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News
How the midterm elections will impact the construction industry
While many of the country's voters are focused on issues like healthcare and job creation during this year's midterm elections, some candidates in the more than 500 House, Senate and gubernatorial races could significantly and directly impact the construction industry if they are elected.  Read More...
West Liberty Would Get $1M Under Blue Ribbon Commission’s New Plan
A subcommittee of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Four Year Higher Education has developed a funding plan to help the state’s smaller colleges and universities.
If approved, West Liberty University would get more than $1 million for its share, the fourth-highest in the state.
The Finance Subcommittee met via conference call Monday afternoon to discuss a plan that would spread out $10 million between seven colleges and universities. Read More...
Engineer Gives OK for HVAC Work at Wheeling Park High School
Wheeling Police Sgt. Donald Miller, center, school resource officer at Bridge Street Middle School, is recognized Monday by the Ohio County Board of Education for assisting a choking child at the school. With him are Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger, left, and Bridge Street Principal Joseph Kolb.
A n engineering firm has determined energy-saving upgrades can be completed at Wheeling Park High School next summer, and won’t have to be ripped out later when planned construction takes place there.

Earlier this month, the Ohio County Board of Education agreed to add WPHS to a list of energy-improvement projects set to happen at the end of the school year. Replacement of the heating and air conditioning system and other energy upgrades at WPHS are expected to save the district about $160,000 annually, according to representatives with project architect McKinley & Associates. Read More...
Governor Justice is right to be bullish on West Virginia’s economy. It is growing and creating jobs. That’s reflected in the latest numbers showing state government collected $119 million more in tax revenue than projected for the first three months of the fiscal year. Read More...
What you need to know about talent management
The most underestimated tool in the HR toolbox may be your front-line managers — and forward thinking HR pros are making manager development a key part of their business strategy. Read More...
Hourly construction wages exceed $30 for first time ever
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported last week that the average hourly construction wage  increased to $30.18  in September, up from $30 in August and 3.1% higher than September 2017. This is the  first time , according to an  Associated General Contractors of America  analysis, that average construction wages for U.S. workers have surpassed $30 an hour. Construction hourly pay is now 10.7% higher than the average wage for workers in all other private nonfarm industries, now at $27.24. Read More...
Value of September construction starts falls 5%
The value of September construction starts fell 5% month-over-month to $709.6 billion, according to  Dodge Data & Analytics , piling on to  July  and August's respective 9% declines. Year to date, the value of total starts was down 1% compared to the period ending September 2017. Read More...
October's Under Construction is headed your way!
Industry News

ROAD TO PROSPERITY
By Pat McCune
OSHA Inspections
By Nelva J. Smith
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
By Pat McCune - West Virginia/Ohio
HARRISON COUNTY, OHIO
NEW GLOBAL ECONOMY
By Nicholas Homrighausen
26 HISTORIC TAX CUTS IN WV
By glenn F. Elliott, Jr.
CONSTRUCTION BRIEFS
Safety and Education
Opportunity Zones in The Region
A Conversation with Steptoe & Johnson and MVB Bank

THE DETAILS:
Join Steptoe & Johnson and MVB Bank for a discussion on Opportunity Zones and what this new federal income tax incentive could mean for West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

Topics for discussion include:

·       What are Opportunity Zones?
·       What is the purpose of an Opportunity Zone?
·       What are the potential tax benefits?
·       How does an Opportunity Zone impact economic development?

A networking reception will immediately follow the presentation.
WHERE
Oglebay Resort
Banquet Room One
465 Lodge Drive
Wheeling, WV 26003

WHEN
Monday, October 29, 2018
4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. - Presentation
5:00 p.m. - Reception

Top 6 OSHA fines levied since May
The first 18 months of President Donald Trump's first term saw the Occupational Safety and Health Administration  levy some massive fines  for safety violations. The two largest were $1.5 million levied against Great White Construction in Jacksonville for repeatedly violating fall protection standards, and nearly $1.5 million for Boston-area based Atlantic Drain Services Co. after one of its employees was killed when a trench collapsed during a sewer utility project. Read More...
Pennsylvania updates building codes for first time in 10 years
The commonwealth of Pennsylvania has  updated its Uniform Construction Code  for the first time in a decade, according to Contractor. The Independent Regulatory Review Commission  voted Sept. 13  to adopt almost all of the provisions of the 2015 International Building Codes (I-Codes), and the changes became effective Sept. 29 upon publication in the  Pennsylvania Bulletin . Read More...
Clarification of OSHA’s Position on Workplace Safety Incentive Programs and Post-Incident Drug Testing Under 29 C.F.R. §1904.35(b)(1)(iv)

Yesterday, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (“OSHA”) issued a letter of interpretation clarifying their position on the new recordkeeping rule’s anti-retaliation provisions: 

 
The letter of interpretation appears to address most concerns employers had about safety incentive programs and post-accident drug testing. OSHA also states that the letter of interpretation supersedes any guidance issued by the agency related to the two issues.
Welcome New Members
Small town, Big design.
Great design is a key ingredient for a great business, if something looks good then it must be good. In today’s ever-changing media world people are more visual than ever. Having an image that draws your clients in and gets them excited will help to grow your business.

At, Brandi Patt Design we specialize in web design, logo design, billboard, multimedia and print design and offer solutions from that can include ads, brochures and presentations. Our creative approach will connect with the clients intended audience and assist in developing your company to the next level. We believe that every mark has a purpose and the individual elements of each design should be necessary, not indulgent.

A growing number of clients prefer using a freelance graphic designer to using a design agency – and this is due to a few benefits. The biggest benefit being that the work delivered by a skilled freelance designer can be exactly the same as you’d get from a top branding agency but at a fraction of the price – because a freelancer has less overheads. You also get to work much more closely with your designer, instead of relaying everything through an account manager.
For the past fifteen years Brandi Patt Design has been creating and upgrading corporate identities, web sites and original marketing material across the tri-state area and beyond. At Brandi Patt Design we strive to give clients the most superior and cost efficient solutions in this vastly competitive market. 
www.brandipattdesign.com
Is your company struggling to find a way to efficiently communicate across your entire organization? Is productivity low? Are your deadlines not being met? Is managing your mobile workforce becoming a struggle?

M360 Apps, www.M360apps.com , is the solution.  We design customized internal communication applications for your specific needs. We can create internal apps for your workforce that can be downloaded on any Android or IOS device. No longer are you relying on emails, texts, phone calls, or posted messages in the coffee room. Your company can be connected using the smart phones they carry with them every day.

M360 Apps is a division of Mobilze360 which started in 2016 as a full service digital marketing firm providing customized marketing solutions for all types and sizes of businesses, from startups to well established corporations, across many different industries. Our desire to provide clients with solutions has led us to advance the use of customized apps to solve many organizational challenges. Contact us today, to find out more!
Martin Reinforcing has been servicing the state of West Virginia since 2013 and is owned and operated by Kelly Martin. 

Located in Birch River, West Virginia, Martin Reinforcing is a DBE company specializing in rebar work for everything from foundations to bridges. 

A dependable solution for all your concrete reinforcing needs. We supply and install reinforcing steel bars for your projects.  Martin Reinforcing is a one stop shop for all your steel rebar needs!

788 Mill Creek Road - PO Box 131
Birch River, West Virginia 26610
Phone: (304)276-0371
Born out of a love of storytelling, Warwood Media first manifested as an instrument to tell the charismatic tale of Warwood Tool Company, a 165 year old manufacturing dinosaur in the Ohio Valley - the stuff that aesthetic marketing dreams are made of. As marketing needs turned in to creative outlets, and product descriptions turned in to branding videos, Warwood realized that the “Tool” arm was also a pretty talented “Media” arm. Over the course of 6 months, the Warwood team wrote, shot, and produced over 25 videos to market the different manufacturing capabilities of Warwood Tool and Warwood Tactical. As industry partners took notice of the team’s growing social media presence, praises of quality turned in to requests for help. Creative ideas soon matured and snowballed as Warwood Tool realized they needed to develop Warwood Media, and a small client list began to grow and expand. The original plan was to create funny and engaging videos for the industrial market, that often loses its branding pizzazz to traditional, stuffy video content – Not everything has to have a “Mad Men” feel to it! Having an initial focus on Safety, HR, and Training videos, that quickly grew to small documentaries and general branding content. In the first 2 months of existence, Warwood Media has worked with a half dozen clients, produced 2 websites, and finalized over a dozen videos ranging in length from 30 seconds to 30 minutes. 
We believe what sets us apart is our depthful understanding of what generates views and clicks from a digital perspective, and how to get the most authentic, realistic representation of any client during the filming process. We are 100% dedicated to helping brands and businesses be more successful and know that it doesn’t have to be a high stress, tooth pulling experience to get great content. 
Creating video & photo marketing content for your brand doesn't have to be a nightmare 
In fact- it can be pretty damn fun. 
We are the guys that want to help tell YOUR story. 
The company was born in Huntington, WV in 1952 when Art Weisberg loaded his pickup truck with light bulbs, extension cords and fuses and hit the road selling to grocery and hardware stores that were so numerous back then.
Weisberg built State Electric around the idea that providing the customer with just a product was not enough.  “ Beyond quality products and competitive prices, ” he says,  “ the thing that would separate our company from others was service. We believe that making an effort to provide customers with what they need, when they need it, will keep them happy and coming back.
State Electric Supply Company is one of the nation's largest and best-known electrical distributors, with 44 branch locations across 7 states. Our customers are serviced by a local team of experienced and knowledgeable employees in each of our branches, with additional support from company-wide resources and specialists.

50 East Cove Avenue Ext.
Wheeling WV 26003 
 (304) 242-0042 
After Hours Emergency: 
(724) 464-4285 
Safety Tool Box Talk
Plan Room News
What Is the OVCEC Plan Room?
  • It is a conveniently located source of construction plans for the Ohio Valley area
  • It publishes a weekly Construction Report listing projects out for bid, due dates, apparent low bidders and contracts awarded
  • It provides updates on projects throughout the week by email
  • It provides online access to plans and specifications for your review and downloading
  • It provides bidders lists
  • It has staff that will get the plans you need whenever possible
Submit Plans & Specs
As an Owner or Architect of a project, placing your project plans in the OVCEC Plan Room will help to insure the success of your project.
The Plan Room will:
  • Help you publicize your project
  • Increase the quantity and quality of bids you receive for your project
  • Help you get addenda out to bidders
  • Reduce your cost of blueprint duplication by allowing electronic submission to Plan Room Online