by Simplar | Oct 5, 2023 | Built Environment, Business of Construction, Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Weekly Construction Message
If you’ve been with me these past two months, you know that I have finally begun to take the lid off our industry. It is no longer any secret that I believe contractors have been gradually taken advantage of by the purchasers of construction services. Congress began...
by Simplar | Sep 21, 2023 | Business Failure, Business Failure, Risk Management, Risk Management, Risk Management, Weekly Construction Message
If you say “contracting” to anyone they immediately think of “construction”. The “building” industry has become identified with the signing of a contract at the point of sale. “Builders” have become “contractors” in the eyes of the public. This misidentification has...
by Simplar | Sep 20, 2023 | Business Failure, Business Failure, Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Partnering, Planning, PM, Weekly Construction Message
Risk Mitigation Thomas C Schleifer, Ph.D. Thirty-five years ago, I initiated research that resulted in ranking construction contracting #2 in business failure rate (restaurants are #1). That data inspired me to begin ongoing research into the causes of construction...
by Simplar | Sep 11, 2023 | Built Environment, Change Management, Change Management, Leadership, Weekly Construction Message
From Builder to Manager Thomas C Schleifer, Ph.D. With the possible exception of prostitution, construction is the world’s oldest industry. It is, however, a business unlike any other. All modern industrial companies introduce a product or service to the marketplace...
by Simplar | Sep 7, 2023 | Built Environment, Business of Construction, Financial Management and Risk, Financial Management and Risk, Growth, Growth, Weekly Construction Message
Big Small Business Thomas C Schleifer, Ph.D. The oldest known structure on earth Göbekli Tepe, the remains of a temple at an archeological site in Southeastern Turkey dated back to 9500 – 8000 BC marks the earliest example of what we now call the construction...
by Simplar | Aug 31, 2023 | Business of Construction, Business, Strategic and Project Planning, Project Delivery, Project Selection, Weekly Construction Message
A Flawed Business Model Thomas C Schleifer, Ph.D. Construction organizations often select projects to fill their growth goals, satisfy their need for immediate cash flow, capture work near their headquarters, keep their crews busy, serve owners they have worked for...
