Dillingham Construction Corp. Even regions that had been struggling are upbeat. The Austin Co. But the productivity gains of Austin's latest investment in computers are paying off. We don't have to send people to regional offices for months at a time. The speed and functionality of the equipment has helped make the technology pay off, but so has the employees' growing familiarity with it, says Pat Flanagan, chief operating officer. Many contractors have been slow to take advantage of new technology.
Technology also is a market driver.
You have to consider everything from equipment to systems to harmonics. There are no dumb boxes anymore. A growing trend is the use of financial incentives by clients. Often, these clauses are tied as much to schedules and quality as to monetary savings and contain penalty clauses, as well, says Walsh. You can't come in to an interview on a hospital job with someone whose last project was a shopping mall.