Are Companies Missing the Boat? As a recruiter, I talk to a lot of employers. Not just to get job orders and discuss candidates, I want to hear about the challenges they have with retaining employees in the long term and how they address those challenges. Because I look at both sides of the...

When the Great Recession took away a generation of new designers between 2007 and 2012, hiring basic and intermediate level designers became an issue. The average years of experience for designers rose from 8 to 12. Designers who held on through the downturn were mostly re-hired in...

In our May issue, I began this series From the Road, inviting everyone along the course of our cross-country adventure to connect with me for an in-person visit. Recently, I was pleased to tour Merrick Machine Co. in Alda, Nebraska, the home of Triad Machinery. Arriving at the industrial park...

When most people think of modular buildings, they think modular homes and mobile homes. Most people don’t know about a third element in the modular building’s world, Commercial Modular. For the sake of simplicity, the commercial side of the industry has both mobile (as in mobile...

Driving across the Interstates with my rig in tow, it makes me think about the amount of equipment that will soon be hitting the roads on the way the BCMC. Although the Building Component Manufacturers Conference is still two months away, I’m certain that exhibitors’ plans are well...

Are you considering working remotely? If so, there are many challenges to consider. One of the biggest challenges is having reliable cell and WiFi signals. In your home office, this may be a challenge that is easily met. On the road, however, this is a challenge that may-or-may-not by easily...

Infrastructure: the basic systems and services, such as transportation and power supplies, that a country or organization uses in order to work effectively – Cambridge Dictionary Lovely weather for a road trip! “OMG,” as my kids would say, or “Oh My God,” as...

Mid-Life Crisis? Maybe, but not if you consider that I’ve been “remote” since 1992. Sure I’ve had offices, all home offices, but who is to say they can’t have wheels? I had a false start in 2017 when I bought the RV and truck, then headed to Naples, Florida. It was...

While the biggest question about preferences in our industry isn’t about which calculator truss designers prefer, this month’s topic is just that. Over the past 20+ years, JobLine has run a survey asking Truss Designers what their calculator of choice is. While there are many...

After the 2020 recruiting season just about came to a stop in March, I saw a ray of hope early in November. While I hoped to see the usual limited activity before the holidays, I wasn’t holding my breath. Instead, it came in the form of a tsunami. The first week of November was refreshing,...