The number of unemployed workers with construction experience dropped to the lowest total for September since 2000, as hiring continued to slow despite robust demand for construction, according to a recent analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America.

“Growth in the construction workforce has been slowing throughout 2015, just at the time that construction spending has accelerated to a multi-year high,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Contractors would love to hire more workers but there aren’t enough qualified craft workers or supervisors available.”

Insurance is an agreement in which a person makes regular payments to a company and the company promises to pay money if the person is injured or dies, or to pay money equal to the value of something (such as a house or car) if it is damaged, lost, or stolen

Although insurance is a requirement in many cases, it is important to understand regardless of the type of insurance you have it is designed to help protect you and your family.

Congress’ Sept. 30 approval of an additional $625 million to complete the bloated Veterans Affairs hospital project in Aurora, Colo., also came with a big stick: the VA must relinquish management of all construction projects over $100 million, preferably to the Army Corps of Engineers.

That stipulation arose after allegations that VA officials have “fundamentally mismanaged” the Aurora project—now estimated to cost $1.675 billion, more than three times its original budget—and failed to control runaway costs on VA hospital construction in Orlando and New Orleans, among others. The Corps has already taken over project management in Aurora.

Saving money is important to most everyone, shopping out your insurance is a good way to make sure you are still getting the best price for your coverages. Start saving on your car insurance today when you get a free online auto insurance quote.  On our website you are able to shop insurance benefits and cost for many different companies. Compare today day and get your free insurance quote.

PAFMAC, a new cooling system that allows guests to control the temperature of their rooms, has been implemented in its first U.S. hotel. While the system has already been installed in over 100 hotels in Japan, Kitano Hotel, a 650-room hotel in Murray Hill, is the first to use the product in North America.

Building permits issued in New York City rose for the sixth consecutive year, according to an analysis of data by the New York Building Congress.

Permits authorizing construction rose 156% in Fiscal Year 2015 (July 1, 2014 – June 30, 2015) compared with FY 2014 with 52,618 permits issued for residential units in the just ended fiscal year, according to NYBC analysis of U.S. Census data

The number of permits rose in each of the five boroughs, but Brooklyn experienced a 225% increase with 23,326 dwelling units authorized for construction in FY 2015, compared to 7,181 in FY 2014.

Workers compensation insurance typically only covers injuries or illnesses when they occur as a result of duties performed on the job or while at work. Examples of injuries that may be covered by workers compensation insurance include injuries caused by lifting heavy equipment, slipping on a wet or oily surface, or sustaining injury due to fires or explosions.  Many state workers compensation programs do not provide coverage for injuries that occur while an employee is not acting within the scope of employment.

Construction has started on a $24 million rehabilitation center in the Mid-City neighborhood of New Orleans. When completed, the Cobalt Medical Center will be a state-of-the-art medical facility and rehabilitation hospital to treat traumatic brain injuries, concussions, Parkinson’s Disease and other services. While the project officially broke ground in the summer of 2014, construction was delayed for a year and recently resumed in late July.

Professional liability insurance, also called errors and omissions insurance, protects your business from claims of negligence even if you have not made a mistake.

General contractors in Texas and Louisiana are seeing steady work across much of the region. Once again, plentiful and cheap natural gas is lending a hand to the business; three of the largest projects that broke ground this past year among the top-five-ranked contractors were energy-related.

Workers compensation insurance is a mandatory type of insurance which is carried by many businesses. Workers compensation insurance covers medical costs and a portion of lost wages for an employee who becomes injured or ill on the job.

Workers’ comp insurance also helps to protects companies from being sued by employees for workplace conditions that can cause an injury or illness.

In the heart of the Texas Medical Center near downtown Houston, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is creating a new front door for the campus. The eight-story Pavilion, being built where an existing rotunda was demolished, expands the hospital’s surgery and interventional radiology (IR) services.

The project team, led by McCarthy Building Cos. and HKS, was selected for the project after working with MDA on the $240-million Alkek vertical expansion, completed on the campus in 2011.

Many businesses owners quickly realize that their needs extend beyond basic liability and business auto insurance policies. Certain jobs will require specific coverages, employees need protection, and a number of risks fall outside the protection of basic liability coverage.

When business insurance coverages are packaged together, it’s often referred to as a Business Owners Policy or other wise know as a BOP. Additional coverages in a BOP might include:

1) Property: This can protect your commercial buildings and most of your personal property. Both of which are not covered by a liability insurance policy. Liability normally covers other people’s assets, and not yours.

2) Workers’ compensation: If you have employees, you will need to carry Workers’ Compensation insurance since it is required coverage to be legal. Workers’ Compensation insurance can pay for things like medical costs and lost wages of employees who become ill or injured on the job.

3)Professional Liability: Do you give professional advice or provide a professional service? If so, you should probably carry Professional Liability insurance.

Domain Cos. will construct another 15-story building in a fourth phase of development at its South Market District project in downtown New Orleans.

The new building will be designed to house 89 upper-level condominiums and 24,000 sq ft of ground floor retail space. The condos, which will be known as “The Standard,” will feature a mix of one, two and three-bedroom units. There will also be a resident clubhouse and bar with media lounge, a state-of-the-art fitness center. Construction will also include a 30,000-sq-ft amenity deck on the third flood with a pool, cabanas and an outdoor kitchen.

If you have a business, you are exposed to number of risks such as accidents, illnesses, lawsuits  While the number of risks you are exposed to is almost unlimited, you might only need a few basic coverage’s to start out with.

1) General Liability Insurance: All small businesses, old and new, need general liability insurance. It is basic liability protection that guards against things like accidents, injuries, property damage and lawsuits.

2) Business Auto Insurance: If you use vehicles for work, you will need Business Auto insurance to be fully covered. Personal policies do not usually cover work related incidents. Some companies will offer you a discount up to about 15% if you combine your Business Auto with your General Liability.

Urban Ventures, LLC, and White Construction Group are trailblazing a progressive redevelopment, Steam on the Platte, by rediscovering the city’s oldest (and newest) urban neighborhood. Steam on the Platte is a 3.2-acre, mixed-use project in Denver’s abandoned, industrial corridor of the Platte River, located near the I-25 viaduct at 14th Avenue and Zuni Street. Construction will begin in fourth quarter of 2015, and the first phase will be completed by third quarter of 2016.

Whether you own your own business van and make deliveries, or operate a company van,  commercial van insurance can provide you with the insurance coverage you need. Examples of businesses that require commercial van insurance include:

* Couriers
* Expeditors
* Florists
* Caterers that make deliveries
* Electricians, plumbers or tradesmen making service calls

One of the bridges along the North Metro Rail Line will be the longest in RTD’s FasTracks program. It will also be the longest bridge in Colorado. Construction began in early August 2015 and it will take about two years to complete.

It’s called the Skyway Bridge and it will carry commuter trains through north metro Denver, crossing 11 existing transportation corridors and waterways.

It is important to point out that every business has different needs. With business insurance, you can customize a policy just for you to ensure both you and your business are fully protected.

When purchasing a commercial auto insurance policy, an insurance agent will help you choose exactly the right coverage for your business so you do not have to make those important decisions alone.

The Regional Transportation District Board of Directors approved in late July a $140-million, two-phased contract award to Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Inc. (BBII) to design and build the Southeast Rail Extension in Denver. Design will begin this fall, with construction expected to start in spring 2016.

The construction phase is dependent on the award of a Full Funding Grant Agreement from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). BBII has committed to completing construction of the line by early 2019.

While the decision to purchase commercial auto insurance for some businesses can be obvious, for others businesses it can be more complicated. Such as, even though an Avon representative may use her car to deliver products once a week, a personal insurance policy would still normally fit her needs.  If you are not sure about the type of insurance you need call your insurance agent for clarification

The New York City Council on Aug. 13 passed legislation aimed at preventing the spread of diseases such as the outbreak of Legionnaire’s disease in the Bronx that has killed at least a dozen people.

The legislation requires cooling towers in the city to be registered with the city’s Dept. of Buildings and inspected on a quarterly basis. If a test comes back positive for microbes, such as the bacteria that cause Legionnaires’ disease, the owner of the tower would have to clean and disinfect the system in accordance with Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene regulations.

According to The U.S. Surgeon General’s report on Oral Health in America, employed adults lose more than 164 million hours of work each year due to dental disease or dental visits. Avoiding having to miss out on work due to dental care issues by having good dental habits at home and by seeing your dentist regularly.

In addition if you do not currently have dental insurance for yourself and or family now is the time to really think about buying some.  Dental insurance will help keep your dental care cost more affordable and studies show people with dental insurance are more likely make and keep their dental appointments.  To review dental insurance plans in your location you can visit dental4less.com

Hoboken, New Jersey,  Stevens Institute of Technology celebrated the completion of the SURE HOUSE, an environmentally sustainable, resilient house for coastal communities – one that could better withstand a storm the size and force of Hurricane Sandy.

The  SURE HOUSE will serve as Stevens’ entry into the 2015 Solar Decathlon, a biennial competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy which challenges teams from the world’s most prestigious institutions to design, build and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient and attractive.

EverPower Wind Holdings has proposed building a 300-MW wind farm in Steuben County, New York near the Pennsylvania border. The Pittsburgh-based developer is proposing the project through its subsidiary Baron Winds, the company said in a filing made March 6 with the New York Public Service Commission.

The company said the commercial scale project will be built on leased private lands in a rural area that will include 150 wind turbines, a collection substation and nine miles of 230-kV transmission line. It will interconnect with New York State Electric & Gas’s Hillside-Meyer 230-kV transmission line at the Canandaigua substation.