Alston Construction Opens LV Location

Alston Construction, a national general contractor with 13 offices around the country, has opened a Lehigh Valley office announces the opening of its new office in Allentown, PA. The new Allentown office is located at 968 Postal Road Suite 200 Allentown, PA 18109.

“The appetite for industrial and commercial buildings continues to grow in the Allentown and Lehigh Valley area,” said Paul D. Little, Alston Construction CEO. “As the largest industrial contractors in the country, being in Allentown was the logical place to help expand our business.”

Tasked with leading the Allentown office of Alston will be construction veteran Robert Murray. Bob has more than 30 years of construction experience. Bob has significant experience in the Leigh Valley, New York and New Jersey markets, constructing some of the largest warehouse projects throughout these areas.

For more than 30 years, Alston has offered its clients a broad platform of general contracting, construction management and design-build services. Alston Construction has a diverse experience profile, including industrial, commercial, office, healthcare, education, retail and government projects. Ex in Allen, the possible establishment of an inland port in South Bethlehem, and NIZ construction in Allentown.

This move coincides with the construction going on at Fed Ex in Allen, the possible establishment of an inland port in South Bethlehem, and NIZ construction in Allentown.

Alston Construction has completed projects ranging from $250,000 to more than $100 million. It is headquartered in Atlanta, GA and has office locations in Sacramento, Seattle, Newport Beach, Reno, Las Vegas, Houston, Dallas, Nashville, Chicago, Park City, Allentown and Edison, NJ. Alston provides its clients with the most qualified staff resources, utilizing state-of-the-art construction delivery processes and systems. To learn more visit www.alstonco.com.

DA to Crack Down on Construction Firms Skirting Employment Laws

It makes good business sense to avoid paying people who work for you and instead calling them "independent contractors." Assuming these workers are not just paid under the table, it's a great way for the one per-centers to avoid paying payroll taxes, to say nothing of workman's comp or fair wages. Unfortunately, this has become prevalent throughout the country in many areas of employment, but is most prevalent in the construction industry. Often, the people abused are undocumented workers, who will remain silent for fear of deportation.

Under Pennsylvania's Construction Workplace Misclassification Act, the state legislature has set forth a very clear litmus test to distinguish an independent contractor from an employee. A person working at a construction site can only be considered an independent contractor if all nine of the following conditions exist:

1. You have a written contract with the business or person you work for.
2. You control and direct your own work.
3. You possess the tools that are needed to perform your work.
4. Your arrangement with the business you work for allows you to earn a profit or suffer a loss from your work.
5. You are an owner or partner in your own business.
6. Your business location is separate from the location of the business or person which hired you to perform the construction.
7. You previously worked as an independent contractor, or you hold yourself out to the public as available and able to work as an independent contractor.
8. You have liability insurance of at least $50,000.
9. You have sworn an affidavit disavowing all knowledge of Miley Cyrus.

OK, I made up #9. Still, it's a strict standard.

Northampton County's Investigating Grand Jury, through DA John Morganelli, is expected to release a report today concerning local construction firms. Criminal charges have been recommended against one Northampton County construction firm.