January 2026
The Spotlight
Greener Pastures
Clients place higher priority on beautiful landscapes
From outdoor amenity spaces to showpiece rain gardens to a city park celebrating jazz legends, creating extraordinary green space is a priority in many construction projects.
In Baltimore City, the Nathaniel J. McFadden Learn and Play Park is a key element in the transformative Somerset Homes redevelopment. Although the site is just one acre, it includes play and exercise equipment, a pavilion, an amphitheater, grassy areas, walkways and lines of trees.
Trend Watch
Mixed market conditions demand heightened business savvy
From sluggish growth projections to the data center boom to debates about the impacts of tariffs, interest rates and labor shortages, the construction industry is heading into a complex market in 2026.
Behind the Build
Blue Line Civic Plaza
Largo, MD
The Civic Plaza project in Largo challenged the design-build team from Design Collective and J. Vinton Schafer Construction to meet multiple, lofty goals.
Expert Exchange
Strategies to Combat Rising Rents
Flex and warehouse rents in Greater Baltimore have risen faster than many contractors expect, and the surprise usually hits at lease renewal. For years, market rents increased by roughly 3% annually, which felt manageable for most. The problem is that fair market rents have moved higher, much faster.
MEMBER BRIEFS
2026 BC&E Leadership
The beginning of a new year brings a new BC&E Board of Directors. The following directors were unanimously approved during the October 2025 election. They began their new terms on January 1.
Dealing with tariffs and supply chain issues
Changing tariffs and shifting conditions in the supply chain have created challenges for construction companies over the past year.
At BC&E’s “New Realities of Construction” webinar in December, Bill Cole, President of Cole Roofing and Gordian Energy Systems; Jerry Taylor, Vice President of Sales and Estimating at Baltimore Fabrication; Daviel Hefter, Senior Estimator at Harkins Builders; and moderator Peter Loftus, Principal at CLA discussed how to best contend with tariffs, materials pricing and other supply chain challenges.
TAI, WBCM expand services with merger
A recent merger is creating new opportunities for TAI Construction to provide a broader range of services to a longer list of clients.
The company was formed through the merger of WBCM Construction with the construction management division of TAI, an Owings Mills-based engineering firm.
NEW TO THE NETWORK
BC&E welcomes four new members, two Bronze Partners
Cenero LLC
Temp Air Company
Gross, Mendelsohn & Associates
Worcester Eisenbrandt
Weber Group