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September 4, 2008

INDUSTRY ACCESS*

Control4 Enters Strategic Relationship with Black & Decker to Develop Interoperable Residential Access Control Solutions

Control4, a leader in affordable IP-based home control and entertainment systems, and Black & Decker, the industry leader in residential security hardware, marketed under the Baldwin, Kwikset, and Weiser Lock brands, announced a strategic relationship to develop Black & Decker's interoperable residential access control solutions. Through this partnership, homeowners will be able to manage and control the ZigBee radio-equipped door locks directly via the Control4 home automation platform, reported MarketWatch.com. 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

Insured losses from Hurricane Gustav could range between $4 billion and $10 billion, reported The USGlass News Network. While Gustav impacted a similar region as Katrina, much has changed in the Gulf States over the past three years; some changes may have helped the area be more prepared for this storm as well as ones that could occur in the future. One of the most important changes has been the adoption of statewide building codes. Full Story

Tens of thousands of students across the country will go back to school this fall to find their halls and classrooms turning green – as in environmentally sound and healthy, energy efficient and high performing. Hundreds of thousands of additional students are poised to attend environmentally designed schools within the next few years, according to the U.S. Green Building Council. As the school year begins, nearly 1,000 school buildings will have met or are seeking LEED certification, with applications growing at a rate of more than one per day. Full Story

CONSTRUCTION & DESIGN

Construction spending took a bigger-than-expected tumble in July as housing activity dropped to the lowest level in seven years - and nonresidential activity fell for the first time in seven months. The Commerce Department reported that construction spending declined 0.6% in July, double the 0.3% decrease analysts had been expecting, reported CNNMoney.com. Full Story

Governments are on track to spend a record $300 billion this year on schools, roads, bridges and other projects, the Census Bureau reports. That's a 7% increase on top of a 12.4% jump last year, the biggest increase since 1993, when the agency began tracking construction spending, reported USA Today. Full Story

The subpar economy and the recent surge in construction materials cost are progressively depressing education construction spending. The inflation adjusted value of education construction spending has dropped 3-4% since last fall. Above budget costs are forcing some projects to be scaled back or delayed. This will continue through 2008. School construction is being restrained by the year long drop in the purchasing power of state and local government tax receipts. This restraint will worsen for most of next year and in early 2009, reported Reed Construction Data. Full Story

Office construction has declined slightly so far this year with further small declines expected over the next year but office development has a small amount of growth left in this building cycle as soon as growth resumes in the domestic economy next year. Reed Construction Data expects the modest dip in office construction in 2008-09 to be offset by renewed expansion in 2010-11 because the amount of office space completed in the last two years is less than two-thirds of completions at the peak of the last building cycle. Peak office building activity in this building cycle has not yet been reached but it has been postponed by the 2008 decline in office space demand. Full Story

The construction industry in Dallas has continued to add jobs this year as commercial work has filled a void left by a drop of more than one-third in single-family housing permits from last year, reported the Dallas News. Full Story

SECURITY & SAFETY

The Security Industry Association (SIA) released American National Standard ANSI/SIA OSIPS-01:2008 SIA Open, Systems Integration and Performance Standards – Framework, the foundation for all of SIA’s Open Systems Integration and Performance Standards (OSIPS) family of standards. OSIPS enables the open integration of different types of components within the enterprise systems. It is essential to establish precise definitions of shared system elements and common means to communicate. Full Story

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

For the past eight months, California state regulators have been using a complex computer program to determine whether hospitals previously tagged as being vulnerable to collapse in a strong temblor are actually safe enough to leave alone for 17 more years. Statewide, hospital operators have sought re-examinations for 281 buildings, or about 25% of the 1,100 structures designated for retrofit or replacement by 2013, reported SignOnSanDiego.com. Full Story

SMALL BUSINESS NEWS

Small business news will return in the September 18th issue.

DHI NEWS

ONLY 11 DAYS LEFT TO RECEIVE ADVANCE REGISTRATION SAVINGS!
DHI’s 33rd Annual Conference and Exposition
November 7 -15, 2008 in Boston, MA

The deadline to receive reduced, advanced registration fee is September 15, 2008! This is the ONE industry event you don’t want to miss. Click here to register online.

Re-ignite your passion for the industry and your career at this essential industry event. This year's Conference and Exposition is jam-packed with networking, educational and business development opportunities. From the National Education to the Forum for the Future, Industry Marketplace and exposition, this is a smart investment of your time and money. Click here for the complete schedule of events. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at 703-222-2010.

DHI’s Upcoming ONLINE VCE Program: "Overview of changes to NFPA 101"

Join us online Wednesday, September 24, 2008 at 11:00 am EST as Keith Pardoe, DAHC/CDC, Director of Education and Certification, discusses the soon-to-be-released 2009 edition of NFPA 101, The Life Safety Code and its new annual life safety inspection requirements for door assemblies. This interactive session will be presented inside DHI's amazing new 3D virtual conference room and will provide a great opportunity to learn more about the topic from the convenience of your own office. If you missed any of the previous online sessions through DHI's Virtual Conference, don't worry, you can still view them. Each session has been archived and is available online in the virtual conference room for your convenience.

Click here for more information about VCE or contact DHI at 703-222-2010.