As this blog article was being posted, only a few precious hours remained in the year we called Two Thousand and Sixteen. We were thinking that many people in business and every other facet of life probably have been or soon will be undergoing some form of mental multitasking, going back and forth in their minds with reflection about the year about to end and anticipating — we hope with eagerness — about the year about to start.
Looking back here at Tucker Paving, Inc., we have to say that by almost every form of measurement and evaluation, 2016 was good year. It was a good year for construction, it was a good year for our family business, and, we think, it was a good year for our colleagues and competitors in the field.
If busy translates into good, then it was a very good year, because it was a very busy and productive year for our team members. From the first back-to-work day that followed New Year’s Day 2016 through today, our employees and equipment have been going full tilt — in all kinds of construction work and all kinds of places throughout Central Florida. (In just one recent example of “busy,” Dec. 16 posts on our Facebook page included aerial photos of four big projects that currently involve Tucker Paving construction teams. Those were just four of many projects we were working on at that time.) From parking lots to a major parking garage, from turning lanes to a rare Florida traffic circle (a “roundabout” intersection), from small residential communities to mixed-use developments, and from a major metropolitan skate park to mega Orlando-area theme parks, our folks have been there and done that — with, we’re happy to say, exceedingly good results and customer satisfaction. Some of our projects even merited special recognition with prestigious construction industry awards.
So, what are we expecting for local construction generally and for job prospects for own company in 2017 and beyond? Well, we’re not expecting a letup. In fact, work very well could be more favorable and the project schedule even more loaded next year. We can’t predict the future, but we do get the sense that there’s a need — a desire even — to build, improve, and expand in both the public and private sectors.
Plus, there’s this: Businessman Donald Trump stated many times during his campaign for U.S. president that the country needs and should support his vision for an overall $1 trillion investment to repair, modernize, and expand the U.S. infrastructure. Now that the businessman is the president-elect, there’s an expectation in the construction sector that a goodly portion of that $1 trillion — some of it diverted from U.S. spending overseas — actually will go, eventually, toward major construction and job-building projects here at home. When the government is spending that kind of money and encouraging the private sector to pitch in, too, the benefits are sure to trickle down into Central Florida — if not in 2017 then perhaps in the years that follow.
Yes, 2016 was a good year for Tucker Paving. It’s the hope of all of us here that 2016 also was a good year for you, your family, your business, and any endeavor near and dear to your heart. Here’s wishing you and yours a safe, healthy, prosperous, and rewarding 2017. Happy New Year!
