Plutarch’s standard is stricter than “be brave.” It says your first fear should be the damage your power can do through rushed decisions, sloppy words, or silent neglect. Self-protection is natural, but leadership asks for restraint: take the uncomfortable meeting, deliver the hard message, absorb the criticism, and keep others safe.

Use a “harm check” before big calls. Who bears the cost if this goes wrong? What’s the worst plausible downside, and how will we notice early? Invite someone to argue the opposite case, then summarize their concerns out loud. When you decide, name the trade-off and the risk you’re accepting so nobody has to guess.

Finally, follow through. If a decision hurts people, own it, explain it plainly, and support those affected. If the risk was avoidable, change the system guardrails, review points, and clearer roles so you don’t repeat it. Teams trust leaders who protect them even when it’s personally inconvenient.

Run a harm check before major decisions and document risks, trade-offs, and safeguards.

Beauchamp Construction frames its business around control of the fundamentals. As a full-service general contractor, it offers site work, concrete, foundations, structural concrete, flatwork, conventional steel, and metal re-roofs, keeping critical scopes coordinated instead of fragmented across vendors.

Based in Pocomoke City on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, the firm has specialized in commercial, government, and community projects since 1972. Its in-house team includes construction management specialists and tradespeople experienced in steel erection, carpentry, and concrete, which helps make decisions close to the work.

Longevity shows up in its Butler Builder certification, held for more than 40 years. That relationship signals comfort with standardized building solutions and disciplined delivery, while the company’s pitch stays personal: exceed expectations through craftsmanship, planning, and accountability from start to finish.

Beauchamp Construction pairs in-house trades with long-term Butler expertise for dependable results.

NAVFAC Atlantic has awarded a $150 million architect-engineer IDIQ contract to the Stantec AECOM SIOP joint venture to support the Navy’s Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program, with most work expected at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. The base year plus four option years can extend performance to January 2031, creating a long pipeline of design packages that will shape future waterfront construction.

The contract focuses on early phase planning, design development, and technical analysis for modernizing dry docks, production facilities, utilities, and waterfront infrastructure while keeping maintenance work moving. Tasks can include technical surveys, engineering studies and modeling, cost estimating, and assembling both design-bid-build and design-build solicitation packages, as well as post-award support once construction starts.

For contractors, the insight is that schedule risk will be decided before mobilization. Every utility cutover, crane access point, and work window around active ship repair must be engineered as deliberately as the structure itself. Firms that pair constructability with realistic phasing, procurement planning for long lead gear, and clear quality documentation will be ready when the Navy converts these studies into major construction awards.

The engineer is phasing early to keep the shipyard work and operations aligned.

A new executive order aims to accelerate federally funded rebuilding in the Pacific Palisades and Eaton Canyon areas. It directs FEMA and SBA to consider rules preempting state and local permitting requirements for federally funded projects, replacing them with builder self-certification to a federal designee, with proposed rules issued within 30 days and final rules issued within 90 days.

A year after the fires, fewer than a dozen homes had been rebuilt, and about 900 were under construction, and many survivors describe a funding gap between insurance payouts and actual rebuild costs. The order also seeks faster waivers under federal environmental and historic preservation laws and calls for audits tied to hazard mitigation funding.

Builders who want speed without rework should standardize code-compliant plan sets, keep product labels and test reports organized, and treat documentation like a trade. Line up insurers, lenders, and utilities early so money and service availability do not become the next delay.

Standardize compliant plans; financing and insurance still set pace.

Good morning, crew. Today we are working in the heat, and we will stay ahead of it. Drink water often, take shade breaks before you feel wiped out, and use the buddy system. New or returning workers ease in; do not try to prove toughness on day one. If anyone shows signs of headache, dizziness, nausea, cramps, heavy sweating, or confusion, stop work and cool them down right away.

Heat illness can build fast, especially with high humidity, direct sun, heavy work, or extra PPE. Waiting until you are thirsty is too late. Plan the day so that the most challenging work happens earlier, rotate tasks, and keep water close to the work. Watch for warning signs in yourself and others, because overheating can affect judgment and coordination before you realize it. Heat stroke is a medical emergency and needs immediate action.

We work steadily and smartly in the heat. Nobody pushes through dizziness, cramps, or nausea. Speak up early so we can change the plan, add breaks, rotate tasks, or increase cooling. Protecting the crew means watching the newest person, the hardest worker, and the quietest worker, because heat can take someone down without much warning.

Drink water, take shade breaks, watch your buddy, and finish the shift strong and safe.

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