Architecture & Design

Construction Industry Lost 975,000K Jobs Last Month

April's unemployment rate hit a dismal 14.7 percent, and the construction industry was no different. It lost 975,000 jobs over the month, in an industry that was having trouble finding workers before COVID-19 hit. Though other industries faced a tougher… more

Q&A With … Mike Boehm, City of Lenexa

Mike Boehm is the major of the City of Lenexa, which has seen major construction growth over the the last few years. Q. Have you seen any delay in the construction of City Center as a result of COVID-19? A.… more

City Revisiting Plans for Hotel in Former KC Fed Bank Building

Though no action was taken on the measure yesterday by a city council committee, funding for a hotel in the former Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, at 925 Grand Blvd. The current proposal, known as Grand Reserve, by developer… more

Q&A With … Ray Kowalik, Burns & McDonnell

Ray Kowalik is chairman and CEO of Burns & McDonnell, the largest engineering firm by revenues in the Kansas City region, and second-largest by employee totals. Q. Your firm-wide revenue growth has been up sharply for most of the past… more

Contractor Confidence Hits Record Low

Expectations for sales, profit margins and staffing levels expectations fell below the threshold of 50 for the first time in the history of the  Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Construction Confidence Index. Sales expectations, due to COVID-19, decreased from 68.3… more

Q&A With … Don Greenwell, The Builders’ Association

Don Greenwell is president of the Builders' Association in Kansas City, representing the interests of the construction sector in such matters as policy and work-force development. Q. The construction sector nationally shed 29,000 jobs last month amid the pandemic slowdown;… more

Shawnee Industrial Park Gets $50M Bond Approval

The City of Shawnee recently approved a $50-million bond issuance for the construction of Heartland Industrial Park, which is set to be underway this year. The 186-acre development, to eventually total two million square feet would reportedly bring 1,500 jobs… more

Q&A With … Conner Beese, Copaken Brooks

Conner Beese is a broker at Copaken Brooks who specializes in the office market. He talked about how leasing has changed in the COVID-19 era. Q: Are there deals going on right now, and if so, what kinds of tenants… more

Home Prices Up As Supply Plunges

Median home prices rose in the United States in March by 7.7 percent year over year, but for-sales listing plunged from a year ago, according to Redfin. Listings were especially lower year over year in the Kansas City area, which… more

Regents Approve Tearing Down Shockers’ Cessna Stadium

The Kansas Board of Regents has approved the demolition and replacement of Cessna Stadium, where the Wichita State Shockers host track and field events, and replacing it with another facility. The former football stadium is three-quarters of a century old,… more