By Matthew DeVries on Posted in Best Practices,Human ResourcesToday’s guest post is from my good friend and law partner, M. Clark Spoden, who focuses on business litigation, labor and employment, environmental and construction law. The full article was published by Construction Executive. You can contact Clark at clark.spoden@stites.com. Last April, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued its long-awaited Enforcement Guidance regarding… Continue Reading
By Matthew DeVries on Posted in Human Resources,LeadershipLast week, I came home to a fresh layer of asphalt throughout our development. Smooth. Warm. Black. It looked great! Then my kids … 5 out of 6 of them … pulled out the chalk and began destroying this perfect surface. Since their daddy represents road builders, they even created their own lanes of traffic. … Continue Reading
By Matthew DeVries on Posted in Human Resources,Legal Trends,LegislationAs reported in the Nashville Business Journal and News Channel 5 (video), a non-discrimination bill passed on a second reading at Metro Council last week. The council voted 21 to 16 in favor of the bill that would add two new classes to the procurement code Metro contractors already follow. These companies would not be… Continue Reading
By Matthew DeVries on Posted in Human Resources,Project ManagementA headline from the Wall Street Journal caught my attention this morning: “When People Come and Go: Project teams often have different workers at different times. And that can create problems.” Imagine the potential problems that exist in an industry where project team members change regularly such as in the construction industry. What does history report on… Continue Reading
By Matthew DeVries on Posted in Human Resources,Leadership,Project ManagementLast week, I attended the Nashville Chamber of Commerce CEO Speaker Series featuring Colin Reed, Chairman and CEO of Gaylord Entertainment. Reed is a very good speaker and he spent the morning with an audience of 200 sharing some lessons he learned following the flood in Nashville in May 2010. If you have not seen the pictures… Continue Reading
By Matthew DeVries on Posted in Human Resources,Social MediaThe construction industry is one of the hardest hit in this down economy. From the top to the bottom, from executive to business development and sales to project management, you may find that you have to dust off your resume to look for new opportunities. An article by Joann Lubin in the Wall Street Journal yesterday… Continue Reading
By Matthew DeVries on Posted in Best Practices,Human ResourcesSeth Godin is the bestselling author of ten books on topics about marketing, the spread of ideas and managing both customers and employees with respect. This week, Seth released an e-book, a FREE DOWN-LOADABLE BOOK, that addresses some exciting ideas for the new year. Why is this important for the construction industry? Just download the book and find some… Continue Reading
Matt is a construction & litigation attorney at
Burr & Forman LLP and father of seven young kids. 