By: Pierre G. Villere I am speechless, and in a state of shock.
Read MoreCategory: The Strategist
The Goodwill Conundrum
As we all know, the construction materials industry, which in part includes construction aggregates, ready-mixed concrete and concrete products, has been consolidating rapidly over the past three decades, and the pace of that consolidation shows no signs of abating anytime soon. So it is worth understanding how purchasers in our industry, usually large multi-nationals, treat a purchase of a smaller…
Read MoreHow Jobs Continue to Drive Our Economy
2020 is here, and now we are starting to read some of the statistics that are emerging as the various agencies of the federal government release accumulated data from all corners of our economy for last year, as well as the decade that just ended.
Read MoreTime
By: Pierre G. Villere It’s 2020. Goodness, where did the year go? I am positive the boxes of Christmas decorations that came out of the attic did not have any dust on them, as it seems they just went back up there weeks ago, not months. But most importantly, we stand on the starting line of the third decade of…
Read MoreThe Coming Decade
by: Pierre G. Villere In the mid-1990s, my wife and I attended a conference in Aspen, Colo., a voluntary effort on our part to hear one of the great thinkers and futurists of the last third of the 20th century who was shaking up politics and policy from Capitol Hill to Sacramento, and every place in between.
Read MoreHome Builder Confidence Surges
The month of October was a time of contrasting, and therefore conflicting, economic news that can be unsettling at times. The month started with a report from the Institute of Supply Management, indicating its manufacturing index fell to 47.8 in September, the lowest level since June 2009, from 49.1 the prior month. Readings below 50 indicate contraction, while those above…
Read MoreNo Relief in Sight for the Tough Labor Market
By: Pierre G Villere The future holds great promise, as technology continues to disrupt traditional norms and methods in the construction industry in general, and in the aggregates industry in particular. The future for driverless haul trucks, robotics that will replace traditional loaders, use of drones for multiple functions at quarries operations, and all manner of improvements in materials crushing…
Read MoreThe Wealth Gap Expands and Consumer Debt Pinches Housing
By: Pierre G. Villere The expanding wealth gap in America may explain why Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have centered their presidential campaign messages on this topic. Indeed, after studying these metrics, I was surprised by what I found.
Read MoreScared Foreign Buyers Are Affecting Major Housing Markets
By: Pierre G. Villere As the real estate market collapsed in the fall of 2008, when the financial crisis pushed us over the edge into the Great Recession, a quiet but interesting phenomenon started occurring within a couple of years in the largest markets around the country.
Read MoreHome Shoppers Are Increasingly Active
By: Pierre G. Villere Last month, I wrote about the lack of impact that Millennials are having on the housing market, one of the reasons that new home starts have not returned to even their annual historical averages dating back to 1961. But the National Association of Home Builders recently published some research that is very telling about the current…
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