PHILADELPHIA — Sure, the economy has been rough on construction workers. But all those idled carpenters, electricians, plumbers and masons have sidelined another critical component of the building process that never gets much attention:

The ceremonial shovel.

Never mind the glad-handing elected leaders and corporate executives — it’s the shovel that’s the star of the show at groundbreakings. How else are the featured guests supposed to hoist dirt to officially launch a project?

But with little being built since the recession’s ignoble debut in December 2007, groundbreakings have been rare events. That has meant a sorry time for the ceremonial shovel.

“Everything went off a cliff,” said Ron Stevens, director of marketing for Engraving Awards & Gifts of New Hampshire, a worldwide supplier of ceremonial shovels — even chocolate miniature ones — via www.ceremonialshovels.com.

The cliff he referred to manifested itself in 2009 — up until then, construction projects in the pipeline kept orders for shovels coming in. Then they dropped off as much as 50 percent, Stevens said. Continue reading “Shovels are sad.”