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April 9th, 2020 | Published by NEW Construction AllianceThe COVID-19 situation has affected everyone—whether one has had the virus or not—and all businesses. In the construction industry, this has taken many forms: shortages and disruptions to supply chains; delays or cancellations to projects and workforce challenges.
Like all things, this too shall pass—hopefully sooner than later.
Like many of you, the NEW Construction Alliance, has had to tighten the belt, cut back where possible and plan for the light at the end of the tunnel to ensure we can cover the distance from here to there.
Membership dues compromise the great majority of our annual budget. While our focus is growth, the current circumstances have effectively shuttered our ability to recruit new members. So in the interest of providing the best value to our members, we have refocused our efforts on the following:
• CONSTRUCTION IMAGE: The construction trades offer amazing opportunities to the young, the underemployed and everyone in between. But unfortunately, too few know this or have been dissuaded by negative portrayals of our industry. We continue to develop language and branding to help change that into a positive image to all of our audiences.
• CONSTRUCTION WORKFORCE COMMUNICATION: We are working hard to provide the most up-to-date and reliable information about all that affects our industry and workforce through our weekly newsletter, website and social media.
• WORKFORCE RESOURCES: The Alliance continues to build high-quality resources to help fulfill human capital needs, as well as best practices and other helpful programs that benefit our members.
• GRANT WRITING & THIRD-PARTY FUNDING: We were already working on this front prior to Coronavirus striking, but are using this time to develop alternative funding channels, particularly through grant applications and other, similar third-part funding sources.
And while we’ve all heard our fair share of the difficulties Coronavirus has brought, there is some good news: It is almost unanimously believed that when the stay-at-home orders are lifted throughout the country that a huge construction boom will follow.
Our friends at the Construction Dive provide prescient insights in how construction companies can use this “downtime” to properly prepare to kick things into high gear once the all-clear is given.
They interviewed John Robbins, Turner & Townsend’s managing director and USA and North America head of real estate, about the short-term and long-term realities the industry will face.
He said: "It will be a strategic balancing act of demand with resources and available materials," adding that city, state and municipal agencies will have to deliver "high levels of cooperation" to maintain a quick turnaround of permits and other approvals.
You can read all of Robbins insights and advice here.