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April 16, 2014 • Vol. XXVI • No. 8 • 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215-885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215-885-2910
Inside
Nicole Frakes, NEA Baptist photo
Described as the largest health care investment in Arkansas in the last decade, the new NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital and Clinic is expected to have a significant impact on the Jonesboro, Ark., community.
N.C. Interstate Junction Undergoes Repairs…12
Ritchie Bros. Holds Auction in Atlanta, Ga. …86
Ark. Makes Largest Health Care Investment in 10 Years Described as the largest health care investment in Arkansas in the last decade, the new NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital and Clinic is expected to have a significant impact on the Jonesboro, Ark., community. After months of construction — employing more than 700 workers at peak — the campus has officially opened to the public. “Both health care and our community are constantly changing, and we saw the need to make adjustments to best meet the growing needs in our community,” said Brad Parsons, NEA Baptist Hospital CEO and administrator. “Guided by our commitment to providing high-quality care to the people of northeast Arkansas, we realized the needs of our community included access to a higher level of care right here at
By Cindy Riley
CEG CORRESPONDENT
JM Wood Conducts Annual Spring Sale…88
Table of Contents ................4 Skid Steers, Compact Track Loaders & Attachments Section ..........................45-57 Paving Section ..............59-70 Parts Section ......................71 Business Calendar ............72 Auction Section ............83-91 Advertisers Index ..............90
see NEA page 38
No Margin for Error...
Road Work Study Spells Safety Issues Forty-five percent of highway contractors had motor vehicles crash into their construction work zones during the past year, according to the results of a new highway work zone study conducted by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials added that the study found work zone crashes are more likely to kill vehicle operators and passengers than construction workers. “There is little margin for error when you work within a few inches of thousands of fast-moving vehicles,” said Tom Case, the chair of the association’s national highway and transportation division and senior vice president of Watsonville, Calif.-based Granite Construction. “As the data makes clear, not enough drivers are slowing down and staying alert near work sites.” Case said that 43 percent of contractors reported that motor vehicle operators or see STUDY page 89
Jobs in March Hit Highest Level Since June 2009 Construction employers added 19,000 workers to payrolls in March, bringing industry employment to the highest level since June 2009, while the industry’s unemployment rate dropped to the lowest March level in seven years, according to an analysis of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials warned that the pool of available workers is declining rapidly, raising the prospects for significant labor shortages if demand continues to expand.
“The rate of construction hiring continues to outrun job growth in the overall economy for the past year,” said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist. “Furthermore, the pickup has been well balanced, as both nonresidential and residential construction segments added workers last month and over the past 12 months.” Construction employment totaled 5.9 million in March, a gain of 151,000 or 2.6 percent from a year earlier, compared with a rise in total non-
farm employment of 1.7 percent over that period, Simonson noted. Residential building and specialty trade contractors added a combined total of 9,100 workers in March and 103,000 (4.8 percent) over 12 months. Nonresidential construction — building, specialty trades and heavy and civil engineering contractors — grew by 9,900 employees last month and 48,800 (1.3 percent) since March 2013. “Although most construction employers who see JOBS page 34