On the Money with J. Daniel Pluff & Laiza Semidey
Spotlight: Hueber-Breuer Construction
Clip: Season 3 Episode 8 | 10m 7sVideo has Closed Captions
Hueber-Breuer Construction
Hueber Breuer, a construction company has been part of projects like the State Fair’s Exposition Center, improvements to the NBT Bank stadium, the Amphitheater, and more. The redevelopment of Shoppingtown Mall will be one of their biggest projects. Our discussion with Andy Breuer, the company’s president, he highlights the demand for this project.
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On the Money with J. Daniel Pluff & Laiza Semidey is a local public television program presented by WCNY
On the Money with J. Daniel Pluff & Laiza Semidey
Spotlight: Hueber-Breuer Construction
Clip: Season 3 Episode 8 | 10m 7sVideo has Closed Captions
Hueber Breuer, a construction company has been part of projects like the State Fair’s Exposition Center, improvements to the NBT Bank stadium, the Amphitheater, and more. The redevelopment of Shoppingtown Mall will be one of their biggest projects. Our discussion with Andy Breuer, the company’s president, he highlights the demand for this project.
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On the Money with J. Daniel Pluff & Laiza Semidey is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio.
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipTONIGHT WE CONTINUE WITH OUR SPOTLIGHT SERIES WITH J. DANIEL PLUFF.
THE SERIES HIGHLIGHTS BUSINESSES AND PEOPLE DOING SOMETHING SPECIAL IN OUR AREA.
IN 1872, HUEBER BREUER, A CONSTRUCTION COMPANY OPENED THEIR DOORS - THAT'S 150 YEARS AGO!
JUST TO NAME A FEW, THEY HAVE BEEN PART OF PROJECTS LIKE THE STATE FAIR'S EXPOSITION CENTER, THE IMPROVEMENTS TO THE NBT BANK STADIUM, THE AMPHITHEATER, AND MULTIPLE ACADEMIC AND HOUSING PROJECTS.
THEY HAVE ACCOMPLISHED SO MUCH OVER THE YEARS.
BUT THE REGION STILL HAS PLENTY OF CHALLENGES - INCLUDING A HOUSING CRISIS!
HERE IS A BIT OF A RARITY.
THE REDEVELOPMENT OF SHOPPINGTOWN MALL WILL BE ONE OF THEIR BIGGEST PROJECTS.
THIS $400 MILLION DOLLAR PROJECT WILL ADD RESIDENTIAL HOUSING TO BREWER.
AND HERE'S A BIT OF RARITY, THE COMPANY HAS DEVELOPED A LAKESIDE APARTMENT COMPLEX WITH 248 UNITS IN CICERO.
IN OUR DISCUSSION WITH ANDY BREUER, THE COMPANY'S PRESIDENT, HE HIGHLIGHTS THE ANTICIPATION OF A SIGNIFICANT SURGE IN APARTMENT DEMAND, ESPECIALLY WITH MICRON'S EXPANSIVE SEMICONDUCTOR CAMPUS.
HERE'S OUR J DANIEL PLUFF.
>> THANK YOU FOR BEAK HERE.
SOME BUILDING GOING ON AND WE'LL LOOK AT THAT IN A SECOND BUT I WANTED TO START OUT IF WE COULD WITH A LITTLE BACKGROUND ON THE COMPANY.
MAYBE A LITTLE BIT OF TRIVIA, BUT AS I THOUGHT ABOUT IT, IT'S NOT TRIVIAL AT ALL.
I MEAN HUBER-BREUER CAN RACE ITS ROOTS BACK 150 YEARS.
>> WE CELEBRATE 1950 YEARS, SIX GENERATIONS.
>> THAT'S A LONG TIME AND UNUSUAL IN THIS DAY AND AGE TO BE FAMILY HELD FOR THAT LONG.
IS THERE A TRICK, A SECRET TO THAT BECAUSE IT IS HIGHLY UNUSUAL.
>> YOU DON'T WANT TO BE THE ONE TO DROP THE BATON WE HAVE NOT FOCUSED ON MARKET SECTORS AS MUCH AS DOING THE RIGHT TYPE OF PROJECTS IN THIS COMMUNITY.
>> I'VE COME TO REALIZE RUNNING ANY BUSINESS IS TOUGH BUT THE STRIKES ME IN THE CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS, YOU DO HAVE CYCLES AND I'M JUST GUESSING BUT THERE ARE PROBABLY TIMES WHEN YOU HAVE MORE WORK THAN YOU KNOW WHEN TO DO WITH AND OTHER TIMES YOU ARE STARING AT THE PHONES.
HOW DO YOU MANAGE THE UPS AND DOWNS?
>> WE FEEL THAT THE SEASONAL SLOW DOWNS HAVE NOT BE AS SEVERE OVER THE LAST DECADE.
THAT'S CERTAINLY A SIGN OF THE TIMES WITH HOW THINGS ARE HERE IN SYRACUSE.
>> SOME OF THE PROJECTS THAT I'M FAMILIAR WITH THAT HEUBER-BREUER MAN INVOLVED R HAVE BEEN INVOLVED WITH, SOME HAVE BEEN REALLY BIG PROJECTS.
DO YOU COMPETE LOCALLY WITH OTHER FIRMS OR OUT OF TOWN COMPANIES YOU BUMP HEADS WITH?
>> CERTAINLY BOTH.
IT DEPENDS ON THE SIZE AND COMPLEXITY OF THE PROJECT.
BUT FOR MOST PART, WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, A HALF DOZEN REGIONAL COMPETITORS AND ON THE LARGER JOBS THAT WE ARE COMPETING ON, YOU DO SEE SOME OF THE MULTIREGIONAL OR NATIONAL FOLKS COMING IN NOW A LITTLE BIT.
>> DESCRIBE A LITTLE BIT TO ME, THOUGH, THE PROCESS, IN THAT SOME ENTITY WANTS TO BUILD A BUILDING, WANTS TO EXPAND SOMETHING, WANTS TO DO SOMETHING.
THERE IS A BIDDING PROCESS, RIGHT?
I MEAN YOU ARE IN THERE FIGHTING IT OUT WITH OTHERS, I ASSUME?
>> THERE ARE DIFFERENT DELIVERY METHODS IN OUR BUSINESSES.
TRADITIONAL BID PROCESS WHERE WE WOULD SAY A HARD BID OR GENERAL CONTRACTING JOB IS EXACTLY THAT.
THE DESIGNER DESIGNS THE PROJECT.
IT GETS BID AND GENERALLY THE LOWEST QUALIFIED BIDDER WILL WIN THE WORK.
THERE HAS REALLY BEEN A BIT OF AN EVOLUTION IN DELIVERY METHOD AS WE HAVE SEEN NOT ONLY REGIONALLY BUT NATIONALLY, WITH MORE EMPHASIS ON CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT, FEE-BASED ARRANGEMENTS, WHERE YOU TRY TO ENGAGE A BUILDER EARLIER IN THE PROCESS.
YOU WORK ALONGSIDE AN OWNER, WORK ALONGSIDE A DESIGNER AND REALLY BUILD TO A BUDGET DESIGN TO A BUDGET.
>> AS WE SIT HERE LOCALLY AT LOSOS, YOU DESIGNED THIS AND ARE BUILDING IT.
>> WE DEVELOPED IT.
WE HIRED AN THRAIRKT THREARKT ARCHITECTURAL TEAM AND THAT BEGINS WITH THE 3450U79S AND THEN YOU REALLY GET INTO THE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN OF THE SITE AND THE PROGRAM DESIGN OF THE SITE AND FIGURE OUT WHAT WORKS BEST, WHAT DENSITY YOU CAN ACHIEVE.
WHAT IS RIGHT SIZED FOR THE AREA, ALL THOSE THINGS.
>> HEUBER-BREUER COMES IN, YOU BID A JOB, LET'S JUST SAY YOU GET IT.
YOU PROBABLY DON'T START THAT JOB FOR SEVERAL MONTHS.
YOU DON'T COMPLETE THE JOB FOR WHAT COULD BE A COUPLE OF YEARS.
HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT LUMBER IS GOING TO COST IN TWO YEARS?
HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT COPPER IS GOING TO COST ASSUMING THEY DON'T STEAL IT?
HOW DO YOU PRICE THAT IN.
>> UNFORTUNATELY THOSE EXPOSURES ARE MEANT OBJECT ON OUR SIDE.
>> WHAT DO YOU MEAN ON OUR SIDE.
>> MY FATHER JOKES THAT HE DOESN'T HAVE TO GO TO TURNING STONE BECAUSE HE HAS TO GAMBLE EVERY DAY.
>> YOU ARE IN THE COMMODITY MARKET AT THE END OF THE DAY.
>> EVERYBODY TRIES TO QUALIFY.
WE GET A NUMBER FROM THE SUBCONTRACTOR AND THEY HAVE TO QUALIFY IT BECAUSE THEY GOT A NUMBER FROM THE MATERIAL SUPPLIER AND THIS PRICING IS GOOD FOR TWO WEEKS OR WHATEVER.
AND HAVE YOU TO LOCK IT IN AND THAT IS PART OF THE PROCESS, PART OF THE ART OF THE DEAL.
>> LET ME TALK TO YOU ABOUT A RECURRING THEME IN THE SERIES THAT HAS COME UP, WHICH IS WORKFORCE AND EMPLOYEES AND ALL THAT.
I ASSUME HEUBER-BREUER HAS FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES AND MAYBE SUBCONTRACTORS, IS THAT WHAT WOULD YOU CALL IT?
>> YES, AND WE HAVE SEASONAL WORKFORCE THAT MIGHT BE MORE HOURLY THAT WORK ON OUR JOB SITES AND SOME OF THOSE GUYS HAVE ROUTINELY BEEN WITH US FOR YEARS AT A TIME.
>> TOUGH TO KEEP THEM ON IN A DOWN TIME?
>> NO, WE HAVE A VERY LOYAL STAFF AND TREMENDOUSLY APPRECIATIVE FOR THE LOYALTY OF OUR STAFF.
BUT I THINK THAT ALSO SPEEXZ TO THE CONTINUITY OF THE WORK THESE DAYS.
THAT WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF LULLS.
>> TIME AND AGAIN WHEN I HAVE TALKED TO BUSINESS OWNERS AND THROUGHOUT THE SERIES, THEY MIGHT SAY DONNY, WE ARE LOOKING TO EXPAND.
WE ARE LOOKING TO GROW.
WE HAVE SOME OPENINGS.
CAN'T FIND THE PEOPLE, CAN'T ATTRACT PEOPLE.
IS THAT A PROBLEM FOR YOU?
CONSTRUCTION WORKERS IN PARTICULAR?
>> WE ARE SEEING IT CERTAINLY IN THE MARKETPLACE.
YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE IS A LOT OF GOOD INITIATE NISHES AND SOME OF THAT FOCUSES ON MICRON AND THE ECOSYSTEM THAT COMES WITH IT.
BUT THERE IS GOING TO BE SOME GROWING PAINS, CERTAINLY, WITH WORKERS READINESS IN THIS COMMUNITY THE GOOD THING IS THAT EVERYONE IS AWARE OF IT.
THE UNIONS ARE AWARE OF IT, OUR LABOR TRAINING INSTITUTIONS AND COLLEGE INSTITUTIONS AND EVEN THE OTHER SCHOOLS.
WE KNOW THE STORM IS COMING.
>> HOW MANY UNITS HERE?
>> 246, I BELIEVE.
SO SPREAD OVER... >> WE NEED MORE.
I'M TOLD WE NEED MORE.
>> THESE ARE A MIX OF ONE AND TWO BEDROOM UNITS.
YOU KNOW, THE HOPE IS THIS IS GOING TO BE A GOOD SOLUTION FOR EMPTY NESTERS WHO ARE SEEKING TO DOWNSIZE, FOR SNOW BIRDS.
FOR NEW PEOPLE COMING TO THE MARKETPLACE, FOR TRANSIENT FOLKS WHO MAY BE COMING HERE PURSUING A NEW PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITY.
>> SOME UNIQUE FEATURES HERE.
A MARINA I READ.
>> WE ARE CERTAINLY NOT READY TO OPEN THE MARINA YET, BUT THIS IS STILL A WORKING CONSTRUCTION SITE.
WE HAVE FOUR OF THE BUILDINGS READY FOR OCCUPANCY.
WE HAVE BEEN GETTING A FEW A WEEK AHEAD OF SCHEDULE IN THAT REGARD.
BUT JUST REALLY ANXIOUS TO SEE IF THIS TREND CONTINUES.
AND FRANKLY, YOU KNOW, BETTER TO BE LUCKY THAN GOOD.
THIS PROJECT WAS PLANNED AND ANNOUNCED BEFORE THE MICRON ANNOUNCEMENT.
>> WE CAN'T LEAVE HERE WITHOUT TALKING ABOUT MICRON BUT WITH MICRON COMING, IN YOUR VIEW, DOES THAT PUT ADDITIONAL PRESSURE ON THE REAL ESTATE MARKET?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> NEED MORE HOUSES, MORE UNITS, MORE CONDOS.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
AND I THINK THERE IS AN AWARENESS OF THAT THAT STARTS AT THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE LEVEL.
HE HAS BEEN SUCH A GREAT ADVOCATE FOR, YOU KNOW, THE THANKS THAT WE NEED, LEGISLATIVELY ZONING WISE, DENSITY WISE, TO DO WHAT WE NEED TO DO IN SOME OF THESE TOWN CENTERS.
>> THERE IS A DEMAND, FROM WHAT I'M TOLD.
THERE IS A NEED FOR LOW INCOME HOUSING AS WELL.
CAN HEUBER-BREUER SOMEHOW WORK WITH THAT AND ADDRESS THAT ISSUE?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
TO THE CREDIT OF THE I.D.A.s, THE SYRACUSE AND ONONDAGA COUNTY I.D.A.s, THERE IS A GREAT TIE NOW TO THE INCENTIVES TO BE SURE THAT SOME OF THE UNITS ARE BEING DELIVERED AS AFFORDABLE.
AND SO THAT MIGHT BE, YOU KNOW, 80% OF THE AVERAGE MEDIUM INCOME AND SETTING ASIDE A CERTAIN NUMBER OF UNITS TO DO THAT.
>> I GET THE VIBE YOU ARE KIND OF AN OPTIMISTIC GUY BUT REALISTICALLY WHERE IS THE GROWTH GOING TO BE?
WHAT DO WE NEED TO BUILD IN THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS?
>> I TRY TO TEMPER IT TO SAY EVEN IF 25% OF MICRON HAPPENS, YOU KNOW, IF $25 BILLION, ONE FAB, TO STRAIGHT LINE IT, IF THAT OCCURS, THAT'S STILL HUNDREDS OF TIMES THE LARGEST, YOU KNOW, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN IN THIS REGION IN THE LAST DECADE.
>> YOU WANT TO TALK MICRON NOW?
>> I WANT TO USE IT AS A GAUGE BECAUSE, NOT 40,000 PEOPLE SHOW BUT 10,000 PEOPLE SHOW, THAT'S STILL A TREMENDOUS NUMBER OF LIVING STUDENTS.
AND THEY'RE NOT ALL GOING TO WANT TO LIVE IN A SUBDIVISION IN CLAY.
THEY'RE NOT ALL GOING TO WANT TO LIVE HERE IN CICERO.
>> DOWNTOWN SYRACUSE.
>> 25-YEAR-OLD KID... >> THEY'LL DRIVE IN.
SOME OF THESE PEOPLE ARE MAKING A LONG COMMUTE, WHO CARES.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
>> AS YOU SIT HERE TODAY AND LOOKING OUT, IT'S HARD TO PREDICT, I KNOW, BUT WHO WILL BE THE BIG BEN FISHERIES OF MICRON?
CONSTRUCTION SERVICES, I HAVE TO BELIEVE, WILL BE FIRST AND FOREMOST?
>> SURE.
I THINK EVERYTHING IS GOING TO NEED TO BE BUILT TO ACCOMMODATE IT AND I THINK WE ARE GOING TO SEE TREMENDOUS, IN SOME CASES, INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS COME INTO THE MARKETPLACE.
SITTING HERE TODAY, I ALMOST FEEL LIKE I'M NOT SURE THERE IS GOING TO BE A ROLE FOR HEUBER-BREUER DIRECTLY WORKING WITH MICRON BUT I KNOW THE PERIPHERY OF IT AND OUTCOMES OF IT WILL LEAD TO A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES.
>> YOU DON'T NEED IT FROM ME BUT CONTINUED BEST WISHES TO HEUBER-BREUER, 150-- DID YOU BUILD THE PYRAMIDS?
IT'S POSSIBLE.
WE WISH YOU CONTINUEDED SUCCESS AND APPRECIATE YOUR TIME TODAY.
>> THANK YOU.
Money In Motion: Auburn Public Theater
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: S3 Ep8 | 4m 28s | Auburn Public Theater (4m 28s)
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Clip: S3 Ep8 | 3m 49s | The Keenan Center at Le Moyne College (3m 49s)
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