Construction Industry News

PEORIA, Ill. (July 30, 2014) — Philippi-Hagenbuch Inc. (PHIL) is working with the Susan G. Komen Memorial to increase breast cancer awareness and prevention and raise funds for research dedicated to finding a cure. Through December, every customer who orders a pink PHIL Autogate Tailgate will have the option to take part in the Pink Tailgate Initiative, and PHIL will donate 5 percent of proceeds to the Susan G. Komen Memorial.

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (July 29, 2014) — The Toro Company celebrated its 100th anniversary July 10, as more than 2,000 employees, retirees, channel and business partners, and other valued guests gathered at the company’s headquarters in Bloomington, Minnesota. Joining Toro’s Chairman and CEO Michael J.

WASHINGTON (July 28, 2014) — Due to the weather-related slow start in the nonresidential building market during the first part of the year and the prolonged weakness in the institutional sector, construction spending projections for the rest of the year have been lowered slightly. The commercial construction sector is still looking at solid spending increases throughout the remainder of 2014, paced by high levels of demand for hotels and office buildings.

WASHINGTON (July 24, 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 June was $9 billion, up 5 percent from new business volume in June 2013.

(July 23, 2014) — Point-of-Rental Systems’ CEO Wayne Harris recently visited a school in Retalhuleu, Guatemala, that caters specifically to children living in extreme poverty. The poverty rate in Guatemala is at 53 percent, with the worst poverty conditions being in rural areas of the country.

SAN DIEGO (July 23, 2014) — Employees of McCarthy Building Companies Inc., a commercial builder in San Diego, recently teamed with a group of consultants and subcontractors to give the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego (BGCGSD) what it needed most: a new STEM (science technology engineering mathematics) lab and outdoor garden area at its Ron Roberts Family Branch in Linda Vista, located at 2230 E. Jewett St., San Diego.

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (JULY 23, 2014) — The National Kitchen & Bath Association, a provider of continuing education and professional development for the kitchen and bath industry, has announced the launch of NKBA U Professional of the Year, a contest recognizing the most driven in the kitchen and bath industry.

WASHINGTON (July 22, 2014) — Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) praised the signing of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), H.R. 803, into law July 22 and released the following statement:

(July 21, 2014) — With the House having approved a package of offsets to fund the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) through next May, attention now shifts to the Senate as action is expected this week.

(July 18, 2014) — Construction firms added jobs in 38 states and the District of Columbia during the past 12 months, but they reduced headcount in 27 states between May and June, according to an analysis of Labor Department data by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). Association officials said the employment gains help, but construction employment remains below peak levels in every location except North Dakota.

MT. VERNON, Iowa (July 17, 2014) —The Tilt-Up Concrete Association (TCA) has announced the call for entries for the 2014 Alphonse Engelman Safety Awards.

DES MOINES, Iowa (July 15, 2014) — BirdDog, a provider of recruitment and applicant tracking solutions (ATS) for the construction and skilled trades industries, has announced new job distribution available with RecruitMilitary, H2H.jobs and ArmedServicesJobs job boards focused on helping veterans reenter the workplace.

SUGAR LAND, Texas (July 14, 2014) — Steve Maliszewski, employee of construction software firm HCSS, is set to run one of the toughest foot races on the planet: the grueling 135-mile Badwater Ultramarathon in California taking place July 21-23. To track him along the course, HCSS is installing one of its GPS units—a product that Maliszewski helped design—on his crew’s van to follow his progress in real time.

(July 14, 2014) — On July 9, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act (WIOA) (H.R. 803), 415-6. The bill now awaits President Obama’s signature as the Senate passed it at the end of June.

WASHINGTON (July 14, 2014) — The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has agreed to support a new performance-based guide developed by the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS).

The National Performance-Based Design Guide (NPBDG) is the first broad-reaching performance-based tool for use by facility owners and building industry professionals.

RACINE, Wis. (July 11, 2014) — CASE Construction Equipment partnered with the Texas Good Roads and Transportation Association and ASCO Equipment to bring its Dire States initiative to Texas in support of Proposition 1 (the Texas Transportation Funding Amendment).

(July 4, 2014) — On July 1, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx sent letters to state transportation departments and transit agencies outlining steps the Department of Transportation will soon be forced to take in order to manage the impending insolvency of the Highway Trust Fund.

(July 3, 2014) — Construction employers added 6,000 workers to payrolls in June as the industry's unemployment rate dropped to 8.2 percent, its lowest June level in six years, according to an analysis of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). Association officials cautioned, however, that recent employment gains could be undermined when the federal government begins scaling back transportation investments in August.

LAS VEGAS (July 2, 2014) — R&O Construction is giving back in a big way, joining a growing number of businesses that support Las Vegas’ global economic development efforts.

MENLO PARK, Calif. (July 2, 2014) — With pockets of unemployment still at historic levels in some neighborhoods in Silicon Valley, a new software construction management company in North America is partnering with JobTrain, an almost 50-year-old Menlo Park nonprofit with an established track record for teaching job skills and life skills.