Category: Management
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Addressing Head Protection and Rotational Motion in the Workplace
In today’s hazardous workplace, safety remains a top priority– especially in construction, which consistently ranks as one of the most dangerous industries. In 2023 alone, construction experienced 1,075 fatal work injuries, the highest of any private industry sector[1]. The fatal injury rate stands at nearly three times the national average, at 9.6 per 100,000 full-time…
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10 Essential Sealcoating Strategies | For Construction Pros
Sealcoating is a significant part of our industry, whether directly or indirectly. Most of us deal with it in some capacity — and for many, it’s a substantial part of their business. This prompted me to reflect on various strategies and lessons learned over the years to optimize sealcoating jobs. When considering this topic, I…
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Prioritizing Mental Health Over Branding
When I came into the asphalt industry, mid-way through 2022, one of the first calls I took was with the man who people told me was an “asphalt influencer,” and since I was so new I wanted to make sure I connected with him as soon as I could. I remember not really knowing what…
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Why You Should Consider Mental Health Apart Of Jobsite Safety
The month of April is usually reserved as the “Jobsite Safety” month for the construction industry. There are no shortage of social media posts and articles about hi-vis clothing, PPV, best practices, flagging, and many other ways to keep our people safe while on the job. However, one aspect of safety that isn’t often included,…
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Contractor Snapshot: Building Trust With Asphalt
When running a business, a huge part of keeping it functioning is having good customer service. If you’re just starting out, keeping customer relations at top of mind is all the more important. Treating your customers well and ensuring constant communication can become key foundational qualities of your company. To succeed in customer-based industries, it…
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7 Key Indicators of Project Success
It is not uncommon that most general contractors conduct a post-project review. Sometimes nicknamed the “post-mortem,” the intention is to huddle the primary leadership from a given project to debrief on its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that need to be eliminated. Sub-specialty contractors can learn from this same winning “best practices” process. For any…
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6 Tips to Make the Customer Experience a Breeze
Because it’s the offseason I decided we needed to have our garage floor coated. This was probably my first time calling contractors for quotes as a consumer, and let me tell you, being on the buying end of that phone call is a whole different ball game. I have encountered some companies that were a…
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Combat Bad Weather With Better Planning
Developing relationships with potential customers requires patience. ACI Asphalt & Concrete, LLC sales associate Mike Picott nurtured a two-year relationship with new client Tashitaa Tufaa of MTN in Fridley, Minnesota. He saw that come to fruition this season after lengthy negotiations. The customer’s goal was to create a new 157,995 square foot asphalt parking lot…
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How Job-Costing Helps Construction Companies Improve Their Bottom Line
Business ownership is hard. Grueling hours, financial risk, and constant unknowns are the life of most entrepreneurs. And for what? Most business owners are working harder and harder to grow their revenue, yet making meager profits, if any profit at all. Consider this. Would you rather run an $11 million business that generates $350,000 in…
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Construction’s Favorite Scapegoat: Laziness | For Construction Pros
DISCLAIMER: I do know that there are individuals who exist and are lazy, but….America is not that. I recently saw an online asphalt-forum post that asked a simple and straightforward questions: “How many contractors were expecting to be shorthanded for the 2025 season?” The responses were anything but simple and straightforward. What is technically a…