Texas Or North Carolina?

cretebusters1

Hello everyone,
I am new to the forum, and would like to first of all say this site is great! I have gotten a lot of insight into what types of projects everyone is doing and the methods being used.
On to my question, I am from a successful family-owned concrete company in Michigan and as many of you know, the market in Michigan is rather stagnant right now. I am looking out-of-state for work and the two states that keep coming to my attention are Texas & North Carolina. Is anyone familiar with the economic climate in these states as far as what type of jobs are being done, immigrant worker count, availability of work, etc. I am planning a trip next week to either state and haven't decided which yet. Any help or tips as to where the "hot spots" of activity are located would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks So Much,

Samantha (cretebusters1)

TERM101

Welcome! Im in north carolina and I woud recommend going to Texas over North Carolina in times like this. The market is tough in North Carolina right now, but it is rough everywhere. If you were to move to either one then I would recommend moving to a highly populated city!

dayspring

DITTO, Things are very slow here in SW NC.

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wallmaxx

Both states are overrun with illegals...but Texas has 30 million people so there is a great base to draw from. Do great work for a fair price and you will make it.

Cost of living in Houston is pretty low too.

Cole

I would not move to Texas, it is getting really really tough for everyone right now.

I am eventually going to move out of state for this very reason.

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The_Game

Just got back from TX.
Mexican wage for demolition and construction, and half the people do not speak english (Home owner)

neolitic

Cretebuster, I think you need to do some research,
and make sure that what you are looking at
is current information.
Even reports from six weeks ago are irrelevant.
Russia, Europe, China, and now Japan are in
recession.
Toyota is about to lose their AAA credit rating,
the Big Three are on the verge of collapse.
This isn't a time like you have seen....it's going
to be hard to find a place to hide from it.
Good luck.

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joasis

Pick a small town, or towns...and search the chamber of commerce for information. Lawton, Oklahoma is still pretty hot...Duncan, Oklahoma as well...but this can change, and one thing you have to keep in mind is that what you may have been charging in your market may be out of line here. For instance, it is not unusual to see concrete slab bids at $3 a sq.ft and this includes concrete, forming, steel, and labor....sometimes the finish grade as well. Realistic expectations will help avoid disappointment later. BTW, did I say avoid cities?

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copusbuilder

I would answer but you haven't been on here for days and have only made the one post...I shall hold back my wealth of information for another time

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joasis

Suckered by an old post....!

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Landed

In slow economic times, the new kid on the block has a tough uphill battle. The established businesses have the connections and the loyalties, they also know their markets and can better sell themselves. Also setting up a new business takes venture capital - not necessarily a safe investment when trying to weather this storm.

But to answer you question, NC is smaller and all over is not very good, even the robust college towns are seeing a pinch.

Texas is bigger with more areas that may have a very localized healthier economy. There will probably be better "chances" in TX, but that's only because TX is bigger.

neolitic

So last week is....
so last week?

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22rifle

I have friends in the Triad area of NC. Every single one of them is hurting. (Most of these guys are "cream of the crop" contractors, although they are all pretty weak in the marketing department. Up until now they have had a flood of word of mouth leads. Now they are getting most of the jobs in their area because of their reputation but there just aren't many jobs. Some of them attend a church with around 45 families of which only 2 are not involved in construction. They report their Sunday morning offerings are about 40% of what they were at this time last year. That says a lot.

On the other hand, I have friends in the Dallas, TX region who are growing their construction related businesses.

None of this proves anything. It's just anecdotal.