us-business

Skip to main content An article from The Los Angeles-based firm posted record backlog and its highest revenue since 2009 for the second quarter as its strategy to take on megaprojects produced results. Published Aug. 8, 2025 Workers at Tutor Perini’s segment of the California high-speed rail project, which runs from Madera to Fresno. Courtesy of Tutor Perini This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. For years, Tutor Perini executives have asked investors for patience as the company worked through dispute resolutions on older projects and ramped up new, multibillion-dollar jobs.  That patience is now paying off.  The Los Angeles-based contractor had one of its “best quarters ever” during Q2 2025, according to CEO Gary Smalley, as its backlog more than doubled from a year ago to achieve a new company record and revenue hit its highest point since 2009.  Gary Smalley Courtesy of Tutor Perini The firm’s leadership said it wasn’t feeling any impacts of tariffs on its projects and doesn’t anticipate any for the foreseeable future. It said the macro funding environment remains robust, even for its portion of California’s high-speed rail project, which President Donald Trump has tried to derail by rescinding $4 billion of federal money.  Indeed, the results were so good that they seemed to surprise even the firm’s top brass.     “Overall, Tutor Perini’s business continues to perform extremely well and frankly even better than we anticipated at the start of this year,” CEO Gary Smalley said on a second quarter conference call Aug. 7 to discuss the firm’s results. “We are at the beginning of the life cycle for several major higher margin projects that are expected to derive substantial growth, profitability and cash flow as project execution activities continue. What you’re seeing now is just a preview of what these projects should produce on a larger scale in the coming years.” That momentum led the firm to increase its financial guidance for only the second time in its history — and the second time it has done so this year. The company said it was raising its earnings guidance to a range of $1.70 to $2.00 per share, up from $1.60 to $1.95 per share for the year, and anticipates profits for 2026 and 2027 to be even higher.  Those buoyant results stand in stark contrast to those from Fluor, which said tariffs and economic uncertainty had sapped its backlog and triggered cancellations among its customers.  When an analyst asked what drove Tutor Perini’s upward revision, Smalley said the company’s work on new projects was simply unfolding more smoothly and faster than it originally expected, and that it wasn’t hitting the snags it had in the past. “The project execution, you know, the ramp up of some of these projects, was a little quicker than we anticipated,” Smalley said. “We factored in some contingency or some expectation that things would not go as brilliantly, let’s say, as they did.” The firm had reason to be cautious with its estimates. For example, it posted a $171 million loss for 2023 as disputes over its past projects caused massive writedowns.  But now, Smalley said at 2025’s halfway point, the firm had only used about one-third of the contingencies — or wiggle room for things like cost increases and project delays — that it had baked into its projections at the beginning of the year.   “Work in some of the units, some of the smaller work, came in, we’ll say, more timely than we anticipated, so that also helped,” Smalley said.  No hit from tariffs Smalley also made it clear to investors that Trump’s tariff policies weren’t having a negative impact on the contractor’s business to date and weren’t anticipated to do so in the future.   “When we were talking about tariffs not having an impact, we’re not just talking about up to now,” Smalley said. “We’re talking about looking forward as well for each of our major projects.” Smalley said the firm re-evaluated its tariff risks on its major ongoing projects in the quarter — for instance, due to rising steel prices — but because it had bought out both materials and labor for those jobs in advance, it had already locked in its costs. For new jobs going forward, it plans to bake higher prices into its bids, meaning project sponsors will need to cover them.  “Any possible exposure that we might have for tariffs, I can tell you that it was even less exposure than what we had seen last quarter,” Smalley said.  California high-speed rail on track Smalley also said that Tutor Perini wasn’t facing project cancellation risk, despite the broader uncertainty over the economy, including on its $3.55 billion contract for completing 32 miles of California’s high-speed rail project.  “In recent discussions with this customer regarding the federal government’s decision to reduce funding on the overall program, the customer confirmed that our project is funded and authorized and is not expected to be adversely impacted,” Smalley said.   Reduced competition The contractor’s strategy of being one of the last firms standing in terms of bidding on multibillion-dollar megaprojects, where prolonged timelines make it challenging to accurately foresee cost increases and delays, has also been working.  Ron Tutor, Tutor Perini’s executive chairman, said the company has seen fewer bidders on major jobs, as many contractors have chosen not to take on the risk that’s inherent in these kinds of massive undertakings.  “I’ve talked about that for the last two to three years: We have never seen more than one other bidder in the last two years, and on … two occasions, we were the only bidder,” Tutor said.  That competitive landscape — or lack thereof — has allowed the firm to be choosy in the jobs it does pursue, while also naming its price. Those factors have only turned more in Tutor Perini’s favor as its backlog has ballooned.  “Our record backlog continues to enable us to be highly selective as to which opportunities we will pursue

Arizona Public Service Co. and Salt River Project will buy capacity on Transwestern Pipeline’s just-announced Desert Southwest expansion project, which aims to deliver natural gas from the Permian Basin in Texas to Arizona, the utilities said Wednesday. APS, the project’s anchor customer, will use gas from the pipeline for gas-fired power plants that will support planned data centers in the utility’s service territory, said Ted Geisler, chairman, president and CEO of Pinnacle West Capital Corp., APS’ parent company, during a Wednesday earnings call. Two Fortis utilities — Tucson Electric Power and UniSource Energy Services — and the City of Mesa, Arizona, are finalizing negotiations with Transwestern, an Energy Transfer unit, according to the utilities. All existing interstate gas pipelines serving Arizona are fully subscribed, according to the utilities. Transwestern owns a 2,590-mile gas pipeline that can deliver 0.9 billion cubic feet a day from southwest Texas to Arizona. APS, SRP and TEP buy gas that is delivered on the pipeline. Transwestern plans to spend about $5.3 billion to expand its system by building 516 miles of 42-inch pipeline and adding compressor stations in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, Energy Transfer said Wednesday. The project would add 1.5 Bcf/day of capacity to the Transwestern system, according to the company. Energy Transfer aims to complete its project by late 2029. Energy Transfer said it will launch an open season this quarter and expects the remaining capacity on the pipeline expansion to be fully subscribed. Depending on the results of the open season, the project could be expanded, the Dallas-based oil and gas infrastructure company said. Transwestern is considering more than doubling the pipeline’s capacity by using 46-inch pipe, Marshall McCrea, co-CEO of Energy Transfer, said Wednesday during an earnings conference call. APS expects to spend $7.3 billion over 25 years buying gas on Transwestern’s expansion project, Pinnacle West said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Phoenix-based utility plans to bring power plants online when the pipeline project begins operating, according to Geisler. APS’ contract with Transwestern is flexible so the utility can buy more gas if it needs it, he said. APS has close to 4.5 GW of committed, high load customer demand, mainly data centers and some manufacturing, in its interconnection queue, with an additional 20 GW of uncommitted, potential large load customers, Geisler said. The utility set a peak demand record of about 8.5 GW on July 9, up 300 MW from last year’s peak, according to Geisler. APS expects its electric sales will grow by 4% to 6% a year through 2027, mainly driven by the addition of large loads onto its system, according to Pinnacle West’s earnings presentation. The utility expects to invest about $2.7 billion in generation from 2025 through 2027. APS is securing roughly 2 GW of power supply through a request for proposals issued in November. In response to rapid load growth, APS revised its carbon emissions reduction goals on Wednesday. “Reliable service for our customers is our top priority, which has led us to update our clean energy goal from zero carbon [emissions] to carbon neutral by 2050,” Geisler said. “We’re also transitioning away from interim [emissions reduction] targets to better reflect our near-term focus of reliability and affordability for our customers.” Last year, gas-fired power plants produced 45% of Arizona’s in-state electricity, followed by nuclear power at 27%, solar at 13%, coal at 8%, hydroelectric power at 4% and wind at 2%, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Meanwhile, Energy Transfer is seeing growing demand for gas from power plants and data centers, according to Tom Long, the company’s co-CEO. “We continue to see a significant level of activity from demand-pull customers to supply, store and transport natural gas for gas-fired power plants, data centers and industrial and onshore manufacturing,” Long said during the company’s earnings call. Earlier this year, Energy Transfer signed its first significant deal with a hyperscaler — a behind-the-meter data center in Texas, according to McCrea. Originally, the contract was for 80,000 MMBtu/d, but it was increased to 380,000 MMBtu/d and could go to 475,000 MMBtu/d, he said.  Energy Transfer has now signed three deals with data centers in Texas, and is close to two more, McCrea said. Read More

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. ORLANDO, Fla. — Workplace safety experts have long been focused not just on workers’ physical wellbeing but their mental health as well. That rang true at the American Society of Safety Professionals 2025 Expo and Conference in July. “It definitely is [our responsibility],” said Wesley Wheeler, executive director of safety for the National Electric Contractors Association. “We are the eyes and ears of our contractors.” Wheeler’s comments came during a panel discussion, but it was far from the only event at the conference where worker mental health was brought up.  Panelists also discussed the need to remove the “macho” stigma in industries like construction that can negatively impact men in particular and how to spot the warning signs of someone struggling with mental health issues.  Those indicators include workers who don’t regularly maintain their hygiene, have a sudden rapid drop in productivity or increasingly keep to themselves when they may have otherwise been social. “You will notice these things if you are in tune with your workers,” said Georgia Bryce-Hutchinson, mental health consultant for Exton, Pennsylvania-based healthcare provider Carebridge. Construction’s long hours, demanding physical labor and tough-guy mentality can contribute to mental health issues, said Chris Trahan Cain, executive director of Silver Spring, Maryland-based CPWR — The Center for Construction Research and Training. “A growing number of deaths are not from falls or electrocutions. They’re from suicide on the job or drug overdose on the job,” Cain said. Conference organizers handed out ASSP poker chips with 988 on the back — the national suicide hotline number — before and after the panel. Wheeler said that the poker chip can be used as a tool in a personal or group setting to open pathways to conversation around mental health. Cain suggested that a safety manager give a chip to a worker they are concerned about with no further discussion, highlighting the option for a subtle nudge rather than an immediate discussion, which might not be comfortable.  Language, literally At another presentation, two speakers stressed the importance of language as a factor in worker mental health and suicide prevention. Sonya Bohmann, executive director of the Frankfort, Illinois-based Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention and Loretta Mulberry, a Spanish-to-English interpreter and industry advocate, discussed the importance of the vocabulary used to talk about mental health issues. For example, Bohmann and Mulberry encouraged attendees to use the term “die by suicide” rather than “commit” as well as describing someone as “having” a mental illness, rather than “being mentally ill.” Doing so, Bohmann said, can underscore that mental health is part of a greater health issue, and thereby make it easier to talk about. It’s not just the verbiage on the jobsite, but the actual dialect used to communicate that can have a profound effect on worker mental health. About one-fourth of people employed in construction overall are Hispanic, Mulberry said, but Hispanic people make up about half of all laborers. Many workers report low confidence in their ability to speak English, and rely on one leader to interpret, Mulberry said. That can also increase risk for hazards on the jobsite. It also has an impact on worker mental health, Mulberry said, as those who speak a different language can feel more isolated and be even less likely to speak up about an issue. The rate of Hispanic people in the U.S. dying by suicide grew from 5.7 per 100,000 in 2011 to 7.5 in 2020, according to the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, a faster increase than the overall population experienced during that time period. “There is simply not enough being done to bridge those language cultural gaps,” Mulberry said. Too often, Mulberry said she hears firms indicate they will prioritize a safety program using multiple languages, but she rarely sees any sense of urgency. “I would like to impress upon people that people’s lives are on the line everyday,” Mulberry said. Read More

Skip to main content An article from Opinion I-9 audits, tapping labor groups and cross-training existing employees can help builders stay on track, a construction accountant writes. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers along with state law enforcement conduct a construction site raid in Tallahassee, Fla., on May 29, 2025. Courtesy of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Chris Coleman is partner-in-charge of St. Louis-based accounting firm RubinBrown’s Construction Services Group. Opinions are the author’s own. In an already tight construction labor market, raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at jobsites threaten to deepen workforce shortages, drive up costs and create serious financial risks for contractors. In dealing with the fallout of these raids, construction companies will have to rethink their talent strategy to succeed.  Chris Coleman Courtesy of RubinBrown The U.S. construction industry has faced chronic labor shortages for decades, with a shortfall of 439,000 workers. Immigrant workers have helped close the gap and now make up a considerable part of the workforce.   Nationally, an estimated 19% of all workers are foreign-born, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But in construction, 34% of workers are immigrants, the National Association of Home Builders reports. In some trades — think drywall installers or plasterers — that number skyrockets to over 60%. Given those numbers, construction projects have become a popular target for immigration raids. Construction owners are rightly concerned; reports of indiscriminate arrests and detainments are creating an environment of fear at job sites, even among legal workers and citizens. While several industry groups have lobbied the Trump administration to take a more nuanced approach to immigration enforcement, construction companies have to respond now, managing their projects with a smaller and potentially less reliable workforce. Steps for contractors The simplest thing companies can do is to audit themselves to ensure that employment verification and I-9 processes have been properly followed. Managers and leadership should also be adequately trained on the law.  But even then, these raids will still happen. When they do, they’re going to cost companies time and money on projects that have long been budgeted out. To avoid exposure to potential contract penalties, construction companies need alternative labor they can turn to in a pinch. In the short term, construction companies can lean on local industry groups to quickly source workers. So long as these relationships have been cultivated, a labor union, a merit group, an industry association or specialty trade organization can offer direct connection to the skilled laborers these projects need. Similarly, a contractor may opt to sub out work instead of self-perform to avoid labor challenges. While third-party labor groups can be valuable sources of skilled talent, they are not a comprehensive solution for every project. Accordingly, it is essential to invest in building a more resilient internal workforce — one characterized by higher retention and greater operational flexibility. In light of ongoing volatility in the construction labor market, strategic investments in cross-training initiatives for the employees you already have offer meaningful long-term value.  These programs enable employees to acquire complementary skill sets through on-the-job learning, thereby enhancing workforce agility and reducing reliance on specialized labor. A cross-trained workforce can be deployed more efficiently across various phases of a project, ensuring continuity and minimizing productivity loss in the face of turnover or unexpected disruptions. Pay for it The other option is, of course, spending more money.  It’s something many stakeholders don’t want to hear, but as the market tightens, owners are finding themselves paying more for talent, even eating those costs to ensure project timelines stay on track. It’s an offensive play as much as it’s a defensive one: In an industry where talented craftspeople regularly get poached by competitors, paying above-market premiums may be the only solution companies have to solidify their talent bench.  The risk for construction firms is that paying more reduces the margins they’re expecting on a given project, something that can have serious consequences to the overall health of a company. A disruption on one project creates a cascading effect for a company’s future projects and can seriously damage a company’s reputation. Negotiate with owners As much as a strong, diverse labor pool can mitigate these issues, if the contract price for projects doesn’t cover the cost of last-minute labor overages, the bottom line is going to suffer no matter what. Given the realities of the current marketplace, it’s worth pursuing favorable contract terms so that these unexpected labor premiums are covered.  Getting fully-flexible labor costs built into a contract is unlikely, but partial cost-plus provisions can help cover some of the labor costs that companies are facing. Because these contracts are based on forecasts happening months in advance, they are critical to limiting cost exposures.  Workforce issues are nothing new for construction companies, but the uncertainty that ICE raids are causing creates fresh urgency for businesses to find solutions. Labor is a fundamental building block of construction, and it needs to be a building block of company strategy, too. Read More

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. With some election fog clearing, AECOM has insight into the construction outlook for the years ahead, which includes plenty of opportunity in data centers and defense, leaders of the Dallas-based firm said during an earnings call on Tuesday. A series of elections around the world in the past year meant a shift in policy and funding agendas, AECOM President Lara Poloni said on the call, but the new administrations’ priorities in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Australia include speeding up construction. “A recent Supreme Court ruling and several executive orders are streamlining the NEPA permitting process, while Transportation Secretary Duffy’s America is Building Again agenda focuses on removing investment barriers,” Poloni said. “Similarly, the U.K.’s 10-year strategy prioritizes efficient project delivery, and Canada is centralizing permitting with the goal of approving projects 60% faster.”  State and local transportation budgets remain robust in the U.S., buoyed by the five-year Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, CEO Troy Rudd said on the call. “Only 36% of IIJA funding targeted to our markets has been spent, which provides for continued growth opportunities as evident in our pipeline,” Rudd said. “State DOT budgets [are] forecasted to achieve another record high in 2026. Our state and local clients continue to prioritize infrastructure spending to maximize available federal matching funds.” The passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act brings new opportunities, Rudd said, as the federal government focuses on investments in critical infrastructure such as data centers and power for the growing artificial intelligence industry. The military is another big winner in the legislation, which allocates $150 billion of mandatory defense spending. “The [Department of Defense] is our largest single client and activity is gaining momentum,” Rudd said. “It also includes substantial funding for aviation and the Coast Guard, both markets where we have a leading presence.” Indeed, in July the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Honolulu District awarded AECOM a package of architect-engineer indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contracts valued at more than $400 million, as well as two USACE contracts for projects in Europe totaling up to $490 million. The firm also snagged the engineering lead role in the White House ballroom project. By the numbers AECOM reported profit of $131 million for its fiscal third quarter, down 2.5% from the same period last year. Revenue for Q3 was $4.18 billion, up a hair from Q3 of the previous year. Backlog stood at $24.59 billion, up 5% from last year. “Within the pipeline, growth remains fastest in the earliest stages, which indicates several years of continued strong market conditions as our clients plan for a future of higher spending,” said Rudd. “The water market is strong, but these projects tend to be longer in duration and therefore less impactful to near-term revenue as compared to the large civil projects that we completed during the last cycle.” The firm raised its annual financial guidance for the third consecutive time this year, including upping its full year adjusted EBITDA and EPS by 10% and 16% respectively. Overall, the firm is well-poised to capitalize future infrastructure demand, Rudd said. “The multi-decade secular megatrends that are driving our markets are accelerating. This includes global investments in infrastructure, sustainability and resilience and energy,” Rudd said. “These megatrends are apparent in our pipeline.” Read More

On Thursday, July 24, Gregory Poole Equipment Company opened its newest GP Rental location at 4210 Global Street in Raleigh.  The company put on a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony that was attended by customers, Gregory Poole employees, members of the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, Raleigh City Councilor Corey Branch, and Raleigh Mayor, Janet Cowell. With equipment rental service, full hose and coupling capabilities, compact equipment service and sales, and parts pickup, the new GP Rental location can support large-scale contractors and individual business owners. The GP Rental facility on Global Street features: A shop with eight service bays A parts warehouse A wash bay Training rooms A Cat retail store According to Senior Vice President Greg Poole IV, “At the heart of this investment, it’s really a core focus, and it’s our customers.” To help set up customers for success, customers who visit the new GP Rental location on Global Street can receive 25% off their first rental machine now through Dec. 31, 2025. Read more about the grand opening in Construction Equipment Guide’s article covering the event. Read More  Learn More About The New Location  Read More

Facility managers in today’s healthcare and institutional environments face an increasingly complex juggling act. Optimizing aging steam infrastructure, reducing operating costs, and meeting sustainability goals, plus doing it all with limited in-house personnel and shrinking budgets, is no realistic feat. It’s no surprise, then, that forward-thinking organizations are moving away from a piecemeal, transactional approach to steam system maintenance and embracing long-term, bundled solutions. This shift reflects a broader trend in utilities management, which treats critical systems as interconnected ecosystems rather than collections of standalone components. In the case of steam, that means recognizing how steam generation, distribution, consumption, and condensate return all interact, and how addressing them holistically can drive exponential value. From Piecemeal Fixes to Systemic Solutions Traditionally, steam system service contracts have revolved around isolated assessments—a steam trap survey here, a valve replacement there. While sometimes necessary, these single service visits don’t always yield lasting improvements. What’s often needed instead is a more holistic picture of the system’s overall health and efficiency. Beyond logistical simplicity, this approach fosters better outcomes. When facilities assess and improve every aspect of the steam cycle together, from generation to return, they’re more likely to identify underlying system inefficiencies. For example, repeated failures of a particular heat exchanger might not be the result of faulty equipment, but instead trace back to improperly designed downstream piping. When steam systems are examined holistically, these kinds of interdependencies become clearer, enabling more permanent and cost-effective solutions. Bundled assessments also support better coordination with facility staff. Technicians who understand how various zones interact can schedule work with minimal disruption to operations, whether they’re dealing with seasonal equipment, after-hours setbacks, or hard-to-access interstitial spaces. Long-Term Partnership, Not One-Time Fix The benefits of bundled service models extend well beyond technical performance. Over time, this approach enables facility teams to form long-term partnerships with their service providers, establishing relationships that yield compounding value year after year. Rather than cycling through unfamiliar vendors, bundled service models typically bring the same technicians back to a site multiple times. That consistency means service crews gain a deep, site-specific understanding of the infrastructure they’re supporting, sometimes even outlasting in-house personnel in terms of institutional memory. This familiarity leads to faster troubleshooting, fewer overlooked issues, and more informed recommendations. It also allows facilities to move from reactive repairs to proactive planning. Instead of scrambling after breakdowns, facility managers can prioritize upgrades, streamline their preventive maintenance routines, and make data-driven decisions that extend the life of their equipment. Incentives and ROI: Making the Math Work Bundled services often unlock greater access to utility incentive programs, which are structured to reward comprehensive energy-efficiency improvements. When less-attractive ROI projects, like insulation or valve replacements, are bundled with high-impact measures such as trap repairs or heat exchanger cleanings, the aggregate return justifies broader investment. This also aligns with evolving purchasing trends in the public and healthcare sectors, where sustainability metrics and total cost of ownership are increasingly baked into procurement frameworks. For example, APM Steam has successfully helped clients secure funding to cover large portions of bundled project costs by demonstrating portfolio-wide reductions in steam loss, chemical consumption, and emergency repairs. Key performance indicators (KPIs) that support the business case include: Lower steam trap failure rates Decline in gas and electric usage Reduced boiler chemical consumption Fewer unplanned outages Shorter planned shutdowns Decreased maintenance work orders Overcoming Common Objections Understandably, some facilities hesitate to transition to bundled service models. Concerns often center on perceived loss of control or the belief that internal staff can handle steam maintenance. However, even the most qualified internal teams struggle with bandwidth, especially as staffing shrinks and senior technicians retire. Bundled solutions aren’t about replacing staff; they’re about supplementing and strengthening them. In fact, this model thrives on collaboration, not outsourcing. Whether navigating interstitial spaces, coordinating with night setback schedules, or troubleshooting seasonal humidifiers, having a reliable outside partner ensures nothing falls through the cracks. Benefits for Multi-Site Facility Managers Bundled offerings are particularly powerful for facility managers overseeing multiple campuses. Instead of managing a patchwork of vendors and timelines, they gain a single point of contact who understands their infrastructure across locations. This reduces administrative burden and creates consistency in reporting, project execution, and data collection. Case in point: APM Steam, specializing in steam system optimization and maintenance across complex institutional environments, has partnered with major hospital networks such as Steward Health Care, NYC Health + Hospitals, and Northwell Health to implement multi-site bundled maintenance programs. The company is responsible for more than 80% of the East Coast’s incentivized steam energy efficiency projects and serves a majority of the region’s largest hospitals, universities, and pharmaceutical facilities. Rather than repping specific product lines, APM operates as a brand neutral partner focused solely on meeting the unique needs of each client. Their model illustrates how long term, relationship-based service can deliver measurable improvements in system performance and energy use. In multi-site healthcare networks, for example, bundled service programs have helped turn historically inefficient campuses into some of the highest performing in their portfolios. Over time, this approach not only reduces operating costs but builds resilience, ensuring systems are maintained by people who understand them intimately and can troubleshoot problems that might otherwise go unsolved. Building the Future of Steam System Reliability The steam industry is at an inflection point. Facilities that embrace a bundled approach today will be better positioned to meet tomorrow’s challenges. For facilities still operating on a transactional model, the shift to bundled services may feel like a leap. But the transition doesn’t need to happen all at once. Many providers recommend starting with a pilot project that’s focused on one building or system zone in order to quantify savings opportunities and test out the model with minimal risk. In the current landscape of labor shortages, aging systems, and aggressive sustainability goals, the piecemeal approach is becoming harder to justify. Bundled services offer a path toward lasting reliability, not just by solving today’s problems, but by building the systems and

The Leading Business Resource for Plumbing, Hydronic and Mechanical Systems Professionals Take our five-minute survey to let us know how (or if) you’ve changed course since the spring. ID 121441891 © Sonnenbergshots | Dreamstime.com Shipping containers at the Port of Los Angeles. Has the impact of the Trump administration’s tariff actions on your business intensified as the summer has progressed? Are you adjusting strategies and/or spending, shifting your supply chains or still waiting to see what happens next? Our colleagues at Endeavor Business Intelligence are conducting a quick follow-up survey to a poll they ran this spring to get a sense of what’s happening on the ground. The survey has only eight questions and takes just a few minutes to complete. To share your insights and help us build a real-time picture of how US businesses are navigating this uncertain environment, click on this link. Related Voice Your Opinion! Trending Recommended Read More

LONG BEACH, CA — From July 11-14, Explore The Trades attended the 2025 American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Conference in Long Beach, CA.  The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) supports school counselors’ efforts to help students focus on academic, career and social/emotional development. ASCA provides professional development, publications and other resources, research and advocacy to school counselors around the globe. With nearly 5,000 school counselors and educators in attendance, the conference was buzzing with energy, ideas, and a shared commitment to student success. Toni Bower, Donor Engagement Specialist, and Maddy Sorenson, Project Coordinator, were on the ground connecting with over 140 educators and school counselors from across the country to discuss opportunities in the plumbing, heating, cooling, and electrical trades. Read More

Watts announced the launch of its latest eLearning initiative, “Safe Water, Clear Mission,” a six-week campaign designed to enhance product knowledge and promote professional development in the areas of backflow prevention and municipal water safety. The campaign will run from August 1 through September 14 on Watts Works Online. The campaign features three curated topic-focused sets on backflow prevention, municipal water safety, and continuing education. Participants who complete any of the sets will receive a Certificate of Completion. Additionally, those who complete 15 or more modules during the promotional period will be rewarded with a 2-in-1 storage clipboard. Visit training.watts.com to register for free and get started.  Read More