NAWIC Coloring Contest

Kicking off WICweek the inaugural NAWIC Coloring contest invite. We emailed it to schools throughout Arizona. The plan: to raise awareness that many women work in construction. The kids could see women (and men) role models in the coloring pages. Grades kindergarten thru 5th grade participated. A huge thank you to all who contributed pictures to the coloring book, mostly showcasing women working in the construction industry. A special thanks to Centuri and their marketing team for getting this assembled for virtual distribution.

In all we had 8 schools and 21 classes participate reaching hundreds of students! Our coloring contest overlapped with spring break, so all of March we collected artwork. We’re in the throws of judging now. Next step, deliver Lego sets to the winners. Here are a few student submissions (below). It’s tough to choose the best one. The construction industry is the real winner with more construction career minded students! You may view more photos on the NAWIC Phoenix Facebook Page and in April we announce the winners.

Women in Construction Speak

Second on our week’s events was a virtual talk by Katie Haydon, Executive VP at Haydon Building Corp keynote “Leading Through a Crisis”. We piggybacked on the ENR BuildTech virtual conference. Her gems on how to turn a crisis into an opportunity by revisiting your company culture were invaluable and appreciated. You may access the presentation through February 2022 on the ENR BuildTech page (you’ll need to provide your email address to access) or read the recap of the entire event here.

Virtual Networking

Thirdly, on our women in construction week agenda we hosted a virtual joint mixer and Trivia Night. Glad to see members of the Arizona Builders Alliance and the American Subcontractors Association Arizona Chapter join us. Kudos to Edel Stein for helping and our Trivia host, Josh Umar for the sur-prize(s). Instead of Zoom, KumoSpace made for a more interactive experience. Being able to navigate to different rooms, use the seating arrangements or wade in the pool while chatting made it fun. Here are a few screenshots:

Women in Construction Tee Off

On Thursday a few ladies teed off at the Golf Clinic plus 4 holes hosted thru Women On Course. The golf clinic focused on our short game, pitching. More women need to take advantage of playing golf while nurturing client business relationships. Don’t let the guys own the links. Women on Course is helping women hone their skills around the nation. It also makes business development a fun outdoor activity!

Heart Walk

To close out the week a walk around Tempe Town Lake benefitted the American Heart Association. The group managed to raise $800 dollars. I couldn’t pass up taking a few construction shots mixed in with some fun while walking and taking a break for our 5 mile trek.

NAWIC National also had shared other opportunities to get involved in Women in Construction Week.What a pleasure to speak to the Alaska Chapter about Bluebeam, virtually tour Boston’s Plumbing Museum and attend the International Women’s Day Panel hosted by the Palmetto, SC Chapter. With over 100 chapters around the United States, there’s a local chapter near you. Our members connect with their career peers in NAWIC’s Industry Councils (a NAWIC member only benefit) including: Admin/Finance, Business Dev/Sales/Mktg, HR/Legal, Management/Operations, Project Management/Safety, Technology, Tradeswoman, Women Business Owner & Women of Color. There’s something for all women in construction!

For the Women in Construction reading this article and not yet NAWIC members, why not join? They’re running a new member special 6-month non-voting membership thru March 31, 2021. It’s just $129. Take advantage of this today with this online membership link. If you weren’t referred by anyone else, please put Carol Hagen in the referred by field. Welcome to the National Association of Women in Construction!

The post Women In Construction Week 2021 Phoenix Recap appeared first on Hagen Business Systems.

1. If you’re in the USA, find a chapter near you http://www.nawic.org/nawic/Chapters.asp then contact a NAWIC member and see what events you can participate in.  If you’re in Las Vegas for the ConExpo/ConAgg Show, visit the NAWIC booth GL11882 and tell them Carol Hagen sent you!

The post Women in Construction Week 2017 appeared first on Hagen Business Systems.

Most contractors agree that project success is largely determined by four factors:
time, cost, quality and safety. But there isn’t a “one size fits all” approach. The same is true of technology, in that each company’s journey is unique. In this article, Caterpillar will help you take a quick look at key areas where technology can make a difference.

Get Rid of the Paper Trail, Design a Digital One

Running from the jobsite to your office or trailer to update, print and distribute information eats up time, one of your most critical resources as a project manager. Here at Caterpillar, we say stop chasing the paper trail and instead adopt cloud computing. The cloud platform simply means that users with an internet connection and approved access can get “live” information from anywhere. Do you check your email on your smartphone? You’re already using the cloud. Listed below are eight quick ways the cloud can save you time, money and headaches:

• Rapid decision making as personnel can connect with each other from almost any location.
• Faster response time to RFIs (Requests for Information), change orders and purchase orders.
• Snap and send photos of jobsite activity.
• Check manufacturers’ instructions.
• Confirm calculations.
• Instantly look up specifications and special provisions.
• Quickly check contracts.
• Track weather.

Get Your Crew on the Same Page, Even with Different Devices

Smart devices like phones and tablets let employees access and share information with the tap of a finger. 72 percent of construction contractors use smart phones, while 50 percent use tablets. One contractor found that superintendents using a voice-to-text application could save at least 30 minutes a day in preparing reports. There are a wide number of apps that can be useful for your team in the field; here are some of the most widely used:

• Permit apps (for sending and receiving permits).
• Resource tracking apps (tag assets and monitor their location).
• Inventory apps (monitoring items that are depleted & restocked).
• Fleet tracking apps (monitor vehicle routes & fuel).
• Inspection apps (help speed up walk arounds).
• Safety apps (notification system to alert foremen of problems).
• Resource tracking apps (for documenting and submitting employee hours, progress quantities and other day-to-day activities and metrics).

Reduce Risky Business on the Worksite

New technologies (like Cat® DETECT, a Cat Connect Technology) have become available to safeguard worksites and better manage risk. One in ten construction workers is injured on worksites every year. One of the most common accidents on a construction worksite is being struck or trapped by equipment or vehicles. Blind spots and backing up accidents account for 25–50 percent of the total. Here are some of the technologies we recommend that can help prevent such accidents from occurring:

Object Detection technologies
Complete object detection systems include back-up cameras and pulsed-radar object detection. Cameras give operators a view of what is typically their biggest blind spot, and radar identifies objects and people hidden from the operator’s view and sounds an alarm.

Fatigue Detection technologies
Fatigue detection is one of the most recent advancements. A camera installed in the cab monitors pupil size, blinking, and how long eyes stay shut. If the system senses the operator is falling asleep, an alarm sounds and the seat vibrates

“Smart” wearables
Safety gear with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), sensors and bio-monitors have all hit the market within the last several years. The most common are RFID systems that alert workers and equipment operators when they are both moving through a work zone. Wearable devices are now reading heart rates and body temperature to fend off potential medical incidents.

Stay on Track with Telematics

Most people can use basic telematics information — machine operating hours, location, fuel consumption — to produce measurable improvements in operating costs. 80 percent of new equipment has telematics built-in, so all that’s required is activation. However, only 17 percent of contractors are using telematics within their projects. Telematics provide multiple cost saving benefits:

• Location features help keep equipment and people safe by alerting operators and sounding proximity warnings.
• Telematics can help optimize utilization—because equipment doesn’t get rented when it’s not needed or isn’t parked and forgotten.
• Most OEMs provide apps that allow you to access information via smartphone or tablet, so you can check on equipment condition, fuel burn, idle time or service hours.
• Condition monitoring alerts help control maintenance and repair costs by reducing downtime.

Machine Control & Automation Adds to Your Bottom Line

The introduction of control technologies for grading, compacting and measuring payload has given construction companies more ways to increase production and enhance operator performance. Productivity and cost saving advantages come primarily from:

• Improved accuracy of machine-guided buckets and blades.
• Increased accuracy of automated “assist” features that make the operator faster and more consistent.
• Reduced man hours because fewer workers are needed to check progress/complete jobs.
• Elimination of rework, tasks are completed right the first time.
• Fewest passes achieve proposed grade efficiently.
• Optimal number of passes reach compaction target(s) without over or under compacting.
• Reduced cycle times and machine wear due to payload technologies eliminating over and under loading of hauling units.
• Increased safe operation because operators are more aware of activities and individuals around them.
• Data-driven estimating and planning that accelerates payback periods
on technology investments.

Caterpillar is constantly developing and refining advanced technologies to help you make your equipment more productive and efficient. The faster you recognize technology as an essential part of your operation, the faster you will begin to see a difference on your worksites and your bottom-line.

The post Running a Tech-Focused Jobsite appeared first on Hagen Business Systems.

The construction industry has transformed drastically over the past 20 years. Smartphone apps have enabled real-time information exchange; armloads of files and blueprints are being replaced by a few taps on a tablet. Technology is changing almost every aspect of the industry, and companies that refuse to adapt and implement it risk being outdone by tech-savvy competitors.
One of the biggest fears construction company owners face when considering implementing new technologies is understanding what they do and how to use them effectively. Below are snapshots of some of the newest and most innovative construction technologies available to the industry:

1. UAV Technology

Unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs are a hot technology in several industries today because of all the different business use cases they can provide. In the construction industry, companies are sending camera-equipped UAVs into the air to take dozens — if not hundreds or thousands — of images. The pictures, which are linked to GPS data, can be stitched together with special software, transforming them into a 2-D or 3-D site model. The model can be used to:

• Assess progress on a project — daily, weekly or at some other regular interval
• Locate specific areas where work is falling behind schedule
• Measure stockpile volume
• Determine the amount of overburden that needs to be removed from an area
• Monitor width and slope of haul roads
• Analyze quarry faces and berms
• Inspect hazardous areas
• Confirm that employees are wearing protective gear and working safely
• Get a high-level view of operator technique, load-zone placement, tire rotation and other factors that affect efficiency
• Show clients work in progress
• Create images for marketing presentations and materials

These tasks and many others can be done quickly, accurately and economically with UAV systems — assuming you have access to the right technology, analytics and expertise. Caterpillar has a small team of UAV experts whose sole focus is determining how the technology can be used to improve site safety, efficiency and profitability.

Companies that are considering taking advantage of UAV technology need to be aware of the laws governing the commercial use of UAVs because they are different depending on where you do business. The United States has the tightest federal regulations in regard to UAVs, with new laws slated for 2016. We think UAVs are going to take off in the construction and aggregates sectors over the next few months and years. As this technology evolves, you’ll be able to combine machine data from your telematics systems with geo-spatial data from UAVs, giving you the power to take site efficiency to all-new levels.

2. GRADE with Assist
Grading technology helps make excavators, dozers and motor graders more efficient because it allows operators to get to grade faster with less effort. Caterpillar’s precision grading system, Cat® GRADE, part of Cat Connect technology, can help both new and experienced machine operators deliver dramatic improvements in grading efficiency over a wide range of applications. GRADE with Assist, which adds automated grading sequences, is featured on Cat Excavators, is the most advanced worksite technology available. Among the benefits grading technology can provide:

• Keeping people off the ground and out of trenches
• Reducing the cost of staking and grade checking
• Cutting grading time by up to 45%
• Conserving fuel and materials when you finish in fewer passes
• Saving time and costs related to rework
• Helping less experienced operators work like pros

Grading technology, like Cat GRADE, enhances jobsite safety, improves reliability and adds to the machine’s value, both on the job and at resale. Just to show some real-life examples, below are 10 things you can do faster and more efficiently with grading technology:

1. Dig a basement
2. Build a detention pond
3. Put in a sewer line
4. Dig foundation footings
5. Cut a drainage ditch
6. Prep a commercial site pad
7. Build an access road
8. Install underground utilities
9. Slope an embankment
10. Construct a retaining wall

3. Workplace Safety Technology

Several new technologies have become available to safeguard worksites and better manage risk. One of the most common accidents in the construction industry is being struck by or trapped by equipment or vehicles. Blind spots and backing up accidents account for between 25 and 50 percent of the total. One in 10 construction workers are injured every year, so worksite safety is paramount. Here are some of the newest worksite safety technologies that can help prevent injuries:

• Object Detection technologies
o Complete object detection systems include back-up cameras and pulsed-radar object detection. Cameras give operators a view of what is typically their biggest blind spot, and radar identifies objects and people hidden from the operator’s view and sounds an alarm.

• Fatigue Detection technologies
o A camera installed in the cab that monitors pupil size, blinking and how long eyes stay shut determines fatigue detection. If the system senses the operator is falling asleep, an alarm sounds and the seat vibrates.

• “Smart” wearables
o Safety gear with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), sensors and bio-monitors has all hit the market within the last several years. The
most common are RFID systems that alert workers and equipment
operators when they are both moving through a work zone.

As it becomes more evident that technological innovations will shape the future of the construction industry, it’s up to you to determine if your company is going to embrace these new construction technologies or be left behind. We here at Caterpillar encourage you to re-think the process of using, managing and owning heavy equipment by incorporating these new technologies to help make your equipment more productive and efficient, and your business more profitable.

Thanks again Caterpillar for this article. What new construction technologies are you planning to implement at your firm? How will it integrate with your existing systems and automate or enhance your workflows? Which of these safety technologies hold the most promise? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

The post The Most Revolutionary New Construction Technologies appeared first on Hagen Business Systems.

Join your peers Take the survey now! You’ll get the inside scoop on what the Arizona construction industry provides in salary, benefits and company-owned vehicles to their staff. Results include breakdown details by category and employee size. Our goal is to reach every licensed contractor in Arizona.

Be more competitive in acquiring talent by joining the members of these construction associations in participating in the survey.

American Subcontractors Association of Arizona (ASA)
Arizona Builders’ Alliance (ABA)
Arizona Roofing Contractors Association (ARCA)
Arizona Utility Contractors Association (AZUCA)
Associated General Contractors of America (AGC)
Associated Minority Contractors of America (AMCA)
Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA)
Independent Electrical Contractors Association of Arizona (IECA)
National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC)
National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA)
Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association of Arizona (PHCC)

We appreciate your time and know that this will serve as a valuable resource for your financial, operations and human resources staff. Take the survey Now!

If you are the CEO, CFO, controller or HR Director of a general contractor, specialty trades (subcontractor) or highway/heavy/utilities contractor located in Arizona, you can get the full 2015 report for free. By simply completing the survey before October 31, 2015, you will receive a complimentary copy of the results (a $100 value).

The Construction Industry Compensation Survey is open October 1-31, 2015 and rest assured, your information is kept confidential as information is collected and analyzed by the
independent CPA firm of Hunter Hagan & Company, LTD. Take the survey

Should you want to receive a copy of the results without participating in the survey, or require additional copies of the survey, they can be purchased at a cost of $100 per copy through the Valley of the Sun CFMA Chapter website.

The post 2015 Arizona Construction Industry Compensation Survey appeared first on Hagen Business Systems.

These Tweets were ramping us up for the start:

Starting up, teams at work and when the next AEC Hackathon is taking place:

Presentations Begin:

And the Winners Are:

For active links to all these posts, go to live #AEChackathon feed, @AEChackathon Tweets, the AEC Hackathon YouTube Channel or their website 

Now you might realize why Twitter is one of my favorite sources for learning and keeping abreast of emerging technologies.  To read all my construction and tech tweets on Twitter please follow me or just tune in (no Twitter account necessary)

The post AEC Hackathon Recap (June 27-28, 2015) appeared first on Hagen Business Systems.

Many professional organizations are sponsoring lunch and learns, all day courses and everything in between. It was nice to stumble onto a resource handout that will ease some of the burden. As a tech geek, flow charts and decision trees clarify not only the best decision, but how you arrived at your choice. The flow charts below will guide you to the correct choice whether your construction project should be treated as a Prime Contract, Maintenance, Repair, Replacement or Alteration (MRRA), or your Contract is Exempt and sales tax is collected at material purchase or tracked by the purchaser and self reported. Thanks go out to BeachFleischman PC for creating these flow charts for both commercial and residential construction contracts.

File these with each project as a supporting document (in case of an audit from the Arizona Department of Revenue) and circle the Yes/No answers you used. Don’t forget to fill in the date in whichever grey box you end up in.  To request a copy of these flow charts, please Email Me Your Contact Info

For advice on any tax interpretations, talk with your Certified Public Accountant or get connected with the CFMA to find a CPA that focuses on construction.

The post Arizona Contracting Sales Tax Flow Charts for 2015 appeared first on Hagen Business Systems.

With guest speakers, Adam Green and Travis Becker of SEGI (segisalespros.com), we learned that cooling costs typically account for 38% of the energy consumption in a data center. Heat Loads and Hot Spots are the culprits so control of the air flow is critical for energy efficiency. They explained the advantages and disadvantages of hot air vs cool air containment and that both methods can reduce cooling power consumption by about 50%. More can be saved using a Vertical Exhaust Duct System (VEDS), a CPI passive cooling method used to remove 30kw heat loads. Imagine turning off half of your air handlers and you can extrapolate what your project owner’s savings can be. The VEDS system can be designed into a building or retrofitted afterwards. If you design ahead, you won’t have the extra expense of unnecessary air handlers as your Mechanical Contracting Design professional can attest.

It was good to meet other women in IT from the City of Chandler, APS, Amkor Technology, MDI Group, Vistx, Wesco, Berk-Tek Leviton and Enterprise Network Solutions. The Arizona IT Women’s Network meets monthly for lunch at ASU Skysong in Scottsdale. Gigabit Passive Optical Networks, Distributed Antenna Systems and Data Center Infrastructure Management Solutions are planned as topics through July. If you would be interested in attending let me know and I’ll send you an invite.

The post Data Center Cooling is a Hot Topic appeared first on Hagen Business Systems.

Today’s Dodge 2014 Construction Outlook drew 150+ people from the Arizona Builders Alliance, Construction Financial Management Association and the Construction Specifications Institute . The presenter, Cliff Brewis, Senior Director Operations at McGraw-Hill delivered an uplifting economic message for most of the Arizona Construction Industry.

While the unemployment rates for Arizona remain high, their forecast is for unquestionable improvement of 25.5% for 2014. Almost every construction market sector should expect positive growth with Health, Hotel and Single family homes leading the way. While the education market is growing it is primarily in research facilities rather than higher education or public school districts. The only sluggish markets forecasted with negative growth are highway and multi-residential.

The 2013 construction numbers totaled $10,363,555 and are expected to reach $13,010,293 in 2014. While this remains well off the highs of 2006 with over $24 million the forecast brought smiles to the audience with a promise of recovery in Arizona dramatically outpacing the United States as a whole. Sunny days are here again!

The post McGraw-Hill: Arizona Construction Economic Outlook Highlights appeared first on Hagen Business Systems.

PDF icons open up underlying documentation for each appliance or fixture

In the above example the PDF icon is shown with the attachment markup function.

This is easy to create using the Attachment option on the Markups Tab

Once you select the file and click to where you want it embedded on your plan set, you can open the Properties Tab on the Markup and change the ICON to PDF, Show File Name, paperclip, Tag, Graph, Attachment “push pin”, etc.  You could also include a Legend to explain what each symbol/icon represents (warranty, spec, photo, energy efficiency, etc).

Interactive As-Builts make the documentation make sense to everyone.  his is also great in the commercial space where a facilities manager might need to review maintenance instructions, etc.

To share these embedded PDFs on the planset with your homeowner, remember to flatten the document markups before sharing so the hyperlinks work using other PDF programs.  Remember it is likely that your homeowner will use a PDF reader that isn’t Bluebeam.  

Tip:  You can add other Icons to the Icon choices like a camera to symbolize embedded photos.

What do you do to make your as-builts pop?  Please share your ideas in the comments with our readers.

The post Bluebeam Revu Idea: The Ultimate HomeBuilder As-Built appeared first on Hagen Business Systems.