Procurement News Notice |
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| PNN | 3474 |
| Work Detail | You may have noticed just driving around there's no shortage of construction sites across the Ozarks. Some parts of the industry are so busy that there's a waiting list. An expansion for the Ozark Junior High starts from the ground up, and those doing the earthwork are moving as quickly as they can. Dale Gillespie, owner of Gillespie Excavating says, "Scheduling is a real problem right now, trying to cover all the jobs that we do have on contract." Gillespie says both the private and public sectors are in a building boom. "Some projects were probably delayed for a better market, better economy, and that gate is open now, and we're seeing that work and new work as well coming to the marketplace now," Gillespie said. He and his 18 employees are working about 50 hours a week, some Saturdays, and working around unseasonably wet weather. "We're as busy as we like to be, and I know a lot of my competition is as well," Gillespie said. Though the project at Ozark Junior High is on schedule, Gillespie says his crew was about two weeks later than planned getting there. "For new projects, I'm telling folks 45 days. For existing projects, it's not uncommon to have a 2 week delay," Gillespie said. Dewitt and Associates, the general contractor on the job site, says other parts of the construction industry, like concrete and steel delivery are also backed up. "Schedule wise, it's hard to keep things rolling when they're that busy," said Darrell Montgomery of Dewitt and Associates. Gillespie has bought more equipment and hired more people. "Skilled operators are at a premium, hard to find and takes quite a while to train for my industry," said Gillespie. But they're all happy to have the work. "We just hope it can continue at this level," Gillespie said. Gillespie says as busy as they are, it was even more so in 2008, then a lot of folks in the excavating industry were laid off. He says many left the area for work, but some have returned. |
| Country | United States , Northern America |
| Industry | Construction |
| Entry Date | 03 Sep 2016 |
| Source | http://www.ky3.com/content/news/Construction-boom-leaves-excavators-and-others-extra-busy-391342531.html |
