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April 13, 2016 • Vol. XXIX • No. 8 • 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215-885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215-885-2910
Inside
Wind Farm to Help Power N.C.
Record Numbers Attend World of Asphalt…8
“We moved probably about 1.5 million cubic yards of dirt,” said Rick Mixson, vice-president of Landmark Construction Company.
Cat Demonstrates New Line in Peoria…20
Landmark Construction Company Prepares Site for Volvo Plant in Charleston
Table of Contents ........4 Paving Section ......37-51 Skid Steer Section .............................. 55-77 Auction Section .............. ............................94-101 Business Calendar ......98 Advertisers Index ....102
CEG CORRESPONDENT
When Rick Mixson, vice-president of Landmark Construction Company first took a look at the Volvo plant project near Charleston, S.C., he figured the company would need to bid about $35 million to do the site preparation for the 726-acre project. That was quite a jump for a company accustomed to taking on projects generally in the $10 to $15 million range. So Mixson had a conversation with their bond company. Mixson said, “We can do this. There’s no reason we can’t handle this.’ They said, ‘Sure fine, go for it.’” But that $35 million bid soon turned to $50 million and then $60 million and on the day of the bid, $69 million. It was an exciting, scary time, but as it turned out a company out of Atlanta had
Construction work is under way in rural northeastern North Carolina on the first utilityscale wind farm in the state, and one of the first in the southeastern United States. If fully built out, the Desert Wind Power Project could deploy 150 wind turbines that would generate 300 megawatts of power at full capacity, and provide millions of dollars in tax and landowner revenue for years to come. “We started developing this project in 2009, so it’s incredibly rewarding to see the construction progress we’ve made since breaking ground last summer,” said Paul Copleman, communications manager, Iberdrola Renewables. “Wind turbine foundation construction is slated to begin in the next few weeks, so that will be an important step forward as we work toward
see VOLVO page 26
see POWER page 86
By Lori Tobias Looking Back at the History of Skid Steers…62
By Cindy Riley
CEG CORRESPONDENT
Construction Firms Add 37,000 Jobs in March Construction employment rose sharply in March by 37,000 for the month and 301,000 for the year, while construction spending in February logged a solid year-over-year increase despite a dip compared with January, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of
America. Association officials said the new jobs and spending indicate that the industry is steadily expanding to meet growing demand. “These two reports confirm that demand for construction is robust and well-balanced among residential, private nonresidential and public
segments," said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. "Compared with the same month a year ago, the industry is adding workers at more than double the rate of the overall economy, and construction spending continsee AGC page 84