Welcome to our Construction Industry News page, where we bring you the latest updates on mergers and acquisitions, key new hires, and significant industry shifts. Stay informed with breaking news and in-depth reporting to keep up with the fast-paced changes shaping the construction business.

RALEIGH, N.C. (June 6, 2014) — FMI, a provider of management consulting and investment banking to the engineering and construction industry, released its Q2-2014 Construction Outlook. The forecast shows cautiously optimistic growth, as the forecast has been lowered a percent since the Q1-2014 Outlook. Construction-put-in-place for 2014 is now predicted to increase 7 percent over 2013 levels.

DALLAS, Texas (May 30, 2014) — Jackie James, director of World of Concrete, will travel to Toronto in late June to participate in a trade mission hosted by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA). The primary goal of the mission is to increase attendees and exhibitors from Canada at World of Concrete and promote the use of concrete and masonry in the commercial construction industries.

ITASCA, Ill. (May 28, 2014) — June is National Safety Month, and the National Safety Council is calling on Americans to take notice of the fifth* leading cause of death–unintentional injuries. Every four minutes, someone in the U.S dies from an unintentional injury. That’s 120,000 people a year. Sixty-seven percent** of all injury-related deaths in the U.S. are due to unintentional causes, compared to just 9 percent to homicide.

Safety program will work collaboratively with OSHA’s national safety stand-down to prevent falling hazards in construction.

RED WING, Minn. (May 28, 2014) — Capital Safety, a manufacturer of fall protection equipment for construction and other high-risk fields, has launched its "Every Worker, Every Time" effort, a national five-day fall protection and training program focused on the company’s mission to bring every worker at height home safely, every workday. The initiative will work hand in hand with OSHA’s National Fall Prevention Stand-Down, June 2-6, by visiting construction sites across the U.S.

Joint venture team includes Brasfield & Gorrie, Mortenson Construction, Barton Malow Company and New South Construction.

ATLANTA (May 27, 2014) — The Cobb County Board of Commissioners voted this evening to approve American Builders 2017 as the construction manager at risk (construction manager) to oversee the construction of the new Atlanta Braves ballpark, which is scheduled to open in early 2017.

As an active member of the National Demolition Association's Construction Industry Advisory Council, Cherry Companies works with leading universities such as Texas A&M and Purdue to encourage students to consider careers in the demolition industry.

HOUSTON, Texas (May 27, 2014) — A contingent of construction science majors from Texas A&M University traveled from the classroom to the work site and got a close-up look at one of the nation’s leading demolition and recycling operations. Cherry Companies of Houston, a member of the National Demolition Association (NDA)’s Construction Industry Advisory Council (CIAC), served as host to the aspiring demolition and construction industry professionals.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (May 23, 2014) — Using the doctrine of equitable subrogation to establish lender priority over mechanic’s liens would “completely defeat” the legislative intent behind mechanic’s liens statutes and “improperly shift the known and assumed risks” from construction project owners and lenders to contractors and subcontractors, the American Subcontractors Association (ASA) and ASA of Arizona told the Supreme Court of Arizona.

WASHINGTON (May 22, 2014) – The American Institute of Architects (AIA) lauded the inclusion of an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-SC) that is based on H.R. 2750, the Design-Building Efficiency and Jobs Act.

Rep. Mulvaney introduced the amendment on the House floor Wednesday as debate on the NDAA commenced, and it was successfully incorporated into the NDAA.

ELFA's Monthly Leasing and Finance Index shows continued growth in the equipment leasing and finance industry.

WASHINGTON (May 22, 2014) — The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association’s (ELFA) Monthly Leasing and Finance Index (MLFI-25), which reports economic activity from 25 companies representing a cross section of the $827 billion equipment finance sector, showed their overall new business volume for April was $8 billion, up 7 percent from new business volume in April 2013. Month over month, new business volume was up 14 percent from March.

New survey results emphasize the need to increase investment in the nation's aging infrastructure.

LANHAM, Md. (May 21, 2014) — Ahead of the summer driving season, a new survey from the Asphalt Pavement Alliance (APA) finds U.S. drivers increasingly frustrated with the state of U.S. roads. The national survey found that drivers prefer well-maintained, safe and smooth roadways; moreover, they understand these qualities require periodic maintenance and financial investment.

WASHINGTON (May 20, 2014) – The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation (the Foundation) has released the May 2014 Monthly Confidence Index for the Equipment Finance Industry (MCI-EFI). Designed to collect leadership data, the index reports a qualitative assessment of both the prevailing business conditions and expectations for the future as reported by key executives from the $827 billion equipment finance sector.

KOHLER, Wis. (May 20, 2014) – Kohler Power Systems, a manufacturer of generators, transfer switches, paralleling switchgear and related accessories, announced that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld an earlier U.S. District Court decision that a Generac patent was invalid.

Despite spending declines in first quarter, the Marcum Commercial Construction Index predicts that the industry is poised for expansion for the remainder of the year.

NEW YORK (May 20, 2014) – The Marcum Commercial Construction Index reported that extreme winter weather conditions suppressed nonresidential construction activity in the first quarter of 2014, with spending declines in all three months of the period. The index predicts a return to expansion during the remainder of the year, however.

The Marcum Commercial Construction index is compiled by the Construction Services Practice of Marcum LLP, a national accounting and advisory firm.

RALEIGH, N.C. (May 15, 2014) - FMI, a provider of management consulting and investment banking* to the engineering and construction industry, has announced the release of the 2014 Second Quarter Nonresidential Construction Index report. The NRCI shows slight improvement of a 0.9 point increase from Q1 and a 5.7 point increase from Q2 2013.