“Take care of the people, the products, and the profits in that order.”
- Ben Horowitz
THE ART OF LEADERSHIP
Are Your Priorities Building Trust Before Chasing Margins?
Leadership in hard times is brutal and straightforward. Protect people first. People build the product. The product earns a profit. Reverse the order, and you burn cash on replacements, rework, and apologies. When fear runs the floor, velocity collapses. When trust is absolute, teams move with speed and tell you the ugly truth early. Your job is to make that truth safe and then act upon it.
Start with managers. Pick those who coach and who ship. Publish the standard for product quality and support it with resources, not slogans. When you must choose between short-term revenue and long-term credibility, choose credibility. It always pays compound interest. Create clear lines of ownership. Let the person closest to the problem make the decision within the given constraints. Inspect outcomes instead of playing savior in every meeting.
Do the hard people work? Fire the toxic star. Promote the quiet builder. Train the willing. Communicate until you are tired of your own voice. Celebrate evidence, not theater.
Protect people first, fund product quality, push decisions to facts, inspect outcomes daily, and celebrate evidence consistently.
COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION
How Does A Century Build Tomorrow For Utilities?
Utility Supply and Construction Company is a family-owned organization delivering safe, reliable solutions for the utility industry. USC unites Crossroads Mobile Maintenance, Power Line Supply, The Hydaker Wheatlake Company, CVR Engineering, and Hydrolake Incorporated to provide integrated service from materials to construction and engineering. With skilled personnel, modern equipment, and focused facilities, the company tailors its work to each customer while advancing innovation and achieving cost-efficient performance.
That story begins in 1924 when Davis Hydaker set out to bring electricity to rural America. After Franklin B. Wheatlake joined the firm in 1948, it became The Hydaker Wheatlake Company in 1955. Reed City Power Line Supply was launched in 1963. A holding company was established in 2008, and Crossroads Mobile Maintenance began operations in 2012. Drew Wheatlake became board chair in 2021, and CVR Engineering joined the Team in 2022.
Today, USC concentrates on utility work and pairs readiness with planning. Crews mobilize with specialized tools, procedures, and a safety culture that holds during storms and outages. A Texas resident thanked USC teams for restoring power after Hurricane Laura, a note that captures the purpose. The organization stands ready for the next mile of grid modernization and for every community that needs the lights back on.
INFRASTRUCTURE INDUSTRY
Can A Dedicated Road End Airport Terminal Traffic Jams?
Shovels will rise at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International as leaders launch an eighty-four million dollar express shuttle connector road linking the south campus parking garages and the rental car center to the north campus terminal. Managers say the dedicated route will divert buses from traffic and alleviate congestion on the main loop during peak hours.
Design features include controlled access lanes, signal priority at crossings, wayfinding for travelers with disabilities, and staging bays where shuttles load without blocking through traffic. Funding comes from Federal Aviation Administration grants under the bipartisan infrastructure law, paired with coordination to keep terminal curbs moving while construction proceeds behind temporary barriers.
Officials frame the project as a piece of a broader intermodal network. A planned passenger rail link between Baton Rouge and New Orleans would meet airport shuttles at the south campus, providing visitors with a convenient transfer to flights and hotels. The groundbreaking is scheduled for Tuesday, August 26, at 10:30 a.m.
RESIDENTIAL RESEARCH
Will Rising Supply Reset Prices And Builder Timelines?
New home sales flattened but supply swelled, which could push autumn schedules into reshuffle mode. July contracts slipped to a 652,000 annual pace, while the months’ supply held at 9.2, far above the level of a balanced market. Builders now list 499,000 homes for sale, with affordability and rate noise tamping traffic.
The mix of inventory is the headline. Completed, ready-to-occupy homes increased to 118,000 in July, up 19 percent from the same period a year earlier; however, they account for only 23 percent of total offerings. Homes under construction make up fifty-four percent, and homes not yet started are twenty-two percent, leaving cycle plans sensitive to material and labor timing.
Purchasing teams are shortening bid windows and pairing lighter hedges with firm contingencies. Sales leaders lean into targeted credits over blanket price cuts and steer buyers toward move-in-ready lots to compress uncertainty. If the elevated supply persists into early fall, expect slower starts and quicker closeouts on finished spec homes.
TOOLBOX TALK
The Importance of Overhead Power Line Safety
Introduction
Good morning, Team! Today’s toolbox talk focuses on working near overhead power lines. Cranes, pumps, lifts, and long materials can bring us dangerously close to energized conductors.
Why It Matters
Contact or arcing to a line can kill instantly and injure bystanders. Electricity can “reach” through air—clearance, not just contact, is what saves lives.
Strategies for Line Safety
Locate & Mark – Identify all overhead lines before work, showing voltages and mapping safe routes.
Set Clearances – Maintain the minimum approach distance (at least 10 ft; increase with higher voltages, as per the utility/site plan).
De-energize or Shield – When possible, coordinate with the utility to de-energize, insulate, or relocate lines before commencing the task.
Use a Dedicated Spotter – For cranes/MEWPs/material lifts, assign a trained spotter whose only job is distance monitoring.
Choose Non-Conductive Tools – Use fiberglass ladders, non-conductive poles, and tag lines (avoid using wire rope).
Plan Set‑Up & Travel – Position equipment to avoid booming over lines; fold/boom down before moving.
Stop Work for Weather/Visibility – Wind, rain, or darkness increases drift and misjudgment; reassess clearances.
If contact occurs, stay in the vehicle, warn others away, and call 911/utility. Only exit if fire forces you to jump clear with both feet together.
Discussion Questions
Where are today’s overhead lines and our planned travel paths?
Who is the designated spotter, and what is the stop signal?
Conclusion
Plan the path, set the clearance, and use a spotter every time.
Look up, live long!
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