36 Quotes by Ken Simonson

I still expect construction to be adding jobs but at a more modest pace.

Rubber for construction equipment tires, (Sheetrock) and some kinds of steel may also be harder to find or more expensive because of the storms.

Oil and natural gas prices have fallen sharply from their post-hurricane highs. However, production from the Gulf of Mexico is still down by more than 15 percent, keeping supplies tight. As of mid-March, the national average retail price of diesel fuel was around $2.55 per gallon, 60 cents below the record set after Rita but 35 cents (16 percent) higher than a year ago.

Availability is going to be even more of a problem in 2006 than it was in 2005. In 2005 you had spot shortages. In 2006, nonresidential construction is growing and capacity is not expanding to meet those needs.

They used to throw up houses and try to sell them. Now, they wait for a signed check before they break ground.

This marks a real turn around for non-residential construction. I think we will see more real gains in 2005.

As was the case for most of the year, growth was well distributed among the major construction segments. Comparing December 2005 to December 2004, public construction grew 10%, private residential construction rose 9.0%, and private nonresidential was up 6.0%. For the year, those categories increased 8.0%, 11%, and 5.0%, respectively.

For 2006, I expect to see healthy demand for nonresidential construction but also double-digit price increases for many construction inputs. I expect continuing spot shortages of cement that will push concrete prices higher nationwide.

It showed a little more success than I had expected.