President’s Message – Latest Scoop 2026 Issue 2

Two things stand out from family vacations when I was a child:

1. Something significant always seemed to go wrong while Dad was away… we dreaded the daily stop at a pay phone to call back to the office and check in. If it wasn’t a dump truck that rolled over or a pickup in an accident, it was a long stretch of curb that collapsed after a summer thunderstorm or a machine mired in the mud.
2. We stopped at construction sites, took pictures, gave the flagger a Brubacher hat, etc.

I learned early on to keep an eye peeled for construction equipment, a plume of dust, and Cat or Deere yellow. And yes, there are construction equipment pictures mixed in with our honeymoon photo album and my own family vacation photos! When I recently traveled to Zambia with a mission organization on whose board I serve, it was only natural to look for construction activities as we traveled about the country.

It is always interesting to see how people in other parts of the world tackle construction projects, observing differences and similarities. I am certainly NOT an expert on worldwide construction practices; however, a few key things stood out to me during our travels in Zambia.

Safety
One’s personal safety and well-being depend entirely on one’s own alertness and judgment. There are no warning signs, fenced-off areas to keep pedestrians from walking through active road reconstruction or trenching areas, protection from exposed electrical components, etc. I was pleasantly surprised to see workers on a highway construction project wearing clothing with hi-vis stripes and hardhats.

Resources
Not surprisingly, our industry typically relies on resources that are most readily available… in this case, labor. Outside of graders, pavers, rollers, and occasionally a large excavator, everything else was done by hand. To my Western eyes, countless tasks looked far less costly and multiple times more efficient if done with machinery. But when labor is plentiful and low-cost, while capital, equipment, and diesel are costly, labor dominates.

Growth
The vibrancy of a growing population and small businesses, along with the economic impacts of these factors, is quite evident. Zambia is rich in natural resources and business opportunities. Unfortunately, many large foreign-owned businesses seem to take resources and profits out of the country, and efforts are underway to encourage Zambian capital investment. I was struck by the value of a growing population. While it certainly presents different challenges than those faced by a stagnant or shrinking population base, I believe it is preferable.

Strategy
Long-term strategy drives major investments. A Chinese consortium is financing the construction of a cross-country highway and will operate it as a toll road under a 25-year concession agreement. This road will expand commerce from the southern to northern borders, especially copper resources from the Copper Belt region. Based on the many hours we spent driving on the existing road, the upgrade is much needed!

Environment
We visited during the dry season, known as ‘winter’ in Zambia. So, technically, I suppose there weren’t any erosion concerns on the construction sites we drove past and through. However, I didn’t get the idea that this was a concern during the rainy season either! While we may feel some regulations are over-reaching here in the U.S., I am very thankful the construction industry has made major improvements in care for the environment over the last few decades. Clean water, air, and uncontaminated soil should never be taken for granted!

I returned with a new perspective on the challenges and opportunities experienced in our part of the construction industry, along with a deep gratitude for the vast equipment and technology resources at our ready access. Regardless of the differences around the world, construction remains a people-centered industry that meets the genuine physical needs of each culture.