Geddes, NY (NCC News)- Something special rolled into the Expo Center at the New York State Fairgrounds this week. The 39th annual Hard Hat Expo hosted guests and exhibitors from throughout the East Coast last Wednesday and Thursday, highlighting construction’s role in the economy.
At a time when job growth is slowing in the United States, the construction industry continues to chug along. Construction Coverage, a construction research company, finds construction made up 4.5% of the gross domestic product in 2024, and the industry has reported a 0.5% increase in employment in the past year.
In New York, the construction industry is just as vital. According to the Associated General Contractors of America, construction generated 2.9% of the state’s GDP – $68 billion. 8.3 million construction workers were employed – and on average, were making more money than the average New Yorker.
That steadiness in the industry has helped the Hard Hat Expo remain a fixture in the local construction community. “We call it a selling trade show,” said Matt Stanley, the sales manager of the exposition. The event is closed to the public because it’s not centered around education. Rather, it’s meant for established construction companies to purchase industry specific products and connect with suppliers.
While the heavy machinery is certainly the star of the show, that’s by no means the limit of what patrons can find. “There are purchases of all sizes at the showroom,” Stanley said. “We have… people selling lubrication products. We have people selling hand tools, you know, on the smaller end of things, and they sell them all day long.” Even though the heavy machinery is less likely to be sold on the day of the exposition, Stanley explained that it helps buyers start planning for negotiations. However, those big purchases do still happen.
We’ve had all kinds of sizes of equipment being purchased right here at our show, including huge pieces that are up in the parking lot, going home with someone else other than who brought it. – Matt Stanley, Sales Manager of the Hard Hat Expo
David Montanya, an executive leader for Montage Enterprises Inc., had great success connecting buyers with his company. “We had a bunch of people coming, through at least 40 or 50” said Montanya. “They either didn’t know that we existed, didn’t know that we could supply them with our products and, you know, excited and happy that they found someone to give us a reasonable price.”
The Hard Hat Expo will return next year at the Expo Center for its 40th celebration.