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Business always has ups and downs, and fluctuations are to be expected. The U.S. economy has been enjoying an economic building boom for over 10 years. The housing slowdown is definitely impacting certain areas. However, things are not as dire as one might think.

Subcontractors in certain trades experienced a magic moment in time during the roll-up craze of the 1990s. Scores of owners were able to sell their businesses to consolidators for millions of dollars. Many are still living the good life off those deals. A few got burned by accepting payment mostly in consolidator company stock, almost all of which subsequently tanked, but those who negotiated cash or mostly cash buyouts did well for themselves. For a handful it was like a well-paid extended vacation, because they ended up reacquiring their old companies a few years later for pennies on the dollar compared to their selling price.

According to a report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, workplace fatalities occurred at a rate of 3.9 per 100,000 workers in 2006. The report breaks U.S. workplace fatalities down into a number of classifications, and while roofing is not the most dangerous of occupation, it maintains a top 10 rating in this grim report.

Once upon a time, I quit my real job (restaurant manager - good salary, benefits and someone to cover for me when I wasn’t around) and went to work for my husband, Hot Rod, in his contracting company. It was the dumbest decision I have ever made.

Most business owners are buried with daily operational needs, and taking time for disaster prevention is tough. Mishaps are bound to happen, and the more prepared you are, the less painful they will be.

I am The Customer. Each transaction makes me king of my tiny domain of commerce. I expect - no, make that demand - to be treated not only with respect, but with indulgence.

Aggregate surfacing has been applied to built-up roof systems for over a century. The aggregate, which typically consists of gravel, crushed rock or blast-furnace slag, is set in a uniform

In today’s world, roofing contractors are not just “roofers,” and Roofing Contractor is not just a magazine. The demands placed on you as a roofing contractor are manifold and complex. You need information (a lot of it) to succeed in the roofing business.

In general, size is not an asset in the construction field the way it is in so many other industries. There are relatively few economies of scale compared to many other businesses, and far-flung operations tend to raise overhead without providing commensurate value to the company or its customers.