Industry
News, trends, and analysis of the trades and services industry, including regulations and market data.
Walmart opens Atlanta skilled trades training hub
Walmart now offers some internally trained technicians a pay range up to $51 per hour, a significant boost from typical retail wages.
5 Proven Strategies to Sell Your Bergen County Home Faster with BergenRealEstate.com's Expert Agents
Selling a Bergen County home quickly and profitably requires a modern, data-driven strategy beyond traditional listing methods. BergenRealEstate.com's expert agents utilize five core strategies, merging local intelligence with sophisticated tools to achieve landmark sales.
How Prelion Systems' Construction Safety Platform Solves Your Top 3 OSHA Fine Risks
Prelion Systems offers a purpose-built construction safety platform designed from field experience to tackle the top three costly OSHA violations: Fall Protection, Lockout/Tagout, and Hazard Communication and Training. It provides a proactive, digital solution to manage critical risks and avoid significant fines, moving beyond generic software to protect workers effectively.
McCarthy and Palantir Forge AI Partnership to Revolutionize Construction
McCarthy Building Companies, founded in 1864, is building an AI operating system called 'Pulse' with Palantir Technologies.
Fisk Electric lands $48M data center manufacturing job
Fisk Electric Company, a Tutor Perini subsidiary, secured a $48 million electrical project for an advanced manufacturing and data center infrastructure facility in Houston, TX, Stocktitan reported.
Judge Halts Google Data Center Project in Minnesota
A proposed 482-acre Google data center campus in Pine Island, Minnesota, intended to be powered by 1,900 megawatts of new clean energy, has been abruptly halted.
US steel imports drop 30% as tariffs impact global trade
Steel imports into the United States plummeted by nearly 30% year-to-date in 2026, a direct consequence of ongoing Section 232 tariffs.
Construction Execs See Strong Data Center Boom Ahead
At Jacobs, data centers' share of business doubled year over year, now accounting for 3-4% of its total revenue, according to Construction Dive .
Here's How to Avoid The Most Overlooked Funeral Planning Mistake with Brater Winter Funeral Home
The most overlooked funeral planning mistake is not pre-planning end-of-life wishes, leading to stress and conflict for grieving families. Brater Winter Funeral Home guides families through pre-planning to ensure harmony and honor legacies, offering various options beyond traditional funerals, including personalized cremation services.
Brad Sugars on the Surprising Reason Most Business Owners Fail (And How to Avoid It)
Brad Sugars explains that most business owners fail because they get stuck in the 'technician's trap,' operating as indispensable employees rather than entrepreneurs. This prevents scaling and wealth creation, essentially turning their business into a job.
2026 SEMA Show Registration Opens for Industry Professionals
For just $50, qualified attendees can secure their entry to the 2026 SEMA Show, but only if they act before June 26.
SEMA Report: Specialty Equipment Sales Stabilize at $52.65 Billion
With new vehicle loan rates around 7.
Lowe's Foundation Pledges $250 Million for Skilled Trades Training
By 2035, Lowe's aims to have trained a quarter-million skilled trades workers, a workforce larger than Boise, Idaho's entire population.
RegTech Reshapes Compliance for Skilled Trades
Manual compliance checks for a typical construction project consume up to 200 hours annually, a staggering time sink RegTech is now beginning to reclaim, according to Construction Executive .
European EV Sales Hit Record Highs, Outpacing Global Trends
In March 2026, the Tesla Model Y, an electric vehicle, was the top-selling car model across all categories in Europe.
Skilled Trades: AI's Role in Bridging the 2026 Knowledge Gap
The distribution workforce is aging out so rapidly that companies cannot hire replacements fast enough.
Skilled Trades Demand Surges in Renewable Energy Amid Green Job Boom
Job opportunities for Solar Photovoltaic Installers are projected to jump by a staggering 48% over the next decade, from 2023 to 2033, according to Business Insider .
On-Demand Dry Cleaning Boom: Green Claims Lag Behind Growth
In 2023, a single on-demand dry cleaning startup operating within New York City processed over 100,000 garments monthly.
AI Integration in Construction Planning Promises New 'Master Builder' Roles
A Trunk Tools calculation recently revealed that a project owner's seemingly minor requested change would add nearly $4 million to a roughly $100 million construction project, according to Crunchbase
Mobile robots in construction face 2026 integration boom
An eight-person crew, equipped with AI-powered robotics from Gritt, can now install up to 4,000 solar panels a day, a five-fold increase over traditional methods.
Smart Home Market Valued Over $170 Billion, Segmented Growth
Despite the smart home market being valued at $172 billion in 2025, smart appliance penetration is projected to reach only 30.
Green Building Certifications Cost More Than You Think in 2026
Achieving a top-tier green building certification, like the Living Building Challenge, demands more than innovative design.
Robotics and Lasers Revolutionize Woodworking and Construction
For decades, construction robots were more novelty than necessity.
AI Labs Discover New Materials, But Market Integration Lags
An AI startup focused on material discovery recently secured $9 million in seed funding, according to TechCrunch.
AI Adoption Creates Skilled Trades Jobs, Defying Expectations
At a major manufacturing plant, a maintenance technician now receives an alert on her tablet predicting a critical pump failure three weeks in advance, a task that once required daily manual checks an
Industrial Manufacturing Sector Growth Drivers Emerge Despite IoT Adoption Hurdles
By 2035, the IoT in manufacturing market is projected to reach a staggering $1398.
AI adoption in maintenance is booming, but who will win?
At Hyundai Motor Group, new AI tools achieved an 80 percent adoption rate, drastically cutting engineering and service times, according to Automotive News .
Modular Construction Offers Up to 50% Faster Project Timelines
While traditional construction projects often face delays and cost overruns, modular methods can slash project timelines by 30% to 50%, completing 60-90% of the work indoors.
Home Improvement Retail's 2026 Omnichannel Shift: AI & Subscriptions
Lowe's deployed Mylow Companion, a generative AI assistant, to all its stores in May 2025, providing its associates with instant access to product information and project guidance.
July jobs slump: Skilled trades face deeper chill
In July, the US economy added a mere 187,000 jobs.