Veteran economist to lead Dodge in tracking, analyzing and forecasting construction activity and further strengthen company’s position as the premier industry leader

Dodge Data & Analytics, the leading provider of North American construction analytics, has announced the appointments of Richard Branch as Chief Economist and Kim Kennedy, as the Director of Forecasting. Richard Branch will succeed Robert Murray, Dodge’s longstanding Chief Economist and Vice President, who retired at the end of August.

An industry veteran with over 20 years of experience as an economist, Richard has served as Senior Economist at Dodge for 10 years. As Chief Economist, Richard’s primary focus will be to ensure Dodge’s continued preeminence in tracking, analyzing and forecasting North American construction activity, and to work closely with clients as well as national, regional, and trade media to share this insight. This includes continued execution of the monthly Dodge Momentum Index, National Construction Starts research, and Dodge Construction Outlook—a seminal reference for the industry. Richard holds a master’s degree in Economics from Boston College, and an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Ottawa in Canada.

“Throughout my years at Dodge, I’ve had the privilege of working directly with Robert Murray and his team of expert economists that have their fingers firmly on the pulse of the construction industry,” said Richard Branch. “As Chief Economist, I’m excited and eager to build upon an already strong foundation, and further solidify Dodge as the premier, go-to resource for construction industry insight and authority on data, trends, and market activity.”