Archive for the ‘News & Events’ Category
Video Camera Surveillance Under Fire as a Tool for City Improvement
A surveillance project fulfilled by Pro-Vigil partner ProGuard Security Services in Chandler, AZ has come under scrutiny from some of Arizona’s local news outlets.
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Stolen Fork Lifts Used to Rob ATMs
In the wake of our article on skid steer loss prevention comes news of thieves stealing forklifts and front end loaders from jobsites and then using them to steal ATMs…
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Construction Stimulus Overview: Resources, News, Opinion
This article provides an overview of stimulus related resources for those seeking to better understand where the stimulus dollars are going. The opinion section provides some insight into what construction industry analysts think about the situation.
If your business already works in the public sector then you will probably see some growth, particularly in highway and bridge construction.
If you’re in the private sector, well, here’s the positive spin on the situation: low material costs, low interest rates and low wages make this a great time to build if you or your clients can get the cash. One construction industry analyst noted that “smaller-scale loans from regional and local banks are going forward for commercial projects.”
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Free Passes to the Industrial Fire, Safety and Security Expo in Houston Feb 4-6
Join us at the INDUSTRIAL FIRE SAFETY & SECURITY 2009 Expo in Houston. We’ve got free passes to the exhibit hall valued at $100. Please call 800-598-6721 or contact Kris.Brackin@Pro-Vigil.com to learn more.
You can also visit http://www.IFSSevent.com/
INDUSTRIAL FIRE SAFETY & SECURITY 2009
Houston, Texas from February 4-6, 2009, at the Reliant CenterINDUSTRIAL FIRE SAFETY & SECURITY 2009
Why is it The Must Attend Environmental * Security * Emergency Planning & Response Hot Spot?Largest Gathering of Municipal, State and Federal Regulatory, Training Organization, Energy Company Operators and Industrial Emergency Response Leaders in North America. Approximately 1500 are expected in Houston.
Most Comprehensive set of “Real-World” Conference Sessions, programmed by the industry…for the industry.
Houston Places You Right in the Action, Discounted Hotels, Value-Priced Registration Options, and Valuable Pre-Conferences/Training Workshops.Over 70 speakers, 35 sessions and experts over three days! Federal Regulators, State Agencies, Industry Majors, Responders and Contractors are all represented.
Mean, Green and Lean: International Builders Show 2009 Round Up
Pro-Vigil fielded a booth at the 2009 International Builders Show in Las Vegas. This was our third visit, and as usual we came home with new insights into the industry and a reconfirmed enthusiasm for our mission to end jobsite crime. Thanks to all of those who requested free 2009 IBS passes – it was great to see you out in Las Vegas!
From our conversations on the showroom floor we found that the 2009 builder’s show was mean, green and lean…
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Free Tickets: Join Pro-Vigil at the 2009 International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas
It’s the biggest and best so of course we’ll be there… The IBS “is the largest annual light construction show in the world—over a million-and-a-half square feet of the latest and most advanced building products and services ever assembled.”
Join us January 20-23, 2009 for the annual International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas, NV… As vendors we have a limited number of free exhibit hall passes which you can request through the IBS page >>
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ABC 13 Houston Report: “How Pro-Vigil Stops Construction Site Theft”
Thanks to Mr. Jim Scarborough of J Scarborough Homes, ABC 13 out of Houston got a scoop on how to stop construction site theft at new home developments. As Kevin Quinn reports, Houston construction site theft is on the rise. Our very own Rian Martin explains the Pro-Vigil creed – we don’t record theft, WE PREVENT THEFT. Great job Rian, and thanks to Mr. Scarborough and Mr. Quinn at ABC 13.
ABC 13 Houston Report on Pro-Vigil’s Construction Site Security
More Pro-Vigil News Coverage
Pro-Vigil on Fox 7 News – Austin Texas Construction Security Report
Pro-Vigil Caught on Video: Watch Us Here on KENS5 News
Pro-Vigil Guards President Bush’s Childhood Home
More Construction Security Resources:
Houston Construction Security: 7 Ways to Stop Jobsite Theft and Vandalism
5 Security Lighting Tips For Your Construction Site
How to Stop Employee Theft on Jobsites
Pro-Vigil on Fox 7 News – Austin Texas Construction Security Report
Pro-Vigil’s very own Pete Ballard gave Fox 7’s Jenni Lee a tour of our Austin construction surveillance operation over at a site we’re protecting on South Austin’s South Congress Avenue. Austin police reported 353 construction thefts in 2007. That’s up from 316 in 2006. So far in 2008 there have been 249 reported construction theft cases.
Pro-Vigil on Fox 7 News – Construction Theft Report
Learn more about Pro-Vigil’s Construction Security Systems >>
See also:
Pro-Vigil Caught on Video: Watch Us Here on KENS5 News
9 Areas of Growth for the Construction Industry in the Down Economy
The credit market crash has many folks feeling gloomy the past few weeks. And, while it is looking rough out there (we’re not here to sugar coat anything…) there are a few bright spots you can try to keep in mind the next time you’re in another conversation about how bad things look.
Dark Cloud With a Green Lining…
Green construction practices are increasingly in demand both from consumers and from governments. Here are some bright GREEN spots in this dark economy and here’s our guide to growing profits through green construction practices .
1) Green building construction in the US is projected to remain strong in 2008 and is projected to grow by 58% or more than US$21.2 billon during the year
2) 40% of builders find "building green" makes it easier to market in a down economy; 16% find it makes it much easier.
3) 60% of builders claim homebuyers are willing to pay more for green homes. This is greater than the opinion in 2006 (56%).
4) The regions in the U.S. with the best growth in green building are the Pacific, followed by the South Atlantic and Mountain regions. The East South Central region has the lowest growth.
Other Areas of Growth in the Construction Industry…
It’s not just "green construction" that shows promise for 2009. There are other areas too that have some sectors staying very busy right now.
5) Heavy construction companies in the US reported relatively firm results during the first quarter of 2008
6) Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the US remained at high levels during the first half of 2008
7) Construction equipment manufacturers in the US forecast smaller gains for 2007, but a rebound in 2008 as sales are expected to grow by 2.8% during the year
8) Heavy construction spending in the Pacific Northwest of the US is expected to grow in 2008 with gains in the transportation and building sector
The AGC-Supported Portions of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act
The economic bailout package has some provisions that the AGC supported heavily. While you may not ever see the impact in your business, there are some construction-oriented benefits included.
9) The House package includes extensions of the Production Tax Credit for Alternative Energy Investments and the Targeted Relief for Investments in Real and Personal Property.
Bonus: Down Economy Advice
Here’s a quote from a recent article from Matt Stevens: “there are 10 rules of business. The first is to not run out of cash – and the rest don’t matter.” I highly recommend that you take a look at his article:
Managing a Construction Firm in a Down Economy.
"Brighter" Resources:
Green Building is Growing Despite Down Market, According to Report from McGraw-Hill Construction
HOUSE PASSES ECONOMIC RECOVERY PACKAGE (AGC)
"Darker" Resources:
North America Heavy Construction Sectors
Construction job market continues to decline nationwide
August Construction Retreats 3%
North America Heavy Construction Sectors: Company and Industry Analysis Report
6 Ways to Control Construction Costs in a Volatile Materials Market
“Since December 2003, the overall cost of construction material has climbed 41 percent, not including distribution costs. For comparison, the cost of consumer goods has increased 19 percent.”
-Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America
If you’re a general contractor you’ve seen price increases far more than 41%, especially metals and petroleum-based materials. This article proposes 6 strategies for controlling your costs and closes with several resources for further investigation.
The sections are:
1) Know What Accountants Look for During an Owner Audit
2) Be Aware of the Market and Stockpile Materials
3) Stop Material Theft on Your Jobsite
4) Find Value Engineering Opportunities
5) Know Your Cost Estimator
6) Cost Projections and Contingency Planning
7) Recommended Construction Cost Saving Resources
1) Know What Accountants Look for During an Owner Audit
A rise in capital costs will result in a rise in owner expense audits as owners try to tighten down. A familiarity with what audits turn up will help you during the cost estimation phase… you may be unwittingly setting yourself up to lose your shirt.
Some of the major things owner-auditors look for include: all your cost-reimbursable contracts, discretionary benefits you provide that aren’t legally mandatory, statutory limitations in payroll taxes, inaccurate pension and profit sharing claims for employees, computer costs and accounting costs (overhead) included as labor costs in the project. These items are covered in more detail in Understanding the owner’s right to audit construction costs.
2) Be Aware of the Market and Stockpile Materials
We’re now out of the era of reliable supply chains. This means higher prices. It’s your job to stay up on the materials markets using resources like the AGC’s Construction Inflation Alert (pdf). One way to manage the sometimes dramatic cost fluctuations is materials stockpiling.
This is an old but effective technique whereby you purchase and warehouse large quantities of materials at prices that you speculate will be lower than when the project starts. This flies in the face of “just-in-time” materials management and brings with it a new host of issues, the least of which is warehouse management. This method won’t be right for some companies, but it’s worth investigating
3) Stop Material Theft on Your Jobsite
As material costs increase so will material theft. These costs go beyond replacement – you suffer the loss of time and ready cash replacing materials. Then you have to wrangle with your insurance company to get your money back. All this contributes to significant damages to your bottom line and even your reputation.
We’ve written extensively on stopping construction site theft. Here are a few articles to help you increase your jobsite security:
9 Ways to Stop Construction Theft During Holidays and Vacations
Reducing Employee-Driven Job Site Theft
How Secure is Your Construction Security Fence? 11 Questions to Ask
5 Security Lighting Tips For Your Construction Site
Also, investigate our construction site security services. We use live video surveillance to stop construction site thieves.
4) Find Value Engineering Opportunities
According to Wikipedia, “Value engineering is a systematic method to improve the “value” of goods and services by using an examination of function. Value, as defined, is the ratio of function to cost. Value can therefore be increased by either improving the function or reducing the cost.”
In our language that means build only what you need. An example I read suggested that if you know a given conference room won’t have high traffic then don’t cover the floor with high traffic carpeting. Save it for the hallways. Extend this thinking across your project and you will see significant savings.
5) Know Your Cost Estimator
Matt Stevens is a construction business consultant. I found this quote on bidding and hope it can be a guide for you when you’re estimating cost or working with your existing cost estimator: “Being low is not success, being right is.” Estimating construction costs is a science, and well worth studying.
Spend some time reading through Cost Control, Monitoring and Accounting by Chris Hendrickson of Carnegie Mellon. It provides – at the very least – a good basis for figuring out what are the right questions to ask.
6) Cost Projections and Contingency Planning
Does your contract identify and prepare you for potentially skyrocketing material costs? Because estimates happen so far in advance of project completion you may need to build a plan, if not allocate funds, to safeguard against a major cost increase.
Make sure that the “trigger” for the plan is perfectly clear in the contract and that the owner is on the same page. The contractual language will be vital if and when you face an owner audit for overages.
7) Recommended Construction Cost Saving Resources
Construction and Materials Outlook: Sinking Demand, Higher Costs
Keep costs down: Understanding the owner’s right to audit construction costs
Surging Material Costs Call For New Construction Strategies
Managers need to buff crystal ball to forecast construction costs
Construction costs in the Hotel/Motel Industry
Contingency / reversion plans
Project Management for Construction – an online text book
Ten Ways to Reduce Residential Project Costs
Raise the Roof, Lower the Costs: Construction Costs and Housing Affordability in New York City
