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Each week, WFAE's "Morning Edition" hosts get a rundown of the biggest business and development stories from The Charlotte Ledger Business Newsletter.

Charlotte construction companies can’t keep up with demand

Jeriden Villegas
/
Unsplash

Construction in Charlotte was moving at a booming pace before the pandemic. But like many industries right now, it’s facing supply chain issues and staffing shortages.

As for when that pre-pandemic boom will return? Tony Mecia with The Charlotte Ledger business newsletter says that’s already happening.

“Maybe it’s even exceeding where we were,” Mecia told WFAE’s Marshall Terry in this week’s BizWorthy. “If you look at the number of workers in the construction industry in the Charlotte region, it’s actually higher. There are more workers in that industry than there were pre-pandemic.”

He points out that new housing construction and industrial warehouses could be behind some of that growth. But that means construction companies are trying to keep up with demand, and that’s exacerbated by supply chain issues.

“Prices are very volatile … so it’s really tricky for a lot of these construction companies,” Mecia said.

You can listen to the full conversation above. Here’s a quick look at what else we covered in this week’s BizWorthy.

  • A massive waterline break earlier this week had some food-service businesses temporarily closed and Charlotte Douglas International Airport handing out bottled water. 
  • Tim Newman, the former Charlotte Center City Partners head who’s been in jail in South Carolina for the past year, faces another felony charge
  • The city of Charlotte is unveiling the results of a $127 million expansion to the Convention Center uptown. Improvements include more public art, a walkway and more meeting rooms.  “All they need now is for conventions to gear back up and start coming to Charlotte again,” Mecia said. 

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Marshall came to WFAE after graduating from Appalachian State University, where he worked at the campus radio station and earned a degree in communication. Outside of radio, he loves listening to music and going to see bands - preferably in small, dingy clubs.