Jeff Gavin

Sports and sustainability have teamed up. Not only are professional sports venues, campus athletic buildings and community recreation centers built with cost savings in mind and achieved through clean energy, energy efficienc...

Everything can evolve, even the humble parking garage. Today, pioneering garages are accommodating electric cars, using wireless power and operating sustainably. Parking structures in the 21st century could soon be a link bet...

We are in the second longest expansion of the U.S. economy (eight years and 11 months). Strong fundamentals continue to fuel growth as “slow and steady” wins the day. However, recessions are part of every economic cycle. So,...

When safety is second nature for electrical contractors, they are stronger and better construction team members. However, making safety a core company value takes more than good management; it takes leaders. If your crew memb...

Passive house (PH) building design is challenging, meticulous and energy-focused. It began as a niche approach to deliver serious energy efficiency for single-family construction. Now gaining traction across the United States...

It seems data and technology have become the accelerant to achieving smart city goals. Infrastructure in the 21st century will contain a confluence of devices that include power-efficient sensors, wireless networks and mobile...

In the construction community, the internet of things (IoT) may have been a curiosity at one point. Soon, it might become the next specification. The International Data Corp. (IDC), a global advisory and market intelligence s...

If the economy went in for a checkup, the doctor would likely say, “Keep doing what you’re doing.” Overall, things are positive with no surprises. We’re at full employment. Inflation is in check. The stock market is confident...

Old McDonald may have a farm, but these days you don’t have to leave the city to find it. Urban agriculture is bringing farm-to-table in the purest sense to metropolitan customers while rewriting crop yields and farming resil...

Tech disruption can be a scary phrase. It can feel too fast, too soon. Break through the anxiety, however, and technology can ease and improve processes and performance. For the electrical contractor, maybe the time is ripe f...

A new light is appearing. Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) stand where LEDs stood about 10 years ago—promising but expensive. But, as LEDs demonstrated, rapid advances can lower cost and speed up adoption. That’s the exp...

The construction labor shortage isn’t going away. In fact, it’s growing. In response, the value of a trade education also is rising. It’s beginning to change minds and attitudes.
 Tradespeople are today’s salespeople—educatin...