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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued further guidance regarding its June 18th decision to give renovation firms and workers additional time to obtain necessary training and certifications to comply with its new lead rules. A new question-and-answer document was recently posted on the EPA website. Click here to read the document. Formaldehyde legislation urged by the Composite Panel Association (CPA) and others passed the U.S. House of Representatives by voice vote on June 23, after being approved by the unanimous consent of the U.S. Senate a week earlier, reported Door & Window Manufacturer. Full Story The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is launching a new technical assistance program to help state capital cities design more sustainable communities. Greening America's Capitals will assist state capitals, selected through a competitive application process, develop a vision of distinctive, environmentally friendly neighborhoods that incorporate innovative green building and green infrastructure. This program is a new project of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities between EPA, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), reported Environmental Design & Construction. Full Story New York State Senator George Onorato and chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Labor, announced July 2, that final approval has been given by the State Senate and Assembly to push through legislation to crack down on employee misclassification in the construction industry. The Act would assume that all construction workers would be considered employees, unless they met all three specific criteria, which would classify them as independent contractors. Secondly, the Act would protect them from retaliation for reporting industry violations and allow for penalties against the construction firms that knowingly allowed violations to occur, reported ConstructionDigitial.com. Full Story The U.S. House of Representative passed HR 2136 the Honorable Stephanie Tubbs Jones College Fire Prevention Act. This bill, named after Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, a longtime advocate for fire safety on our nation's campuses, will provide matching grants for the installation of automatic fire sprinkler systems in residence halls and Greek housing, reported Campus Firewatch. Full Story Industry Access Alcoa has agreed to purchase privately held Traco, a manufacturer of windows and doors for the commercial building and construction market. Traco will become part of Alcoa's global Building and Construction Systems business, reported MarketWatch. Full Story Masonite Inc. has acquired the selected assets of two India-based door manufacturers - Feroke Boards Limited and Mahsim High Tech Fab Limited. Company officials say that they also are in the advanced stages of completing a third asset acquisition in the country, reported Door & Window Manufacturer. Full Story Click here for more Industry Access news including recent new hires, merger & acquisition activity and who's offering new products. * DHI Members may submit news releases to be considered for inclusion in DHI's IndustryWatch. Send to: jmadden@dhi.org Business Update
A number of states have stepped in to help cash-strapped entrepreneurs get access to credit, primarily by providing incentives to banks to lend more. But the programs have been so popular that many states, already operating under tight or depleted budgets, may have trouble meeting the demand, reported The Wall Street Journal. Full Story U.S. construction companies seeking financing for new buildings still find credit hard to come by, although conditions have improved slightly from the previous quarter, according to a new survey. About 13% of those surveyed by McGraw-Hill Construction, said project financing was getting easier, up from 7% who said so in the first quarter. But far more contractors and engineering companies, 39%, say project financing is actually harder to obtain, and a majority of respondents say the current market continues to decline, reported Reuters. Full Story Construction professionals expect the industry recession to start to turn around by the end of the year, according to a survey in Engineering News-Record magazine. The ENR Construction Industry Confidence Index (CICI) for the second quarter of 2010 shows that construction and design firm executives believe the worst may soon be over. The Q2-2010 CICI, which measures industry sentiment for market sectors and trends, is 41 on a scale of 100, where a value of 50 indicates a stable market and a value from 51 to 100 reflects the belief that the market is improving. While still below an index of 50, the index shows a dramatic improvement over last quarter (up seven points from 34 in Q1-2010) and last year (up 16 points from 25 in Q1-2009), reported BuildingOnline.com. Full Story Construction costs have either been falling or flat for the past year-and-a-half, according to RSMeans. On a quarter-to-quarter basis, the declines were most pronounced in April of last year. On a year-over-year basis, the largest drops showed up last October. However, from one quarter to the next, construction costs have barely moved at all since summer a year ago. Full Story Fireman's Fund Insurance Company has introduced the next generation of green insurance endorsements that broadens coverage and allows policyholders to tailor solutions to better meet their needs. To help protect property owners' investments, Fireman's Fund is introducing Green Financial Incentive Coverage to provide protection for incentives impacting taxes, utilities, loans and more related to green installations or upgrades. In the event of a loss, Fireman's Fund will cover any losses for two calendar years, reported Environmental Design & Construction. Full Story The expansion in the U.S. manufacturing sector moderated in June after three months of very rapid growth, according to a survey of purchasing managers at U.S. companies. The Institute for Supply Management index fell to 56.2% in June from 59.7% in May, reported MarketWatch. Full Story Construction & Design States and local governments are slashing spending on schools, roads, offices and other construction projects so fast that even federal stimulus money hasn't filled in the gap. Investment in infrastructure is on pace to drop almost 7% this year to $269 billion, according to a USA Today analysis of federal data. That would be the first decline in state and local construction spending since the Census Bureau started tracking in 1993. Full Story The U.S. green building market value will balloon from $71.1 billion now to $173 billion by 2015, according to the latest issue of EL Insights. Commercial green building is expected to grow by 18.1% annually during the same time period from $35.6 billion to $81.8 billion. In this case, green building is defined as building with resource use and employee productivity in mind, reported Fast Company. Full Story Construction spending shrank again in May, dropping 8% from a year earlier, although home building and stimulus–funded public works increased from year–ago levels, according to an analysis of new Census Bureau data by the Associated General Contractors of America. "Stimulus has made a difference, but Congress needs to provide long–term funding for transportation and water projects to assure further economic growth," Ken Simonson, chief economist for the construction trade association, said. "Private nonresidential construction sagged 25% from May 2009 to May 2010, while public construction edged down 3%, and private residential construction rose 11%," Simonson commented. Full Story The value of education starts more than doubled in Massachusetts and Florida in the three months ending in May compared to the same period a year ago while most of the large states with serious budget problems experienced double digit declines in education starts from a year ago. Education construction activity in the short term is dominated by the availability of cash to pay the contractor. Longer term, over a full business cycle, differences in enrollment and income trends account for different regional trends in construction spending, reported Reed Construction Data. Full Story May construction starts rose 10.2% from April to the highest level in nearly a year. The monthly gain matches the usual seasonal rise in May so starts have been about stable for three months, reported Reed Construction Data. Full Story Health care industry leaders in Tennessee and Georgia are seeing a noticeable jump in major medical projects, reported Engineering News-Record. Requests for state approval of major medical products in Tennessee have increased three- or four-fold this year, said Jim Christoffersen of the Tennessee Health Services and Development Agency, which grants certificates of need for health care facilities. Full Story Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki joined state and local officials for a ground-breaking ceremony for a new 1.5 million-square-foot medical center for the Department of Veterans Affairs in New Orleans. Full Story Security & Safety Unity Elementary School in New Hampshire may be the first school ever closed by the state for life-threatening building violations. Two members of the state Board of Education will tour the school ahead of a vote next month on whether to shutter the 55-year-old school. The school has remained open for two years on conditional approval by the state to allow time to correct fire code violations that include "dead end" corridors with no exits, a lack of fire-resistant partitions and classrooms that do not have two exits. Local officials estimate the cost to make the repairs is more than the $5.9 million needed to build a new school, reported The Boston Globe. Full Story Small Business News will resume in the next issue when Congress returns from recess. Foundation News A tragic fire in a mixed-used occupancy building further supports the need for knowledgeable inspectors from our industry to help the jurisdictions inspect buildings. So many cities and states don't have the resources or the knowledge. Click here to read a recent Star Tribune Editorial. Fire Door Inspection Reference Materials Available! Make sure each of the three publications addressing the annual safety inspections of swinging fire doors with builders hardware are part of your office reference materials: AHJ's GUIDE: Swinging Fire Doors with Builders Hardware Click here for complete content descriptions of each guide OR to purchase via PayPal DHI News DHI SUSTAINABILITY…DHI's 35th Annual Conference & Exposition 2010 Forum for the Future IS INCLUDED in your conference registration – a $100 SAVINGS! The Forum is not just an "optional event" on the schedule for certain attendees. This year's Forum for the Future is another must-attend event geared to all attendees, manufacturer, distributor, and sales representative, with a series of presentations on a variety of topics. Beginning with an economic forecast and construction activity outlook, through sessions on BIM, green issues, accounts receivable management, service revenue opportunities, and winding up with another industry-wide research project on the convergence of the electronic opening, you won't want to miss this event. With a line-up of industry experts that is second to none, DHI's 35th Annual Conference and Exposition provides the vital information you need to grow and manage your business! Please note: Space at the Forum luncheons is limited. Only registered attendees with luncheon tickets will be admitted. REGISTER NOW FOR THE BIGGEST SAVINGS! ● FULL CONFERENCE PACKAGES AS LOW AS $150*!!! Download a registration form and fax to 703/222-2410. * Members only rate. Price for non-members is $250. Offer non-refundable and valid only through July 30th, 2010. DHI NATIONAL EDUCATION Spanning a total of eight (8) days, the DHI National Education sessions provide the most extensive course offerings available in one location. Advance your career and company with the most comprehensive and unparalleled education for the openings industry BUY ONE DAY OF "NATIONAL" EDUCATION - ATTEND THE CONFERENCE AND EXPOSITION FOR FREE!
DHI's INTERACTIVE MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY...New & Improved for 2010! The all-new Interactive Membership Directory for 2010 provides contact information for all DHI members; National and Chapter Leadership, distributors, manufacturers and sales agencies. NEED CHANGES to PROFILE INFORMATION? Let us know if your member profile information needs to be updated at: 703/222.2010 -OR- contact us with changes by email at: Membership@dhi.org Update your information online… DHI Membership Affords You a Number of Networking Opportunities LINKEDIN FACEBOOK
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