GMCS Editorial: Congratulations
to Stephen Pouppirt and the entire Clemens Construction Co. for their continued
growth and success here in Philadelphia and beyond.
Standing amid scaffolding and
building materials at the AQ Rittenhouse apartment and retail project in Center
City on Wednesday, Stephen Pouppirt, president of Clemens Construction Co.
Inc., almost couldn't keep count of all the major projects his company is
handling this summer.
"A lot of
projects," he said, "Maybe 20, four major ones, and we have many in
the queue."
Pouppirt's contracts,
including several in Center City, are part of what is ranking the Philadelphia
metropolitan division third nationally in the number of construction jobs added
in a year, according to a trade group's analysis of Labor Department numbers.
Philadelphia, along with
Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties, has added 8,500 construction
jobs from July to July. Only Houston and Dallas have added more.
"It's been too long
since we had news like this to report in Philadelphia," said Brian
Turmail, national spokesman for the Associated General Contractors of America -
contractors who generally employ union workers.
For example, Pouppirt's
company will employ, at peak, 100 to 120 building trade workers at the AQ
Rittenhouse Apartment project being developed by Aquinas Realty Partners of
Havertown. The project, a 12-story building at 2021 Chestnut St., includes 110
apartments and street-level retail.
Philadelphia's deputy mayor
for economic development, Alan Greenberger, said that the young-adult
generation's desire to live in the city is fueling growth - both in residential
and in commercial development as businesses "are locating here to be near
talent."
The picture wasn't as pretty
in September 2008.
"The fall of 2008 was
like falling off a cliff," Pouppirt recalled.
In two weeks, his
Philadelphia-based company lost $130 million worth of business - four major
contracts that would have employed hundreds. He cut his office staff below half
to 15 and kept just a handful of building trades workers employed.
Now his office staff is back
up to 35 and he can't even estimate how many construction workers are on the
job at all his projects. Business started to pick up in 2013, he said.
The Associated General
Contractors' analysis of the numbers showed that construction jobs in the area
grew 12.5 percent, faster than job growth in all other sectors.
There are many ways to
analyze the statistics.
Although construction jobs
grew the fastest, they are a relatively small category of work in the region -
76,700 jobs in July compared with 428,900 in health and education - the
"eds and meds" sector that employs the most people.
Year over year, payrolls in
education and health expanded by 12,100 jobs, at a growth rate of just below 3
percent.
Meanwhile, government hiring
fell by nearly 5 percent, declining by 9,200 jobs. Even so, 192,400 people had
jobs in government in July compared with 76,700 in construction.
Construction hiring has also
picked up in Camden, Gloucester and Burlington Counties, with payrolls up by
600 jobs to 22,200 in July from 21,600 a year earlier, the U.S. Labor
Department reported.
BY
THE NUMBERS
3 Philadelphia's national
rank in construction job growth.
8,500 Construction jobs added
in a year in Philadelphia and nearby counties in Pennsylvania.
12.5% Growth in construction
jobs.
8,000 Area building jobs that
had been lost since 2006.
Source: Philly.com
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