{"id":33982,"date":"2021-01-15T13:12:31","date_gmt":"2021-01-15T18:12:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/?p=33982"},"modified":"2021-01-18T12:03:01","modified_gmt":"2021-01-18T17:03:01","slug":"outlook-2021-doug-ford","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2021\/01\/outlook-2021-doug-ford\/","title":{"rendered":"Outlook 2021 &#8211; Doug Ford"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_33983\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33983\" style=\"width: 194px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-33983\" src=\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/109\/2021\/01\/eco-outlook-ford-c-194x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"194\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/109\/2021\/01\/eco-outlook-ford-c-194x300.jpg 194w, https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/109\/2021\/01\/eco-outlook-ford-c.jpg 432w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 194px) 100vw, 194px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-33983\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Doug Ford is vice president of Curtis Lumber Company.<br \/>Courtesy Curtis Lumber<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>By Doug Ford<br \/>\nAs I prepare to write this article regarding the construction outlook for 2021, I can\u2019t help but think about all that has transpired since I wrote last year\u2019s column. At that time, no one could have predicted what lay ahead just a few short weeks after the story went to print.<br \/>\nAs we move into this much anticipated new year, many of the challenges I outlined for 2020 still exist and have only become more complicated due to COVID-19. Despite all the obstacles the construction industry endured, they stilled fared better than most. In the Northeast, and even closer to home, construction has been strong throughout the pandemic, in part driven by new home construction and remodeling.<br \/>\nUnfortunately, we cannot look forward without at least looking back briefly. It all started in March when the COVID-19 infection rates escalated and Gov. Cuomo shutdown construction for the entire state, lumping Upstate New York in with New York City.<br \/>\nMost industry affiliated organizations and legislators understand that upstate and the city are very different so much debate ensued to handle them differently. As a result of being shut down, most of the skilled laborers were laid off and joined many others in the unemployment pool. There were several weeks of uncertainty as builders and remodelers tried to make sense of what was unfolding in front of them. <!--more--><br \/>\nOnce construction was again deemed \u201cessential\u201d and business resumed, many of the skilled trades were slow to rejoin the workforce out of fear, and assistance from enhanced unemployment benefits also contributed. This only compounded the struggle builders were having with labor shortages prior to the pandemic and for the past few years.<br \/>\nAs noted in last year\u2019s 2020 forecast, the number one issue facing the construction industry was the lack of skilled labor and this has not changed despite the efforts gone into promoting the trades. Most contractors are confident 2021 will be a good year; going into it with a back log of work and actively bidding on new work, yet there is still an undertone of uncertainty. The political and economic climate along with an upsurge in infection rates have many worried at least for the short term.<br \/>\nSo, what\u2019s different this year? What\u2019s preventing more homes from being built and renovations from happening? Both great questions.<br \/>\nThe list of answers is long so I will just touch on a few. First and foremost is the lack of labor. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the Saratoga Builders Association, Curtis Lumber, and many others who have diligently worked over the past years to bring awareness to the trades and the opportunities they present.<br \/>\nThe single-family home building and renovation surge created a heightened demand for building materials which was not anticipated, especially after the devastating start to the year.<br \/>\nThis increased demand came at a time when the work environment in manufacturing facilities had been drastically altered due to COVID-19. Social distancing requirements were put in place, labor shortages due to illness and\/or childcare situations, additional safety measures were enforced, and adherence to CDC and OSHA mandates all of which impacted the ability for plants to function normally and manufacture products.<br \/>\nThe high demand, production inefficiencies, product shortages and workforce challenges have all contributed to significant price increases and delayed shipments. The supply chain is currently a big unknown in our ability to forecast for 2021.<br \/>\nSuppliers like Curtis Lumber struggle to project accurate lead times and extended pricing to its professional customers. At a time when we should be excited about the increased volume, we are more concerned about our ability to meet our customers\u2019 expectations. We are utilizing technology and increased communication to partner with our customers and work together to get the job done.<br \/>\nIt\u2019s been 10 months since COVID-19 hit us like a giant wrecking ball. We\u2019re learning to manage through it, but the effects will be long lasting. Normal as we once knew it is gone and will be replaced with something very different. I am optimistic that post pandemic, our industry will continue to be a leader in the economic recovery as it has in many other catastrophic events throughout history. We learn to use the resources we have to their fullest extent. Good companies never let a crisis go to waste.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Doug Ford As I prepare to write this article regarding the construction outlook for 2021, I can\u2019t help but think about all that has transpired since I wrote last year\u2019s column. At that time, no one could have predicted what lay ahead just a few short weeks after the story went to print. As [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":196,"featured_media":33983,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[146],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\r\n<title>Outlook 2021 - Doug Ford - Glens Falls Business Journal<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2021\/01\/outlook-2021-doug-ford\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Outlook 2021 - Doug Ford - Glens Falls Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Doug Ford As I prepare to write this article regarding the construction outlook for 2021, I can\u2019t help but think about all that has transpired since I wrote last year\u2019s column. 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