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February 2 2011 Vol. XLIX • No. 3
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded 1957.”
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Inside
Wheel Loaders Help Big Apple Go Green…8
Construction Firms Plan to Hire More in ’11 More construction firms are planning to hire workers this year than are planning to make layoffs, according to the results of an industry-wide survey released Jan. 24 by the Associated General Contractors of America and Navigant. The survey, conducted as part of the Construction Industry Hiring and Business Outlook, shows the industry may finally be emerging from a severe downturn
that has left millions of skilled workers unemployed. “This won't be an easy year for most firms, but it will be better than last year,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s chief executive officer. “If current trends continue, this industry will be in a much better position 12 months from now than it is today.” Sandherr noted that while 55 percent of
firms laid off staff and only 20 percent of firms added employees in 2010, the outlook is more positive for 2011. He said that 27 percent of construction firms report they plan to add staff in 2011 while only 20 percent report plan layoffs. Even more positive, expanding firms plan to hire an average of 23 employees, while contracting firms plan to lay off an see HIRING page 28
Funding Issues in Minn. Felt Across United States By Giles Lambertson CEG CORRESPONDENT JC B Rolls Out New Iron at Walsh Equipment …14
DiMar ino Br ings New Life to Football Field…16
Table of Contents ............4 Truck & Trailer Section .... ..................................59-63 Crushing, Screening & Recycling Section ....67-81 Attachment Section .......... ..............................101-111 Business Calendar ......112 Parts Section ..............113 Auction Section ..119-128 Advertisers Index........126
As Minnesota addresses its highway construction needs, so might the country. The upper Midwestern state, like the United States, starts 2011 with new Republican clout in the capitol, conservative resistance to flagrant earmarks, and way more projects than project dollars. To illustrate highway funding issues facing the United States, CEG decided to ratchet down the national confrontation to state and local levels. Specifically, what lessons are there for Washington in a southern Minnesota standoff over a dangerous stretch of U.S. Highway 14? Not many, as it turns out. CEG found that similar political roadblocks frustrate policy-making at the state and national levels. But the numbers facing legislators in St. Paul are smaller than in Washington and, hence, more compre- The Minnesota portion of Highway 14 is the main east-west roadway across hendible. The state’s road-building process also seems some- the southern end of the state besides Interstate 90. what less fractured by special interest wedges, its deadlocks perhaps less intractable. Hwy. 14 runs from the northwest Cook County suburbs of Chicago to Yellowstone National Park. Its pasTrico Lift, a privately owned full-service aerial lift Location assets included in the agreement include sage through Minnesota is the main company based in New Jersey, announced the final one in Baltimore, Md., and another in Lancaster, Pa. east-west roadway across the south- closing of an asset purchase agreement with the The sharing of two Pennsylvania facilities in King of ern end of the state besides Interstate Modern Group Ltd, one of the nation’s largest indus- Prussia and Allentown also is part of the deal, bring90. Hwy. 14 jogs north at Mankato trial equipment distribution firms. ing Trico Lift’s location count to 13. and then runs through the Minnesota At the end of last year, Trico Lift entered into an The unique aspect of the agreement includes a River valley before crossing the agreement with Modern, which is based in Bristol, reciprocating marketing alliance whereby Modern Pa., to buy the Modern Group’s aerial lift assets. The will market Trico Lift’s aerial work platform prodriver at New Ulm. The area is largely agricultural integration of Modern’s lift assets will expand the ucts and services to its customer base and Trico Lift with some attendant agribusinesses, Millville, N.J., based company’s fleet by more than will assist in making referrals for Modern’s industriincluding a large Archer Daniels 700 pieces of primary lift equipment bringing its al forklift products and services to its customer base. total fleet size to nearly 4,000. see TRICO page 30 see FUNDING page 22
Trico Lift Closes on Modern Asset Deal