The construction industry will continue to face labor shortages, unless it can bring more young people into the trades, said Ray Catlin, vice president for the Texas region at construction firm LGE Design Build.

The shortage has forced contractors to stretch existing crews, creating additional project constraints and challenges.

“The solution is to elevate trade school as a legitimate alternative to college for high school graduates,” Catlin said. “Making the industry more forgiving from a work-life balance perspective would also help.”

Catlin will speak on this issue and more at Bisnow’s 2025 DFW Industrial Summit in Dallas on Nov. 11. Bisnow caught up with him to hear about the challenges around talent, supply chain issues facing the industry and other trends he is seeing in Texas and nationally.

Register here to attend the event.

Bisnow: What are you seeing now in the DFW industrial market?

Catlin: The market is continuing to move forward, albeit at a slower pace than in previous years. It’s a market that shows signs of maturity, with variability in size of projects, depending on the submarket. But projects are getting absorbed.

Bisnow: What are some challenges facing the industry? 

Catlin: We’re facing a labor shortage, which has now become the norm. But that doesn’t mean we should be complacent about it. Year in, year out, more people are exiting the field than entering. It’s an industrywide problem that’s going to require contractors, designers and developers all working together to solve it. The idea that our children may not go to college and still have very rewarding careers in the field needs to be a concept that is valued and promoted.

At LGE Design Build, we are tackling the issue from several angles. First, we view it as our obligation as a designer-builder to get input from the field through the design process.

The reality is that the field labor force is a constrained resource. Those who can figure out the most efficient use of that resource will be successful. This does not mean working sunup to sundown six or seven days a week.

We want to serve as role models in our belief that a career in the field needs to be valued and respected. What better way to show that than by setting up projects in a way that avoids the need for those long hours and still accomplishes more than the market?

Bisnow: Are you still seeing supply chain pressures in the market? 

Catlin: We are worried about tariffs, but we have yet to see an impact from them. For now, our approach has been to constantly communicate with our trade partners to proactively understand what is going on and how to best mitigate and alleviate any tariff price pressures.

Bisnow: Tell me about some projects you are currently working on.

Catlin: We are wrapping up a design-build project for Provident on Bardin Road in Arlington. It is Provident’s first design-build project. And we are working with several end users on built-to-suit opportunities.

We also recently broke ground on 635 Exchange, which sits on the site of a former landfill. It has been exciting to watch our team of designers and trade partners working through the challenges of this complicated site, including navigating environmental issues and implementing dynamic densification and ground improvements.

Bisnow: What inspired you to attend this event?

Catlin: I draw energy and purpose from connecting with others in the industry and collaborating on how we can make our industry better. The greatest ideas come from collaboration and connection with your network.

Register here for Bisnow’s Nov. 11 event.

This article was produced in collaboration between LGE Design Build and Studio B. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.

Studio B is Bisnow’s in-house content and design studio. To learn more about how Studio B can help your team, reach out to studio@bisnow.com.