Construction, Real Estate & Infrastructure

Charlotte – November 06, 2026 -- Martin Landscaping, a Charlotte seeding and erosion control subcontractor founded in April 1980, has become 100% employee-owned through a sale to Hansen Family Office, after Viking Mergers & Acquisitions marketed the business to more than 200 prospective buyers. Deal terms were not disclosed.

Owners Lisa Markus and David Martin, siblings who bought the company from their parents in 2007, are stepping back from daily operational responsibilities. Both remain involved. Martin has worked in the business for 45 years and Markus for 35.

Viking's competitive process draws multiple offers from more than 200 prospective buyers

Haydn Flores, Michael Elliott and Franco Cacciuttolo of Viking M&A represented the owners. The owners compared bidders and ownership structures on financial outcomes, leadership continuity, employee interests and their desired roles after closing.

Alpharetta – November 06, 2026 -- DDB Capital Fund LLC underwrites residential land investments without assuming future interest-rate cuts, testing each acquisition price against supportable builder lot pricing, infrastructure costs and financing expenses.

DDB Capital tests land prices against what builders can pay for lots

The firm, which focuses on the Southeast within the broader Sun Belt region, requires a project to work under current financing assumptions. Rate relief is not part of the viability case.

Managing Director Derek Distenfield said, "Lower interest rates can improve a project's economics, but they don't fix an excessive land price." Any benefit from lower rates, he added, should widen the margin of safety rather than become the reason to buy.

Barcelona – November 06, 2026 -- Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC) closed its fifteenth edition at Fira de Barcelona's Gran Via venue with 29,721 attendees from 140 countries, and named Tokyo "Smart City of 2026" at the World Smart City Awards.

Seven-track program draws 668 experts and over 1,000 cities

Held under the theme "Urban Solutions, Real Impact," the congress focused on affordable housing, climate change abatement and mobility. Its seven tracks brought together 668 international experts and representatives of more than 1,000 cities. Speakers included Anne Hidalgo, Andre Dickens, Anaclaudia Rossbach, Nikolas Badminton and Ayumi Moore Aoki.

Grants Pass, Oregon – November 06, 2026 -- Average monthly rent paid across the U.S. reached $1,388 in 2026 year-to-date, up 38% since 2019, even as rent growth slows, according to Rentec Direct's 2026 State of Rent Report.

Rent growth drops to 1% in 2026 after a 5% rise in 2025

Rent paid has increased $375 per month since 2019. After climbing 5% in 2025, the national average is up just 1% in 2026 YTD. Growth is stabilizing nationally, but trends differ by state.

State-level rents span $1,626, from West Virginia to California

In 2025, average monthly rent ranged from $773 in West Virginia to $2,399 in California. While national growth cools, rent growth is accelerating in Connecticut, Hawaii and Idaho.

Tokyo – November 06, 2026 -- ANDPAD Inc., operator of a construction platform used by more than 279,000 companies, has been named one of Asia's 30 leading growth companies in the NextGen Tech 30 2026 program.

The 2026 recipients were announced at the Singapore Exchange (SGX) on September 30, 2026. The program assesses innovation, growth potential and impact across Asia. ANDPAD was cited for its development capabilities in construction AI and its regional influence.

ANDPAD scales from project management tool to vertical AI data platform

ANDPAD launched in 2016 as a cloud-based construction project management service. It now reports 279,000 corporate users and 818,000 individual users. The company says it holds the top share of the Japanese construction business management cloud service market, citing a December 2025 MIC IT Report based on Deloitte Tohmatsu MIC Research Institute data.

Bayport, Minnesota – November 06, 2026 -- Andersen Corporation has donated windows and doors to 12 veteran families and home projects across the United States since 2018 through its partnership with Jared Allen's Homes for Wounded Warriors (JAH4WW). The nonprofit builds injury-specific, mortgage-free accessible homes for veterans who sustained severe injuries in service.

Andersen backs the nonprofit with products, cash and matched employee gifts

Beyond product donations, Andersen provides financial support and matches employee donations to JAH4WW. Pro Football Hall of Famer and former Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen founded the organization in 2009. Allen said Andersen's partnership helps JAH4WW create homes where veterans can live more independently.

Fresno – November 05, 2026 -- Arcadis has been selected by the Friant Water Authority to provide construction management services for phase 2A of the Friant-Kern Canal Middle Reach Capacity Correction project, for which the authority estimates construction costs of $80 million to $98 million.

Arcadis will oversee canal, utility, roadway and structural work

The consultancy will deliver construction administration and field oversight for the canal, utility, roadway and structural improvements. Phase 2A covers about 2.7 miles of new concrete-lined canal, canal tie-ins, siphons, utility relocations, roadway restoration and associated infrastructure improvements.

IRVINE – November 05, 2026 -- Median home prices rose year-over-year in 48.9 percent of Opportunity Zone census tracts in the third quarter of 2026, compared with 51.6 percent of tracts outside the zones, according to a new report from property data provider ATTOM.

The analysis covered 3,805 Opportunity Zone tracts with at least five home sales in the quarter. These are the qualified low-income areas Congress targeted for redevelopment in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

Price growth was more common outside Opportunity Zones

Year-over-year gains were recorded in 1,598 of 3,265 Opportunity Zone tracts with sufficient data in the third quarters of 2025 and 2026. Outside the zones, prices rose in 28,212 of 54,704 tracts. Quarter-over-quarter, median single-family home and condo prices rose in 48.1 percent (1,651) of 3,431 zone tracts with data in both the second and third quarters.

New York – November 05, 2026 -- Datavations has launched Store Test Tracker, a tool that more than 15 manufacturers already use to detect new SKU tests in as few as 10-20 stores at Home Depot, Lowe's, Menards and other home improvement retailers.

Tracker follows limited-distribution SKUs from test to expansion or discontinuation

The tool applies Datavations' daily, store-level SKU-grain data to flag products in limited distribution. It then follows them through testing, expansion, stall or discontinuation. Suppliers can compare the sales velocity and volume of each test SKU against similar SKUs in the set. They can also measure category growth and impact across brands in test stores against the rest of the chain.

Oakland – November 05, 2026 -- BKF has acquired Waterways Consulting, Inc., a water resource engineering firm specializing in ecological restoration and nature-based design, adding to the 900-person infrastructure firm's push to become a full-service provider in the Western United States.

Waterways adds stream restoration, fish passage and dam removal expertise

Waterways operates from regional hubs in Santa Cruz, California, and Portland, Oregon. Its credentialed team of environmental professionals and engineers is known for stream restoration, fish passage design, dam removal and watershed planning. Clients of the firm include private companies, government agencies, special districts and nonprofit organizations.