Richard Branch

Dodge Construction Network  | Chief Economist

Richard Branch is Chief Economist for Dodge Construction Network. As head of the Dodge Economics Group, his primary focus is to ensure that Dodge continues to provide world-class tracking, analysis and forecasting of construction activity and to work closely with national, regional, and trade media to share this insight. This includes execution of the monthly Dodge Momentum Index and National Construction Starts research, as well as leading the prestigious annual Dodge Construction Outlook, a seminal reference for the industry. With 20 years of experience as an economist at various consulting and publishing firms, he is an industry veteran and is well versed in helping organizations gain the insight they need to identify new opportunities and enhance their profitability. Most recently, Richard served as Senior Economist at Dodge and his 10-year tenure has included developing a construction forecast model for Canada, as well as several in-depth reports across key verticals such as education and healthcare. He is also a contributing author for the Construction Market Forecasting Service (CMFS), which provides five-year projections for 22 U.S. building types.

Richard holds a master’s degree in economics from Boston College, and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Ottawa in Canada.