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Near Term Economic Growth - A Fiscal Cliffhanger II

Author: Graniterock Posted by Graniterock on Wed, March 18th, 2015, 8:16 am

The National Association of HomeBuilders discusses economics and housing policy.The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) released the third (and final) estimate of real GDP growth for the third quarter of 2012. Growth was revised to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.1%, up from 2.7% in the second estimate (last month) and 2.0% in the advance estimate (October), a marked improvement from the second quarter pace of 1.3%. The revision was largely due to upward revisions ... Read More

Warm Mix Asphalt Update

Author: Graniterock Posted by Graniterock on Wed, March 18th, 2015, 8:16 am

New Technologies Offer Opportunity for Improved RoadwaysWarm Mix Asphalt (WMA) is the name given to conventional Hot-Mix Asphalt (HMA) that is modified by additives or changes in manufacturing processes that allows asphalt mixes to be produced and placed at low temperatures. Reductions of 50 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit have been documented.WMA technology has now been in the U.S. about 10 years. Since its introduction, millions of tons of WMA have been placed throughout the U.S, and ... Read More

Winter Driving Tips from Cal Trans

Author: Graniterock Posted by Graniterock on Wed, March 18th, 2015, 8:16 am

Winter weather can be alarming and hazardous for drivers. The best defense is to stay off the roads in stormy weather, but if you must drive, use caution, common sense, and be prepared. Mountain areas and highways in higher elevations (such as I-5 in north Los Angeles County, SR-39 and SR-2, below left) may bring snow, ice, and blizzard-like conditions. The winter driving tips below might save your life.* Use the Caltrans Quickmap (quickmap.dot.ca.gov) to check ... Read More

Finding Your Mentor

Author: Graniterock Posted by Graniterock on Wed, March 18th, 2015, 8:16 am

by Andy Winzelberg, Management ConsultantAfter working on the crew for a number of years, John accepted the challenge of becoming a supervisor. The problem was he didn’t really know what was expected of him now that he was “management”. How was he going to relate to friends he had worked with for years? What should he do when he needed to give them critical feedback or ask them to do something they didn’t want to do? ... Read More

Housing Starts Up 3.6 Percent Nationwide in October

Author: Graniterock Posted by Graniterock on Wed, March 18th, 2015, 8:16 am

Source: National Association of Home BuildersWASHINGTON — Nov. 20, 2012 — Nationwide housing production rose 3.6 percent in October to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 894,000 units, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. This is the highest pace of new-home construction since July of 2008."This report is in line with our latest builder surveys, which show improving confidence and optimism in the marketplace as buyers take advantage of low mortgage rates and very attractive prices," ... Read More

Many Business Owners Confused by Health Insurance Requirements

Author: Graniterock Posted by Graniterock on Wed, March 18th, 2015, 8:16 am

More than two-thirds of small businesses aren’t sure or think incorrectly they must provide health insurance to employees in 2014 or pay a fine, a new study shows.Even more — 78 percent — said they were not familiar with health insurance exchanges and how they may impact their business, despite subsidies and tax credits offered by the Affordable Care Act.The anonymous online survey of 439 small business who had purchased insurance from eHealthInsurance.com was conducted in ... Read More

Eight Things Remarkably Successful People Do

Author: Graniterock Posted by Graniterock on Wed, March 18th, 2015, 8:16 am

This article by Jeff Haden of Inc. Magazine offers advice for business success:The most successful people in business work differently. See what they do--and why it works.1. They don't create back-up plans.Back-up plans can help you sleep easier at night. Back-up plans can also create an easy out when times get tough.You'll work a lot harder and a lot longer if your primary plan simply has to work because there is no other option. Total commitment--without ... Read More

Bottom Line: Medicine’s Funding Pool is Drying Up

Author: Graniterock Posted by Graniterock on Wed, March 18th, 2015, 8:16 am

Special Report from Stanford Medicine, Fall 2012If you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything. Unfortunately, in the United States protecting this most precious asset is breaking the proverbial bank. This is not news. In fact, decades have rolled by while the nation’s health-care bill has ballooned. Most of us try not to think about the facts, but we ignore them at our peril. A few stunners:- U.S. health-care spending neared $2.6 trillion in 2010, ... Read More

Taking a Cue From Bochy: Experts Point Out What Business Can Learn From Baseball

Author: Graniterock Posted by Graniterock on Wed, March 18th, 2015, 8:16 am

In the Tuesday, October 30,2012 issue of the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper, Net Worth reporter Kathleen Pender takes a look at the world class management style of Bruce Bochy of the San Francisco Giants:What can managers in business learn from San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who led two very different teams to World Series championships in three years? I asked a variety of management professors, consultants and managers themselves that question. Their answers focused on ... Read More

Family Ties That Bind

Author: Graniterock Posted by Graniterock on Wed, March 18th, 2015, 8:16 am

This interview with Graniterock Transportation Division Operations Manager Denny Mahler was published by the Hollister Free Lance in 2001.Family Ties That Bind, by Linda Lee KingIn 1972, Denny Mahler followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, father and two older brothers and went to work at the Wilson Quarry in Aromas. Since the 1930s, when his maternal grandfather, Charlie Herzog, left the Oklahoma “dust bowl” searching for work and found it at Graniterock’s quarry, family members ... Read More

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