Newsletter Volume 2 No. 9                                 June 2008

In This Issue
»

Concrete 101

Did you Know?

»

Name the Building & Win!

»

Book Worth Reading

»

Green Concept Homes

»

Dickies Worker of the Year

»

Computer Tips

About Us

Florida Construction Connection, Inc., works with employers to not just hire, but make the right hires.

We work with currently employed construction management, administrative and accounting professionals to help them make smart career decisions.

Whether you are seeking information to help you in your current situation or seeking information about the marketplace and need help, please give us a call.

Florida Construction Connection
Deerfield Beach, FL
Phone:  (954) 725-9932
            (866) 725-9932
Fax:      (954) 725-9928
Email:  
flcc@bellsouth.net
floridaconstructionconnection.com

 

Name the Building
and Win!

The first person to e-mail us the right answer will win a $25.00 gift certificate to Starbuck's.


Name this Building:

CLUE:  Foundation work is now proceeding for this building with an unique collection of 1200 residences on the shores of one of the 5 Great Lakes of North America.  Designed by a Spanish Architect, this building will be the world's tallest residential building upon its completion.

Email your answer to flcc@bellsouth.net

or

Concrete 101

   Did you Know?

The first concrete block was molded in 1882.

The United States ranks third in cement production, after China and Japan.

Domestic consumption of cement exceeds production, requiring a reliance on imports.

Ancient Romans used a mixture remarkably like modern concrete to build roads and aqueducts, as well as such landmarks as the coliseum, the Roman Baths and the Pantheon’s 140-foot-diameter poured-concrete dome.5.  The cost of shipping concrete is so high that production usually occurs no more than 200 miles from the construction site.

The manufacture of cement – one of the key ingredients in concrete – is a very capital-intensive and high-tech process.

At its height, the ancient Roman Empire had more miles of concrete roads than the United States Interstate highway system.

By adding animal blood to their concrete mixture, the ancient Romans achieved an effect very much like the air-entrainment of modern concrete.

Modern cement was patented in 1824 by Joseph Aspdin, who experimented by burning finely ground chalk, clay and lime in his kitchen.

Included among Thomas Edison’s more than 1,000 patents is the invention of a concrete house, a concrete phonograph cabinet, as well as one of the first rotating cement kilns.

 

Book Worth Reading:
    By Suzanne Breistol


Attitude 101:
What Every Leader
Needs to Know

by John C. Maxwell

One of my favorite Authors is John Maxwell and one of his easy reads is Attitude 101, 97 short pages on how life is 10% of what is dealt to us and 90% of how we react to it.

Daily we all face challenges and we have a choice in life as the saying goes to make lemonade out of lemons or become a sour puss. 

Attitude 101 shares stories of those that have overcome great diversity through keeping a positive attitude.  The book shares quotes, tips to help you with your attitude and also recognize how someone else’s attitude can affect an outcome.

There is a whole chapter on how obstacles in life can actually enhance an attitude.  One of his quotes are “The greatest battle you wage against failures occurs on the inside, not the outside”

Maxwell goes through the seven benefits of adversity:

  • Adversity creates resilience

  • Adversity develops maturity

  • Adversity pushes the envelope of accepted performance

  • Adversity provides greater opportunity

  • Adversity prompts innovation

  • Adversity brings unexpected benefits

  • Adversity motivates

It has been exciting for me to see how many of my clients are motivated, getting creative and excited about the challenges out there verses overwhelmed with them as others are.  The unexpected benefits they are seeing from their positive attitudes are helping them to sustain the bottom line.  I hope this book and our encouragement at FLCC will help you to do the same.

Suzanne Breistol


• 
Green Concept Homes 2008
      Source: Architectural Record

Architectural Record have just featured their annual ‘Unbuilt Houses‘ series showcasing some very interesting concept designs of green & sustainable residential single-family dwellings.

Some of these projects may remain speculative, while others will rise this year. The mkSolaire will be built and featured in the Smart Home: Green + Wired exhibition that opened in Chicago on May.  The Sycamore House is currently under construction on a ridge in Southern California. When completed, one will be able to stand on the house’s green roof and take in stunning views of mountains and the ocean.

Browse through the designs and tell us your favorite.

Cradle to Cradle (C2C) Home   Pasadena EcoHouse
Cradle to Cradle (C2C) Home
Roanoke, Virginia
Coates Design Architects
  Pasadena Eco House
Pasadena, California
Studio RMA
Sustainable home designed by Adjaye Associates   Swell House
Make it Right
New Orleans, Louisiana
Adjaye Associates
  Swell House
Highland Park, New Jersey
Studio ST Architects and Z-A
mkSolaire   San Vicente Residence
mkSolaire
Chicago, Illinois
Michelle Kaufmann Designs
  San Vicente Residence
Santa Monica, California
Pugh + Scarpa
zeroHouse   Sycamore House
ZeroHouse
Specht Harpman
  Sycamore House
Los Angeles, California
Kovac Architects

   • Dickies 2008 Worker of the Year Contest

American Worker of the YearFor the 16th year in a row, Dickies is honoring the everyday working hero through the American Worker of the Year contest starting June 1, 2008. Dickies fans from coast to coast who depend on their workwear to be as tough as they are can start collecting photos for submission.

The six regional finalists selected will win a trip to Professional Bull Riders World Finals in Las Vegas. Five of the regional finalist will receive a Yamaha Grizzly 450 4x4, and a regional Dickies gift certificate to a major retailer. The winner will receive the New ’09 Ford F-150, a Yamaha Rhino 700 FI 4x4, a trip to the Dickies 500 and a chance at a million dollars!

To enter, submit a shot of the nominee with the theme
“Honor Your Favorite Worker With a Chance to Win”
and answer two short questions at
www.workeroftheyear.com.

 

Computer Tips

  Same Information, Many Cells

Have you ever had the same information to enter in multiple cells in MS Excel?

What did you do? Did you type the data into one cell and then copy and paste it everywhere else in the worksheet? How would you like a way to get the data into all of those cells simultaneously? You know, a method that doesn't require all the copy/paste.

There are two ways to do this:

To enter the same data into multiple adjacent cells, simply type the data, place your mouse on the right left bottom corner of the cell until you see a black plus sign.  Drag your mouse up to the cell you want to copy the data, vertically or horizontally. Once you release the mouse, your data is copied. See the example below:

To enter the same data into multiple non-adjacent cells, simply select the cells while holding down the Ctrl key. With all of the cells still selected, type in your data. When the data is typed, all you have to do is to hit Ctrl + Enter simultaneously.  See the example below:

That's all it takes to avoid a whole lot of copy/paste time. A simple drag of the mouse or a little Ctrl with your Enter key and you've mastered the art of putting data into many cells instead of just one!

 

Father's Day Special Quote:

It is not flesh and blood but the heart which makes us fathers and sons.
                ~Johann Schiller