February 2012
I must say we are off to a slow start in 2012. We have a lot of projects on the fire and several of them are in the infamous “waiting for financing” stage. Whatever happened to all the money the government gave the banks to stimulate the economy?
We are continuing our efforts to go into our community and develop/rekindle relationships. This slow period gives us a good opportunity to reach out to others we have worked with in the past and see how they doing and how they have also weathered the storm. We feel it is good thing to call on a client when he doesn’t have a book full of work. Sometimes just staying in touch during the lean times is more important and can be more significant.
In the horizon the news is good.
• We are looking at a couple of projects that will be game changers in our 2012 workload. We have done a great job building relationships and I think all the hard work will be paying off this year.
• Pitchers and catchers report to Jupiter in a couple of weeks. It will be fun to see all 9 Cardinals in the starting lineup actually run hard all the way down first base line. Welcome to STL Cardinal Nation Mr. Beltran.
• The Tigers and the Billikens basketball teams are having great seasons.
• Golf is just around the corner.
In spite of the slow times, we will keep swinging, biting and spitting. We are slowly making moves forward and will continue to make progress. We are focusing on the positives and plan to tell you about the advantages that CB&E offers and why we should be your construction partner on your next project. If you aren’t sure just ask us, or better yet ask our clients, they’ll tell you!!
See you in March!!
December 2011
As we close out another year we are moving forward in terms of making new friends and establishing relationships in new industries to help us continue to grow. This year we made further strides into the healthcare markets by completing several projects for SSM Health Care and BJC Health Care. We are looking forward to a good start in 2012 as we kickoff projects for ERAC, Healthcare Realty and a Country Inn and Suites hotel in St. Louis. Further south and west, we are ready to start on a Hilton Garden Inn and Convention Center in New Mexico.
Our staff has done great things in 2011 to continue to minimize our overhead and help us become more competitive in this crazy market. These “lean” times have brought us closer together than ever before. Our project management staff is making continual improvements to our processes in order to deliver a project more quickly and more in line with our client’s expectations. One benefit of being our size is our flexibility and our rapid response to issues as they arise. We have become a very dynamic company.
In 2011, we saw a lot of strange things happen in the construction business. From bidding tactics that left everyone on the outside looking in, to subcontractors dropping off the radar screen at a rapid pace. We have kept up with the changes, and avoided the pitfalls, for the most part. There are always challenges, but we have adapted and overcome the burdens in our path.
We are very pleased with the way CB&E has positioned itself in this market. We are not going after everything that comes up. We are truly picking our spots and only pursuing work that makes fiscal sense and involves clients with whom we have very solid relationships. We are working hard to develop new markets and new relationships.We are all looking forward to projects in 2012 and the opportunity those projects create to make CB&E stronger and continue to grow.
On the lighter side...
Our canine crew of Sammi and Luna are doing their best to keep things in line here at the office.
We hosted our first golf outing at Old Hickory and picked Dirk’s Fund as our charity. Dirk’s Fund is a golden retriever rescue facility in Pacific. They do a tremendous job taking care of the rescue dogs that find their way to their facility. No dog is ever turned down. They spend an unbelievable amount of money in vet bills, food and shelter for these dogs. We were able to raise over $7,000 for them and look forward to another fund raiser in 2012. Thanks to all of you that played, sponsored holes, or contributed prizes for the event.
