July 12, 2007

INDUSTRY ACCESS*

Huckaby Garage Doors Announces Campaign to Go Green

Huckaby Garage Doors of Roswell, GA, is beginning a new campaign to promote the use of Earth friendly, green products. Concentrations will be on high-performance products that pay special attention to energy efficiency and conservation through insulation and use of recycled and sustainable materials. Full Story

JELD-WEN Plans New Pennsylvania Site

JELD-WEN, manufacturer of doors, windows, millwork and specialty wood products and headquartered in Klamath Falls, OR, has submitted plans to the county for construction of a 40-acre facility at a Cass Township, PA site. However, the new facility will not affect JELD-WEN’s Wenco Inc. plant in Ringtown, reported The Republican Herald. 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

Despite the continued sagging housing industry, the nonresidential construction market has shown solid gains this year and spending is expected to increase by 7.2% in 2007 in inflation adjusted terms, following the growth of near 6% in 2006. Led by heavy demand for institutional projects, the growth in 2008 is expected to be at a slower pace, closer to a 3% gain in total activity, according to The American Institute of Architects semi-annual Consensus Construction Forecast. Full Story View Full Report

Home builders may be slowing after five great years, but commercial construction looks as if it will remain very strong for the next six to 12 months. In fact, nonresidential construction has been so good nationwide that it has driven up the price of some commercial construction materials, such as structural steel, reported The Wichita Eagle. Between the first quarter of 2006 and the same quarter of 2007, roofing and siding was up 33.8%; glazing and curtain walls were up 9.6%; and structural metal framing was up 9.1%, according to Reed Business Information. Full Story

In Canada, the value of building permits issued in May soared 21.4% from April to a record C$6.8 billion, largely due to plans for office buildings in Western Canada, Statistics Canada reported. Full Story

CONSTRUCTION & DESIGN

The race to meet new state mandated seismic standards for healthcare facilities has produced a massive hospital building boom in the Los Angeles healthcare market, according to HealthLeaders-InterStudy. While deep-pocketed Kaiser Permanente expects to have all of its local hospitals in compliance by 2008, the Los Angeles public health system is struggling with cost estimates that have increased from $100 million in 2005 to $767 million in 2007, reported Buildings.com. Full Story

Arizona’s Canyon Ranch, a major brand in the $10 billion spa industry, has branched into real estate with a 67-story Chicago condo-hotel that will bear its name. Joining an increasingly crowded field in the city's luxury high-rise market, Canyon Ranch Living-Chicago is a $650 million project that will include access to an on-site physician, nurses, nutritionists and exercise physiologists, reported Building Design & Construction. Full Story

SECURITY & SAFETY

The systems integration industry witnessed no shortage of demand or funding for security last year — nor integrators to capitalize on it. All of the usual factors fueling demand for integrated security systems were at play in 2006, and they joined with an exceptional focus on converged solutions to form a highly robust market, evidenced by a 7% improvement in revenue for Security Distributing and Marketing’s 2007 Top Systems Integrators. Full Story

While considered to be in its early growth stage, the North American electronic access control (EAC) market is primed for future expansion, according to Frost & Sullivan. The possibility of multitechnology authentication greatly drives market growth, and with increased competition and reduced prices, the EAC market will witness greater venture capital and equity interest, according to the Frost & Sullivan report, North American Electronic Access Control Markets — Investment Analysis and Growth Opportunities. Revenues in the North American EAC market totaled $1.32 billion in 2006, and Frost & Sullivan says estimates reach to $4.19 billion by 2010, reported Security Sales & Integration. Full Story

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

Plans for new construction in New York City are undergoing a major renovation. The City Council passed a sweeping bill that revamps the 1968 code regulating new homes and buildings to keep city law up to speed with more common construction codes used in other states, reported The Staten Island Advance. Full Story

In a move to better support the health and well-being of America’s students, the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) unanimously supported a green schools resolution at its 75th annual meeting in Los Angeles. The resolution, introduced by Mayor T.M. Franklin Cownie of Des Moines, IA, and co-sponsored by 16 additional mayors, also urges Congress to provide funding of K-12 green school demonstration projects as well as support new research funding to better understand the environmental, economic, and health benefits of green schools, reported Buildings.com. Full Story

Members of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's Green Building Task Force have released new building recommendations that would call for mandatory high environmental standards for new commercial and residential structures. Following a similar line that has municipal buildings adhering to high environmental standards, Newsom and his task force announced a goal of expanding efforts to make the construction of nearly all new buildings in San Francisco efficient, greenhouse gas-reducing structures, reported CBS5.com. Full Story

SMALL BUSINESS NEWS

Family Leave

During the middle of the heated immigration debate, Senators Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and Ted Stevens (R-AK) introduced S. 1681, the Family Leave Insurance Act. This bill seeks to provide up to eight weeks of paid leave to care for a newborn or recently adopted child; to care for a child, spouse or parent with a serious illness; or to care for their own serious illness.

Under this bill, employers would pay leave benefits through their regular payroll and be reimbursed by the Family Leave Insurance Fund, created by this legislation. Employees and employers would both be required to pay a premium into the fund, roughly 0.2% of the employee’s earnings. The benefits would be tiered based on the employee’s earned wages.

Participation in this program is mandatory for businesses with over 50 employees. Those businesses with less than 50 employees may choose to opt into the program at a 50% discount (only pay 0.1 percent premiums).

Energy Policy

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has indicated that she plans to bring several energy bills that have been approved by House committees to the floor for a vote this month. Among those bills will most likely be H.R. 2389, the Small Energy Efficient Business Act, which was introduced by Congressman Heath Shuler (D-NC) in the middle of May and unanimously reported out of the House Small Business Committee shortly after.

If passed, this bill would provide loans, education and investment to small business to help them become more energy independent. It would also allow the Small Business Administration (SBA) to provide more flexible loan terms to small firms that are either developing or using energy efficient technologies. It would also expand the Small Business Investment Corporation with the goal of promoting investment in the production of alternative sources of energy and the development of energy efficient technologies.

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.

DHI NEWS

ONLY 22 DAYS LEFT TO RECEIVE ADVANCE REGISTRATION PRICING!
Sign-up by August 3rd, 2007 for EXTRA SAVINGS!

Take advantage of ADVANCE REGISTRATION pricing for DHI’s 32nd Annual Conference and Exposition in Music City, Nashville, TN, October 13 – 20, 2007!

This is YOUR industry and YOUR event. Make sure you stay connected to the heart of the industry and be empowered by ALL that is available to you at this year’s Conference and Exposition. You can’t afford to miss all this year’s event has to offer. From the launch of the Annual Fire Door Assembly Inspection Program (AFDAIP), to the debut of the AFDAIP business model at the Forum for the Future, to the most EXPANSIVE DHI education offerings in ONE location, this year’s event will advance your career, improve your business and change your life!

PLUS! When you buy one day of education, you get access to the Conference and Exposition FREE! Go online to www.dhi.org/annual or contact DHI directly at
702-222-2010 for more information and to register!

Become a Fire Door Assembly Inspector (FDAI)!

Don’t miss your life changing opportunity to attend the launch of the Fire Door Assembly Inspection Class (FDAIC)! For the first time this class will be offered at DHI’s 32nd Annual Conference and Exposition! Upon the successful completion of this class, you will also be eligible to enroll in the Intertek Certification Program to become a Certified Fire Door Assembly Inspector!

Have you completed the mandatory pre-requisites? Contact DHI at 703-222-2010 to find out how you can fulfill these requirements prior to the FDAIC.

Self-Study Course: Fundamentals of Architectural Doors and Hardware
COR110 Basic Hardware
COR115 Hardware Applications
COR140 Using Codes and Standards

Individuals certified as Architectural Hardware Consultants (AHCs), Certified Door Consultants (CDCs), Electrified Hardware Consultants (EHCs) and/or Architectural Openings Consultants (AOCs) are already eligible to enroll in the FDAIC.