Although there are still a lot of questions surrounding the healthcare industry, construction has picked up dramatically. That's why we're hosting a panel of experts Wednesday morning to discuss the exciting world of healthcare real estate. Hoar Construction VP Brian Cook (here with his wife Jody) filled us in on some stats: Healthcare construction rose 3.1% in February, making it the second most active construction sector behind office. (Keep building more offices and you've just got more people calling in sick.) He says Hoar is the only Texas Hospital Association endorsed construction firm and it was awarded two healthcare projects in the last three weeks alone.

Brian says healthcare construction is especially necessary in rural areas of Texas, which have aging properties but lots of demand. Hoar's Wendy Burke adds that hospital execs are confident the positive economic momentum is sustainable long-term (which is a nice way of saying we're not getting any younger), and they're ready to make capital investments again. The firm has $130M of healthcare work on the boards now. Come hear more about the sector at Bisnow's third annual healthcare real estate summit Wednesday. Register now!