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Thursday, January 12, 2017
WMA MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS
Huttig Wins 2016 Construction Marketer of the Year
Huttig Building Products, Inc. (NASDAQ: HBP), was recently recognized by the Construction Marketing Association (CMA) annual STAR™ Awards for marketing excellence in the construction industry. The CMA STAR awards recognize excellence in categories including advertising, branding, website design, social media, brochures, catalogs, new product launches, packaging, photography, promotions, publicity, merchandising, trade shows, videos, employee communications and integrated marketing campaigns, along with the Construction Marketer of the Year™ which Huttig was honored with. Read Full Release
WHOLESALE DISTRIBUTION EDUCATION
When: March 5-8, 2017
Where: JW Marriott Indianapolis Hotel – Indianapolis, Indiana
LIMITED ENROLLMENT, REGISTER TODAY!
WMA members receive $1000 savings on registration.
IMPORTANT DEADLINES
February 13, 2017 – Hotel reservation and cancellation deadline. Reservations must be made directly with the hotel prior to 5 p.m. Central Time to receive the UID rate.
February 17, 2017 – Registration deadline. All applications received after this date will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
To view the course listing CLICK HERE!
GOVERNMENT AND LEGISLATIVE
Congress Fails to Renew Energy Efficiency Tax Credits
Three major energy efficiency incentives expired December 31, 2016: 1) tax credits to homeowners for energy efficiency upgrades such as installing new windows and doors, or heating and cooling equipment (25C tax credit); 2) tax credits to home builders for more efficient construction (45L tax credit); and 3) tax credits for efficiency improvements of commercial buildings and multi-unit residential buildings (179D tax credit). In Energy Manager Today, Cheryl Kaften reports that the Alliance to Save Energy is calling on legislators to restore these tax breaks. “Whether it’s through tax reform or an extension of the existing incentives, Congress needs to act quickly … to insure that our tax code continues to appropriately reward … energy efficiency again,” said Alliance President Kateri Callahan. Read more at Energy Manager Today
BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS
BUILDER’s John McManus Outlines How Housing Industry Pros Can Deal with the Uncertainty of a New Administration
Certainty is a firm conviction something is the case. To speak to certainty’s qualities, we use terms like sureness, confidence, and the absence of doubt. For housing and its disproportionately important subsystem of home builders—especially since the Great Recession—not much is, has been, or ever will be a sure thing, nor do its more experienced denizens put a heck of a lot of stock in expectations that things will go reliably one way or another. Read more at Builder
HOUSING INDUSTRY
Consumer Confidence in December – The Highest Level Since the Recession
Consumer Confidence increased in December to the highest level since August 2001. Assessments of current conditions declined but consumers held improved views of the near future. Read more at NAHB Eye On Housing
OSHA Sued Over New Injury Reporting Rule
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other groups are suing the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) over a new rule that requires companies to make all of their injury and illness data public. Read more at DWM
Rates and Affordability
When a Nobel-prize winner shrugs his shoulders, and says, “I don’t know…” to a question directly related to his field, it gives you a pause. Which is what economist, and Nobel winner, Robert Shiller is apt to do when you ask him what will happen next with the housing economy. He can tell you as well, or maybe better than anybody else what has happened historically and up to the last few months in the housing economy. But when it comes to predicting what’s around the next corner, I’ve heard him say, more than a few times, “I don’t know, and if anybody tells you they do know, they’re lying.” Read more at Builder
Builders Satisfy Demand for Open Floor Plans
According to a recent NAHB article, open floor plans are popular among home buyers, and the design of new single-family homes tends to be, if anything, even more open. For example, in a 2015 NAHB survey, 70 percent of recent and prospective homebuyers said they preferred a home with either a completely or partially open kitchen-family room arrangement with 32 percent preferring the arrangement completely open). Read more at Eye On Housing
Industry Experts Expect 55+ Market to Continue Rise
There are roughly 77 million baby boomers in the U.S. and many will be looking for a new place to live in the coming years. As that boomer generation ages, many are looking to downsize to a home with a floor plan that makes single-level living possible, but with enough space for visiting family members and entertaining friends. Read more at Builder
These Cities Attract the Most Millennial Homeowners
Some experts predict that Millennials will be the driving factor of housing in 2017, and others question whether rising interest rates will lock them out of the market. Read more at Housingwire
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The 2017
Distribution Industry Outlook
NEXT WEBINAR
Thursday, Jan 19
1:00 pm EST
Growth was tough in 2016, with more competitive noise than ever. The new year is transmitting early optimistic signals for those willing to embrace shifts in the distribution landscape.
Presented by MDM Webcasts
WMA
2016 Compensation & Benefit Survey
Available for Purchase
GROW YOUR BUSINESS IN 2017
BECOME A WMA SUPPORTER
. . . . . .
BUILD BRAND IDENTITY
PROMOTE YOUR
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
CONNECT WITH THE
MILLWORK INDUSTRY
. . . . . .
We’re unveiling some forward-thinking initiatives in 2017, and you can be a big part of it. Contact WMA to get started
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What is the ANSI/WMA 100 Standard for Side-Hinged Exterior Doors?
- Approved as an American National Standard by ANSI
- Uses the ASTM E330 test method to obtain a full system design pressure rating
- Defines methods for qualifying door system components for substitution in the rated system
- Outlines slab stiffness testing procedures for use in determining component substitution
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