ACI Announces Partnership With Global Association

New Home Pending Sales Down

Spackle by Dave Coverly

People

Deputy Prime Minister Visits ROCKWOOL

Contractors Believe Training is Most Critical Need

Simpson Strong-Tie Employees Participate in Day of Service

Sto Receives Code Compliance

L&W Supply Opens Pittsburg Location

Deputy Prime Minister Visits ROCKWOOL

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland and Member of Parliament Adam van Koeverden visited ROCKWOOL’s Milton, Ontario manufacturing facility where they got a facility tour and met with staff to learn about how the manufacturers creates building insulation from melted rock.

This visit comes on the heels of the Ministry of Finance Fall Economic Statement which includes a Multigenerational Home Renovation Tax Credit to facilitate in-home suites for the elderly and vulnerable. Building insulation made from stone wool is a key element in creating comfortable living spaces, regardless of temperature, while keeping rooms quiet and protecting from fire.

This new, refundable Multigenerational Home Renovation Tax Credit provides up to $7,500 in support for constructing a secondary suite which will help families preserve traditions of caring for an aging grandparent at home or help parents to afford to support a child with a disability move back home, starting January.

Van Koeverden said: “The Fall Economic Statement outlines our focus on workers, good jobs and growth as we fight the impacts of inflation and help Canadians pay their bills. I’m proud to join Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland here at home in Milton to highlight how the work that company does is so closely aligned with our goals for a strong and sustainable economy that works for all Canadians. High-quality insulation is essential for Canadian homes with our climate.”

The facility contributes to the local and regional economies by providing more than 350 jobs and through giving back to the community in supporting local initiatives.

Contractors Believe Training is Most Critical Need

A new survey released from DeWALT, a Stanley Black & Decker brand, found more than half of U.S. contractors (55 percent) feel a lack of skilled workers is a barrier to growing their current business. That number rises to 69 percent among businesses with $10 million-plus annual revenue and 64 percent among those with 20 years or more of experience. Looking to the future, 48 percent believe training the next generation of trade professionals is one of the most critical needs for the success of the construction industry in 2023.

“The … Powering the Future Survey sheds further light on the wide-reaching gap in skilled labor and its continued impact on the residential and commercial construction industries,” said Allison Nicolaidis, President of Power Tools Group at Stanley Black & Decker. “Add to that the overwhelming demand for trades’ expertise during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the [skilled-labor] gap is quickly becoming the most critical need that will dictate the future success of the field.”

Half of contractors (48 percent) identify training the next generation of workers as one of the most critical industry focus areas in 2023 and beyond. Seasoned contractors are particularly committed to training the next generation of workers, with 63 percent of those in the industry for 20 or more years indicating this is a paramount goal for the future. The second and third most critical elements for growth are contingency planning/risk management and resilient supply chain solutions (both 37 percent).

Also indicated as an important element of future success is the innovation of tools and equipment (33 percent). With tool advancements, 55 percent of contractors feel they have increased efficiency, half (51 percent) state they have increased user control, and over a third (36 percent) think it has improved the quality of work.

Simpson Strong-Tie Employees Participate in Day of Service

Simpson Strong-Tie hosted “Do What You Can Day” in November, its annual day dedicated to giving back to the community.

More than 1,000 employees in North America, the Pacific Rim and Vietnam participated in various activities benefiting individuals and families worldwide. The company’s signature activity for the day was creating WeHero Packs of Inspiration healthy food kits at nine of facilities to address food insecurity in local communities. More than 2,000 kits were designed and assembled, translating to 1,074 volunteer hours and $32,000 worth of volunteer time.

Other company facilities engaged in projects to help their local communities, including raising funds to benefit local food banks and hurricane relief or collecting toys, clothes and other basic necessities to support families in need. Do What You Can Day is a celebration of and commitment to Simpson Strong-Tie founder Barclay Simpson’s principle of giving back to others.

“This is our seventh year of making a positive social impact, not only in our local communities where we live and work but also by supporting people all over the world,” said Karen Colonias, CEO of Simpson Strong-Tie.

Sto Receives Code Compliance

Sto Corp. announced that its StoVentec Rainscreen Systems has been evaluated by Intertek, a respected, independent and accredited agency, and found to be fully code compliant.

StoVentec Render and Masonry Veneer Rainscreen systems are all included in Intertek’s evaluations, and the Glass system is coming soon. “Typically, code evaluations come piecemeal, one component at a time,” explained David Hohenstern, Senior Product Development Specialist at Sto Corp. “But this evaluation vouches for the complete Rainscreen systems’ compliance for water resistance, wind and fire. This is significant.”

The Code Compliance Research Reports issued by the agency indicate that the systems evaluated are in compliance with the specific testing standards of multiple jurisdictions, including Florida, California and Miami-Dade County. “This will simplify life for architects and contractors,” Hohenstern added. “Not only can they be sure that every element of the StoVentec Rainscreen system they’ve chosen will work together seamlessly, but they’ll also know that it’s all compliant no matter where they are in the country.”

The evaluations became active on May 25. In some cases, in-process updates will add more codes. To read the Code Compliance Research Reports in their entirety, visit stocorp.com/stoventec.

L&W Supply Opens Pittsburg Location

Nationwide distributor L&W Supply has opened a new location in Pittsburgh. This is L&W Supply’s first location in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area.

Don Hall manages the branch. Hall first joined L&W Supply in 2019 as delivery services manager at L&W Supply’s Roanoke, Va. location. He recently graduated from the company’s Branch Management Training Program. Hall has 30 years of experience in distribution.

“We are excited to introduce L&W Supply to the Pittsburgh area,” said John McLaughlin, vice president of L&W Supply’s Northeast Region. “This location will allow L&W Supply to expand our services to local contractors, ensuring they have the products and tools they need to be successful.”

“Don’s decades of experience, along with his tremendous work ethic, are exactly what we need to kick-start this branch,” said L&W Supply’s Great Lakes District Manager Tracy Hein. “He and his team are ready to begin building relationships with Pittsburgh contractors and show them how L&W Supply can make their jobs easier.”

ACI Announces Partnership With Global Association

While exhibiting and participating in PROCEMCO in Cartagena, Colombia, the American Concrete Institute and the Global Cement and Concrete Association were able to formalize their cooperative efforts by signing an International Partnership Agreement. This new agreement formalizes the desire to collaboratively develop and disseminate information on concrete, concrete structures and especially on concrete sustainability. International Partners work with ACI to increase access to concrete information worldwide.

GCCA is the key driver of sustainability in the cement and concrete industry, working towards the goal of carbon neutral concrete. Representing 80 percent of global production outside of China, as well as key Chinese producers such as CNBM, the GCCA launched its 2050 Net Zero Roadmap in 2021, outlining the levers, milestones and pathways to achieve a decarbonized industry. This includes new technologies, innovations and improving efficiency in design and construction. Here, the contribution of design and construction professionals to delivering carbon reductions through concrete projects is crucial. This partnership will support dissemination of best practices to enable specification of sustainable concrete and design of lower carbon concrete elements and structures.

The agreement with the GCCA is part of ACI’s strategic plan to promote concrete sustainability and the use of ACI’s concrete knowledge to assist concrete industry professionals globally to manage increasing requirements for the design of concrete structures. In addition, ACI recently launched NEU: An ACI Center of Excellence for Carbon Neutral Concrete. NEU’s members include designers, contractors and material suppliers, as well as consumers and owners of concrete structures. NEU aims to collaborate globally to drive research, education, awareness and adoption of carbon neutral materials and technologies in the industry to reach the goal shared with GCCA.

New Home Pending Sales Down

In October, the experts at Zonda, the housing industry’s foremost advisors, released the New Home Market Update report for September 2022. The housing market has entered a wait-and-see phase—consumers are trying to decide if it makes sense to buy today or wait. As a result, many potential shoppers have moved to the sidelines. This is captured in total sales activity. Zonda’s New Home Pending Sales Index posted a 25.9 percent decline year-over-year in September, with levels roughly 3 percent below the same month in 2019.

Many builders are also responding to the uncertainty by pausing on new land deals and slowing overall starts. Zonda’s statistics show that 81 percent of builders intend to slow starts for the rest of this year, if they haven’t already. Nearly 89 percent of builders are planning to slow starts next year as well.

“We are on a quest to find what we’ll call the ‘strike price’—a price where consumers see the value in the home and/or community and re-enter the market,” said Ali Wolf, Zonda’s chief economist. “Right now, consumers are both uncomfortable with where prices are and, in many cases, unable to make the math work. Strategic price cuts and incentives are sometimes proving effective at pulling back in some of the skittish consumers. In other cases, the quest carries on.”