More on the Economy – Housing Trends
Bruce W. Woolpert
Tuesday, February 21, 2012, 1:27 pm
The Federal Reserve realizes that the U. S. economic recovery is not likely to strengthen appreciably until residential construction recovers. The recent agreement between state attorney generals and major U.S. banks to resolve disputes regarding the handling of housing foreclosures is a plus. Now progress can be made in dealing with the shadow inventory of [...]
Fog Sealing Older Pavements
Graniterock
Sunday, February 19, 2012, 9:27 pm
In its “A Basic Asphalt Emulsion Manual”, the Asphalt Emulsion Manufacturers Association and the Asphalt Institute describe a fog seal as a “light application of slow-setting emulsion sprayed on an existing asphalt surface.” Properly applied and applied at the right time, a fog seal can be a valuable aid in the maintenance of an asphalt pavement. [...]
Don and Pearl Sallows: Logan Quarry Pioneers
Rose Ann Woolpert
Tuesday, February 14, 2012, 2:36 pm
Don Sallows in 1924 and Pearl Sallows in 1984 Graniterock values its family oriented workplace, and over the years there have been many families who have had more than one relative or spouse join the Graniterock Team. But it took more than forty years of doing business before Don and Pearl Sallows became [...]
WHAT LESSONS HAVE WE LEARNED OVER the LAST 112 YEARS?
Bruce W. Woolpert
Monday, February 13, 2012, 2:24 pm
When an organization extends over more than one hundred years, many opportunities arise to reflect on the achievement. I am often asked, “So what lessons are there from the last 112 years for you and Graniterock People?” It’s a good question. My response has been to credit our founder, Arthur R. Wilson, with establishing a [...]
More on the Economy – Construction Added Jobs
Bruce W. Woolpert
Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 7:42 am
The U. S. Economy added 243,000 jobs in January – the fastest rate since April, 2011. The increase appears to be a solid one based on economic information collected in government surveys. The official government unemployment rate declined from 8.5% to 8.3%. Manufacturing added 50,000 jobs and 21,000 new jobs were added to construction. In [...]
Changes to Construction Law in 2012: Prevailing Wage Violation Penalties; Off-Haul Trucking
Kevin Jeffery
Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 11:25 am
This is the third in a series on Changes to the Construction Law 2012 by Kevin Jeffery, Graniterock Legal Counsel. For years, the construction industry had endured uncertainty as to whether the off-haul of construction materials from a public works project was covered by the California prevailing wage law (PWL). As this Rock Blog has reported, [...]
Changes to Construction Law in 2012: LLCs Can Now Become Licensed Contractors
Kevin Jeffery
Monday, January 30, 2012, 2:38 pm
This is the second in a series on Changes to the Construction Law 2012 by Kevin Jeffery, Graniterock Legal Counsel. Prior to this year, only individuals, partnerships, corporations and joint ventures were eligible to become licensed as contractor in California. Effective January 1, 2012, the Contractors State License Board began processing license applications from limited [...]
Leadership Tune Up – Part Five
Bruce W. Woolpert
Sunday, January 29, 2012, 4:57 pm
Having an Effective Leadership Framework. Graniterock Team Members have learned a great deal from seminars conducted by Larry Bonine, former Arizona Department of Transportation Director and now head of the Pinnacle Leadership consulting firm. Larry tells his audiences that the best managers view workers in the role of volunteers. Larry’s thinking offers a useful framework [...]
Tender Pavements
Graniterock
Wednesday, January 25, 2012, 8:06 am
A tender or slow-setting asphalt pavement is defined as one that scuffs under horizontally applied shearing loads after compaction has been completed, such as when power steering turns are made by a stationary vehicle. There are several causes of “tender pavements” including a faulty mix design, low compaction, and liquid asphalt saturation. Although each of [...]
Changes to the Law in 2012: Prompt Payments to Subcontractors & Public Works Retention
Kevin Jeffery
Monday, January 23, 2012, 1:09 pm
This is the first in a series on Changes to the Construction Law 2012 by Kevin Jeffery, Graniterock Legal Counsel. California legislators passed a flurry of laws impacting the construction industry in 2011. Most of them went into effect January 1, 2012. This is the first of a short series of articles describing these legal [...]
