In today’s news, we will look into Building Zone Industries’ growth in five years through their patented construction technology and innovations, which bring higher safety and building efficiency. With a gain of 19 thousand jobs, the construction industry‘s unemployment rate is getting close to an “all-time low.” This month, in Bentonville, the world’s first bikeable ledger office building is being built. On Thursday, UVA and Foundation executives, including President Jim Ryan, broke ground on a new hotel and convention center with an estimated cost of $130.5 million.
BZI’s patented construction technology and innovations bring higher safety and building efficiency
Original Source: BZI Exceeds 10-Fold Growth in Five Years Through Its Patented Construction Technology and Innovations Bringing Higher Safety and Building Efficiencies
The steel erection and fabrication company attracts the nation’s leading companies and retailers, receives industry approval for methods, and promotes a 2-week SteelTech Academy for all BZI team members.
BZI technology and methods address increased warehouse demand, faster completion times, and outmoded building safety regulations.
Building Zone Industries, LLC (BZI) (www.bzisteel.com), a national leader in construction and technology for safer, simpler, and more efficient building processes, announced today that the company’s patented and proprietary construction equipment, exclusive innovations and processes in steel erection and fabrication, wall panelization, and roofing systems have increased revenue more than 10-fold and employee base to 450 in only five years. BZI’s unique building equipment, creative procedures, and exclusive SteelTech Academy attract the world’s most renowned firms, retailers, and general contractors, enhancing worker safety and project timeframes.
BZI is hyper-focused on changing the steel and construction sectors through breakthrough ideas, team performance, and expedited project delivery, stated BZI CEO James Barlow.
BZI technology has transformed steel erection, fabrication, and wall panelization. BZI’s distinctive technology and techniques allow steel modules to be fabricated on the ground and subsequently installed. The company has developed innovative ergonomic positions, engineering and design techniques, and workflow to make steel construction and erection faster and safer.
“Our new tactics are making a major and demonstrable difference,” said Barlow. We’re raising the bar for building, engineering, and steel.
BZI’s InnovaTechTM business, created in 2017, developed exclusive and patented enhanced methodologies and technology.
Panel TableTM transforms joist, bridging, frame, and deck assembly and transport.
MezzMasterTM improves roof and mezzanine lifting
Roof Terrain Vehicles (RTV)TM provide safe, efficient access to connecting points.
WallMasterTM improves wall system installations.
SkyBrace TM is a structural bracing system.
BeamChamp TM rotates steel beams for welding and inspection more efficiently and safely.
The company analyzed every part of its construction workflow and sought innovative ways to make its procedures safer and more efficient. Barlow: “Just because a sector has a longstanding heritage doesn’t imply it’s best for our workers and customers.” “Our questions led to expanded thinking, new equipment, execution methods, and stronger performance records.”
A Cal Poly study verifies BZI’s “top-down” building process.
Some of the world’s leading firms and retailers come to BZI for their warehouse and brick and mortar needs due to a rising need for warehouse facilities and BZI’s ability to improve building times and worker safety. BZI is witnessing increased demand from chip manufacturers, battery makers, data centers, and warehouse distributors.
“Prospect Steel is thrilled to watch BZI develop, innovate, and transform the market with their unique building systems,” said Ryan Walmsley, Vice President at Prospect Steel, which has partnered with BZI over the last five years to build significant e-commerce facilities in numerous states. “Our principles of ‘People, Quality, Safety, and Innovation’ fit with BZI’s’ Teamwork and Innovation in Action. ‘” These attributes will continue to benefit the industry and our consumers.
The company’s innovations are helping to solve challenges in the steel and construction industries, such as labor scarcity, cost overruns and delays in mega-scale projects, and on-site safety conditions, which make construction one of the industries with the highest fatality rates. “Our fresh ways of thinking and upsetting the usual are leading to better-than-industry safety numbers and a positive ripple impact on the lives and families of construction workers,” said Barlow.
BZI’s innovations can help meet the demand for 330 million square feet of online fulfillment warehouse space by 2025. BZI innovations have increased productivity, allowing the company to raise 2.5 million square feet of steel per month. Since 2017, BZI has built 85.7 million square feet.
“It’s rewarding to be headquartered in a tiny Utah community and know our technological advances are saving lives and attracting global firms,” said Barlow.
Building Zone Industries, LLC (BZI) is headquartered in Kanarraville, Utah. BZI develops new technologies, equipment, and procedures to improve safety and efficiency. Building Zone Industries (steel erection), BZI Steel (steel fabrication), and InnovaTech (specialist design, engineering, and innovations) deal with large retail, distribution, and industrial clients in the U.S. and overseas. SteelTech Academy gives all employees a two-week safety and training program. BZI began as farmers building pole barns and has since become a global producer of steel and construction services. AISC-accredited company has executed large construction projects in 49 states. BZI is thrilled to be part of the Forbes Business Council and join other creative companies and executives.
With 19K new jobs, construction’s unemployment rate nears “all-time low”
Original Source: Construction’s Jobless Rate Nears ‘All-Time Low’ With 19K Jobs Gain
The U.S. economy added 263,000 jobs in September, according to the BLS’s Oct. 7 data. Despite meeting analyst predictions, stock markets were down on fears that the Federal Reserve may raise interest rates.
Anirban Basu, chief economist for Associated Builders and Contractors, stated, “Today’s employment data was amazing, which in this upside-down, inside-out economic situation implies it was actually dreadful.”
If lending rates rise “too substantially,” Basu said, “the rebound in nonresidential activity might buckle.”
Nonresidential structures drive construction job growth. Nonresidential construction added 13,100 jobs in September.
Subcontractors gained 11,200 nonresidential and 6,500 residential jobs in September for a total of 17,700.
Nonresidential builders increased 2,400 jobs in September, while residential builders lost 100. Heavy and civil engineering firms lost 500 positions, reducing nonresidential job growth to 13,100.
September’s construction unemployment rate dropped from 3.9% to 3.4%.
Contractors hiring?
The BLS reported a 0.7% average pay increase for September, according to the Associated General Contractors of America. AGC: “Even with salary rises, many contractors can’t locate qualified personnel.”
Ken Simonson, AGC chief economist, said “job listings in September were at record levels and the industry’s unemployment rate was near to an all-time low, suggesting jobs will remain hard to fill.”
Basu cited ABC’s most recent member poll to say contractors are optimistic despite higher borrowing rates.
“Backlog remains stable, and many contractors foresee increased sales, employment, and profit margins,” he said. “Their main problem is a dearth of experienced craft specialists, not insufficient demand for construction services.”
Ledger office building opens in Bentonville this month
Original Source: Ledger office building debuts this month in downtown Bentonville
The world’s first bikeable office building is being built in Bentonville.
240 S. Main St.’s 230,000-square-foot mixed-use Ledger building will soon be partially open after two years of construction.
Mary Best, the building’s operations director, said Ledger members can start working there on Oct. 17. The Ledger offers various membership categories with differing lengths of time and perks. About 150 Ledger members can start working in the facility this month, according to Best.
“We will open bookable spaces in November and event spaces in January,” Best added. The Ledger is hosting an open house in December.
Ledger will offer flexible, on-demand, and traditional workspaces to corporate, flexible, and growth-stage tenants. There has been no news about firms leasing office space, but the Ledger will have a tourism element, at least briefly.
Walmart announced Friday (Oct. 7) that the Walmart Museum will move to the Ledger while the current museum two blocks north undergoes renovations. Walmart’s renovations are expected to extend until 2024.
On Nov. 1, the Museum at The Ledger will open in the lobby.
“Our temporary presence at The Ledger has given us an exceptional opportunity to provide visitors with a unique and customized experience,” Walmart’s VP of corporate real estate said in a blog post.
Downtown Bentonville Inc. is also organizing a 20th anniversary event at Ledger. “A Celebration of 20 Eventful Years” is set for Oct. 25. A VIP celebration will be held from 4-5 p.m., followed by a general reception with live music, hors d’oeuvres, and building tours. The 20th anniversary website has ticket info.
Several companies want to lease retail space in Ledger, including Airship Coffee, Specialized Bicycle Components of California, and Mertins Eye & Optical of Fayetteville. best directed queries concerning the company’s opening dates to them.
Airship owner Mark Bray has no set date.
Bray said finish work, including cabinets and countertops, is scheduled for the latter week of November, followed by equipment installation. So, the end of year or soon after looks possible.
Ledger’s property operations manager expects move-in dates to be set by mid-November.
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Ledger’s most noticeable design aspect is community-based. Six-story outside design includes a 3,900-foot bike and pedestrian route. The zig-zag design on South Main Street provides outdoor access on every floor via terraces.
Best said pedestrians and bikers can access Ledger’s outdoor route on Oct. 28.
The design was a collaboration between Marlon Blackwell Architects of Fayetteville, Michel Rojkind, Christian Callaghan, and Haruka Horiuchi. Bentonville business HFA handled MEP, civil, surveying, and permitting for building and site design.
Nabholz Construction in Rogers has a $51.6 million building permit. That sum does not include Ledger’s detached 8-story parking garage with 500 slots. The first floor is a public space.
Cushman & Wakefield/Sage Partners will lease and operate the project. Hunt Ventures in Rogers is the property management and leasing branch of Johnelle Hunt’s Hunt Ventures in Rogers.
Josh Kyles is the landowner (1.74 acres) and Ledger’s developer.
“Our aim from day one was to provide Bentonville with a Class A workplace that extends beyond just an office building,” Kyles told the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal in September. “The Ledger will be NWA’s business and community center.”
Shovelfuls of dirt signal start of UVA Hotel construction
Original Source: Several Shovelfuls Of Soil Signal Start Of UVA Hotel Construction Project
President Jim Ryan and other UVA and Foundation leaders broke ground on a $130.5 million hotel and convention complex on Thursday.
Once completed, the hotel, convention center, and the School of Data Science will anchor a 15-acre tract that will serve as a gateway to University Grounds.
Jennifer “J.J.” Wagner Davis, the university’s executive vice president and COO, hosted the ceremony.
Colette Sheehy, senior vice president for operations and state government relations, praised the hotel and conference center and cited the partners that made the project possible.
“We’ve teamed with a number of design firms, contractors, and consultants to guarantee the hotel is well-designed and built,” Sheehy added.
Ryan discussed the hotel and conference center’s impact on the university and community. He pointed out the School of Data Science building being built behind him and the projected Karsh Institute of Democracy and performing arts complex. The plot will connect the Central and North Grounds.
“This is the university’s entrance door,” he said. The hotel and conference center will be a gathering point for prospective students and their parents, data scientists, and law school and medical school staff. This bridge will strengthen the community and connect predictable and unpredictable realms.
Rector Whitt Clement commented on the corridor’s impact on the university’s success and future.
He said, “This took a long time.” “It’s nice to look forward positively.” This dynamic corridor will connect North Grounds, the athletic precinct, and Central Grounds.
Tim Rose, CEO of the University of Virginia Foundation, praised past and present team members and Pyramid Global Hospitality, which will administer the hotel and convention center.
“Virginia has a rich tradition of hospitality, and its flagship university has launched on a terrific and good plan,” said Rose. “We enjoy the chance to help UVA students, teachers, staff, neighbors, and tourists.”
After the speeches, university and UVA Foundation leaders used silver shovels to commence work. University architect Alice Raucher, Rose, Davis, Ryan, Clement, and Don Sundgren dug.
In 2021, the Board of Visitors authorized plans for a 223,000-square-foot hotel and convention center on the southwest corner of the Emmet/Ivy parking structure, establishing the Emmet-Ivy Corridor landscape. The hotel should be finished by spring 2025 and open by summer.
The public hotel and conference facility will host university events and meetings. The 214-room hotel will provide convenient, centrally situated lodgings for visiting academics and lecturers, prospective professors and students, returning alumni, career recruiters, and other guests.
Charlottesville will include a 10,000-square-foot ballroom. A junior ballroom, meeting rooms, and rooftop venues should improve statewide convention opportunities and local jobs. The four-story hotel will have a full-service restaurant, a café, a grab-and-go eatery, and a welcome center.
The building will be LEED-certified and meet the university’s 2030 environmental goals. The roof is designed to take solar panels in the future, and rainwater runoff will go into a pond near the parking garage. A stream and plantings will support biodiversity and give summer shade.
The hotel’s red brick facade will match the nearby School of Data Science. White precast panels will accentuate the third-floor conference and terrace spaces, second-floor outdoor dining along the south façade, and west-facing ballroom. A top-floor function suite will have a terrace with Rotunda views.
Benchmark wants to create ties with local high schools, community colleges, and trade schools to prepare people for hospitality jobs.
Deborah Berke Partners of New York and Hanbury Architects of Virginia designed the hotel and conference center with UVA’s Office of the Architect, UVA Foundation, and UVA Facilities Management.
Summary of today’s construction news
Overall, we discussed Building Zone Industries, which has had a 10-fold growth in just five years thanks to its patented construction technology and innovations that bring higher levels of building safety and efficiency. According to figures published by the BLS on October 7th, the economy of the United States added 263,000 jobs in the month of September. The unemployment rate in the construction industry fell from 3.9% to 3.4% in September. After two years of development, the Ledger building at 240 S. Main St. in Bentonville, the first bikeable office building in the world, will soon be largely open. The groundbreaking ceremony for the new UVA Hotel, which will cost a total of $130.5 million, was presided over by UVA President Jim Ryan and other UVA and Foundation officials.
