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April 3, 2008

INDUSTRY ACCESS*

Window & Door Manufacturers Association Selects John R. Stoiber as its New President

The Window & Door Manufacturers Association (WDMA) announced that it has selected John R. Stoiber as its new President and SmithBucklin as its full-service management company. The association will relocate from Des Plaines, IL to SmithBucklin’s offices in Chicago, IL.

Stoiber holds two BS degrees and an MS degree in engineering from Marquette University. He also holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s J.L. Kellogg School of Management in strategy & finance and is a certified management accountant. In addition to having founded and served as the CEO of six companies, John spent seven years with Johnson Controls in product and sales engineering roles focused on building and construction solutions and technology related to energy efficiency, life safety, security and fire protection. 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

The Green Building Initiative recently announced the signing of a formal memorandum of understanding with ENERGY STAR, a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, reported Building Design & Construction. Full Story

The National Association of College and University Business Officers, in collaboration with several higher education associations, has launched an online environmental resource center called CampusERC, reported Facilitiesnet. The online resource center makes it easier for higher education officials to learn more about environmental regulations and ensure a safe and sustainable environment for their students, faculty, and staff, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which provided funding for CampusERC. Full Story

Proper selection of vivarium door hardware is a continuing challenge for owners and architects. Operational flexibility, heavy traffic, and increasingly stringent security needs have made the process challenging, and subtle differences between manufacturers or campus facility requirements make successful choices elusive. A recent ALN Magazine article reviews the broad principles of functional needs and secure facility design, and then addresses in detail the door types, hardware, and systems used on secure entrance doors, typical holding rooms, and procedure rooms with respect to cost, ease of installation, use, and reliability under vivarium conditions. Full Story

CONSTRUCTION & DESIGN

U.S. construction spending during February 2008 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1,121.6 billion, 0.3% below the revised January estimate of $1,124.8 billion, according to the U.S. Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce. The February figure is 3.5% below the February 2007 estimate of $1,162.2 billion. During the first two months of this year, construction spending amounted to $155.1 billion, 2.6% below the $159.3 billion for the same period in 2007, reported Modern Distribution Management. Full Story

Modular construction is increasingly being used to create quick and convenient dormitories and classrooms for colleges and universities. These are not the flimsy wooden buildings that were the hallmark of the first generation of modular building, but hardier steel and concrete structures, reported The New York Times on the Web. Full Story

The University of Illinois at Chicago's City Design Center has produced a 96-page electronic publication illustrating ideas for green development in East Garfield Park as a case study for use by Chicago neighborhoods and individuals, reported Science Daily. Full Story

SECURITY & SAFETY

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has released, for public comment, a draft publication (SP 800-116) outlining best-practice guidelines for making the government-wide ID known as a personal identity verification card work with the physical access control systems that authenticate the cardholders in federal facilities, reported Facilitiesnet. Full Story

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

Maine contractors who work in more than one town may have a unified building code to follow rather than rules that vary from one community to another, if a bill before a legislative committee becomes law. The Business, Research and Economic Development Committee will require at least one, perhaps two, more work sessions to make sure everybody's questions are resolved reported the Morning Sentinel. Full Story

Virginia and South Dakota recently became the thirteenth and fourteenth states in the U.S. to formally recognize the Green Building Initiative’s (GBI) Green Globes environmental assessment and rating system in legislation, reported Building Design & Construction. Full Story

SMALL BUSINESS NEWS

No Match

While Congress was gone, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a revised "no match rule." As you may recall, under the initial "no match" rule, the Social Security Administration (SSA) would have included "warnings" from DHS that if you didn't correct the no match violations you might be setting yourself up for trouble - that you had "knowingly" hired an illegal alien. No match letters are generated by the SSA after employers file the forms W-2 for employees at the end of the calendar year. If ten or more of the W-2s have errors, the SSA sends the employer a no match letter. Opponents of the original "no match" rule challenged it in court and won a stay of implementation. The DHS has published a new proposed rule. It really does not change the substance of the rule; it primarily provides additional justification for the original rule, something the court criticized. Bottom line, you may hear some buzz about "no match" again but no change is imminent. After the comment period, a final rule would have to be published and then the court would be asked to reconsider its stay.

DHI's Jerry Heppes sits on the board of the Small Business Legislative Council. If you'd like more information on these or other issues affecting small businesses, feel free to contact him at jheppes@dhi.org.

This material is protected under copyright law and contains confidential information. It is for the sole personal, informational use of DHI members. It cannot be distributed, reprinted, referenced as a source for attribution, or otherwise made public.

FOUNDATION NEWS

Foundation Staff Meets with Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA)

William Johnson, Executive Director of the Foundation attended a breakfast meeting with Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) to discuss issues that are important to the fire door inspection program. In his conversation with Senator Harkin, Mr. Johnson noted the Foundation’s work that is being accomplished with respect to the training of fire officials and made the senator aware of the support the Foundation receives from companies in Iowa. Senator Harkin is a strong advocate of fire safety and is a member the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, which is the largest caucus in Congress with over 320 members.

Foundation Presenting at UL/ICC Fire Symposium, CSI Show
Booth space at CSI and AIA Show, AHJ Guide to be Distributed

The Foundation will have booth space at both the AIA show in May and the CSI show in June. Through sponsorship, we will be providing the AHJ’s Guide: Swinging Fire Doors with Builders Hardware to all attendees of the UL/ICC symposium and CSI symposium. We will also have a large number of copies on hand at both the AIA and CSI show floor.

The Foundation has also been invited to present at a UL/ICC Total Fire Protection Symposium on April 10th in San Jose and at the Total Fire Symposium at the CSI conference in June.

Watch for an email in the coming weeks soliciting your support for these events. (The April 10th event is closed for sponsors).

Video Promoting One-Day AHJ Class

The video promoting the one-day AHJ class narrated by Robert Polk, retired fire marshal, South Carolina is available for viewing at www.lifesafetysecurity.org/PolkVideo1.html or at www.youtube.com key word search ‘fire door inspection’.

Keep up-to-date with the latest Foundation news and programs, please visit www.lifesafetysecurity.org

DHI NEWS

Classes Are Filling for DHI’s May MEGA School!
May 11 – 18, 2008 in Lansdowne, VA

MAKE SURE YOU SECURE YOUR SPOT –
THE NEXT NATIONAL EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY WON’T BE UNTIL NOVEMBER 2008 IN BOSTON!

This upcoming education session features 28 of our 31 National classes! With its extensive course offerings and logical structure, this event is designed to minimize your time and effort to attend National Education.

Go online to www.dhi.org/education for the complete course listings and to register online! Questions? Not sure which courses to take? Contact our Member Services team directly at 703-222-2010 and we can help you select the best courses for you!

Bring DHI Education to Your Office!

Take advantage of DHI’s In-House Training Program! With this program, your company can purchase the instructor and student manuals for many of DHI’s technical classes and conduct the education session locally. Students who pass that exam will receive the same credit as students who attend DHI’s national class session. These programs help you to further customize your DHI education experience to be even more convenient and affordable!

For more information or to find out how your company can participate in local DHI education, please contact Carol Granger directly at 703-766-7032.