A NEW DIRECTION B. Tait Builders CREATING VALUE Hathaway Development WHERE SUPERSTRUCTURES ARE JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG Roger & Sons Concrete, Inc. CONSTRUCTIONINFOCUS.COM FE B RUA RY 20 23J.M. Miles Construction Inc. offers a wide range of construction and fabrication in the wood products and waste treatment industries. We are also an unlimited licensed general P.O.Box 285-637 Brobston St., Baxley, Georgia 31515 P: 912.367.5747 | F: 912.367.5749 | E: info@jmmiles.com J.M. Miles Construction Inc. offers a wide range of construction and fabrication in the wood products and waste treatment industries. We are also an unlimited licensed general P.O.Box 285-637 Brobston St., Baxley, Georgia 31515 P: 912.367.5747 | F: 912.367.5749 | E: info@jmmiles.comEDITOR’S CORNER jmmilesconstruction.com J.M. Miles Construction Inc. offers a wide range of construction and fabrication in the wood products and waste treatment industries. We are also an unlimited licensed general contractor for the state of Georgia. Founded in 1988, we are small enough to give you personal attention, yet we to give you personal attention, yet we are large enough to perform each job efficiently and thoroughly. P.O.Box 285-637 Brobston St., Baxley, Georgia 31515 P: 912.367.5747 | F: 912.367.5749 | E: info@jmmiles.com 3 As we welcome in the new year at Construction in Focus, we can’t help but wonder what 2023 has in store. We know that North America’s towns and cities are in need of both infra- structure and housing, yet the construction sector con- tinues to be struck blow after blow. The industry is facing high prices for materials, supply chain disruptions, and, perhaps most con- cerning of all, labour shortages. For many of the organizations we speak with, workforce devel- opment is understandably top of mind. Faced with the ongoing wave of retiring older workers coupled with a shortfall of new workers to take their place, companies are looking to research- based approaches to retaining and attracting a quality work- force. Increasingly, this research shows that embracing policies and principles of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion may be one of the best ways to build such a workforce, and leaders in the industry are responding by “promoting inclusion, diversity and equity within their workforces and suppliers,” encouraging more women and minorities to join the industry and making sure their voices are heard, writes Karen Hawthorne in this issue. More diverse teams have been shown to boost productiv- ity and profitability, advantages that may largely be due to “tapping into new thinking,” writes Karen. “Multiple voices from traditionally under-represented populations in construction… bring different perspectives that can lead to new ideas, new services and new products,” along with understanding and empathy for customers and clients from all walks of life. In this month’s Industry Gamechanger – Building and Celebrating a Diverse Workforce, Karen takes a closer look at this shift and how it can help companies meet their workforce needs. Jaime McKee Editor Suite 300, 7071 Bayers Rd. | Halifax, NS | B3L 2C2 | Canada P: 1-647-479-2163 | E: EDITOR Tim Hocken DEPUTY EDITOR Jaime McKee COPY EDITORS Thora Smith | Allister Havercroft CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Allison Dempsey | Claire Suttles | Jessica Ferlaino Pauline Müller | Margaret Eaton | Nate Hendley Robert Hoshowsky | Karen Hawthorne DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS James Corbett CONTENT MANAGERS Jack Murtha | Taylor Dunne | Logan Neil Mackenzie Adams | Faye Hiscock Wendy Hood-Morris | Erin McWhinney SALES TEAM Pamela Taylor | Morgan Culpepper OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR Julia MacQueen GRAPHIC DESIGN MANAGER Severina Gachparova GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Laura Pratt | Ashley Dowling Ebic Tristary | Yoana Ilcheva CONTROLLER Jen Hamilton PUBLISHER Jeff HockenINSIDE FEBRUARY DEVELOPMENT GENERAL CONTRACTING & CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT CONSTRUCTION SERVICES 4 Building and Celebrating a Diverse Workforce Rick Perin, co-founder of DPI Construction Management in Toronto, Canada has a lot of good things to say about his senior leadership team and the women who make it stand out, like Jessica Child, Director of Corporate Services. “Jessica is a force within commercial construction in the GTA. Jess approaches any scale mandate with zeal and a commit- ment to success that is second to none,” he told the Financial Post about her new appointment as director. 5 CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS CANADIAN CONCRETE EXPO 16 – 17 February, Toronto, ON Experience Canada’s only national trade show dedicated to the concrete, aggregates, and construction industries. Located at The International Centre, the Expo promises a full-scale 3D construction printing demo, numerous educational sessions, and networking events including a post- show mixer featuring a Q&A with Georges St. Pierre hosted by Canadian sports broadcaster and former NHL player P.J. Stock. For more information THE WWETT SHOW (WATER & WASTEWATER EQUIPMENT, TREATMENT & TRANSPORT) 20 – 23 February, Indianapolis, IN The WWETT Show is the world’s largest annual trade show for wastewater and environmental service professionals. The event offers an unmatched educational program, a full slate of live demos, an array of networking opportunities, and an extensive expo floor where buyers and sellers come together to see and experience the latest product innovations and technology. For more information FENCETECH AND METALFAB 28 February – 3 March, Oklahoma City, OK The American Fence Association (AFA) is the largest professional association representing the fence industry, with members in every U.S. state, Canada and 18 other countries outside of North America. Co-located with METALfab, FENCETECH features a plethora of educational sessions and workshops, along with an expo and numerous opportunities for networking. For more information THE INTERNATIONAL ROOFING EXPO 7 – 9 March, Dallas, TX The International Roofing Expo (IRE) is the largest roofing and exteriors event in North America. Each year, residential and commercial profes- sionals come together to meet suppliers, discover new products, network with the global industry, and improve how they run their businesses. With hundreds of exhibitors, 60+ educational sessions, and tons of networking opportunities, the IRE is the place to learn about the latest industry trends. For more information JLC LIVE NEW ENGLAND 2023 23 – 25 March, Providence, RI JLC LIVE is the most anticipated regional trade event of the year for residential construction. Remodelers, home builders, contractors, and other tradespeople learn from the leading industry experts through live, on-floor building clinics, demonstrations, and classroom-style conference sessions, while the exhibit hall has all the action, featuring the top manufacturers, distributors and suppliers in the residential construction market. For more information INDUSTRY EVENTS 6 Are you planning an event relating to North America’s growing Construction Industry? To get your event listed in Construction in Focus, please contact us at least six to eight weeks before the event takes place at or call 1-647-479-2163INDUSTRY NEWS FIRST TWO-STOREY 3D-PRINTED HOME As 3D printing capabilities continue advancing and becoming more efficient, the technology is being used for bigger and bigger applications—even houses. In Houston, Texas, a massive 3D printer weighing over 12 tons is behind America’s first 3D-printed, two-storey home, which is nearing completion. The result of a two-year collaboration among PERIi 3D Construction, HANNAH, and construction engi- neering company CIVE, the 3D printing of the home will take about 330 hours, with layer upon layer of concrete extruded by the machine. The house comprises a series of printed cores connected by wood framing, providing alternating concrete and framed interiors. Compared to traditional building techniques and materials, this 3D home is concrete, and more resistant to storms and other severe weather. And since the printer does the work, fewer workers are needed at the job site. “The 4,000-square foot project showcases the possibilities of 3D printing technology, mass customization and design solutions that integrate conventional construction methods,” states HANNAH on its website. “With a hybridized construc- tion method that combines concrete 3D printing with wood framing, this approach allows the two material systems to be used strategically and aims to increase the applicability of 3D printing in the U.S., where framing is the one of the most common construction techniques.” ELLISDON LAUNCHES FIT YOUR FRAME VEST CAMPAIGN For smaller body types, finding the right size safety vest can be challenging. Realizing this, veteran Canadian-headquartered construction services company EllisDon launched the Fit Your Frame campaign. Focused on providing construction safety vests to both women and gender-nonconforming individuals whose body types aren’t best served by regular safety vests, EllisDon has joined forces with Black-owned Canadian custom clothing manufacturer Md Bespoke to create vests that will serve the functions of traditional safety vests but provide wearers with more appropriate sizes and better fittings. “Traditional safety vests are not built to fit women or gender- nonconforming persons, and we wanted to change that,” stated EllisDon’s Vice President of Inclusive Diversity Jennifer Khan in a media release. “Every day, EllisDon is working towards more inclusive measures on our sites and in our offices; I hope that this will continue to ripple throughout the industry so that everyone, and I mean everyone, feels welcome.” According to Tess Durrant, Chief Operating Officer at Safety BeSpoke, the vests will underscore the importance of belong- ing in the workplace. Led by 2gether (2 (Balance & Harmony) Gender Equality Team Human Empowerment Redefined), EllisDon’s Inclusive Diversity leadership group is “geared towards reflecting all forms of gender expression.” Fit Your Frame will continue across all of EllisDon’s area offices and sites, with vests being distributed to EllisDon employees. For more information about Md/Safety BeSpoke, or to place an order, email contact@safetybespoke.com. 7INDUSTRY NEWS 2.1 BILLION USD ALLOTTED FOR BRIDGE UPGRADES Committed to President Biden’s $1.85 trillion Build Back Act and improving America’s aging infrastructure and funding social programs, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recently announced Round One of Large Bridge Project Grants. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s competitive Bridge Investment Program represents one of the Administration’s biggest investments in America’s highway bridges in the history of the Interstate highway system. About 40 billion USD will be spent over five years to repair or rebuild 10 of the most “economically significant bridges” in America, and thousands of other bridges that are a vital link for local residents, communi- ties, and economies, according to the FHWA. The funds will also be used toward the construction of four projects connecting communities in five states. New bridges and improvements will benefit commuters heading to and from work and truckers handling freight, and address existing safety issues that cause delays, hamper the flow of traffic, and cost lives, time and money. “Safe, modern bridges ensure that first responders can get to calls more quickly, shipments reach businesses on time, and drivers can get to where they need to go,” stated U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a media release. “The Biden-Harris Administration is proud to award this historic funding to mod- ernize large bridges that are not only pillars of our economy, but also iconic symbols of their states’ past and future.” Polly Trottenberg, Deputy Transportation Secretary, added: “These first Large Bridge grants will improve bridges that serve as vital connections for millions of Americans to jobs, education, health care and medical care and help move goods from our farms and factories. And over the next four years we will be able to fund construction for the pipeline of shovel ready projects we are creating through Bridge Planning Grants.” The first Large Bridge Project Grants (awarded in Fiscal Year 2022) include some of America’s biggest and best-known bridges, such as the Brent Spence Bridge in Kentucky, California’s fabled Golden Gate Bridge, Connecticut’s Gold Star Memorial Bridge (rehabilitation of the northbound structure), and four bridges spanning Chicago’s Calumet River, which will see $144 million in rehabilitation spending. Depending on the bridge, some improvements will include dedicated bike lanes and sidewalks. Brent Spence Bridge in Kentucky shutterstock.com/JNix 8INDUSTRY NEWS SNC-LAVALIN REPLACING FLORIDA BRIDGE Quebec-based construction and engineering firm SNC- Lavalin was recently awarded a contract to replace South Florida’s Shepard Broad Causeway bridge. The bridge plays a key role in facilitating traffic over the navigable Intracoastal Waterway between the beaches and Miami-Dade County. “Our longstanding expertise in the transportation sector enables us to tailor our capabilities thereby helping our clients develop safer, more reliable, customer focused solu- tions that solve today's problems while also considering future demands,” said SNC-Lavalin’s Ian L. Edwards, President and Chief Executive Officer, in a media statement. UGANDA HALTS $2.3 BILLION PROJECT WITH CHINA After years of Chinese financing delays, the East African country of Uganda is cancelling a 2.3 billion USD railway construction deal with China. The railway was slated to be built between Kampala and the port town of Malabar, bordering with Kenya. Negotiations for funding the massive project go back to January 2017, when Uganda began dealing with China’s Export-Import Bank. The company chosen for the 273 km long line—one section of a 1,700 km railway—was China Harbour Engineering Company, a China Communications subsidiary. To date, Kenya has completed just 730 km of track, with China concerned about the project’s financial viability. Owing to finances falling through with China, Uganda has can- celled all the contractual work with China Harbour, and is eyeing the Turkish firm that built Tanzania’s railway, Yapi Merkezi. In 2022, China wrote off bad debts of 17 African countries. The bridge project is slated to provide “multi-modal safety improvements” while increasing mobility and improving hurricane evacuation capabilities. According to the company, daily and seasonal congestion will be eased “by replacing the existing bascule bridge with a structure that meets current design standards and is consistent with U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) regulations.” SNC-Lavalin has stated it will use state-of-the-art technologies, including digital twin 3D modelling “to visualise and develop the concept design options.” 9Next >