For Construction Pros

Kubota North America is expanding construction equipment manufacturing at its Great Plains Manufacturing facility in Salina, Kansas. The SVL75-3 compact track loader will be assembled on the same production line as the SVL65-2 using a mixed-model manufacturing approach. The expansion is intended to increase production capacity and strengthen Kubota’s North American supply chain. The Salina operation is also becoming a larger construction equipment hub for Kubota.

Asphalt Contractor Editor-in-Chief Brandon Noel sat down with Jeff Davis, Senior Fellow at the Eno Center for Transportation, and Rebecca Higgins, Vice President of Policy at the Eno Center, to dig into their landmark March 2026 report, "The Last Exit: Fixing the Highway Trust Fund while Solvency is still Solvable." The conversation covers the realistic political pathways to restoring solvency, what the September 2026 reauthorization deadline means for project pipelines, and what contractors...

U.S. construction spending is forecast to reach $2.85 trillion by 2031, up from $2.22 trillion in 2026, according to a new report from Merlo America and BiltData.ai. California, Texas, Florida, New York and New Jersey are projected to account for about 42% of total construction spending by 2031. The New York-Newark-Jersey City metropolitan area is expected to lead the nation with $230 billion in spending. Data center development is also expected to drive construction activity.

For years, the construction industry had an image problem. Construction was often portrayed as dirty, physically demanding work with little prestige, even though it offered stable careers, entrepreneurship and six-figure earning potential. Young people were told that to be successful you needed a four-year college degree and a desk job. Then something unexpected happened – TikTok. One social media platform that changed everything. Construction jobs became cool for Gen Z.

Associated Builders and Contractors reported that its Construction Backlog Indicator fell to 8.0 months in July, down 0.8 months from both June and July 2025. Backlog declined across every industry, region and company size. The South was the only region with a higher backlog than a year ago. The data center market continues to stand out. Contractors working on data centers reported an average 11.4 months of backlog, compared with 7.5 months for contractors without data center work.

At 15 years old, Jake Hoefert wasn't thinking about owning an asphalt company. He was simply trying to earn a paycheck while working for his best friend's father, doing whatever the crew needed — swinging a shovel, cleaning equipment, brooming parking lots and helping with sealcoating jobs. Like many successful contractors, he started at the bottom, learning the business one task at a time. "I wasn't really thinking about owning a company someday or getting to where I am now," Hoefert said.

For contractors in the south, heat is not a seasonal inconvenience but a defining job site challenge. Across Texas, construction teams are working through longer periods of high temperatures, elevated humidity and extended heat advisories that stretch from late spring well into the fall. Rather than preparing for occasional heat waves, construction teams today must plan months of sustained exposure to dangerous conditions.

Summer is one of the busiest times of year for the construction industry. This year, seasonal demand is amplified by continued growth in data center construction, where June construction starts reached $22.3 billion, among the highest monthly totals ever recorded. A surge in projects also means an expansion of the workforce supporting it.

Construction’s workforce remains a key concern for contractors, from attracting new workers to keeping employees safe on the job. Four major companies — BlackRock, Carhartt, Ford and Google — recently launched the Alliance for America’s Skilled Trades to expand skilled trades training, create more apprenticeship opportunities and connect people with careers in construction, infrastructure and manufacturing.

Condux International has launched Condux Capital, a new equipment financing program for contractors, utilities, telecommunications providers and electrical professionals. The program, offered in partnership with Apex Commercial Capital, is designed to give customers another option for acquiring Condux equipment while preserving working capital. Condux said the program is intended to help businesses manage cash flow while investing in equipment for infrastructure projects.