Construction Industry News

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.

(July 1, 2014) — Total construction spending edged higher for the third straight month in May, as solid increases in private nonresidential and public construction outweighed a downturn in residential projects, according to an analysis of new Census Bureau data by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).

PRINCETON, N.J. (June 30, 2014) — The Institute of Certified Construction Industry Financial Professionals (ICCIFP) has achieved accreditation from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for the Certified Construction Industry Financial Professional (CCIFP) designation.

CHICAGO (June 26, 2014) — The critical connection between a healthy building environment and patient health is often missed by the one group of professionals who may matter most—physicians. This data is part of a new SmartMarket report by McGraw Hill Construction sponsored by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), United Technologies Corp. and other partners.

WASHINGTON (June 25, 2014) — The crisis facing the federal highway program threatens to take a massive human and economic toll on the construction equipment industry, Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) 2014 Chairman Tim Watters said last week on Capitol Hill.

KIRKLAND, Washington (June 24) — Jobaline.com, a mobile and bilingual hourly-jobs marketplace, has achieved Oracle Validated Integration with Oracle Taleo Business Edition Cloud Service. Jobaline.com helps more than 75 million hourly workers in the U.S. find and apply for jobs from computers, tablets or phone.

(June 23, 2014) — KOBELCO Construction Machinery USA, a Houston-based heavy equipment manufacturer, presented a check of nearly $120,000 to the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP). A long-supporter of the military, KOBELCO was pleased to make this presentation to the WWP in Houston.