Bodei's family has been in the construction business for generations, so he'd seen how lucrative it could be to build and renovate upscale single-family homes in affluent suburbs. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Fewer construction workers means less — and slower — residential construction, which in turn leads to higher home prices. Mayra Beltran/Getty ImagesA labor shortage years in the makingThe US has faced a severe shortage of construction workers of all sorts for years. When the financial crisis crushed the housing market in 2008, the construction industry took a massive hit.

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Persons: —, Michael Bodei, Bodei, he'd, it's, Sam Laureto, Mayra Beltran, haven't, Ken Simonson, Simonson Organizations: Service, Bodei, Business, Oaks, US, Associated Builders and Contractors, Associated, Contractors of America Locations: Morristown , New Jersey, Houston , Texas, South Florida