In the past, contractors tended to suffer through the local economy. Profits soared when work was plentiful and plummeted with work scarcity. Recent technology improvements allow many contractors to move into new geographical markets more easily than in the past.

Houston Neal writes an excellent construction technology blog and has a recent post Technology Accelerates the Migration of Contractors. He includes the chart below to show where the construction jobs are.

He then goes on to outline the various technologies that allow contractors to more easily move into new geographic markets. It’s good to be aware of the possibilities and to keep thinking strategically.

On the other hand, I’ve learned in my career that most of the value I bring to a construction project comes from my knowledge of local people and processes. I’ve learned some hard lessons venturing out from the turf I know. Remember one of the basic rules of business: not making money is still better than losing money.