Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO)’s Post

Following our continued and controlled growth, we are delighted to officially announce our physical expansion into the north of the UK, with the establishment of our northern hub. Reade Signs’ northern hub will be led by Andy Kennett, who had the following to say:    "My focus over the last year has been on setting up a hub in the north to better support our existing national contracts, on a more regional basis. With our head office in the south and significant growth across the business we now have an established hub in the north, enabling our clients to better market their premises and housing developments with great hoarding, marketing suites, signage and more. During this time, I have also supported two major London construction projects and am in process of mobilising a new contract award to one of the largest home builders in the UK, all of which has enabled me to gain extensive hands-on experience in a challenging and fast-paced environment. I am eager to apply this experience and drive growth into new and existing regions in the North." What key challenges can you help overcome? "We’re seeing challenges in the property sector at the moment, not just in the North, but nationally, in two key areas.  One is safety, and the other is slowing new property sales, in response to economic conditions. Safety is particularly in focus amidst the adverse weather conditions we are facing. The prospects of hoarding panels, signage, flags and such flying loose in the grips of a storm is scary. We put a serious emphasis on safe installation of signage, and feel this is paramount. In relation to the point of economic conditions, with high interest rates and lack of affordability in general, many people are holding off on investing in new property and simply staying put, with the hope things will improve. We are supporting our clients to market their offers and enhancements clearly and concisely, making proper investment in more robust structures and materials to stand out from the crowd." #expansion #growth #northernpowerhouse

Sign up to the second on the series on 'Offices for good' with Martin Forbes and Neil Webster MA MRICS CMCS https://lnkd.in/e-cgqxCj "At a time of structural shift, and when the mainstream property industry is frantically looking for alternative uses for office premises, it is the moment for the public sector to be creative with its own assets." Jackie Sadek Read the latest from our experts on empty office spaces and how to utilise them >>> https://lnkd.in/e-cgqxCj The UK Innovation Corridor ACES (Association of Chief Estates Surveyors and Property Managers in the Public Sector) Oldham Council #OfficesForGood #OfficeSpace #WorkplaceTransformation #LocalGovernment #TownCenters #InnovationCorridor #CreativeReuse #UrbanRevitalisation #CommunitySpaces #PublicSector #EfficiencyChallenges #RealEstateInvestment #InfrastructureForum

𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 $𝟭.𝟲 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗵𝗮𝘂𝗹 The Austin Convention Center is set to undergo a $1.6 billion overhaul that will see its square footage nearly double to 710,000, much of which will be gained through vertical growth. Construction will begin when the facility is closed and demolished in 2025. The construction partnerships are already underway.   Selected for their deeply rooted expertise in convention center planning and design and multidisciplinary engineering expertise, respectively, Seattle-based LMN Architects and Austin-based Page Southerland Page will undertake design and engineering services on the project for $65 million. JE Dunn Construction and Turner Construction have been selected to lead project construction. A construction manager-at-risk (CMAR) delivery method will be employed, drawing on Turner’s extensive expertise as the largest CMAR firm in the U.S. It will have the support of JE Dunn and its nearly century of experience.   Conventions are a big component of hospitality and tourism, and this is certainly the case for Austin, where conventions are a large and growing business segment. Each year, the city’s convention center hosts more than 300,000 people, bringing business to the restaurants, retailers, and more than 12,000 hotel rooms within a two-mile radius. The goal is to maximize this impact by enlarging its capacity, as the facility is currently constrained by size and layout.   The project is supported by Austin’s City Council, which recognizes the value of this economic driver in the city. To demonstrate its support, it has awarded $1.6 billion in contracts for pre-construction and construction on the redevelopment of the facility, with funding coming from the municipal Hotel Occupancy Tax and center revenues.   The closure will be worth it in the end as the facility is expected to generate an additional $285 million in annual economic impact, bringing the total to over $750 million annually, with $13 million in additional tax revenue and more than 1,600 jobs. #constructionnews #austintexas #multidiciplinary #engineering #economicgrowth #community Image: GSPhotography / Shutterstock.com

How are architectural practices diversifying to adapt to challenging market conditions? One thing I’ve recently noticed is the increase in the number of briefs we’re getting for people who do bids and business development - work-winning focused people. I guess it’s not a surprise. The market has been challenging this year and even sectors like transport - traditionally a safe bet in economic slowdowns - are seeing governments in some locations putting projects on hold. It came as a shock to most of us when, back in March, the UK government announced that it was mothballing the Grimshaw HS2 London terminus at Euston station amid spiralling costs. You could argue that it’s a bit late to try and hire your way into a sector when you’re desperate for work, but diversifying into new sectors with a view to increasing your resilience is surely always a good thing to do. Better late than never. So how can practices do this? The most effective strategy is to bring in a sector leader - that person with a little black book who has strong established relationships and knowledge and can bring business with them. This isn’t easy to do. These people are typically very well looked after and nurtured by their current employer, but with the right incentives it is possible. The opportunity to build their own part of an existing business is often appealing, as is the chance to select their own team and potentially have more autonomy and influence. A genuine pathway to equity and profit share will help seal the deal. Don’t make the mistake of offering something you aren’t prepared to deliver on, though. Too often we see this fail after a couple of years when the business owner(s) get cold feet on the equity piece and the other party leaves after feeling like they’ve been oversold. #architecture #interiordesign

RICS HQ London - Modernisation I was pleased to read in Property Week the news of the plans for the revamp of the RICS HQ in London see https://lnkd.in/dwVyH_rG Having spent many hours over the years in this building, I was always of the view that the building was dated, and lacked modern facilities for members and as a result was under utilised. The planned work will deliver new workspaces as well as a members’ lounge, bar and brasserie. I think this is a positive step in creating a modern and welcoming environment that fosters greater collaboration and networking among RICS members. Kudos to everyone involved in this project! 👏 The slight concern I have on reading the article was the booking of meeting rooms by members as it states that ‘Members will receive a “substantial” discount on commercial rates.’ The cost of room hire in the past was excessive, even for internal RICS meetings ie linked to previous Professional Group Board meetings. I do hope that my concern is misplaced and the RICS creates an environment aimed at maximising member use, preferable not charging them for the use of their HQ. I completely support charging for commercial events to third parties. As we look forward to the completion of this renovation in early autumn, I encourage RICS to continue embracing change and modernisation across the organisation especially on some key issues that members raise that to date have not had a response. Transparent communication and innovative approaches to member engagement are key to our success. Let's keep the momentum going and ensure that all members feel valued and connected. #rics #surveying

I'll be speaking at the UK Construction Week conference in London again this year. Catch me on the CPD Hub at 14:15 on 7th May talking about Suicide Risk in the Built Environment No one likes to think about suicide, but the statistics tell us a tragic tale. Right now, men working in the built environment are 3.5 times more likely to die by suicide than the male national average, with on average, 2 construction workers dying by suicide every day in the UK. That’s ten times more suicides than industrial accidents. What’s more, over a quarter of men (26%) in the sector have experienced suicidal thoughts. This CPD session will give you an insight into the value of suicide awareness training. It will include a look at the industry-specific risk factors, what signs to look out for that someone might be thinking of suicide, and brief but effective tools and resources that could save someone’s life. One of the misconceptions of suicide prevention training is that it’s about learning how to deliver therapeutic support; that’s the job for trained professionals. Instead, Suicide First Aid training is about empowering people to spot the signs that someone is thinking of suicide, know what to do and say to keep them safe and signpost them to support. The issues surrounding suicide are multi-faceted but oftentimes, a supportive conversation is the first step to saving a life. #UKCW2024 #suicideprevention #suicideawareness #mentalhealth #Construction #BuiltEnvironment 

To keep your building up-to-date, relevant, and competitive, it’s likely that you will require some form of commercial renovations during your building’s service life. Unfortunately, these renovations can often significantly impact business operations if not carefully planned, leading to lower levels of productivity or general employee and client discontent. Here are a few effective strategies for minimizing disruptions during commercial renovations to ensure your business stays functional and profitable throughout any needed upgrades: Read more at: https://lnkd.in/gjFAbcJP

On 21st February, the National Retrofit Hub (the Hub) hosted an open meeting, uniting nearly 400 industry professionals in a collaborative effort to revolutionise the retrofit landscape. The diverse audience included designers, local authorities, contractors, installers, academics, finance experts, manufacturers, merchants and community groups. Hub Co-Directors Rachael Owens and Sara Edmonds, who hosted the event, commented: “The level of participation and engagement blew us away. At the National Retrofit Hub, we believe the solution to enabling retrofit at scale lies in the collective brilliance of the retrofit sector. Through working together and our collaborative effort we aim to provide a set of tools, insights, and solutions that can be universally employed to facilitate large-scale retrofitting initiatives. “By bringing together the wealth of expertise in the field, we envision not just incremental progress but a transformative leap toward achieving widespread and sustainable retrofitting across the board.” https://lnkd.in/eQR3cDD5 #meeting #retrofit #industryevent #housing #socialhousing #existinghomes #decarbonisation #energyefficiency #sustainability #collaboration #designers #localauthorities #contractors #installers #academics #NGOs #tradeassociations #financeexperts #manufacturers #merchants #communitygroups

Sounds like the question is, “What amenities can building owners invest in to create space where employees want to work and that will meet tenants’ increasing expectations—leading to full buildings?” We’re not surprised that we’re still reading about the struggles of the office sector, but the hope is that building owners and mangers are getting closer to understanding what they need to do if they want to remain office space and if those same tenants are to be attracted. “The market has been bifurcated almost to the point that you’re either solving for all these needs and requirements on the amenity side and truly are a Class A building, or you're not,” says Tyler Kethcart, senior vice president of Business Development for JLL Experience Management. “These Class A trophy assets are really the ones seeing positive absorption and demand.” Read the full article to see how other buildings can compete and what small changes and amenities can be made/offered to sway possible tenant decisions. https://lnkd.in/e3wWi5Mn #PropertyManagement #DenverRealEstate #CommercialRealEstsate #ColoradoPropertyMangement

So many options. From your single storage unit to #awardwinning complex office set-ups with everything you need to be job ready on day 1. #Innovation #dedication #realsolutions.