Trade News
RectorSeal Acquires Shoemaker
RectorSeal LLC has acquired Shoemaker Manufacturing, a manufacturer of high-quality grilles, registers, and diffusers.
Shoemaker Manufacturing, based in Cle Elum, Wash., manufactures high-quality GRD serving residential and commercial applications. Shoemaker’s success is driven by its broad product offerings, customizable design, and ease of online specifications and ordering, which results in providing consistent, reliable, and readily available products to distributors. With 180,000 square feet of domestic manufacturing space, the Shoemaker acquisition provides RectorSeal with additional capacity to manage its global supply base.
“Shoemaker’s strong reputation is built upon the quality of its manufactured products, innovation in applying technology to production selection and quotation, and a relentless focus on customer service,” said Jeff Underwood, senior vice president of Sales and Marketing at RectorSeal. “This combination complements our TRUaire GRD product line and expands our product offerings in this growing category.”
The existing leadership team at Shoemaker has remained in place through the ownership transition. John Hein, President at Shoemaker, adds, “The acquisition enhances our ability to deliver a more robust product line along with many additional benefits to current and future customers. Now, both companies will be able to provide products and services to customers that we could not have delivered as separate companies.”
Shoemaker will continue to operate and serve customers independently in the short term. As the businesses are integrated and benefits for RectorSeal and Shoemaker customers are realized, details will be shared with distributors.
EIFS Veteran Releases Historic Book
EIFS industry expert Buck Buchanan, who has a great insider’s perspective on the industry, has published his new book, “Behind the Walls.” This new book will be released at the upcoming 2022 Annual EIMA Meeting on March 23. The book can be preordered at the website booksbybuck.com, beginning March 1.
“Behind the Walls” tells the story of the people who built an industry from scratch to become a multi-billion-dollar business. The book is about the EIFS industry in the United States, a building system that is so unique it revolutionized construction. It’s not just about the events that shaped it, but the people who contributed to its success.
Along the way there were many challenges, some that put the industry on the verge of collapse while others attempted to restrict its ability to grow. Many battles had to be fought as the business struggled for acceptance from building owners, architects, building codes officials and politicians. Hurricanes, fires and the Great Recession also presented the system’s hurdles to overcome.
This book tracks the industry’s development from its beginning to a period of astonishing growth and then follows as it evolved into a mature industry. It reviews many of the key points along the way, such as the rise and fall of the residential business and the industry’s ability to rebrand itself after its most catastrophic event.
The focus is of this tome is on the people who built an industry from 1969 to 2019—their careers, their ups and downs, and the tragedies some of them had to face. It’s an American story, one of survival and success.
Anyone who has been in the EIFS industry will know some of this history but not all of it. This book chronicles a more complete history of what the EIFS industry has endured.
CIM Program Breaks All Previous Records at 2022 Auction at World of Concrete
The National Steering Committee for the Concrete Industry Management program—a business intensive program that awards students with a four-year Bachelor of Science degree in Concrete Industry Management—announced the company raised more than $1.740 million in gross revenue at its annual auction, held in conjunction with the World of Concrete on January 19.
“This year’s auction was a tremendous success, both in terms of the value of donated items and the Auction participants,” commented Ben Robuck, CIM Auction Committee Chairman. “The results are indicative of the high value the concrete industry places on the CIM program. We thank the concrete industry for their tremendous support. In addition to a concrete mixer truck donated by Mack Trucks, Inc. and McNeilus, a truck-mounted concrete pump donated by Alliance Concrete Pumps, a truck chassis donated by NORCAL Kenworth and Kenworth Truck Co., a high-performance mixer donated by Con-Tech Manufacturing, Inc., an S-485 Laser Screed donated by Somero Enterprises and a Shumaker Industries’ Load and Go Ready Mix Truck Wash system, we had a variety of items targeted specifically for the concrete industry.”
“In addition to the above-mentioned items, we were pleased to have cement donations from cement industry leaders like CEMEX, Holcim, Lehigh Hanson Inc., Argos Cement, St. Marys Cement Inc., Roanoke Cement Company, GCC, Martin Marietta as well as admixture donations from CHRYSO Inc., Master Builders Solutions, Sika USA and GCP Applied Technologies,” said CIM Marketing Committee Chairman Brian Gallagher.
In addition to the live auction, a silent auction was also held. This year CIM had record proceeds from the silent auction. Live and silent auction items included cement, concrete saws, drills, mixers, vibrators, safety equipment, screeds, decorative concrete tools, water meters, pumps, generators, training sessions, reference books, iPads and laptop computers, sports travel packages and golf and vacation travel packages.
DuPont Helps Reduce America’s Construction Rework Problem
DuPont introduced the DuPont Building Knowledge Center Quality Assurance Program created to raise the bar in manufacturer quality control and help further reduce the $31 billion waste caused by installation rework in the U.S. The BKC is a team of trusted DuPont advisors for installation guidance, training, field support and inquiries related to the DuPont building envelope portfolio.
The new BKC Quality Assurance Program features expanded support and design review services for general contractors. Upon passing the technical review, customers may be eligible for an exclusive 15-Year Product and Labor Limited Warranty for select DuPont Tyvek Commercial Wrap and DuPont Self-Adhered Flashing Products.
“With DuPont’s BKC Quality Assurance Program, we benefit even more from the added services, minimizing our potential for risks and mitigating future potential issues,” said Jim Driggs, President, Quality Assurance, Trammel Crow Residential. “The 15-year extended warranty creates increased value with pre-project equity partner’s perception of quality, and at sale for the new buyer’s long-lasting asset value.”
According to the 2018 FMI Construction Disconnected Report, contractors spend 35 percent of their time—more than 14 hours per week—on nonproductive activities, including resolving conflicts and dealing with installation mistakes and installation rework, accounting for more than the average profit margin in the construction industry.
Providing installation guidance and review services can help mitigate costly rework by prioritizing quality control and supervision of product installations. Additionally, by the project conforming to the requirements of the BKC Quality Assurance Program from DuPont, projects gain eligibility for the company’s new 15-year warranty, enabling building owners to help reduce long-term risk of building failure and gain the confidence of extended warranty benefits.
Contractors and building owners can learn more about the benefits of the DuPont Building Knowledge Center (BKC) Quality Assurance Program and request a quote at building.dupont.com/BKCQA.
ACI Adopts New Position Statement on Engineering Curricula
The American Concrete Institute has recently approved a new position statement on the topic of civil/architectural/structural engineering curricula. The institute now has a total of thirteen position statements on various topics supporting policy positions along with state, federal and international programs, rules, and regulations.
The new position statements includes:
Civil/Architectural/Structural Engineering Curricula: Encourage colleges and universities with civil, architectural, or structural engineering curricula to retain or include material and structural courses on design and code compliance in accordance with recognized consensus-based standards developed by accredited standards development organizations.
The Institute’s position statements are focused on advocacy efforts related to code development and adoption; and future statements may focus on other ACI programs, services, and activities. The process of creating ACI position statements was created by the ACI Board to better allow ACI to actively engage in advocating for ACI code adoption.
Learn more and view all position statements at concrete.org/positions.
Hilti and Trackunit Announce Strategic Partnership to Effectively Eliminate Downtime
Hilti and Trackunit have announced a strategic partnership to advance digital transformation in the construction industry. The partnership is focused on bringing global scale to the tool and equipment connectivity domain. Together with Trackunit, an industry leader in fleet management services, Hilti is now able to strengthen its ON!Track solution. At the same time, the Trackunit platform will be enriched with additional tool-related data. The partnership also seeks to expand the ever-growing network of Trackunit devices, providing increased connectivity around the globe through advanced Bluetooth technology. It enables the industry to detect tags on smaller tools and equipment, capture insights from tool and equipment data and offer an integrated customer experience across platforms.
“Connectivity is rapidly changing our industry. Through this unique partnership, we are excited to leverage our joint expertise to also further connect tools, machinery and service vans around construction sites in the near future - ultimately providing customers with innovative and integrated solutions that improve productivity and profitability,” said Michael Neidow, EVP at Hilti and Head of the Tool Services Business Unit.
The partnership is a joint ambition to increase productivity and eliminate downtime in the industry. It also marks a new digitalization frontier in construction focusing on tools and equipment.
“By partnering with global market leader Hilti, we can further realize the collective digital business transformation of our industry. Together, we are uniquely positioned to help customers unlock insights from light equipment and tools, providing ample opportunity in decision-making, efficiency and continuous learning. The partnership goes way beyond standard ISO feeds and builds deep integration where data insights are now being made available across the two platforms in real time. The integration will deliver a standardized and stronger customer experience out of the box—eliminating the need for custom configuration and expensive IT integrations.” said Soeren Brogaard, CEO of Trackunit.
Hilti provides market reach to a well-established Trackunit solution and enlarges the global network. Trackunit serves some of the world’s largest OEMs, rentals and contractors and with this strategic partnership Hilti brings the access to the retrofit market and mid-market for expanding the Bluetooth network. With the data exchange model, Trackunit will also strengthen its offering to cover unpowered equipment and assets for their existing customers. Data insights are now being made available across the two platforms in real time, so that tools registered in Hilti’s ON!Track system can be viewed on the Trackunit platform, and heavy machinery equipped with Trackunit hardware can be viewed in ON!Track.
The partnership will allow Hilti to expand its ON!Track solution beyond light equipment to also cover heavy machinery, while creating an innovative solution for van inventory management for all customer categories in the construction industry. This is a great fit because it elevates the customer experience to the next level by making sure tool and data insights are accessible on both platforms. Moving forward, you can expect further announcements about the partnership in the coming 24 months.
CISCA's Annual Convention Update
CISCA President Scott Turczynski has made a statement regarding the upcoming convention in Grapevine, Texas. Turczynski shares information on what attendees of the convention can expect.
On April 4, attendees can look forward to a golf-outing followed by an optional Armstrong Training Facility Tour for contractors and a welcome reception.
“April 5 is the big day complete with several educational sessions … that evening there will be a reception along with our big CISCA Gala, complete with celebration dinner, awards program, and the Emerging Leaders graduation,” Turczynski said.
The next day expect another contractor’s tour, several meetings for manufacturers and vendors, and a “Grab N’ Go” lunch so you don’t miss out on anything going on at the INTEX Trade Show and lasting all afternoon. That evening, will be the farewell reception.
For more details on the event, names of guest speakers and other opportunities present at the convention, tune in to this video.
Spackle by Dave Coverly
People News
SAF announced the promotion of a longtime employee, as well as the addition of four new team members to the sales and project management teams. The year 2021 marked historic sales growth for SAF, and the industry-leading metals fabricator also celebrated the opening of a new manufacturing facility in September. To address the need for additional team members to manage the company’s growth, SAF has promoted internally in addition to welcoming new faces from outside the organization.
- Jermaine Johnson has been promoted to inside sales representative and will be based out of SAF’s corporate headquarters in Atlanta.
- Nick Tomei has been appointed project manager for SAF’s perimeter systems division.
- Stephanie Spiwak joins SAF as inside sales representative and will also be based out of the corporate headquarters in Atlanta.
- Amelia MacDonald joins the SAF sales team in a dual role as an administrative assistant and inside sales representative.
- Brent Highley is fulfilling a unique responsibility as the first internal salesperson for SAF’s newest location that opened in September 2021.
In a planned transition, KHS&S-East Coast announces promotions within its executive team.
Tampa Senior Vice President Erik Santiago, with more than 25 years at the company, has been promoted to KHS&S president. In a related promotion, Jess Robinson, senior vice president, has been promoted to Tampa-area division manager.
JLG Industries Inc. announced that Bob Begley has joined the company as director of product management for scissor, vertical and low-level access lifts.
Woolpert has hired Construction Management and Inspection Team Leader Ian Lesko. He will work out of the firm’s Indianapolis office.
Western Specialty Contractors congratulates New York Metro Branch Sales/Project Manager Derek Robertson on being named 2022 President of the Metro New York Chapter of ICRI (International Concrete Repair Institute).
March 2022 | Volume 85 | Issue 3
The Voice of the Industry since 1938
