NEWS
NEW HIRES
Tiffany Robinson
Associated Builders and Contractors
Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) announced that Tiffany Robinson has joined the association as its vice president of workforce and safety policy. Robinson brings deep experience in executive leadership, workforce development, public policy and infrastructure to ABC. As a member of ABC’s executive leadership team, Robinson will lead research, policy and strategic initiatives designed to strengthen the construction workforce, advance health and safety and help expand America’s capacity to build critical infrastructure. She will work closely with ABC’s 67 chapters and 24,000 members to identify emerging workforce and safety challenges and develop proactive, research-driven solutions. Prior to joining ABC, Robinson served as Maryland secretary of labor. She later served as Virginia director of rail and public transportation. Visit abc.org.
Jack Sommer
McShane Construction Company
Jack Sommer joined McShane Construction Company’s Southeast regional office in Auburn, Alabama, as vice president. In this role, he will spearhead McShane’s commercial pursuits across the Southeast. Sommer comes to McShane with more than 20 years of commercial construction experience spanning operations, project management, preconstruction and strategic growth. Throughout his career, he has successfully led the delivery of complex projects across a diverse range of markets, including hospitality, mixed-use, healthcare, higher education, K-12, research, industrial and commercial facilities. Most recently, he served as project director at Bailey-Harris, where he played a key role in delivering successful projects and developing lasting partnerships with clients. Sommer earned a Master of Science in building construction from Auburn University and a Bachelor of Science in business administration from University of Tennessee. Visit mcshaneconstruction.com.
Katie MacGillivary
Sims Crane
Sims Crane, a provider of crane, rigging and lifting solutions across the Southeast, announced Katie MacGillivary as its new chief financial officer (CFO), effective Oct. 5. MacGillivary brings 25 years of financial leadership experience to Sims Crane, with a track record of transforming financial operations and helping companies navigate growth, acquisitions and strategic transactions. Throughout her career, she has led numerous acquisitions, multiple exit processes and an initial public offering across industries including transportation, financing, logistics and energy. MacGillivary joins Sims Crane from Channel Partners, where she served as CFO since 2019, leading the company’s finance, accounting, payroll, tax, human resources and legal functions. She also held finance leadership roles at TECO Energy and began her career at Ernst & Young and Arthur Andersen. Visit simscrane.com.
Brandon Smith
Hoar Construction
Hoar Construction promoted Brandon Smith to director of division operations for its Florida division, where he will oversee project and field operations while supporting operational consistency, team development and strategic growth initiatives across the state. Smith joined Hoar in 2014 and has established himself as a collaborative and solutions-oriented leader with extensive experience managing complex, high-profile construction projects. Throughout his tenure, he has led projects for several Fortune 100 companies, including Apple, Amazon and Universal. As director of division operations, Smith will lead project staffing and provide oversight across the division’s portfolio, from preconstruction and estimating through project closeout. He will work closely with project teams to ensure consistency, accountability and alignment with business objectives. Visit hoar.com.
MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
Sage Acquires Bangert to Strengthen Onboarding for Sage Intacct Construction
Sage, provider of accounting, financial, HR and payroll technology for small and midsized businesses, has acquired Bangert, a long-standing Sage partner and specialist in AI-enabled implementation and onboarding for construction financial management. For customers, this means a faster, more predictable path to Sage Intacct Construction. Unlike many industries, construction businesses manage multiple projects across different entities, subcontractors, suppliers and jobsites, making the adoption of new financial management software particularly complex. Bangert’s AskRichard platform combines guided, AI-enabled workflows and expert implementation support to simplify deployment while giving customers access to trusted knowledge throughout the onboarding journey. Visit sage.com.
Reading Truck Equipment & Masterack Unite
Reading Truck Equipment LLC. and Masterack LLC., two companies specializing in commercial vehicle upfit solutions, announced the integration of their operations to create a comprehensive commercial vehicle upfit organization. The integration brings together Masterack’s leadership in cargo management solutions for commercial vans and pickup trucks with Reading Truck Equipment’s nationwide network of commercial vehicle upfit, installation, parts and service locations. Together, the combined organization creates a broad commercial vehicle upfit portfolio, giving customers access to expanded product offerings, greater geographic coverage and a more seamless experience from specification through installation and ongoing support. Reading Truck Equipment and Masterack will continue investing in the products and capabilities that help commercial fleets operate more efficiently. Visit readingtruck.com and masterack.com.
INDUSTRY UPDATES
Volvo Construction Equipment Rolls Out First US-Built Excavators & Large Loaders
Volvo Construction Equipment (CE) is expanding its U.S. footprint, resulting in more than 50% of its North American machine supply being produced at its Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, facility. Less than a year after announcing plans to localize more machine assembly, the company is delivering its first American-built excavators and larger wheel loaders to customers. A total of 11 additional models will be produced in Shippensburg, shortening customer lead times by more than six weeks. The expansion brings Volvo CE’s North American production portfolio to 30 machine models, including excavators, wheel loaders and compactors. With the most recent investment of $40 million, Volvo CE has invested over $1.4 billion since 2007 to triple its annual output capacity and build workforce skills to support growth and increased digitalization. By building greater flexibility into its operations, Volvo CE is better positioned to navigate geopolitical dynamics and the cyclical nature of the construction equipment industry. The company increased production capacity through automation, process improvements and more efficient use of existing factory space, enabling growth while maintaining its existing manufacturing space and workforce. Visit volvoce.com.
CMHA Releases New Storm Shelter Manual
The Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association (CMHA) has released “Tornado Storm Shelter Prototypes Using Reinforced Concrete Masonry,” a new manual providing architects, engineers and contractors with practical guidance for designing and building ICC 500-compliant tornado shelters. Funded by the National Concrete Masonry Association Education and Research Foundation, the report was developed through work led by the Masonry Institute of St. Louis. The manual comes as severe storms continue to increase the need for structures that protect occupants during extreme wind events. Building codes require ICC 500-compliant tornado shelters in critical emergency operations facilities and most Group E educational occupancies within the 250-mph tornado wind-speed zone. To help project teams meet those requirements, the manual examines three stand-alone shelter prototypes based on educational facilities, ranging from a smaller room to a large gymnasium. The manual also outlines contractor responsibilities related to quality assurance, documentation, special inspections, structural observations and example costs for each prototype. Visit cmha.org.
Counslr Expands With New Partnerships to Address Industry Mental Health
Counslr, a B2B mental health and wellness platform, announced new partnerships with organizations in the construction sector, including JRM Construction Management, headquartered in New York City, and Reno, Nevada-based United Construction. The partnerships provide live, on-demand, confidential mental health support for employees working in an industry where long hours, high-pressure environments, physically demanding work and stigma surrounding mental health often prevent individuals from seeking help. The effectiveness of Counslr’s accessible text-based, on-demand approach was demonstrated in a JMIR Formative Research study, “Evaluating User Engagement with a Real-Time, Text-Based Digital Mental Health Support App: Cross Sectional, Retrospective Study,” which found that the majority of users chose on-demand sessions, underscoring the value of immediate, in-the-moment support. More than 80% of sessions occurred between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m., times when traditional mental health services are often unavailable. Visit counslr.com.
4-Horn Trench & Shoring Expands Florida Footprint
4-Horn Trench & Shoring, a provider of trench safety equipment, road plates and engineered shoring solutions for underground construction, announced the opening of its newest branch in Orlando, Florida. Located at 47 E Taft Vineland Road, the new 6,300-square-foot facility sits just one block off Orange Avenue and features a fully fenced laydown yard, wash bay, well-equipped warehouse and 1,075 square feet of office space. Positioned in one of central Florida’s most active construction markets, the Orlando branch strengthens 4-Horn Trench & Shoring’s ability to serve contractors, utilities, municipalities and industrial customers throughout the Orlando metro area and surrounding I-4 corridor. The branch will offer a full inventory of trench shields, manhole shields, hydraulic shoring, modular boxes, sheet pile and road plates, backed by 4-Horn Trench & Shoring’s engineering services and rapid delivery capabilities. Visit 4horntrench.com.
