May 17, 2007

INDUSTRY ACCESS*

Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies and The CBORD Group Team Up to Create Fully Integrated Campus Security and Access Solutions

Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies has teamed with The CBORD Group, a leading provider of campus-wide management solutions, to engineer a new, fully integrated electronic campus identification and access control system that features simplified operational protocols and increased efficiencies for university administrators and security professionals.

Exclusively sold by CBORD, the new offering seamlessly integrates CBORD's proprietary access control system, CS Access™, with Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies' Schlage® value integrated platform (VIP) and Wireless Access products into a single, unified access control management database. In addition, integrations of the computer managed (CM) and campus lock (CL) products are scheduled for release in the third quarter of 2007. Ideal for use with CBORD's CS Gold® campus card program, the new, combined offering greatly enhances operational
efficiencies and eliminates the need for security personnel to manage multiple systems. Schools using CBORD's Odyssey PCS™ campus card system along with CS Access may also take advantage of this offering.

For more information, visit www.ingersollrand.com.

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 year-to-date value of construction starts through April 2007, excluding residential contracts, totaled $97.355 billion, 21.7% higher than in 2006, according to Reed Construction Data. Full Story

The April Producer Price Index for Wood Doors (flush & panel, interior & exterior) was up 2.8% from 2006 and the Other Wood Doors (Incl. garage, screen, storm, etc.) PPI was up 2.4% compared to a year earlier. Compared to March, the unadjusted March PPI was down 0.1% for Wood Doors and the PPI for Other Wood Doors was unchanged, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The PPI for Metal Doors, Sash & Trim was down 0.1% from March and up 2.4% from a year ago. The April PPI for Door locks, locksets & locktrim was up 0.2% from March, and was up 7.42% from 2006. Click here to view the full April Producer Price Index report. (PDF file - Wood Door information is on page 12, Lock data and Metal Door data is on page 17)

For owners, architects, specifiers, and facility managers, complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) while preserving a building's aesthetic/historic qualities is problematic, especially when trying to meet ever tighter design-build deadlines that depend on "just in time" delivery. Fortunately, recent advances in custom door entry options that exceed current access standards can be customized to match any decor, from historic government buildings to sophisticated commercial buildings, have design and construction industry experts taking note, reported Construction Bulletin. Full Story

Construction hourly wages are up at a 4.6% annual pace in the last six months and will probably accelerate a little more in the next few months. Also worth noting: annual wage gains peaked at 4.3% at the peak of the last building cycle in early 2000. Benefits costs are actually rising more slowly than a few ago. The recent pickup in wages is largely due to shortages of skilled workers with a contribution from inflation catch up wage demands, reported Building Design & Construction. Full Story

CONSTRUCTION & DESIGN

To reduce the building design industry’s impact on the environment, key leaders in that sector are collaborating to establish carbon-neutral buildings by the year 2030. The American Institute of Architects (AIA), the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), Architecture 2030, the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA), and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), supported by representatives of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), finalized an agreement of understanding, establishing a common starting point and a goal of net zero energy buildings. Full Story

The projected shortfall in the new Los Angeles Unified School District's campus construction program has ballooned from $1.6 billion to at least $2.4 billion in the last six months, the result of spiraling construction costs. And Los Angeles school officials, who were already scrambling to cover the lower shortfall, have no plan in place that would entirely make up the gap, reported The Los Angeles Times. Full Story

Green relocatable classrooms are debuting at a Massachusetts elementary school and a college in Northern California, reported Building Design & Construction. Full Story

New Mexico Business Weekly looks at how green building impacts the construction industry. Full Story

From coast to coast, the surge in hospital construction activity that began at the start of the century continues a brisk pace, with renovations, expansions and new projects keeping designers and contractors so busy in 2006 that some were forced to turn down work. However, some experts see signs of a slowdown in the future, reported Buildings.com. Full Story

SECURITY & SAFETY

In a $29.5 billion industry, the firms in Security Distributing & Marketing Top 100 report captured $6.95 billion in total revenue — about a 24% market share. Most of the SDM 100 firms are privately held. Full Story

A school custodian has created a new device which he believes will speed the door-locking process in a lockdown. The Lock Stopper is a thin strip of plastic that attaches to the door jam with Velcro. The door is locked, but the plastic keeps the lock from going into the slot. When someone wants to lock the door, they pull the plastic away and the lock slides into position, securing the door. It takes almost no time compared with what it would take to gather a set of keys and stick one into a keyhole in the hallway, reported the St. Cloud Times. Full Story

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

A group of Senate leaders intend on pushing Congress to restore more than $1 billion for Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) and Secure Our Schools programs, reported Security Sales & Integration. Full Story

Recently, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg took what many view as a significant step toward preventing future tragedies by proposing a massive overhaul of the city's building code, the first in nearly 40 years. Under the proposed regulations, for example, all new buildings over 55 feet tall would be required to have a more fire-resistant stairway, automatic sprinkler systems, and hardwired smoke alarms that sound in every room, reported The Gotham Gazette. Full Story

Federal agencies would be required to spend at least 30% of their prime contracting dollars with small businesses under legislation approved by the House Small Business Committee. Enactment and enforcement could generate new contracts worth billions of dollars for small businesses. The current contracting goal is 23%, reported FCW.com. Full Story

SMALL BUSINESS NEWS

Immigration

Negotiators on the new immigration bill seem to have come to agreement on an employment verification system that will make permanent and mandatory the basic pilot verification system. There is also expected to be a similar system for allowing illegal immigrants a way to earn legalized status. President Bush also reaffirmed his support for such a provision over the weekend.

Family Leave

Washington Governor Christine Gregoire recently signed into law paid family leave legislation that requires all employers, regardless of size, to allow employees five weeks of family leave to care for children or sick family members. The employer does not pay for the leave directly. The payments will be administered through the state’s unemployment compensation system.

There is a dollar cap on the amount of the benefit and employers less than 25 employees will not have to keep the job open.

On the federal level, Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) have introduced the Healthy Families Act, which seeks to provide the same type of benefit. This bill would require businesses, which employ 15 or more employees, to provide a minimum paid sick leave and employment benefits of seven days for those who work at least 30 hours a week, and a prorated amount for those who work between 20 and 30 hours a week.

While such legislation is still a ways away from being enacted on the federal level, it is definitely a reality on the State level, particularly those States with of a more pro employee view such as Washington and California.

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 to Attend College Campus Security Summit

The 2007 National Campus Security Summit: Practical Measures for Campus Security will be held later this month in Edmond, OK.

The summit will be an event where campus administrators, safety and law enforcement personnel will dialogue and share information on best practices.

Although this is not a trade show event, vendors who wish to provide information to participants are invited to be a part of their virtual trade show. They will post your company's logo and link it to a website. In addition, they will include contact information in conference materials. UCO and MIPT will not endorse the products nor services.

Their website is: campussecuritysummit.ucok.edu/virtual_trade_show.htm

If you would like to participate, please e-mail campussecuritysummit@ucok.edu with the following information:

Contact Name
Contact Address
Contact telephone number
Web site URL
Type/category of product or service

Send a check made out to the University of Central Oklahoma in the amount of $250 to:

National Campus Security Summit
c/o University of Central Oklahoma
100 North University Drive, Box 188
Edmond, Oklahoma 73034

Companies Committed to Making a Difference

Thank you to the following companies for their increased and continued financial support of the Foundation’s activities this year: ASSA ABLOY Americas, National Guard Products, Mohawk Flush Doors, Contract Hardware, Inc. (Seattle), Builders Hardware and Supply Company (Seattle), Kamco Supply Corporation (Boston), S.A. Mormon and Company, Architectural Building Supply, Powers Products

Your support continues to make a difference. Thank you.

Donate Online at Foundation’s Website

To make an online donation, please visit www.lifesafetyandsecurity.org, click on 'Support Us'. You will see a button for 'Make a Donation'. You can use your credit card or your PayPal account.

Thank you for your consideration of support.

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

DHI NEWS

Space Is Filling Fast—
Don’t Miss DHI Education in Scottsdale, AZ!

Don’t forget to register for DHI Education in Scottsdale, AZ, June 3 – 8, 2007! Space is limited so register online at www.dhi.org/education or call our registrar, Linda Saylor directly at 703-766-7021 to reserve your space! 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 directly at 703-222-2010 and we can help you select the right one for you!

Mark Your Calendar for DHI’s 32nd Annual Conference and Exposition!

You can’t afford to miss DHI’s 32nd Annual Conference and Exposition, October 13 – 20, 2007 in Nashville, TN! Don’t miss the launch of the Fire Door Assembly Inspection Certification program this year in Nashville! The first official Fire Door Assembly Inspection Class will debut at this event and the Forum for the Future will focus on the business model and effects of this program. Join us in Nashville to find out how this paramount program will impact you! Watch www.dhi.org for more details.