Leadership begins with choice, not charisma. Management improves speed; leadership decides the destination. Doing things right is efficiency. Doing the right things is effectiveness, the route to results. The leader’s first task is to define what business we are in and what we are not. That requires systematic abandonment of activities that waste resources. If everything is a priority, nothing is.

Choose the right things by looking outside first. Start with the customer and the constraints. Concentrate resources where a unique contribution is possible. Knowledge workers need clear objectives and broad responsibility; focus, not supervision. Allocate people to opportunities, not problems. What you stop doing often matters more than what you add, for sustained competitive advantage.

Finally, convert direction into commitments. Put names, dates, and measures on each decision. Create feedback that reports on results, not activity. When evidence contradicts opinion, revise the plan. The leader’s calendar is the strategy. Fill it with the right things, and the organization will do things right.

Define priorities, abandon low-value work, set measures, align calendars, and execute customer-centered commitments daily with discipline.

Florida‑ and North Carolina-based Pritchett Steinbeck Group announced a rebrand to Artemis Consulting Collective, sharpening its environmental focus as contractors juggle tight schedules and compliance risk. The firm partners with public and private clients to evaluate alternatives, understand impacts, make sound decisions, and implement projects in an end‑to‑end model aligned with today’s construction pipelines.

For U.S. commercial builders, the change signals a stronger consulting ally across planning, environmental, and geospatial workstreams from corridor studies to field data collection that de‑risks permitting. By consolidating environmental intelligence, Artemis helps owners compare tradeoffs earlier, surface constraints before bids, and reduce redesign churn while clarifying compliance narratives for agencies and stakeholders.

The company notes certification as a woman‑owned Disadvantaged Business Enterprise and Small Business Enterprise, adding procurement value on public works. Teams based in Tampa and Chapel Hill position the firm to support fast‑growing Gulf, Southeast, and Atlantic corridors. Its homepage now directs visitors to the Artemis name, underscoring a refined emphasis on environmental services and delivery.

Shovels hit gravel in Solano County as Caltrans and Solano Transportation Authority kicked off construction of a new westbound Cordelia Truck Scales complex on Interstate 80. The outdated 1958 facility routinely forced closures to prevent backups onto the freeway; the new site moves 0.7 miles east to safer, longer ramps.

Direct access from westbound State Route 12 will feed an off‑ramp and entrance, while automated inspection bays and weigh‑in‑motion sensors allow officers to screen up to 1,000 trucks per hour, twenty‑four hours a day, seven days a week. The redesigned layout keeps queues inside the complex and off travel lanes during peak surges.

Caltrans says construction will start in late August and run through December 2029, with the ceremonial groundbreaking set for 10 a.m. to noon on August 15. The project promises fewer rear‑end collisions, faster freight checks, and more reliable I‑80 and SR‑12 operations for the Bay Area’s busiest freight corridor: Caltrans District 4 news release, August 14, 2025.

Colorado just put $280M on the line: Gov. Jared Polis signed an executive order tying access to dozens of state grants to cities’ compliance with new housing laws, with enforcement beginning October 6. The move landed this week during peak permit season, putting planning departments on the clock to legalize ADUs, drop parking mandates near transit, and adopt factory-built codes.

For builders, the compliance sprint could reshape bids: fewer parking stalls mean more units per lot; single‑stair allowances in big cities ease small apartments; standardized modular codes shorten plan check for off‑site homes. Lenders say shovel‑ready approvals may tilt toward cities that certify quickly, while slower jurisdictions risk losing infrastructure dollars that underpin subdivision phases.

The order triggered immediate pushback from six home‑rule cities suing over preemption, but the governor’s office vows a public scorecard naming compliant and lagging jurisdictions by early October. Purchasing teams are redlining site plans to capture unit yield and preparing alternates to keep schedules moving.

Introduction
Good morning, Team! Today’s toolbox talk covers scissor lift safety. These lifts raise people and tools quickly, but mistakes at height can be fatal.

Why It Matters
Common incidents include tip‑overs, electrocution near power lines, and crush/entrapment against ceilings or beams.

Strategies for Safe Use

Discussion Questions

Conclusion
Inspect, set up the level, respect wind and load limits, and protect overhead clearances to work safely at height.

Go up safe, come down safe!