'Bumpy' Economy Brings Some Hiring, A Lot Of Caution, Too

Skip Staggers needs to hire two or three more electricians now and probably another 10 to 12 in a few months, but that doesn’t mean business at his electrical contracting and service firm is surging.

Staggers, president of Hagerstown-based MEC Inc., said Thursday he’s been able to land several contracts throughout the region, but locally, “I don’t feel improvement. We see very few jobs locally to bid.”

And, really, overall, “The construction bid market is still really flat,” he said. “I guess I’m being optimistic. ... We’re crossing our fingers that things improve.”
More