Thursday April 11, 2019
WMA MEMBER NEWS
Huttig Announces Its Expansion of Huttig-Florida Warehouse
Huttig-Florida has expanded its warehouse facility over 200,000 sq ft, doubling our capacity to 448,630 sq ft in order to offer the broadest, deepest product mix in the industry. “The Central Florida expansion will allow us to increase the depth and breadth of our current product lines while allowing us to expand our Huttig Grip fastener line to the largest in the state,” stated Robert Pearce, East Regional Vice President.
LAT Names Member Award Recipients
Herman Sanchez, business development representative at Pennsylvania Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Company (PLM), has been selected by the LAT membership as its 2018 Associate of the Year.
INDUSTRY NEWS
US LBM Expands Into Mississippi Market
US LBM Holdings, LLC has acquired Bailey Lumber & Supply, a distributor with six locations in Mississippi. The deal marks US LBM’s first entrance into the Mississippi market.
Lessons Learned as Florida Architectural Millwork Company Rebuilds After Hurricane Michael
“We have all learned what we think of most in life when everything is in peril, and it is not the things that can be repaired or replaced,” said Edward San Juan, president of E. F. San Juan Custom Moulding & Millwork.
Read more at Woodworking Network
GOVERNMENT & LEGISLATURE NEWS
California SB 50 Garners Support From NWNNC Amid Concerns Over City Planning, Affordability
If California Senate Bill 50 is passed, local ordinances preventing the construction of denser and taller housing near single-family homes may be removed in areas near major transit locations, including some bus and train stops.
Vermont Senate Approves Residential Contractor Licensing Bill
A bill that would set up Vermont’s first-ever certification process for building contractors has passed a major hurdle. The bill, S.163, which would apply to contractors who take on jobs worth more than $2,000, was approved by the Senate on Thursday and now heads to consideration by a House committee.
HOUSING & ECONOMIC NEWS
Labor Market Trends Reflect Economic Growth Prospects
Despite an overall weak quarter, unemployment remains at a historically low rate of 3.8%.
U.S. Payrolls Top Estimates With 196,000 Rise as Wages Cool
U.S. hiring rebounded more than forecast in March and the prior month was stronger than first reported, potentially relieving some concerns about a cooling economy. Wage gains eased and the unemployment rate held near a 49-year low.
National Median Home Price Hits $300K For First Time Ever
Analysis from realtor.com pins the increase on more higher-end homes going on the market. The U.S. median home listing price rose 7% year-over-year in March and reached $300,000 for the first time ever, according to realtor.com®’s March 2019 monthly housing trend report released today.
CODES & COMPLIANCE NEWS
Take Part in Keeping Communities Safe with Building Safety Month
This May, the International Code Council will celebrate the 39th consecutive Building Safety Month. Each year, the Code Council partners with building professionals, corporations, government agencies and other advocates to shine a light on the role building codes play in making our communities safer and more resilient. This year, Building Safety month will focus on five topic areas: preparing for natural disasters; training and education; clean and abundant water; construction professionals partnering with homeowners; and innovations in building safety.
GREEN NEWS
Top Green Features
ENERGY STAR windows are the single-most wanted green feature among home buyers, with 89 percent reporting that it is an essential/must have (38 percent) or a desirable feature (51 percent). In NAHB’s latest study on preferences, What Home Buyers Really Want, recent and prospective home buyers (people who bought homes in the previous three years or are planning to do so in the next three years) were asked about the features they would like in a home or community.
DOE Catalyzes Clean Energy Innovation in All 50 States
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has made clean energy research and development (R&D) investments in every U.S. state over the past two years, sending more than $1.8 billion to the national laboratories and to hundreds of private-sector and academic researchers last year alone.
UPCOMING WEBINARS
WEBINAR: April 30, 2019 2:00 PM EST
US Housing and Nonresidential Construction: A Tale of Two Sectors
The trends of 2018 will not carry us through 2019. Economic trends are shifting at this moment, and plans for the rest of this year and for 2020 need to reflect the new reality.
Find out more in a webinar presented by Speaker and Analyst Taylor St. Germain.
ARTICLES OF INTEREST
Why Manufacturing Can’t Afford To Be A Man’s World
According to the latest figures, women make up around 47% of the US labor force. That’s nearly 74 million people — and counting. Now guess the percentage of manufacturing roles filled by female workers. It’s 29%. Less than a third.
Blockchain Can Streamline Supply Chain Operations, Says EY Executive
Industrial uses of blockchain can help companies save time and money by organizing complex supply chain processes, says Paul Brody of EY Global. “The beauty of blockchain is that it introduces order, simplicity, trust, visibility and automation to what otherwise is a chaotic environment,” he says.
12 Strategies For Innovating Through A Downturn
For many organizations, preparing means taking many predictable steps: slashing resources, shutting down long-term innovation investments and shifting focus to short-term priorities. But a challenging economic environment calls for the need to innovate more, not less.
Diesel Prices May Increase as Cargo Industry Makes 2020 Fuel Switch, Experts Say
The looming adoption of a mandate that will require maritime vessels to burn cleaner fuel is projected to put upward pressure on diesel prices next year, but transportation experts are more concerned about how the change will affect the supply of diesel fuel for trucks.
