Deep Dive: Page 3

Industry insights from our journalists


  • Image attribution tooltip
    Samuel Corum via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    10 ways the PRO Act could change the game for employers and organized labor

    Currently being considered in the Senate, the bill would strengthen the ability of unions to form and collectively bargain.

    Emilie Shumway • Aug. 5, 2021
  • Despite dodging tax hikes in infrastructure bill, contractors could still see higher rates

    While U.S. corporations have avoided tax increases in the Senate's proposed plan, public and private contractors could still see rates go up.

    Joe Bousquin • Aug. 4, 2021
  • Image attribution tooltip
    Zach Gibson via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    5 strategies construction firms use to lower their taxes

    From depreciation and carrying forward losses to research and development credits, public contractors rely on an array of tactics to help minimize tax bills.

    Joe Bousquin • July 8, 2021
  • Image attribution tooltip
    Getty / Edited by Industry Dive
    Image attribution tooltip

    Analysis: Public contractors' tax rates are among the lowest of any industry

    As President Joe Biden's proposal to raise corporate taxes has pushed the issue of what companies pay into the national spotlight, Construction Dive looks at public construction firms' tax bills.

    Joe Bousquin • June 23, 2021
  • Container yard port
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of DHL
    Image attribution tooltip

    Amid delays and rising prices, contractors turn to tech to mitigate supply disruptions

    Soaring material costs and supply chain woes are threatening a second-half rebound. Construction pros are looking to technology-based strategies to cope.

    Joe Bousquin • April 28, 2021
  • What contractors should know before going after public projects

    Private-sector contractors can grab a share of the billions slated for infrastructure work if they prepare themselves now. Here are six ways that public projects differ from other types of jobs.

    Kim Slowey • April 22, 2021
  • Capitol Hill
    Image attribution tooltip
    The image by Андрей Бобровский is licensed under CC BY 3.0
    Image attribution tooltip

    Could the PRO Act become law?

    Legal experts say it’s a long shot, but if passed, the Protecting the Right to Organize Act would drastically change worker-employer relations in many states.

    Zachary Phillips • April 14, 2021
  • A picture of the Ever Given stuck in the Suez from the Suez Canal Port Authority
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Suez Canal Authority
    Image attribution tooltip

    Soaring material prices, supply chain delays spook owners and developers

    The rising cost of many materials and increased sourcing headaches have project owners rethinking their return to normalcy and threaten to derail construction's expected resurgence.

    Joe Bousquin • April 12, 2021
  • Skyrocketing steel, lumber costs threaten to slow construction jobs

    As material prices jump, U.S. contractors are coping any way they can. Here are some best practices for working around price fluctuations and shortages.

    Joe Bousquin • Feb. 17, 2021
  • How the PRO Act would change the construction industry

    Reintroduced in Congress Thursday, the bill designed to strengthen unions has major implications for construction firms and the workers they employ.

    Zachary Phillips • Feb. 5, 2021
  • Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by CoStar Group, Inc.
    Image attribution tooltip

    Post-pandemic: How COVID-19 will change office, hotel and mixed-use design

    There are still unknowns as far as how the coronavirus pandemic will impact the look of new spaces, but flexibility in layouts will be key, design experts say.

    Kim Slowey • Jan. 25, 2021
  • The CoverMyMeds campus has air scrubbers like those used on submarines.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of CoverMyMeds, Cambridge and Perkins & Will
    Image attribution tooltip

    6 owners moving ahead in construction's hardest-hit sectors

    Although hospitality, office and retail saw deep pullbacks in 2020, some clients are taking the long view and keeping their construction jobs in play.

    Joe Bousquin • Jan. 20, 2021
  • Leona Bell, a housekeeper for Mercy in St. Louis, was among the first to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in the area. Hospitals across the country received the first doses on Monday, Dec. 14 2020.
    Image attribution tooltip

    Samantha Liss, Healthcare Dive

    Image attribution tooltip

    5 questions to ask before adopting a vaccine policy

    Despite recent Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidance, many employers have more questions than answers when it comes to coronavirus vaccine policies.

    Ryan Golden • Jan. 6, 2021
  • construction site
    Image attribution tooltip
    Retrieved from Jeremy Gilbert/Flickr.
    Image attribution tooltip

    2021 outlook: 6 trends that will influence construction this year

    Several factors – some positive, some less so – are poised to shape the industry in the new year.

    Joe Bousquin • Jan. 4, 2021
  • Tax changes on the horizon: What contractors need to know

    Construction pros must consider the effects of a Biden tax plan, potential coronavirus relief and other factors for their end-of-year strategy, industry accountants say.

    Kim Slowey • Dec. 14, 2020
  • Arby's drive-thru
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Arby's
    Image attribution tooltip

    Pandemic revs up drive-thru restaurant design

    With drive-thru traffic increasing in the double-digits, Arby's, McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, Taco Bell and others have developed building prototypes to better streamline operations.

    Julie Littman • Dec. 4, 2020
  • Contractors brace for more lockdowns as coronavirus cases spike nationwide

    Pros are doing what they can now to prepare for potential pandemic-induced halts to construction work in the winter months.

    Joe Bousquin • Nov. 30, 2020
  • 7 ways to prepare for potential COVID-19 construction shutdowns

    Are more stop-work orders ahead? Here's what to do to be able to come back in stride.

    Joe Bousquin • Nov. 30, 2020
  • Safety Stand Down at Griffith Company site in California
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Griffith Company
    Image attribution tooltip

    Construction's COVID-19 record might be worse than you think

    Despite a lack of definitive data, academic studies and local health authorities have found numerous outbreaks in construction.

    Joe Bousquin • Nov. 19, 2020
  • Image attribution tooltip
    Edwin Lopez / Construction Dive
    Image attribution tooltip

    Border wall breakup: Will blacklisting of contractors end if construction stops?

    "Name and shame" policies blocking border wall contractors from work with cities like Los Angeles and Austin, Texas, have been in effect since 2018. 

    Kim Slowey • Oct. 30, 2020
  • Border wall breakup: What would happen if Biden becomes president

    If Joe Biden wins and makes good on his promise to stop the construction of the U.S.-Mexico border wall, the contractors involved won't have options other than packing up and going home.

    Kim Slowey • Oct. 29, 2020
  • Image attribution tooltip
    The image by James Loesch is licensed under CC BY 2.0
    Image attribution tooltip

    The gas tax that funds infrastructure projects is broken. The pandemic could end it.

    As states and cities face budget crunches with gas tax revenues down, some are considering alternative ways to secure funding for infrastructure projects.

    Jason Plautz • Oct. 28, 2020
  • racism illustration
    Image attribution tooltip
    Yujin Kim/Construction Dive
    Image attribution tooltip

    Fixing construction's racism problem will take an industrywide effort

    To eradicate bigotry on jobsites, the first step is to acknowledge it exists, industry leaders say. Zero-tolerance policies, bystander intervention and a 'racism rating' are some of their other ideas.

    Joe Bousquin • Oct. 23, 2020
  • Image attribution tooltip

    Yujin Kim / Construction Dive

    Image attribution tooltip

    Construction firms step up efforts to eradicate hate

    From zero-tolerance policies to cash rewards for help in investigations and banning Confederate flags, here are the meaningful steps contractors are taking against racism.

    Joe Bousquin • Oct. 22, 2020
  • Image attribution tooltip

    Yujin Kim / Construction Dive with assets from A-Digit via Getty Images

    Image attribution tooltip

    Despite progress, ingrained racism still runs deep in construction

    While incidents of nooses and hateful graffiti on jobsites have made headlines in 2020, discrimination in the construction industry often manifests itself in more subtle, systemic ways.

    Joe Bousquin • Oct. 21, 2020