At Branco, we’re dedicated to staying up to date on safety standards and trends, as well as shifts in our industry — it’s one of our primary goals.
In any industry, keeping abreast of the latest technological advances and watching for trends before they’re peak is a crucial part of doing business. In commercial construction it’s about more than just understanding the market.
Why We Prioritize Staying Current with Industry Changes
It keeps our workers safer
We’re a family-owned business, and our workers are an extension of that family. We care about our employees beyond what they can provide for us — we care about their home lives, their families, and, above all, their well-being. That is why we practice Safety First at Branco.
Construction is a notoriously perilous field, which is why it’s so heavily regulated. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which defines the health and safety guidelines followed in a wide variety of workplaces, releases new regulations often, so keeping up is takes time and focus.
For us, though, the purpose of staying on top of safety guidelines goes well beyond staying current with the legal statues. Our goal is to ensure our employees are healthy and safe on the job and following OSHA’s updated guidelines is one step toward that goal.
It helps us keep our community beautiful
Ecological requirements for construction aren’t as frequently changed as health and safety measures, but they do have regular updates. Whether it’s regulation on green materials, a rule about waste reduction and disposal, or new information about sustainability, we pay attention.
We seek to improve our community and considering the project’s impact on and connection to the natural landscape is an essential part of that. Our work with Fennell Purifoy Architects on the Northwest Arkansas Nature Center is a perfect example of how ecological considerations can enhance a building project.
It saves time
It’s true that new technologies can sometimes require effort and investment, but we believe that keeping current on the latest technological advances in our industry is essential.
At its best, technology helps make our work more efficient, improves our day-to-day processes, and keeps our workers safer. It can also facilitate better communication among our team members and makes keeping up with changes in the industry easier—a priority for us!
It makes our work better
As with any industry, staying current on the latest trends and shifts in commercial construction enables us to compete and stay ahead of our competition.
When we go into meetings with prospective clients, we can offer them the most recent information on the regulations and potential obstacles their project may face, and we can share design trends and cutting-edge materials to help projects achieve the look they desire.
Compare that experience to a builder whose understanding of the lay of the land falls behind the curve, and it’s clear who’s going to land the contract. But it’s not just about building our business by impressing potential clients; the more current we stay, the better our final delivery is, and the happier we make our clients.
And there’s no replacement for genuine, word-of-mouth recommendations from happy clients.
How We Keep Up with a Constantly Shifting Industry
Staying current does require a lot of time and effort, but there ways we can make it easier on our team.
We incorporate technology wherever possible
In addition to staying current with the latest technology to improve our daily processes, we also embrace new technologies as a way of remaining flexible in anticipation of change.
On the most basic level, it’s much easier to update OSHA requirements on a digital handout than a physical one — and on a much more technical level, project adjustments or changes to materials are easier to incorporate into a shared project simulation app, rather than manually updating the entire plan.
We don’t let trends steer us (even though we keep them in mind)
Some trends — like sustainability and the use of eco-friendly materials, or the use of technology to maintain flexibility throughout the project — are more evergreen than others. While we keep up with industry trends, we don’t let the core plan be swayed by what others are doing if it isn’t right for a project.
Trends are a great starting point when exploring current projects, checking to see if they can be improved by new ideas, but it’s important to know the difference between a passing fad and a true innovation.
Staying current with shifting requirements, technological advances, and popular trends is crucial for any industry, and commercial construction is no exception. At Branco, we make sure we stay current, but we also balance new ideas against our deep, experience-based instinct, enabling us to deliver beautiful projects with cutting-edge functionality, on time and on budget.
