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Construction Focus Newsletter
February/March 2012


 

Building a Green Local Economy 

By Christina O'Brien, SISR Architecture 

Originally Posted at Monadnock Shopper News 


It is a very important mission of ours here at SISR Architecture, LLC to promote locally manufactured green building products to our clients. While buying local products helps stimulate and strengthen the local economy (which is so very critical these days), it also helps reduce carbon emissions from transporting goods across the country and beyond. And doesn't it just make sense to purchase goods from someone close by (who you may even know) rather than from someone who lives and works thousands of miles away? We think so!

Our office started a list of locally manufactured green building products.  It is a modest list right now, but we hope that people like you will help us on this quest by suggesting businesses that we can include. And just to be clear, our office is not a third party testing agency for any of the products listed. We only hope to promote local and regional businesses (within a 500 miles radius of Keene, NH) and rely on a good faith effort that the products listed are made locally and manufactured with the materials that their producers claim.

Read more from this article, highlighting SISR Architecture's work with W.S. Badger Company.
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INNOVATE:
Events to Help Your Business Innovate
Business Management for
Building Professionals
HBRA of New Hampshire
Tuesday, March 20, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority, Bedford

Learn the management skills that give industry leaders the edge. This course will give you a solid foundation in those best business practices so valuable to smaller businesses: planning, organizing, staffing/directing and controlling. By using case studies and sample forms, your instructors give you practical and applicable tools for management success. As a graduate of this course, you will be able to:
  • Discuss common business challenges & learn practical tips & tools to overcome them
  • Explain the three basic functional areas within a company
  • List the five main tools used to improve a business
  • Apply each of the five Ps to the three functional areas of the business
  • Identify methods of recruiting, interviewing, training, and retaining quality personnel
  • Apply the key measures of business performance to your own business
Continuing Education Hours: 6.0. Cost:  HBRANH Member: $200/Non-Member: $275.  Register online or call 603-228-0351.


Make More Money...Keep More Money:  

The Amazing Power of Cash Flow Workshop 

Hannah Grimes Center

Tuesday, March 27, Noon - 1:30 p.m. 

Hannah Grimes Center, Keene 

 

Learn a step by step process to bring more money into your business and how to keep it working for you.  Learn to manage your cash flow so your bills are paid every month....and there's money left over.  Presenter: Ann Connor, AdviCoach. Cost: Free. Register today!
CONNECT:
Events to Help You Connect With Other Experts

BuildingEnergy 2012 Conference 

Northeast Sustainable Energy Association 

Tuesday - Thursday, March 6 - 8

Seaport World Trade Center, Boston, MA 

 

More than 4,000 renewable energy and green building experts gather in Boston for the BuildingEnergy Conference and Tradeshow, the annual professional event organized by NESEA. It is the oldest and largest regional renewable energy event in the country, known for showcasing next-generation thinkers and game-changing ideas. The Conference will include more than 63 sessions and 25 full- and half-day workshops. The BuildingEnergy Trade Show features 150 exhibitors showcasing the latest sustainable technologies, products, and services. Cost: $595 Early Registration. View Conference details and Conference Program.

  

 

Hygro-Thermal Engineering: Managing Moisture in the Home

Yestermorrow 

Saturday & Sunday, March 10 & 11 

Yestermorrow, Warren, VT 


No modern building can function properly if the design program and construction detailing fails to account for the thermal and moisture dynamics of the building envelope and its relation to the internal and external environment. This class will be an in-depth building science investigation of hygro-thermal issues -- including steady-state heat loss, internal and external heat gains, wind & solar radiant impacts, temperature gradients within the building envelope and the effect of relative humidity, air convection and mean radiant temperature on human comfort. Tuition: $320. View more details and registration information.  

 

 

March Green Eggs:  

179D Commercial Building Tax Deductions 

US Green Building Council - NH Chapter 

Wednesday, March 14, 7:30 - 9 a.m. 

Great Bay Community College, Portsmouth


Come to learn if your business can benefit from the 179D tax deduction which can be as high as $1.80 per square foot of a specific building or improvement. The deduction is in the amount of $.60 per SF for each of the specific building systems. Eligible projects must reduce energy consumption by specific prescribed percentages in any of the following areas: 

  • Interior Lighting System
  • HVAC  System
  • Building Envelope 

Presenter:  Dave Fabian, CPA.  Green Eggs is the Chapter's monthly breakfast forum featuring a speaker and topic relevant to green buildings. Networking and breakfast, featuring a full breakfast - local and creative, will take place from 7:30 - 8:00 followed by a 45 minute presentation and a 15 minute question, answer & discussion period.  Attendance is limited and pre-registration with payment is recommended. Cost: $10 members/$15 non-members. 
THRIVE:
News & Resources to Inform & Inspire

Higher Cred 

By David Sokol, Originally Posted at Greensource 


In September, students and junior faculty began moving into 123 housing units at University of California, Davis. The six buildings, which overlook a central open space and include 42,500 square feet of ground-floor retail, make up part of the first phase of West Village, the largest net-zero-energy development in the U.S.


How to Start a Small Construction or
General Contracting Business
by Caron Beesley, Originally Posted at SBA.gov

Interested in getting into the construction business? Now might be the time, with market forecasts (courtesy of IBISWorld) predicting a steady rise in the value of the construction industry over the next five years - 12.5 percent annually for residential construction and 13 percent for private non-residential construction.  If you're interested in starting a construction, home improvement, or contracting business, here are some business and regulatory basics you need to be aware of.