The president of the North Dakota Association of Builders expects 2018 will be a good year for the industry.
"I think things have slowed a bit," said Dan Lindquist of Fargo. "North Dakota, though, is pretty steady."
Lindquist is also with the Fargo-Moorhead Builders’ Association. He said there are some challenges. One is the price of materials, which Lindquist said has been exacerbated by the trade dispute with Canada over “soft lumber.”
"It would be nice to see some of the domestic lumber production increased," Lindquist said. "There's timber out there we haven't been able to harvest, that I know they've been trying to see if we can't do a little more of that on the domestic side."
And Lindquist said another challenge is labor.
"It's a good industry to get in to," Lindquist said. "Associations like ourselves are becoming more involved in the elementary and high schools, getting the word out and getting students involved, to see if it is something they want to try."
Lindquist said the builders’ message to the students is – not everyone is meant to have a desk job, and the pay is very good.