“Silent Night, Holy Night, all is calm all is bright” The songs of Christmas carry a common message of calm, peace, love and HOPE. Those messages are expressed in songs about family gatherings; children returning home; fireplaces burning bright; friends reuniting; snow covered trees and rooftops; and gifts of many kinds and of many values. The songs appear to be written, both words and music, for everyone. Not just one segment of society; not just one race; not just one…
An open letter to President Trump… There are many parts and pieces to running a country; more than any one person could possibly imagine before assuming the role of President. And the complexity and the sheer volume of each part and piece simply must be overwhelming. This may well be one of the few points one could make relative to the office of the President that you could get 60 to 70% of the people to agree. Or, at least…
I Can’t Breathe In the years preceding the civil war A time in our history almost too hard to imagine And in the Abe Lincoln days following the so-called end to slavery in this country It was tough to breathe The air was thick, full of uncertainty, laced with fear The Kennedy ushered civil rights movement introduced a taste of freedom But the air was anything but fresh and clean Too many non-believers—too many not willing to accept this idea…
“WE ARE NOT A BANK!” “WE ARE NOT A BANK!” If you are a subcontractor or vendor, especially if you are a minority or woman owned business enterprise, you have heard these words often. A somewhat typical response from the general contractors in our marketplace when one asks for a little help with an early payment on a construction project. As we all so very well know, general contractors do not pay their subcontractors performing the daily work on the…
An open letter to the industry: We are living in unprecedented times. While planning ahead and anticipating every move are such crucial ingredients to the success of a construction project, such planning and such anticipating is virtually impossible with the uncertainty presented to all with this mysterious virus. We seem to be minutes away from completely shutting down construction sites and no question, the slowing of daily progress is taking place a bit more aggressively every day. Walk-through’s are being separated; pre-bid meetings are cancelled;…
All plans for the next PEOPLE meeting are currently on hold and I suppose I really need not state a reason with the state of the world as it is. These are strange times for sure, causing even non-conforming folks like me to fall in line with those that are leading us. We will re-group once this fear subsides and normalcy returns–hopefully that will be before summer’s end. Let’s take it one month at a time. Meanwhile, feel free to…
A good friend of ours from our Incarnate Word Parish in Chesterfield, Steve Givens, wrote the following article which was published in the Post this morning. I loved the message and it home to me for several reasons. I told Steve I was looking for the right message to post on my web site this Christmas season; a message that could possibly break through the darkness that seems to surround our land with all taking place in our leadership; as…
R Reading the recent article in the STL Forum news last week concerning the rising female stars in the Construction Industry made me realize how many strong women leaders we are fortunate to have in the St. Louis design and construction marketplace. In my consulting work with MBE/WBE firms, I am currently working with seven firms that are owned and managed by women. RUCC, the organization dedicated to growing MBE/WBE firms find themselves with three woman owned business enterprises in…
H “And here is what I have to say, finally: Let’s invite one another in. Maybe then we can begin to fear less, to make fewer wrong assumptions, to let go of the biases and stereotypes that unnecessarily divide us. Maybe we can better embrace the ways we are the same. It’s not about being perfect. It’s not about where you get yourself in the end. There’s power in allowing yourself to be known and heard, in owning your unique…
November 7, 2019 To: Bob Clark, Clayco and Maxine Clark, Build-A-Bear First, let me say I love the concept of the Delmar Divine project. This is an incredible move in the right direction for our city, for our industry, for diversity. This is about as public an example of doing the right thing at the right time as I have ever witnessed. The implications of this project extend into forever and I commend your commitment, your leadership and your vision. As…