are training their students on technologies such as 3D visual- ization, 3D laser scanners and Building Information Modelling (BIM) software. Construction is one of the old- est industries for good reason. Regardless of the near future, it will continue indefinitely. That is not up for debate. The current problem however, is how the industry responds to changes facing a modern workforce that seek innovation and excite- ment as standard. As always, the answer lies in education. Alex Schreyer, Senior Lecturer at UMass Amherst, highlights the fact that the scarcity of workers may have come because technology had not yet caught up with the needs of the industry. However, he sees that this is changing and, according to Schreyer, this change may lead to the fulfilment of the potential that is there for the industry this year and beyond. “Construction is chang- ing and some of the industry inefficiencies are going to go away. We couldn't get to a lot of these inefficiencies before, we didn't have the right technology. But now we do and the more our students get into leadership positions, the more accelerated the change will become.” | 15 APEIRON CONSTRUCTION| 16 FEBRUARY 2022WRITTEN BY EMMA KILCAWLEY HEMANI H ighbury Concrete is a concrete superstructure company based in New York City. They have worked on the skeletons of many buildings visible in the New York City skyline. George Villalobos, Highbury Concrete’s Director of Safety, explained, “We are the first ones there. There’s no ceiling above us, we’re going up and creating that for everyone else.” Many of their projects involve architectural concrete, 80 Adams Street being a prime example of this which won an award for its design. Greenpoint Landing, another recent Highbury Concrete project, proved to be a massive success. With the use of post-tensioning, they created a ‘stairway to heaven’ appearance by creating Cantilevers, something that had not been done on that scale before in Brooklyn. | 17 APEIRON CONSTRUCTIONFor Highbury Concrete, safety is their number one priority. The company follows federal and state requirements for safety but takes them a step further, going above and beyond. Dan- iel Oswald, Highbury Concretes Health and Safety Manager, describes their job as being “to ensure that not only are all those regulations met, but we exceed them.” Highbury Concrete is recognized as a leader of safety in the construction industry in New York City. It is their approach to safety that has brought them this reputation. Highbury Concrete is markedly different to any other company in the industry; while many just do what needs to be done to meet standard requirements, Highbury Concrete goes further than the bare minimum, setting trends across the city with every- thing they do. The company was the first to make the switch from hard hats to helmets to counteract the chance of them falling off when working at high altitudes with heavy winds. Their rule ensures that helmets are always secured, an initia- tive that Highbury Concrete started but one that was quickly adapted by many companies across the city. Alongside this, the company also uses a color-coding system, with helmets and vests coded to distinguish different workers, from labor- ers to carpenters, new hires to foreman. Conner Strong & Buckelew is proud to partner with Highbury Concrete to keep their business and their employees protected. Congratulations on your continued success. MAKING A DIFFERENCE INSURANCE RISK MANAGEMENT EMPLOYEE BENEFITS CONNERSTRONG.COM FOR OUR CLIENTS AND OUR COMMUNITY MATTHEW TIAGWAD Senior Vice President 856-552-4676 TRAVIS SHAFFER Senior Vice President, Construction Practice Group 856-479-2235 CSB Highbury Concrete 8.5x11 Ad.indd 11/6/22 2:13 PM While looking deeper into the company, Highbury differs from its competitors on almost every level. It has a hiring process that goes beyond the norm. In an industry where potential staff could approach jobsites in search of work, Highbury Concrete adopts a full hiring procedure through their website, where prospective applicants fill in an application and take an exam. If they pass this, they are then brought in for an interview and undergo multiple trainings before being placed. Furthermore, the majority of Safety Managers at Highbury Concrete are members of The Board of Certified Safety Professionals, and OSHA Outreach Instructors with George explaining, “That’s what we want to be known for – people who come to work for us have a safe environment to work.” Further evidence of this approach to safety and staff wellbe- ing is the lengths the company goes to in ensuring its work- ers are best equipped to handle the physical demands of the jobsite. From their analytics, Highbury can conclude which incidents are the most common in the workplace. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are more than 53,000 foot injuries per year in the workplace. In response to this they partnered with Redwing – a boots manufacturer and dis- tributor across the US. Through this partnership, employees receive a discount to purchase top quality boots that abide by ASTM and Highbury standards and are equipped with all the safety features needed. “Highbury Concrete is recognized as a leader of safety in the construction industry in New York City.” | 18 FEBRUARY 2022Conner Strong & Buckelew is proud to partner with Highbury Concrete to keep their business and their employees protected. Congratulations on your continued success. DIFFERENCE INSURANCE RISK MANAGEMENT EMPLOYEE BENEFITS FOR OUR CLIENTS AND OUR COMMUNITY MATTHEW TIAGWAD Senior Vice President 856-552-4676 TRAVIS SHAFFER Senior Vice President, Construction Practice Group 856-479-2235 Conner Strong & Buckelew is proud to partner with Highbury Concrete to keep their business and their employees protected. Congratulations on your continued success. MAKING A DIFFERENCE CONNERSTRONG.COM FOR OUR CLIENTS AND OUR COMMUNITY MATTHEW TIAGWAD Senior Vice President 856-552-4676 TRAVIS SHAFFER Senior Vice President, Construction Practice Group Next >