May 3, 2007

INDUSTRY ACCESS*

Masco Buys Erickson, Guy Evans

Masco Corp., one of the nation's largest producers of home improvement and building products, purchased Erickson Construction Co. and Guy Evans Inc. to broaden its offerings. Erickson is a provider of pre-fabricated wall panels and millwork in Arizona, California and Nevada. Guy Evans is an installer of millwork, interior and exterior doors, windows and bath hardware, for residential builders and commercial contractors in California and Nevada. 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

DC Velocity's fourth annual warehouse metrics survey provides a full set of benchmarks for distributions centers. Full Story

Not only are most U.S. corporate leaders interested in sustainability, but the majority of leaders are also examining proactive ways to make sustainability a consistent part of their companies' missions, a new study of corporate America's opinions on sustainability and green building has found. The report from the McGraw-Hill Companies, in conjunction with its research and report partner Siemens found that 18% of corporate leaders surveyed are in the upper, or market transformational, stages, with 15% viewing sustainability as a competitive advantage and 3% actually driving their entire businesses through this value-driven lens, reported Facilitiesnet. Full Story

Considering the amount of money, time, and resources poured into new construction and renovation projects, the management of these ventures is one of the most important tasks assigned to a building owner, reported Buildings.com. Full Story

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and its Committee on the Environment (COTE) have selected the top ten examples of sustainable architecture and green design solutions that protect and enhance the environment. The project descriptions highlight both the design innovations and sustainable strategies, along with the metrics achieved in terms of reduced carbon emissions, reduced energy consumption and improved building functionality. Full Story

CONSTRUCTION & DESIGN

An estimated 6% of commercial developments are certified as "sustainable" or have applied for certification through the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, program of the United States Green Building Council. Industry experts say they expect that the percentage could rise to as high as 10% by 2010. And many more buildings are being retrofitted with devices that curtail energy consumption and carbon gas emissions, reported The New York Times on the Web. Full Story (Free registration required)

More and more builders and cities aren't bothering with LEED certification because, as Boston's chief of environmental and energy services, James W. Hunt III, acknowledged, "Many developers in the business community have raised concerns that the LEED process can be lengthy, onerous in documentation and costly." In 2004, the Green Building Council listed 93 buildings nationwide as LEED-compliant while another 1,100 awaited final review. Today, it lists 744 LEED-certified buildings, and the backlog has swelled to more than 5,300, reported Buildings.com. Full Story

When Gulf Trace Elementary will become one of the first schools in Florida, and the first in Pasco County, to win certification as environmentally sensitive from the U.S. Green Building Council. An elementary school slated to open in Wesley Chapel in August 2008 also is on line to get the rating, which only 32 others have nationally, reported The St. Petersburg Times. Full Story

The New Jersey Schools Construction Corporation put 27 of 59 planned projects on hold. The SCC is the public agency responsible for financing, designing and constructing school projects in the state's poorest districts, and in districts that receive 55% or more in state funding for education. In 2005, the corporation came up with a list of 59 building projects that could be completed with the agency's remaining $1.4 billion. The agency now says it would need another $600 million to complete all 59, reported the Burlington County Times. Full Story

SECURITY & SAFETY

Educators and public safety experts told a Senate committee Apr. 23 that colleges and universities were generally safe but remained vulnerable to attacks by terrorists and deranged students. They proposed a variety of remedies, including better emergency training for faculty and staff, improved communication and increased spending on student mental health services. But, they told senators on the Homeland and Governmental Affairs Committee that the open, sprawling nature of most campuses made it impossible to eliminate all risks, reported The Los Angeles Times. Full Story

Security Distributing & Marketing talked to campus safety officials and experts in the security industry about the impact of the Virginia Tech University campus shooting and the unique challenges of securing campuses and universities. Full Story

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

In a major change to Massachusetts environmental policy, private developers will now be required to estimate the greenhouse gases their large-scale projects will produce and reduce them with measures such as energy-efficient lighting, alternative fuels, or commuter shuttles. Effective immediately, developers planning projects large enough to warrant a state environmental review will have to assess how the projects contribute to the pollution that leads to global warming, Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian A. Bowles told The Boston Globe. Not only will the state look at direct emissions from smokestacks and heating with fossil fuels, but it will consider the indirect effect of thousands of workers driving to a new office park. Full Story

The National Institute of Standards & Technology has issued guidelines for RFID security. The guidelines focus on controls that are commercially available today. Download Guidelines (154 page pdf file)

California air regulators unanimously passed the world's toughest controls on toxic formaldehyde in wood products widely used in kitchen cabinets, countertops and other construction, reported The Los Angeles Times. Full Story

SMALL BUSINESS NEWS

Patent Reform

In a rare bi-cameral and bi-partisan move, members of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees have joined together to introduce the Patent Reform Act of 2007, S 1145 and H.R. 1908.

The bill would create a "first-to-file" system. The American system is the only one in the world that grants patents to the first inventor rather than the first to file a patent application. The authors of the bill believe the result is a lack of international consistency, and a complex and costly system in the U.S. to determine inventors' rights. According to the proponents, the bill also creates a more streamlined and effective way of challenging the validity and enforceability of patents.

After a patent is issued, a party seeking to challenge the validity and enforceability of the patent has two avenues under current law: by a reexamination proceeding at the USPTO or by litigation in federal district court. The bill creates a new "derivation proceeding" designed to determine the inventor with the right to file an application on a claimed invention.

Said Representative Berman about this revision: "In an effort to address the questionable quality of patents issued by the USPTO, the bill establishes a check on the quality of a patent immediately after it is granted or in circumstances where a party can establish significant economic harm resulting from assertion of the patent." The post-grant procedure is designed to allow parties to challenge a granted patent through an expeditious and less costly alternative to litigation.

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.

FOUNDATION NEWS

Foundation Attends Senate Hearing on College Campus Security

The Foundation for the Advancement of Life Safety and Security was in attendance at the April 23rd hearing held by the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Richard Barnhard FDHI, DAHC/CDC, foundation board member attended the hearing that was chaired by Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) and ranking member Susan Collins (R-ME).

"It was important for the foundation to attend this hearing," said Barnhard. "In light of the tragic events that took place at Virginia Tech, it is critical that the Foundation continue to be present and to gather, and eventually present information that will help these lawmakers make important legislative decisions in regards to life safety and security."

Thank You!

Thank you to the following companies for their increased support this year: Amweld Building Products (Division of Ark II Manufacturing), The Hallgren Company, Thompson Company, Negwer Materials, Weinstein & Holtzman, Dallas Door and Supply Company, New Century Door and American Direct.

Without this type of support, many of the activities we are undertaking would not be possible. Thank you.

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

DHI NEWS

DHI Education in Scottsdale, AZ!

Don't forget to register for DHI Education in Scottsdale, AZ, June 3 - 8, 2007! Registration is now available online at www.dhi.org/education or call our registrar, Linda Saylor directly at 703-766-7021. Whether you are fulfilling the pre-requisites for the upcoming Fire Door Assembly Inspection Class in Nashville, on your way to earning a DHI certification, or just want to expand your industry knowledge, DHI Education has something for EVERYONE! Not sure which class to take? Contact us at 703-222-2010 and we can help select the right one for you!

DHI's 32nd Annual Conference and Exposition
October 13 - 20, 2007
Nashville, TN

Don't miss the launch of the Fire Door Assembly Inspection Certification program this year in Nashville! This event will feature the first official Fire Door Assembly Inspection Class and a focus on the business model and effects of this program at the Forum. If you are interested in becoming a Fire Door Assembly Inspector, you can't afford to miss this event! Watch www.dhi.org for further details!