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CBO Editorial Staff

  • Equipment

    Equipment Lease Finance Industry Confidence Up in March

    The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation released the March 2012 Monthly Confidence Index for the Equipment Finance Industry (MCI-EFI) on Friday. 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 $628 billion equipment finance sector.  Overall, confidence in the equipment finance market is 61.7, up from the February index of 59.6, indicating industry participants are optimistic despite concerns that external factors, including gas prices and the upcoming elections, may have on the market. When asked about the outlook for the future, MCI survey respondent Valerie Jester, president, Brandywine Capital Associates, Inc., commented, “I still remain optimistic, but it seems that increasing gas prices, looming elections,...

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  • Resources

    Rives Construction Receives ASA’s First-Ever National Construction Best Practices Awards

    SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS — Rives Construction, Irondale, Ala., is one of five construction contractors that received the American Subcontractors Association’s first-ever National Construction Best Practices Awards for “demonstrating an extraordinary level of commitment to best industry practices.” Rives Construction received the best practices award during ASA’s annual meeting on March 2 in conjunction with the ASA Business Forum and Convention 2012 in San Antonio. The other recipients were: Alberici Constructors, St. Louis, Mo.; Bigane Paving Company, Chicago, Ill.; F.A. Rohrbach, Allentown, Pa.; and Ondra-Huyett Associates, Allentown, Pa. “ASA’s National Construction Best Practices Awards, presented for the first time this year, recognize firms that perform work as prime contractors and that have demonstrated an extraordinary level of commitment to best industry practices,” said 2011-12 ASA President...

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  • Resources

    White Sands Construction Selected for 50 Women-Owned Businesses

    White Sands Construction of Alamogordo, NM has been honored with a recognition by New Mexico Business Weekly in its selection of “50 Women-Owned Businesses.”ALAMOGORDO, N.M., March 23, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Announcing a special recognition appearing in the June 2011 issue of New Mexico Business Weekly published by American City Business Journals. White Sands Construction was selected for the following honor:“50 Women-Owned Businesses” A spokesperson from White Sands Construction commented on the recognition: “This is quite an honor for us. The fact that New Mexico Business Weekly included White Sands Construction in its selection of “50 Women-Owned Businesses,” signals that our constant efforts towards business excellence are paying off. We are proud to be included in this recognition.” White Sands Construction strives at customer satisfaction and...

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  • Resources

    Cervus Equipment Corp. Completes Frontier Peterbilt Acquisition

    Cervus Equipment Corp. announced that it has completed the previously announced acquisition of the business assets of Frontier Peterbilt Sales Ltd. (“FPSL”), the business of Frontier Collision Center Ltd. (“FCCL”) and certain properties from Frontier Developments Ltd. (“FDL”). Cervus acquired the net assets for approximately $33 million including $14.4 million for the land and buildings from FDL through a vendor take back mortgage of $13.4 million and $19.6 million in cash.  The assets acquired include four Frontier Peterbilt dealerships/branches located in Saskatoon, Regina, Estevan and Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, and a collision repair centre located in Saskatoon, SK. The acquisition includes all of the real property currently occupied by these locations.  Over the last three (3) fiscal periods, the operations of FPSL and FCCL reported on average...

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  • Equipment

    Caterpillar Announces Excavator Capacity Expansion in China

    XUZHOU, Jiangsu Province, People’s Republic of China (March 21, 2012) –  Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) announced a new expansion project for the company’s manufacturing facility in Xuzhou, China. Once completed in 2016, it will increase hydraulic excavator production at Caterpillar Xuzhou Limited (CXL) by an additional 80 percent. Caterpillar also announced plans today to begin production of wheeled excavators at CXL beginning in early 2014, further expanding the range of products and services Caterpillar is offering to customers in China and other growth markets. Caterpillar Chairman and CEO Doug Oberhelman announced the expansion plans in Xuzhou at an event attended by senior Caterpillar leaders and representatives from the Xuzhou government.  “As we have done around the world for more than 85 years, these investments in...

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  • Fleet Management

    Wright Express Releases Monthly Construction Fuel Consumption Index Results for February

    SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine – Mar. 22, 2012 – Wright Express Corporation (NYSE: WXS), a leading global provider of value-based business payment processing and information management solutions, in collaboration with IHS, the leading global source of information and analytics, today released results of its Wright Express Construction Fuel Consumption Index (FCI), which indicated a decrease of 0.6% in February versus its level the previous year. The Wright Express Construction FCI measures national fuel consumption statistics for the construction industry, which provides an accurate and up-to-date indication of construction activity in the United States. The construction segment comprises approximately 20% of the Wright Express portfolio of customers. Wright Express worked with IHS to capture and analyze transaction data from its closed loop network of more than 180,000...

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  • Resources

    New ADA Rules Now In Effect for Commercial Renovation and New Construction

    Owners and operators of retail, hotel and other commercial properties are now required to be in full compliance with new ADA regulations, effective March 15, 2012 CHICAGO (March 20, 2012) — New Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations originally announced in 2010 officially took effect on March 15. Property owners across the country will now be required to meet these expanded regulations for renovation or construction projects, or risk ADA compliance lawsuits. To help owners and operators avoid the potentially millions of dollars in legal fees and civil penalties, the Jones Lang LaSalle Project and Development Services group, together with LCM Architects, a leading national architecture and design firm specializing in ADA-friendly design, offers an ADA compliance platform. This construction management program assists owners in...

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  • Resources

    Construction Manager Completes David A. Cofrin Asian Art Wing Designed to Achieve LEED Gold Certification

    GAINESVILLE, FLA. — Construction manager Charles Perry Partners, Inc. (CPPI) completed the Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art’s new David A. Cofrin Asian Art Wing at the University of Florida, which will open to the public on March 31, 2012. Designed by Le-Huu Partners to achieve LEED Gold certification from the United States Green Building Council, the $13.6 million, three-story, 26,000-square-foot addition will feature works from China, India, Japan, Korea, and South and Southeast Asia. The new facility will house Asian art galleries, a mezzanine suite on the upper level for curatorial and museum activities, as well as art storage and conservation space on the lower level. It will also include Asian-themed gardens designed by Hoichi Kurisu of Kurisu International. CPPI specializes in educational, commercial,...

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  • Equipment

    STIHL Inc. Names Bjoern Fischer as Vice President of Finance

    VIRGINIA BEACH, VA. (March 19, 2012) – STIHL Inc. announced that Bjoern Fischer will assume the duties of vice president of finance on May 1, 2012. In addition to overseeing the financial operations of the company, Fischer’s role will also include oversight of the human resources and information services departments.  Fischer, who started with the company March 1, will be replacing Karl Angler who will move to STIHL headquarters in Germany as the executive board member for finance, comptrolling, information systems and services for the STIHL Group worldwide, effective May 1, 2012. “While we will miss Karl greatly as he moves to his new role with the STIHL Group worldwide, we are quite pleased to welcome Bjoern Fischer to the STIHL family,” said Fred Whyte,...

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  • Resources

    Road & Highway Services in the U.S. Industry Market Report Available

    Road and highway services did not experience the same downturns as other industries during the recession, due to robust federal stimulus investment in infrastructure development. Though this funding has tapered off, firms will continue to rely on federal dollars and the general health of the economy in the years to come. In particular, a new surface transportation bill will likely come into fruition in the near future, stimulating demand. Likewise, residential construction is expected to pick up, which will also boost demand. For these reasons, industry research firm IBISWorld has added a report on the Road & Highway Services industry to its growing industry report collection. The Road and Highway Services industry supplies specialized construction services for transportation infrastructure projects. The industry principally generates revenue...

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