Page 18 - BusinessWest December 8, 2021

(413) 214-4149 [email protected] www.turcotteelectric.com
[email protected]
Post Office Box 157 Westfield, MA 01086-0157
Ray Turcotte
(413) 214-4149
Masters Lic. A18022
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ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR
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“It’s really causing us to have to look ahead and think about how the disruption and supply chain will affect schedules, and then, of course, the ever-moving pricing with materials is a challenge for not only us as contractors, but for clients and their budgeting. It’s very difficult — the days of just showing up and going at it are gone. We’re having to really get ahead of procurement and also securing trades- man and subcontractors. The industry is busy, but it’s a lot different than it was before.”
Windows and kitchen cabinetry have been especially problematic when it comes to significant timeline increases, Keiter noted. “That said, anything special-order, anything that’s not run-of-the-mill, any- thing made to order, anything not on a shelf, those seem to be taking longer on average.”
The Construction Products Assoc. (CPA) recently downgraded its forecast for construction growth in 2022 from 6.3% to 4.8% amid what it called a “perfect storm” in the supply chain, Construction Manager magazine reported.
The association warned that supply-chain constraints are now expected to hinder growth well into next year, citing a combination of talent shortages, product availability and cost inflation, driver short- ages, the impact of energy-cost increases, and delays at ports as factors
“It’s been a nightmare to hire drivers to join our team, then trying to get machines delivered to our facility or to our customer’s facility. They’ll say they’ll be there
atnoonandmayshowupat4 o’clock. So it’s hard because you have to pass some of
the cost off, but who’s at fault in all this?”
in that storm.
“The biggest impacts of the supply constraints are on the small
construction firms,” CPA Economics Director Noble Francis said. “Large contractors and major house builders have a greater certainty of demand over the 12- to 18-month horizon and are better able to plan and purchase in advance as well as adjust to changing economic situations. Small firms, however, are more focused on flexibility and have less visibility over demand going forward. Plus, they have less ability and resource to plan and purchase in advance.”
But the workforce issues remain problematic as well.
“We were fortunate in that regard,” Keiter said. “We have a very strong, committed team of employees. However, you can see in the workforce in general, whether it’s vendors, subcontractors, or others, I think the pandemic has really shaken things up.”
It’s an issue that worries Campbell moving forward.
“I feel optimistic in our conversations with customers, and we’re booking into 2022, but I have great concerns about the labor force,” she told BusinessWest. “We pay well, and our benefits compare with a state or municipality. And we can’t attract a skilled workforce.
“We’ve always had issues hiring skilled labor just because, coming out of high school, it requires quite a few years of apprenticing. But nothing like we have right now. Over COVID, we had a few people age out, who said, ‘that’s what it took for me to hang it up’ — some people, quite honestly, I just didn’t expect. I understand why they retired, but I think COVID gave them that push.”
Craig Sweitzer said his firm has been navigating workforce issues well, although that did necessitate a lot of personal time to deal with COVID-related issues. “All in all, we survived intact.”
However, the industry’s worker crunch has made clearer the impor- tance of keeping workers happy. “We’ve rolled quite a bit of our profits out of our pockets and put them to use to help our employees and subs. We stress that above and beyond profitability,” he said. “It’s easier to run a business when everybody’s on the same team, pushing in the same direction. So we’re happy to forgo a little profit to have that.”
Pat Sweitzer said she understands the strain workers in all indus- tries have felt over the past two years.
“We have been really fortunate to have our employees and our
CAROL CAMPBELL
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