Kamco Building Trade Show attendees optimistic about construction; Contractors, builders and design professionals

Building in the New York market has seen strong growth and continuous activity over the past several years. Kamco Supply Corp. of Brooklyn has been an active provider of building materials and supplies for thousands of projects across the Tri-State area. To gauge how contractors, builders, architects and design professionals are managing and anticipating growth and other trends, the company recently surveyed attendees at its building/construction trade show about their views on the current state of the construction market in the New York region. Survey respondents from the Tri-State area represented both commercial and residential sectors. The survey was conducted as part of Kamco's Annual Building Trade Show which was attended by 500 contractors, builders and design professionals. "Each year at our event we meet and interact with contractors and architects from New York City and every surrounding county. They are on the front lines of the construction industry and we wanted to get their views about the market and the areas where they see the most activity, such as in hiring, spending on products and services, and other pertinent topics," said Dave Kovacs, vice president, Kamco Supply Corp. Trade show attendees were polled about building and construction trends in the New York market. In response to the question: "How optimistic are you about growth in the construction sector in 2015?" over 78 percent of the attendees answered that they were either very optimistic or somewhat optimistic. When questioned about spending, 52.8 percent of design professionals and contractors surveyed believe that their clients will spend significantly more or at least a little more than last year. In regard to hiring, 61.4 percent of contractors indicated they would be hiring more people this year than in 2014. The survey also found that 68.8 percent of design professionals believe time pressure to complete jobs has increased in recent years. The findings were slightly different for contractors and builders, with 67.5 percent saying that they believe time pressures have remained about the same. Survey findings also indicate that both contractors and design sector professionals continue to see a strong market for their services within a growing and active building environment. New York City, especially Manhattan and Brooklyn, dominated as the areas where the activity level is greatest. Attendees agreed that customers will be spending more on supplies and materials, contractors will be hiring more workers and time pressures will remain an important factor, with design professionals feeling even greater pressure. The trade show was a well-attended event. It featured seminars for contractors and builders as well as continuing educational programs for architects. Over 50 leading building material manufacturers showcased and demonstrated their latest products and services. Manufacturers present included Armstrong World Industries, USG Corporation, National Gypsum, Continental Gypsum, Super Stud, Clark Steel and many others. "Kamco plays a critical role in providing building materials and supplies to hundreds of residential and commercial construction job sites each week. Interacting with contractors and design professionals at our trade show allows us to get to know them and introduce them to manufacturers for demonstrations of their new products. This year with our survey we secured information that validated that most in the industry believe the construction boom, particularly in New York City, will continue for at least the foreseeable future," said Allen Swerdlick, President of Kamco Supply Corp. Group Photo Caption: Shown (from left) are: Bill McVicar, fleet manager; Peter Ingram, corporate operations manager; Evan Meyers, director of marketing and business development; Allen Swerdlick, president; Dave Kovacs, vice president and Scott Little, director of purchasing.