Yesterday, Robbie and I returned from ICSC REcon in Las Vegas, an event we have been attending for years. This convention always allows us to catch up with longtime friends from across the country and a chance to make some new connections, even though it can feel like speed dating at times. Here are a few of our takeaways from 2026:

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Construction is in an industry of partnerships, so to speak. On any project, our estimators, project team, subcontractors and vendors all must be in synch, along with the architect, engineers and ultimately, the owner. With so many voices and agendas in the mix, there are many opportunities for competition to enter the arena.

When folks are advocating for their priorities alone, it can lead to an unpleasant experience, and the project will suffer. I’ve found team members mirror the management style they see daily. If advocating for your own interests first is normal or accepted, they will breeze right past the process and only focus on outcomes. If one can lean into collaboration, those around you are more likely to do the same. After all, everyone has the same goal of moving the project forward.

Even if you’ve set the tone for teamwork and shared objectives, human nature still kicks in from time to time. If you see the mindset of an interaction shifting from collaboration to competition, take a second to recognize what’s driving the behavior. Is there uncertainty, pressure or a lack of clarity? Oftentimes, it’s easier to shift the focus to a shared goal if you can alleviate these concerns.

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Data center construction, driven by AI, has increased its market share in construction industry at a rate we’ve never seen before. Last year, the approximate spend was $375 billion. That’s with  a “B.”  The electrical component represents 45-70% of cost on these projects.

As tech companies rush to build data centers, they are drawing from the same group of professionals we rely on in commercial construction. Often, the tech companies have deep pockets and are willing to pay a higher rate than we can reasonably pass on to our customer. We are feeling the squeeze of availability on our projects. We’re wrapping up a project for a longtime customer where electrical sub just did not had enough leadership for the job or journey workers, which impacted our schedule in the final stretch.  To solve, we supplemented our electrical subcontractor and were able to work through this challenge. We are now seeking new talent to assist us with future projects we have in the que.

In the meantime, thinking ahead seems like the smartest solution. Maybe encourage young folks you know to consider a career in the electrical field. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a shortage of 81,000 electricians every year through 2030, so jobs will be plentiful in this category.

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While hard work is often a requirement for success, to me, it’s not necessarily “the secret sauce.” But it does help.

I have found the common denominator for success is that successful people have made a habit of doing things failures don’t like to do. They make calls when they don’t want to, and make the ask even when it’s uncomfortable. At times in my business life, I have been a part of this group.

Often, it comes down the habits formed. If you are not deliberately forming good habits, you may be subconsciously forming bad ones. Motivation can play a big part in this process. When a team member’s performance is faltering, we try to talk less about production and more about purpose.

At its core, purpose is practical, not visionary and based on wants, not needs. Often, reconnecting to purpose is the very thing any one of us needs to dial back in to our good habits and consequentially, success.

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I’ve said many times that in construction, the sum is greater than the parts. This is especially true regarding the relationships we have worked to maintain with our subcontractors and vendors over these many years. These partnerships, built over time and countless projects, are the heart of our business. We’ve learned from experience that strong relationships directly affect cost, schedule, quality, safety and ultimately, our relationship with the customer.  I have observed that as general contractors grow in revenue, these relationships have a way of fading. I hope with Stewart/Perry this will never be the case. Make no mistake about it, successful contractors should never forget that, without a good group of subs and vendors helping, they will not be as successful as they might be otherwise.

Last week, our concrete vendor on this project hosted a fish fry for us. We just completed pouring out 26,000 CY with another 14,000 CY left to pour. As members from our office team visited with our field leadership and our concrete sub, I was reminded that we all work together. These moments of shared pride in the work we’re doing together are worth celebrating.

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We are close to completion of a 1.2 million square foot concrete paving pour that we reinforced with fiberglass rebar (GFRP) in lieu of traditional reinforcing steel. Our customer has been impressed with the cost savings, and in the field, we’re seeing fiberglass rebar mats installed faster, with smaller crews and less equipment. We have found this process to be more efficient, and it ultimately delivers a cleaner, faster path to placement. These are the pluses we have experienced, however, it’s important to remember a few special circumstances when using GFRP. For example, there is no bending of fiberglass for shapes in the field. Because of its light weight, it can “float” during the pour, which requires greater attention. Also, the polymer binder is susceptible to being impacted by prolonged UV exposure.

Fiberglass rebar has higher tensile strength, significantly lighter weight and is more corrosion resistant than traditional steel rebar. For our paving on this project, these are all wins. Steel reinforcing remains the dominant material for reinforced concrete structures, but for flatwork and higher corrosion applications, fiberglass is a viable option.

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What follows is something I wrote a few years ago, and to me, the message is “ evergreen.” With The Master’s going on now, I thought it might be nice to revisit something I learned from the game of golf. I have been fortunate to attend The Masters for several  years, but this year, I’ll admire the azaleas and the Amen Corner from home.

Years ago, I had dinner with a friend who is a great golfer in his own right, and whose brother was one of the top PGA tour players. While we did not discuss the dynamics of the game, I thought to myself that, while these guys compete against one another, in a way, they compete against the course.

Good players learn how to put bad shots behind them, along with bad holes. The most successful concentrate on what they do best and, most important to me, they learn how to play their own game on the course and not worry how others are playing the course. Most have developed the “just right” rhythm to their play. They size up the shots they can make and don’t worry about the shots of others. They know their strengths and weakness, and they play to their own strengths.

How many times have I gotten in a slump thinking about our competition–what they have and what they have accomplished? There are no winners in the comparison game.

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While our office is in Birmingham, our work often spokes out to the surrounding communities, states and even different regions. It’s all driven by where our customer relationships need us to build. I would say we have probably built in 200 different towns or cities. Whenever someone asks me which one I enjoy the most, I say that if you have your health, they are all good.

I see visiting our projects as an opportunity to get to know a little more about the culture and interesting spots of all these different places. I recently heard this referred to as “bleisure travel,” the combination of business and leisure, and it’s one of the benefits of time spent on the road.

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Over the years, we’ve built a small but meaningful collection of art. It might not be of huge value to anyone else, but to us, our surroundings us tell a of story of places of we’ve been and folks we have met. Here are a few:

• Some light fixtures in my home are copper handcrafted by a friend Robert Taylor, who I have known for years. I have plans for some of his work here at our campus at our outdoor stage as well. He’s a Master Roycroft Artisan, and his technique comes from the Art & Crafts movement of the late 1880s.
• We are currently working with a master blacksmith Larry Cooper, whose roots go all the way back to Sloss Furnace here in Birmingham. His art is functional, and he makes some of the most impressive specialized tools.
• Our office has a rotating display of quilts sewn by Bettye Kimbrell, who was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts. This honor is awarded annually to just twelve recipients at a dinner in the Rotunda of our US Capitol where each honoree is ask to say a few words. In typical Bettye fashion, she thanked the committee for the honor, and mostly appreciated those who cooked the nice dinner and the team who made the evening special. Bettye was a regular visitor to our campus and a lovely woman.

Each of these artist’s work reinforces the belief that art can turn something routine into something visually uplifting. These pieces bring a sense of grounding and purpose, opening the door for connection and conversation to anyone who might visit. They provide a small reminder that the beauty we welcome into our everyday lives helps us keep our balance.

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