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As you can see from the project reports from the three offices, we are and have been, very busy over the past four months. Additional projects have been started and completed in that time but are not mentioned simply because to list them all would take up too much space. Suffice to say that work continues to arrive, to be completed and issued and in turn, makes room for more to arrive.

However, the situation - although improving with respect to the amount of work coming on line - is still shaky for many in our industry. We continue to hear of fabricators being forced to lay-off personnel and of some going out of business altogether. The price of steel is fluctuating rapidly and bidding for projects is still highly competitive.

Having said that, Dowco continues to be competitive and productive, at the same time looking for ways to improve our own “bottom line”.

We talk at our general meetings about how important it is for everyone to look for errors or omissions made by anyone on the job, and not to assume that someone else will have noticed and corrected these. An insignificant detail that has been forgotten could have very significant repercussions if not corrected. Everyone has the responsibility for job accuracy. It is not just the project manager or the checkers who are charged with this, but all of us.

On a “not work related” topic, how about the amazing weather we are enjoying in BC this spring (sorry Toronto!). My wife’s garden is so far along it looks like June instead of April. What a wonderful place we live in, here in BC (sorry again Toronto).

Tresa and I lived in Ontario for two years so I know what I’m talking about when I say it can be quite pleasant for about 3 weeks in early fall, when the leaves are turning and the humidity has gone and before winter gets started. Actually, it is really not that bad a place to live, and has a lot going for it - they managed to hold on to their basketball team for one thing, and their hockey team is still in the play-offs. So provided you can live with basically only two seasons, it’s an OK place to live. It’s just not BC. On that theme, I end with another quote from Mark Twain -

“A great, great deal has been said about the weather, but very little has ever been done.”