Happy Fourth of July from Sigma Contracting!
After decades of pushing bachelor’s degrees, U.S. needs more tradespeople
FONTANA, Calif. — At a steel factory dwarfed by the adjacent Auto Club Speedway, Fernando Esparza is working toward his next promotion. Esparza is a 46-year-old mechanic for Evolution Fresh, a subsidiary of Starbucks that makes juices and smoothies. He’s taking a class in industrial computing taught by a community college at a local [...]
Commercial construction soars as residential construction lags behind
The National Association of Realtors released their April 2019 report, which projects that housing starts will increase from 1.362 million in 2018 to 2 million by 2028, based on data surrounding job growth in building construction and the impact of construction jobs on housing starts. Compared to the level one year ago, there was job [...]
Phoenix has added more construction jobs than all other metros
The Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale metro area added the most construction jobs of any metro area in the nation during the past twelve months, according to an analysis released by the Associated General Contractors of America today. As local construction firms expand their payrolls, the national association and its local chapters are taking steps to prepare the next [...]
But wait – there’s more!! – Maricopa County leads nation in growth third-straight year
Three-peat. Recent data from the US Census Bureau revealed that for the third straight year, Maricopa County had the highest population growth rate in the nation. Between July 2017 and June 2018, Maricopa County attracted 81,244 from out-of-state. In other words, over 200 people moved to the Valley every day. Presently, Maricopa is the [...]
Arizona ranked third in economic momentum
Arizona was recently ranked third in the nation for economic momentum by State Policy Reports, which is a two-spot improvement from last year. State Policy Reports is issued semi-monthly by Federal Funds Information, which analyzes the impact of federal activity in an effort to assist states in managing their federal funds. The momentum is [...]
Panel: Next gen, industry deserve better career narrative
The societal narrative that great careers require a four-year degree is doing a disservice to the construction and manufacturing industries as well as to young people across the country, argued panelists at the recent Boys and Girls Clubs of America’s Great Think: Workforce Readiness event in Washington, D.C. In sectors where a skilled labor shortage [...]
Head of ABA construction law forum talks industry changes
Kristine Kubes keeps her father’s architectural scale ruler and other carpentry tools within view of her desk at her law office at International Market Square. She leads the Minneapolis-based Kubes Law Office where she specializes in construction law and represents architects, designers, engineers and other contractors in disputes. In September, Kubes will become the new [...]
