A.H. Harris & Sons, Inc.   |  May 2010

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Shane-OKellyWhere do we go from here? 
Thinking about the future of our industry
by Shane O'Kelly, A.H. Harris President and CEO

Recently I spent time meeting with key contractors and the general consensus is that we are through the worst of the recession and "off the bottom".  We are starting to see a bit of optimism and everyone undoubtedly welcomes an uptick in construction activity.  The good news also is that I believe that we will not "double dip" and the momentum that we are gaining will hold over the long term.    
 
The bad news, however, is that the recovery will look more like an "L" and not a "V".  By that I mean the growth in our industry will be slow and we won't see a return to the pre-recession construction activity levels for several years.  
Rolls-Royce is Rolling

Rolls Royce

You might not consider central Virginia and specifically the Gateway Region as a hub for innovation in the Aerospace industry... but that was before Rolls-Royce. Rolls-Royce is teaming with The Haskell Company and A.H. Harris Construction Supplies to build a state-of-the-art production facility that will utilize the very latest technology in the industry as the company builds upon its position as a world-leading supplier of power systems and services.
 
Read more about Rolls-Royce
 
New Publications Available from A.H. Harris 
 
Public Works   Summer Flyer 
click on images to view flyers 
Two timely new publications are now available from A.H. Harris:  the Public Works Catalog and the Summer Flyer 2010. The Public Works Catalog features a range of products: safety, hand and power tools, site supplies, repair and restoration, geosynthetics and much more. 
 
The Summer Flyer includes Super Sale Prices on select products plus a Tool Clearance Blowout on select models from DeWalt, Bosch, Makita and more.
 
 
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Steel Sense
By Pat Maillett

RecoverySteel prices remain up over 40% year to date. Pricing should remain unchanged through the second quarter even though scrap prices declined in early May by approximately 10%. Despite this downward movement, mill pricing remains unchanged and this drop should not be interpreted as the trend moving forward. As you know, the scrap markets are volatile and prices can change very quickly.
 
We are continually asked, how much longer before our industry recovers. According to top industry executives, the U.S. steel industry is in the early stages of a recovery that will likely take several more years to get back to where we were from '04 to '08. Those leaders added that this recession is deeper than any of the previous economic downturns since World War II.


Click to continue Steel Sense 

Preparations for National Concrete Canoe Competition heat up 

Published 9 April 2010 in Homeland Security Newswire

Concrete Canoe 

Every year, in mid-June, the American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE) holds its National Concrete Canoe Competition (NCCC); engineering student teams compete for regional championships in 18 conferences across the United States, and the winners will gather California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo on 17-19 June for the national championship; the canoe must be made from concrete, teams compete in four categories: engineering design and construction principles; planning, development, testing, and construction; formal business presentation highlighting the canoe's design, construction, racing ability, and other innovative features; performance of the canoe and the paddlers.